Wander Over Yonder

Wander Over Yonder
Genre	Comedy Adventure Science-fantasy
Created by	Craig McCracken
Directed by	Craig McCracken (2013) Dave Thomas (2013–16) Eddie Trigueros (2013–16) Lauren Faust (2013) Aaron Springer (2014) Benjamin Balistreri (2016) Justin Nichols (2016)
Voices of	Jack McBrayer April Winchell Keith Ferguson Tom Kenny
Theme music composer	Two Man Gentlemen Band
Opening theme	"Wander Over Yonder Main Title"[1]
Composer(s)	Andy Bean
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	79 (individual segments) 43 (whole episodes) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Craig McCracken
Producer(s)	Lauren Faust (co-producer, season 1) Dave Thomas (season 2)
Running time	22 minutes (both segments) 11 minutes (one segment)[2]
Production company(s)	Disney Television Animation Boulder Media Limited (season 2) Mercury Filmworks (season 1)
Distributor	Disney-ABC Domestic Television
Release
Original network	Disney Channel (2013–14) Disney XD (2014–16)
Original release	August 16, 2013 – June 27, 2016
External links
Website

Wander Over Yonder is an American animated television series on Disney XD. Created by Craig McCracken, it follows Wander and his best friend and steed Sylvia. Adventurous and optimistic, Wander rides across the galaxy to help persons live freely, against the intentions of Lord Hater to rule the universe. The series is McCracken's first production for Disney Television Animation; he previously helmed The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends for Cartoon Network.

The series was originally aired on Disney Channel on August 16, 2013. New episodes were moved during its first season to Disney XD on March 31, 2014.

On June 23, 2014, Disney renewed the series for a second season. A set of 11 one-minute shorts were aired on the network starting in July 20, 2015, in promotion of the second season, which premiered on August 3, 2015.

On March 5, 2016, Craig McCracken announced that the show will not be returning for a third season and that the second season will be the series' last. He stated that he had plans to continue producing the show, but Disney declined to order more episodes. The half-hour series finale titled "The End of the Galaxy" aired on June 27, 2016 on Disney XD.

Plot

The series follows Wander, a nomadic and overly-optimistic intergalactic traveller and his best friend and steed, Sylvia the Zbornak, as they travel from planet to planet helping people to have fun and live free, despite the continuing encroachment of Lord Hater, one of the most powerful villains in the galaxy, and his army of Watchdogs.^[3][4][5]

The show's first season is episodic; there are very few strong ties between episodes, and they can be viewed independently of each other. In the second season, however, a more sequential story is introduced; as Lord Dominator begins to conquer the galaxy, the show's tone becomes more serious and the focus moves from stopping the rather incompetent Lord Hater to stopping the extremely competent Lord Dominator. As a result, the episodes are more closely linked and there are several developments in the overarching plot.

Development and broadcast

Craig McCracken, creator of Wander Over Yonder, previously helmed the Cartoon Network series The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Wander Over Yonder is McCracken's first foray on a Disney-owned network. McCracken's wife Lauren Faust served as co-producer and story editor for the first season.^[6] The eponymous character made his debut on sketchbooks, clothes, and patches that McCracken sold at conventions, as well as in a never-finished graphic novel.^[7] McCracken described Wander as a "nomadic, hippie, muppet man".^[8]

The series made its formal premiere on the Disney Channel on September 13, 2013. A sneak peek was screened at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International.^[9] An early preview of the first episode, "The Picnic", was aired on the network on August 16, 2013, following the premiere of Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel.^[10]

Premieres of new episodes were moved to sister network Disney XD during its first season, on March 31, 2014.^[11] Shortly after, Disney Television Animation executive Eric Coleman announced that the series was renewed for a second season,^[12] with comic book writer Noelle Stevenson joining the writing team.^[13] This season premiered on August 3, 2015, with "The Greater Hater", a special half-hour episode. A set of 11 one-minute shorts were produced in promotion of this season premiere; the network released them starting in July.^[14]

