A new animated series for the oddballs, the dreamers, and the ones who don’t fit in.
Wolfboy and the Everything Factory is a British-American animated show created by Toff Mazery and Edward Jesse and developed by Michael Ryan on Apple TV+, produced by Bento Box. The animation is based on Mazery's visual art.
William, a creative kid, gets astray from his Boarding School and ends up in the magical world of sprytes. Using creative wisps, he is the subject of a prophecy to help the sprytes win against the disarrays, but things are not as simple as they seem...
Tropes:
- Above Good and Evil: Used in a rather mature way by Nyx. When Wolfboy comes to see what the disarrays do as "good", she tells him to think more in terms of "necessary", showing that despite she giving everything for them she still maintains some common wisdom. Unfortunately this only makes her more of a hypocrite considering she views humanity as evil.
- All of the Other Reindeer: How Wolfboy is treated in the human realm. This is also a recurring theme that repeats with the introduction of Seth, who is discriminated due to being a Disarray.
- Art-Style Dissonance: The show has a rather childbook-like character and set design (helped further by the low budget), which is all fine and good for the whimsical first season. Then comes season 2 and its themes of genocide and trauma...
- Bait the Dog: Nyx is obviously the villain of the story, being the leader of the Disarrays who orchestrates several attacks on the Sprytes. However, it's seen that the Sprytes are not fully in the right, having wrongs of their own. Nyx is also seen to be polite, so it's implied that she's just a misguided Well-Intentioned Extremist who's just one side in a conflict of Grey-and-Gray Morality. It turns out she doesn't care about the Sprytes, and instead wants to destroy all humanity to start the world anew. Any doubt that she's evil is immediately dropped.
- Be Yourself: The show emphasizes the importance of "oddballs", and how they are perfect just the way they are. Most obvious with Wolfboy, who's ostracized by everyone in his home realm but his quirks turn out to be essential in preventing the world's destruction.
- Cool Mask: Wolfboy and his mother have one. After she's introduced, Seth gets one as well.
- Dark Is Not Evil:
- The disarrays, the spirits in charge of destruction, are initially seen as evil, but as the series goes on it becomes apparent their role is just as vital to existence as that of the sprytes. Seth is a disarray that becomes a main character in season 2.
- One of the primordials has a demonic appearence... but is so harmless as to try to hide themselves to prevent others from being frightened. Seeing that they are not evil gives Seth confidence and pride in being a disarray.
- Darker and Edgier: Season 2 is definitely a lot more mature than season 1, delving into the mental stress and trauma that being the chosen one is as well as showing a history of genocide between sprytes and disarrays and Nyx's intention to pull a Final Solution on humanity.
- Escalating War: "Nobody Started It!" is one. Wolfboy and his pals get into one against Tali and her crew due to the latter crew wrecking their room. It turns out they didn't, the main crew (mostly Xandra) jumped to conclusions.
- Extra-Long Episode: Episodes 1, 10, and 20 are all 23 minutes long instead of 11 minute segments.
- Fantastic Racism: The Sprytes and the Disarrays are not welcoming to each other, constantly fighting with each other despite their unity being necessary for the world's balance. The Sprytes' discrimination to the Disarrays are also more emphasized.
- Grey-and-Gray Morality: A recurring theme of the series is how in a conflict between two sides, there may not be a clear answer, as both sides have their wrongs and rights. This is most exemplified with the Sprytes and the Disarrays, who are a balancing force yet still highly aggressive towards each other due to wronging the other side.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: A handful of characters from outside the Human Realm don't seem to have good views on humanity for many reasons, such as their destructive capability and reliance on the Sprytes. This turns out to be Nyx's motive.
- Imagination-Based Superpower: Though not exactly the intention behind the Everything Factory, Wolfboy utilizes the power of the factory provides to make whatever he comes up with true. Also applies to his destructive capability in a sense.
- In Which a Trope Is Described: The naming convention of each episode includes starting each title with "In Which..." follows by something that happens in the episode.
- Internalized Categorism: Seth (a Disarray) ends up suffering from this as a result of the vilifying of the Disarrays as a whole. She consistently puts herself down and says she doesn't like being one. She eventually gets over it.
- It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: Wolfboy being the one destined to bring balance between the Spryte and Disarray realms results in both sides trying to appeal to his good nature while also withholding and/or telling biased versions of the facts to get his support. That, as well the prophecy being vague and this being an extreme amount of responsibility for a child, results in him being overwhelmed.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Xandra acts incredibly offstandish towards Wolfboy and later Seth when she first meets them. She is also incredibly competitive and aggressive outside of that. Though, she is best friends with Sprout, and he says she's nice deep down. She eventually warms up, showing her more vulnerable side and allows herself to befriend them.
- Light Is Not Good: As the series goes on, it is revealed that the sprytes have a serious case of Fantastic Racism, attacking the disarrays and even attempting genocide on them once with balls of light. In the present day, Nyx attempts to kill off humanity.
- Literal Metaphor: The whole "coming from the heart" thing turns out to be this. A nice sentiment about effort and passion turns out to be the solution for the prophecy, as the titular factory has a literal heart where all the magic in the series comes from.
- Locked Out of the Loop: A major conflict in the story is about how no one seems to tell Wolfboy the full truth between the overarching war between the Sprytes and the Disarrays. This drives him to search for answers in unorthodox places.
- Our Fairies Are Different: As in folklore they are divided into light and dark groups, neither good or evil: the creative, luminous Sprytes and the gloomy Disarrays.
- Refusal of the Call: Wolfboy ends up being so overwhelmed by the prophecy centering on him that he goes on to actively avoid it for a while.
- Straw Hypocrite: Nyx was banished due to her sympathy for the Disarrays, protecting them from genocide. Now she plots genocide against humanity.
- Take a Third Option: Wolfboy is presented with the option of using his powers to defeat either the Disarrays or the Sprytes. Of course, he instead decides to unite both sides by destroying both of the World Trees that each side uses to get to the surface and creating a new one on its place.
- Two Shorts: Most episodes are made up of 2 11 minute segments.
- Uncertain Doom: Nyx and Luxcraft are both seen about to be killed about the growing World Tree that Wolfboy decides to create. They are not seen afterwards. The cast doesn't seem too worried about Luxcraft, saying he's competent enough to escape.
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: Nyx is a Well-Intentioned Extremist, championing for the peace between Disarrays and Sprytes. Then she reveals her solution for that is to commit genocide on humanity. This all happens while the show retains its child-like aesthetics.
- Wham Line: "It's not the Sprytes who are the problem. It's the humans." Nyx drops this line when revealing her true motive. A jarring sound effect accompanies this line.
- Wind Is Green: Wind is strongly associated with the forests. Its also a seperate element from sky, since both have individual primordials.
- Wizarding School: Well, factory, but the eponymous factory doubles as this as it takes interns, teaching them all about magic.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Several characters (Wolfboy, Sprout, and Seth for examples) need to be reassured of their abilities and special qualities due to being deeply insecure of something.
- You Killed My Father: Both of Xandra's parents were killed as a result of Nyx's actions, resulting in her driving herself to be able to beat her. Until it's revealed Luxcraft had a hand in the incident, then she turns her anger on him. Though she eventually lets go of her anger towards Luxcraft, she still harbours resentment towards Nyx.