Amphibia is an American animated television series created by Matt Braly and produced by Disney Television Animation for Disney Channel. The series stars the voices of Brenda Song, Justin Felbinger, Bill Farmer, and Amanda Leighton. It premiered on June 17, 2019.
Why It Rocks[]
- Well-written and likable characters that get a lot of development. For example, Anne starts off as a selfish and lazy teenager, but it's gradually revealed that she manipulated into being like that by her toxic friends Sasha and Marcy. She also becomes more responsible, kind, noble, and brave as the series goes on.
- Despite her toxicity, Sasha is Shown to genuinely care about Anne and see her and Marcy as actual friends.
- Really fluid and colorful animation, and beautiful background artwork. In fact, each of the title cards were whittled from wood. How impressive is that?
- It has a very adventurous vibe to it.
- Great music, such as the theme song.
- It takes heavy inspiration from Thai-American culture, especially in the episode "Lily Pad Thai" where Anne prepares Thai food.
- Has a lot of world-building and continuity from the get-go, instead of just lazily jumping onto it at the last minute like Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
- Everything comes together perfectly in the season 1 finale.
- Superb voice acting, such as Brenda Song as Anne and Bill Farmer as Hop Pop.
Bad Qualities[]
- Sprig's personality is hard to pinpoint, as he acts like a jerk in a few episodes.
- It Can take awhile for plot-centric episodes to air.
Reception[]
Critical reception[]
Amphibia received a positive reception from critics. Common Sense Media's Emily Ashby praised the series for its characters and themes, writing that "Sprig and Anne's adventures are a joy to behold, mostly thanks to their delightfully compatible personalities and the sweet friendship that develops between them" and that "the story illustrates issues like bullying and emotional manipulation in ways that will resonate with kids and tweens and can prompt discussions about the topics". Bekah Burbank of LaughingPlace.com praised the series' ability to balance its humor and its terror elements, as well as its pacing, characters, and animation, stating that "Amphibia is clever and goofy with plenty of jokes to keep kids laughing and just enough scary content to hold their attention. The show moves quickly and is broken into two 11-minute episodes that, at least for the premiere, form one complete chapter. The animation is bouncy and colorful and the characters are a delight". Collider's Dave Trumbore gave the series' first two episodes a 4 stars rating, feeling that they "[served] as a great introduction to the series".
Trivia[]
- Sasha, Anne, and Marcy were originally supposed to be high schoolers, but were changed to middle schoolers.
Videos[]
Did Amphibia Start Off Well?
Disney's Amphibia - Review
Amphibia — Is it Worth Watching?
You Should Be Watching Amphibia, Here's Why
Amphibia - The Next BIG Disney Channel Cartoon
Amphibia Season 1 Review