Internationally, Wander Over Yonder made its premiere on Family Channel in Canada on October 13, 2013,^[15] on Disney XD in Australia on June 9, 2014,^[16] and on Disney Channel in Israel on September 1, 2014.^[17]

Characters

Main

• Wander (voiced by Jack McBrayer) – Wander is very optimistic, sweet, and friendly, though at times annoying to the more pragmatic persons around him. He aspires to explore different worlds, discover new things, and help people have fun and live free, in opposition to the evil reign of Lord Hater and his army of Watchdogs. Given his positive nature and beliefs, Wander is often oblivious to danger as well as Hater's aggressive nature. Wander is a short, red-orange-furred being of an indeterminate species. He is usually seen with a big floppy green hat with a black band above the brim and a yellow star on the band. The inside of his hat, which acts as storage, is a portal to some form of "Hammerspace". Wander describes his hat as "magic", and it appears to have some level of sentience, in that provides him with whatever he needs most at any given moment (although not necessarily what he wants most). In "The Greater Hater" it is implied that Wander is not his real name; later in "The Waste of Time" it is revealed that he took the name after being called a "wandering weirdo" by Sylvia. The same episode reveals that he previously wandered through a galaxy in which he was known as Tumbleweed, where he interfered with resident villain Major Threat, eventually turning him to good.
• Sylvia (voiced by April Winchell) – Sylvia is Wander's loyal, although bullish, steed and best friend, who explores and travels the universe with him. She enjoys fighting, and though her rough nature can cause her to come off as ill-tempered, inconsiderate, and reckless at times, she also has a softer side. Despite this, she initially showed skepticism to the notion of herself and Wander defeating Lord Hater, saying that Wander "would have to be crazy to stop Lord Hater", and she continues to show trepidation in encountering Hater's minions and forces. Sylvia is blue with a long neck, a long tail, stubby arms, and big expressive eyes. While she is sometimes referred to as Wander's horse, she is actually one of a species called a "Zbornak", more similar to a dinosaur than a horse. Her family consists of her mother Dorothy, her three brothers Bill, Gil, and Phil, and her grandmother; her father also appeared in a photograph.
• Lord Hater (voiced by Keith Ferguson) – Lord Hater is a skeleton being with electrical powers clad in a red-and-black hooded robe. Hater is the ruler of the Hater Empire and Wander's self-proclaimed nemesis. He is a power-hungry, evil, and cruel dictator and conqueror, while at the same time being a childish, petty, and emotionally unstable egotist. He hates being told what to do by those he declares lower than himself, including his own henchman Peepers. What he desires most is absolute rule of the entire universe under his fist and no one to stand in his way or disrespect him. However, he displays a pathological hatred of Wander (the diametrical opposite of everything that he is) due to his superfluous optimism, his obliviousness to Hater's evil, and his infuriating ability to foil every scheme of Hater's without even trying. He refers to himself as the Duke of Destruction, the Monarch of Mayhem, and the Greatest in the Galaxy.^[18]
• Commander Peepers (voiced by Tom Kenny) – Commander Peepers is a Watchdog (distinguished by his helmet's frill and extended lightning bolt) who is Lord Hater's chief henchman and seems willing to do anything Lord Hater commands. He at times appears smarter than Hater, sensing danger ahead as Lord Hater mostly ignores him, though he has a tendency to underestimate Wander's capacity to dash Hater's plans.

