The series follows the adventures of Finn the Human (a boy), and his best friend and brother Jake, a dog with magical powers to change shape and size at will.
“Adventure Time” snuck up on me. It was the first animated show I watched as an adult that convinced me to absorb more cartoons in my media diet. It offered complex emotional messaging through laughable scenarios of pure fantasy. Like an adult telling children a fairy tale but throwing in adult jokes and lessons for the other people gathered ‘round. It was an absolute hit and its team has gone on to create other great works. Naturally, HBO Max brought back some of that original’s magic by commissioning four new episodes, each forty-five minutes long, that contain their own single adventure. Some are meaningful and appreciative while others are outright goofy and laughable. Some create excuses to revisit old characters. All four go back to the world of Ooo to create another whimsical adventure and impart some wisdom in all of us after watching.
The first adventure, “BMO,” follows the gleeful handheld-game-turned-robot as his mission to Mars gets hijacked. BMO crash lands in a distant space colony in dire straits. As BMO travels from pod to pod he learns the history of the colony and reaches out to its inhabitants, namely the precarious rabbit Y4. Leading by example BMO empowers the denizens of the colony to solve their own problems and even though not everything will be easily resolved by the end they guarantee they will work together.
Our second episode, “Obsidian,” carries the most emotional investment and meaning. Marceline is called upon by a distant kingdom to save them from a monster she initially defeated but at the cost of her relationship with Princess Bubblegum. Told through PB and Marceline’s perspectives the two struggle to overcome their previous fight while preventing a dragon from burning down a glass city.
Next we hang out with Finn and Jake once more in one of Adventure Time’s most experimental and existential episodes: “Together Again.” Jake’s dead. After finally kicking the bucket he goes in search of his brother and best friend Jake throughout the afterlife only to realize someone has seriously donked the whole place up. He must find his bro and save the afterlife or risk never getting reincarnated ever again.
Finally, we close on “Wizard City,” a delightful coming-of-age story featuring Peppermint Butler’s second chance at avoiding the dark magic he once clung to and creating a new life for himself. The young character returns to Wizard City to seek an education but what he finds is rejection by classmates, impossible homework, a quirky bunkmate, and a deep conspiracy taking place in the city of magic.
All four episodes capture different aspects of the original show that drew so many people in the first place. The show’s penchant for quirky, quick comedy comes back to life in all the old vocabulary it utilized to separate itself from other cartoons. The show was never afraid to blend terrifyingly cathartic questions of existence with puns and tiny blips of a joke. Often it would bookend episodes with this levity while diving deep into darker territory. I could praise this show all day but I always use “Adventure Time” as an example when I tell adults to watch more cartoons.
“Obsidian” is my favorite episode by far. With Princess Bubblegum and Marceline’s relationship at stake, it feels deeply personal, and wading through the trauma Marceline experienced as a child feels raw. This episode doesn’t waste a beat and does some incredible mirroring of plots for something that’s a tight forty-five minutes. Similarly, Jake’s adventure in the afterlife (“Together Again”) carries more weight as Jake learns to be separated from his lifelong brother. This episode leans into abstraction with incredible animation, atmospheric drawings, and uses it as an excuse to revisit some classic characters whose bows might not be so neatly tied.
To open the series with “BMO”’s adventure works perfectly in terms of the larger series. The robot’s playfulness keeps the story light, while the real protagonist gains a powerful lesson in standing up for herself. It’s a neat, isolated adventure that doesn’t lean too much on the previous show’s history whereas the other two episodes lean into that lore. Finally, “Wizard City” gives us a chance to wrap up one last narrative thread the show dangled. This coming-of-age story feels so standard for its world it almost feels rote at certain points. It feels the weakest of all four, but serviceable on its own.
Each episode carries different aspects of the original show in its own contained form: emotional trauma, coming-of-age, abstract art, and fun adventure. On its own, only two episodes really hold their own, but in the shadow of its predecessor, the whole thing feels well written and holds a strong candle. I know cartoons get dismissed as fodder for burgeoning young minds but there’s something to learn from clever cartoons like this. I found my understanding of emotional catharsis grow as well as my respect for the team behind this show. It was a bit of lightning in a bottle when it first started but now it’s respected and recognized. It’s not always easy to recapture that magic and I’m happy to say “Adventure Time: Distant Lands” does a fantastic job. Check this out on Blu-ray or streaming on HBO Max!
Now available on Blu-ray and DVD
