I read the original book series, and I've enjoyed Tony DiTerlizzi's art and stories. It's been a bit since I've read them, but they stuck with me. It was an eco sci-fi that sometimes felt like a fantasy. The art was detailed and engaging, the creature designs familiar yet otherworldly.
I saw this series pop up and was reminded about the books. Going into it I was neutral. The art style looked nothing like the original, but that was fine as long as it looked good and the story translated well.
First episode was very rough, and the rest was fine.
Art style - it looks generic. Not bad, but very passable. I'm fine with making changes visually, but this looks like a generic colorful kids cartoon. The animation was a bit stiff. Completely throws out the detailed watercolor-like art style of the original.
Designs - Everything was simplified and made to more colorful and cuddly. Eva is supposed to be 16, but she looks and sounds like a woman in her late 20's. Yet she acts very bombastic and child-like, which just feels at odds. Muthr was turned from an interesting machine, to a smooth green emoji. And the creature designs were drastically simplified and made colorful.
Overall - They kiddified and simplified it. Eva is a bit annoying and does not feel anything like her character. She is like every generic protagonist. It all makes sense because this is the same studio that made "Luck", and that movie was very bland in every way. Without its source material, this would have nothing to stand on. The only good parts, are the world originally built by the books.
They removed a lot of the maturity and thoughtfulness from the books. This one feels like it's jingling colorful keys to maintain your attention, and if you see something engaging, then they slam the keys back in your face.
Put this on for some little kids, but don't expect much otherwise. This was not the studio to adapt WondLa.