Recurring

• The Watchdogs (various voices) – The Watchdogs are small eyeball-headed creatures that serve as Hater's minions and the bulk of his army. They are loyal to their master, but are frequently distracted by Wander's interference, particularly as their "enemy" treats them better than their ruler. Many episodes of the show focus on the Watchdogs, showing that they are all unique individuals. Westley (Appearing in "The Little Guy), who left the Hater Empire to travel the galaxy after being inspired by Wander and Sylvia. Andy (Appearing in "Eye on the Skullship") runs a web series for the Watchdogs, in which he interviews them and allows them to discuss their lives on Lord Hater's Skullship.
• Captain Tim (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) - Captain Tim is an arachnomorph, a vicious spider like creature reminiscent of Xenomorphs, first seen in "The Pet". Wander named him after seeing him spit out the nametag of the ship's former captain. Realizing that he and Sylvia were unable to take care of the creature, they gave him to Lord Hater as a pet.
• Emperor Awesome (voiced by Sam Riegel) – Emperor Awesome is a preening, flamboyant cool-dude shark-headed man and one of Lord Hater's greatest rivals in universal conquest. He considers Sylvia attractive. In "The Party Animal", it is revealed that Emperor Awesome can destroy planets through excessive partying. In "The Rival", he attempts to get Lord Dominator to date him by offering a super secret weapon, only to anger her once she realizes it is a hoax. In "My Fair Hatey", he is shown imprisoned alongside most of Dominator's other rival villains, and even after being rescued, is left nervous at the very mention of Lord Dominator's name.
• Fist Fighters – The Fist Fighters are the fist-headed minions of Emperor Awesome.
• Lord Dominator (voiced by Fred Tatasciore in masked form, Noël Wells in unmasked form) – Lord Dominator is a villain with lava-based abilities who is Lord Hater's rival as the "Greatest in the Galaxy" in the second season. Her disguised form was first seen as a silhouette in the Season 2 poster and later in "The Rider" animation laughing maniacally. In "The Battle Royale", Wander, Lord Hater, and the other villains find out that Lord Dominator is a woman. Though Lord Hater develops a crush on her, Dominator doesn't return his feelings. In "My Fair Hatey", it is revealed that Dominator has defeated and imprisoned nearly all of her villain competitors on her ship as she begins her plan to destroy the galaxy. As a result of Commander Peepers' freeze weapon affecting her ship and not defeating her, Lord Dominator gained power over not only lava and fire, but also snow and ice, making her more powerful than ever. In the series finale, Lord Dominator attempts to destroy the last planet left in the galaxy, and is defeated once and for all when Lord Hater destroys her ship, causing her robot army to deactivate and her powers (tied to the ship's core) to disappear. After being saved by Wander's bubble and rejecting his offer of friendship, Dominator storms off still bubbled, vowing revenge.
• Dominator-Bots – The Dominator-Bots (Often shortened to 'Dom-Bots') are Lord Dominator's magma-made orb-shaped robots that serve as her foot soldiers. There are three types of Dominator-Bots: The first type is a class of smaller bots, generally seen patrolling Dominator's ship. The second type is similar, but is much larger and more powerful. Finally, there are bots used for reconnaissance; In "The Bot", we see that these bots scan planets to find Volcanium X that Lord Dominator can use to power her ship. This type of bot is capable of independent thought, as one of the bots befriends Wander.

Episodes

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
	1	39		August 16, 2013	December 4, 2014
	2	40		August 3, 2015	June 27, 2016
	Shorts	11		July 20, 2015	August 3, 2015

Reception

The previewed episode was seen by roughly 2.9 million viewers.^[10]

Common Sense Media's Emily Ashby gave Wander Over Yonder three stars out of five, noting a lack of important moral lessons but calling the comedic elements nicely paced in each episode.^[19] The A.V. Club's Kevin McFarland wrote that the series continues the "zany legacy" of the Cartoon Network's "golden age" on a competing network.^[20]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2014	41st Annie Awards	Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production[21]	Craig McCracken	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production[21]	Andy Bean	Nominated
2015	42nd Annie Awards	Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children's Audience[22]	Wander Over Yonder	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production[23]	Justin Nichols	Won
		Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production[23]	Benjamin Balistreri	Won
		Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production[22]	Dave Thomas	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production[22]	Alex Kirwan, Chris Tsirigotis, Alexander Duckworth, Janice Kubo & Francis Giglio	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production[22]	Mark Ackland	Nominated
	67th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Short-Format Animated Programming[24]	"The Gift 2: The Giftening"	Nominated
2016	43rd Annie Awards	Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children's Audience[25]	"The Breakfast"	Won
		Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production[26]	Justin Nichols (for "The Good Bad Guy")	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production[26]	Andy Bean (for "The Black Cube")	Nominated
		Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production[26]	Justin Nichols (for "The Breakfast")	Nominated
2017	44th Annie Awards	Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For Children[27]	"My Fair Hatey"	Pending
		Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production[27]	Dave Thomas, Eddie Trigueros, and Justin Nichols (for "My Fair Hatey")	Pending
		Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production[27]	Benjamin Balistreri (for "The Night Out")	Pending

