Kipo and the Age of Representation

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts has been rightly celebrated as one of the finest animated series to come out of the all-ages animation boom of the past few years.

Created by Radford Sechrist as an adaptation of his earlier webcomic, Kipo is produced by Dreamworks and animated by South Korean studio Mir. Two seasons have been released in 2020, with a third promised. The series follows Kipo Oak, a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in a post-apocalyptic world, left to wander the wilderness when her subterranean home is destroyed. Searching for her father in the strange future world, she encounters wonderfully strange and varied creatures called Mutes: the mutated descendants of ordinary animals, many highly intelligent, many very dangerous, others surprisingly friendly.

Kipo has been praised for its humour (which is infectious); its worldbuilding (which is remarkable), its music (which is wonderful) and the diversity of its human characters (many of whom are people of colour). Kipo and her best friend Wolf are two fine examples of strong young female characters, something that is becoming more common in fantasy television but still vital and important. It also has mod frogs, megabunnies and an insectoid character called Dave who repeatedly sheds his exoskeleton to achieve a sort of cyclic immortality. It's a work of quiet genius.

However, what I want to talk about is Kipo's other best friend, Benson. Voiced by Coy Stewart (best known to genre fans as Flint on Agents of SHIELD), Benson is a teenaged boy who has been living on the surface for years, surviving on his wits, positive outlook and his friendship with Dave. Benson also happens to be gay.

The series' straightforward and casual attitude to Benson's sexuality is incredibly refreshing. He comes out to Kipo in episode six, “Ratland,” when she reveals she has feelings for him. It's simple, matter-of-fact, and all the better for it. No drama, no angst, no heartfelt origin story. When have you ever seen a character reveal they were gay on an all-ages cartoon show like that?

Kipo takes it in her stride and they remain good friends. Towards the end of the second season, when they start to find other survivors, Benson falls for a boy named Troy, in the most adorably awkward way possible. Troy's father initially wonders which of the girls Benson will end up with, before it clicks, and again, there's no shame, no worry, no outcry. It's wonderful.

Benson's sexuality is only a small part of his character. We're mostly past the point where ongoing characters in series are characterised as “the gay one” with little else in the way of personality or development, but it does still happen, and on a short-form animated series we might expect simplified characters. Kipo is more sophisticated though, with all the characters getting interesting backstories, complex character traits and development. Even the villain, a classy but vicious hyperintelligent mandrill named Scarlemagne, goes from being a one-note tyrant to a deep and sympathetic character.

Benson's romantic life and sexuality are important but don't define him. He's adventurous, mostly brave, sometimes a little over-cautious, inventive, optimistic and fun to be around. He strikes a middle-ground between the hyperactive and super-positive Kipo and her other bestie, the pessimistic, survivalist Wolf. Together, Kipo, Wolf, Benson, Dave the bug and Mandu (Kipo's pet mutant piglet) form an unbeatable team.

If more family series treated their characters' sexuality like this – not as a plot point or source of drama, or a defining characteristic,merely an aspect of their character – then television would be a better, more inclusive place.

The first two seasons of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts are available on Netflix, with a third season expected.