Review: Lightning Wolves “False Alarm!”

Overview:

When there is trouble in the Omniverse, only one team can save us all, Lightning Wolves. From the planet of Selltoyz, six anthropomorphic wolves and their animal vehicles combine to make the ultimate weapon, Lightning Wolf. Headed by robot One-Nine, this unlikely team must decide if it is worth keeping their giant weaponized mecha-bot together. Especially after a false alarm wasted their time and energy combining.

Our Take:

Nostalgia is a slippery slope. The entertainment industry thrives off our deep-seated connections to the products of our youth. Regurgitating the cartoons of the late-80s/early-90s is an industry all to itself. Disney banks on this very idea, as shown through Disney+’s endless categories of revamped and retooled versions of everything from Star Wars to Mighty Ducks.

But it is much more fun to laugh at the cheesiness and low production value of these shows we used to love. Which is the exact premise of Comedy Central’s new animated shorts series, Lightning Wolves.

The Comedy Central Animated YouTube channel has been full of gems in the past, including Loafy and additional Tales from the Trip stories. But Lightning Wolves is coming in doing something very different. The series is quite evidentially a mockery of everything cartoons used to be. The style alone is that of the cheap repeated cells that made up most Saturday mornings in the early 90s. Add in a few commercials and some rocking music, and it is like a portal to a different time.

The premise of the series is recognizable as well. Much to the same vein as Voltron or Power Rangers, Lightning Wolves is a team of heroes, each with their own robotic vehicle. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete if they didn’t combine, which Lightning Wolf finishes by pulling a massive sword out of his pelvis. To top things off, each of the characters offers unique traits matching their individual colours. Whether that be the Yellow Wolf and his explosive diarrhoea or the overly Canadian Green Wolf, they each have their part to play.

The first four-minute episode, “False Alarm”, is utilized mainly to introduce the unique players and the layout of the series. As the title suggests, there is not much action to be found in this premiere.

Thankfully, the bones are there for something hilarious and entertaining. As long as the short series does not rely too heavily on Yellow Wolf’s poop joke, as the first episode did, this series could take some funny directions. For now, we can anticipate that there will be some good laughs at the not-so-humble approach that 90s cartoons took to sell toys and merchandise with bright colours and loud noises.