References

1. ID no. 885983837, may be searched on the official website Archived March 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. of ASCAP.
2. Michael, Schneider (July 22, 2013). "Disney Channel Sets Premiere Date for New Cartoon Wander Over Yonder". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
3. "Disney Channels Worldwide Presents Plan to Build on Its Strength at Annual Meeting with Advertisers". The Futon Critic. April 1, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
4. Hill, Jim (March 8, 2013). "Jack McBrayer Says Goodbye to Kenneth From NBC's 30 Rock and Hello to Disney's Wander Over Yonder". The Huffington Post. AOL Inc. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
5. "Wander Over Yonder Characters". Disney XD. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
6. "Disney Channel Announces Comic-Con Panels for Tron: Uprising, Phineas and Ferb, Fish Hooks, Gravity Falls and More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media. June 22, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
7. McCracken, Craig. "[McCracken presenting the shelved Wander Over Yonder graphic novel]". Twitter. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
8. Connelley, Brendon (March 13, 2012). "Wander Over Yonder Coming to TV – The New Project from Powerpuff Creator Craig McCracken". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
9. Douglas, Edward (June 30, 2012). "Comic-Con: The Full Schedule for Saturday, July 14". Coming Soon. Crave Online. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
10. "Premiere of Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel Rockets to Over 6 Month High in Total Viewers and 1-Year High in Kids 2–11". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
11. "Disney XD Announces March Programming Highlights". Broadway World. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
12. Weinstein, Shelli (June 23, 2014). "Disney XD Orders Jon Heder Animated Series Pickle & Peanut". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
13. "Noelle Stevenson talks Lumberjanes, Nimona and her online roots". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. May 20, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
14. Milligan, Mercedes (July 11, 2015). "Wander Over Yonder Season 2 Sizzle". Animation Magazine. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
15. "Look No Futher! Family Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD Have Got It All for Fall" (PDF) (Press release). Toronto: Family Channel. August 20, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
16. Higgins, D. (June 10, 2014). "Pretty Little Liars, Klondike, the Tony Awards, Kardashians, Queen's and Le Mans". Foxtel. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
17. Danino, Ruta (August 18, 2014). "חוזרים לבית הספר עם ערוץ דיסני!" [Back to School with Disney Channel!]. Parents & Kids (in Hebrew). Retrieved February 8, 2016.
18. Wander Over Yonder. Season 2. Episode 22. 8 minutes in.
19. Ashby, Emily. "Wander Over Yonder". Common Sense Media. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
20. McFarland, Kevin (September 14, 2013). "Wander Over Yonder". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
21. "Annie Awards 2014: Complete list of winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. p. 2. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
22. Amidi, Amid (December 1, 2014). "42nd Annie Award Nominations Announced: Complete List". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
23. Flores, Terry (January 31, 2015). "How to Train Your Dragon 2 Wins Annie Award for Animated Feature". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
24. Hipes, Patrick (July 16, 2016). "Emmy Nominations 2015 – Full List". Deadline AwardsLine. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
25. Flores, Terry (February 6, 2016). "Pixar's Inside Out Wins Top Prize at Annie Awards". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
26. King, Susan (December 1, 2015). "Inside Out, Anomalisa, and The Peanuts Movie earn Annie Award nominations". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
27. "66th Annie Awards Nominee". Annie Awards. ASIFA-Hollywood.

External links

• Official website
• Wander Over Yonder at the Internet Movie Database
• Wander Over Yonder at the Big Cartoon DataBase