WondLa (TV series)

WondLa, also known as The Search for WondLa, is an American animated sci-fi fantasy series based on the books The Search for WondLa, A Hero for WondLa, and The Battle for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi, produced by Skydance Animation and developed by Bobs Gannaway, who also serves as the showrunner and executive producer with DiTerlizzi, John Lasseter, David Ellison and Dana Goldberg. The cast includes the voices of Jeanine Mason, Teri Hatcher, Brad Garrett, Gary Anthony Williams, Chiké Okonkwo, D. C. Douglas, and Alan Tudyk.

WondLa
Genre	Science fiction Fantasy Comedy drama Post-apocalyptic
Based on	The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
Developed by	Bobs Gannaway
Showrunner	Bobs Gannaway
Starring	Jeanine Mason Teri Hatcher Brad Garrett Gary Anthony Williams Chiké Okonkwo D. C. Douglas Alan Tudyk
Composer	Joy Ngiaw
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	14
Production
Executive producers	Bobs Gannaway Tony DiTerlizzi Ellen Goldsmith-Vein Jeremy Bell Julie Kane-Ritsch John Lasseter David Ellison Dana Goldberg
Producer	Tony Cosanella
Production companies	Skydance Animation Gotham Group
Original release
Network	Apple TV+
Release	June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28) – present

The series premiered on Apple TV+ on June 28, 2024.^[1] A second season was released on April 25, 2025.^[2] A third season is currently in development.^[3]

Premise

Eva, a curious, enthusiastic and spirited human teenager, is raised in a state-of-art bunker by M.U.T.H.R, a robot caretaker. On her 16th birthday, after an attack on Eva's bunker, she finds herself on the surface of a strange planet called Orbona, which is inhabited by aliens, covered with other-worldly fauna, and has no other humans to be found. Eva is joined by Otto, a giant tardigrade, and Rovender, a cantankerous alien, to help find humans, her home and her true destiny.^[1]

Voice cast

• Jeanine Mason as Eva 9: Ninth generation orphan of sanctuary 573^[1]
  • Micaiah Chen as young Eva 9^[1]
• Teri Hatcher as Muthr: Robot caretaker of sanctuary 573^[1]
• Brad Garrett as Otto: A giant waterbear and Eva's friend^[1]
• Gary Anthony Williams as
  • Rovender Kitt: A cantankerous alien and Eva's adoptive father
  • Roshon: Ninth generation orphan of sanctuary 573 (S1)^[1]
• Chiké Okonkwo as Besteel: Renowned and evil alien hunter of Orbona (S1)^[1]
• D. C. Douglas as Omnipod: A sentient digital device used for intel^[1]
• Alan Tudyk as Cadmus Pryde: Founder of Dynastes Corporation^[1]
• Christopher Swindle as Meego: A soft, plushy toy given to all children^[1]
• John Ratzenberger as Caruncle: A junk and human artifacts collector (S1)^[1]
• Sayed Badreya as a bartender in the city of Lacus (S1)^[1]
• Michael Wrona as a race announcer (S1)^[1]
• Vernee Watson-Johnson as Ol' Crusty: A lazy otter in Lacus (S1)^[1]
• Larissa Gallagher as Hostia: Wife of Fiscian, friend of Rovender (S1)^[1]
• T.J. Power as Fiscian: Husband of Hostia, friend of Rovender (S1)^[1]
• Louella Edith Power as Zoozi: Daughter of Hostia and Fiscian (S1)^[1]
• Everly Carganilla as Maegden: Son of Hostia and Fiscian (S1)^[1]
• Kingslei Michelle Love as a baby sandsniper^[1]
• Shohreh Aghdashloo as Darius: Advisor of Queen Ojo (S1)^[1]
• Maz Jobrani as Zin: Advisor of Queen Ojo (S1)^[1]
• Navid Negahban as Loroc (S1)^[1]
• Sarah Hollis as Queen Ojo: Queen of Arbona (S1)^[1]
• Kari Wahlgren as Dewey (S1)^[1]
• Simon Pegg as Bob (S1)^[a][1]
• Ana Villafańe as Eight aka Eva 8: Eighth generation orphan of sanctuary 573, Eva's lookalike and adoptive sister (S2)
• John Harlan Kim as Hailey: Pilot at Dynastes (S2)
• Raoul Mac Trujillo as Xander: Friend of Eight (S2)
• Sonya Lesie as Violet: Friend of Eight (S2)
• Rick Zieff as Kai: Friend of Eight (S2)
• Dwight Schultz as Vanpa aka Evan 4: Pilot at Dysnastes (S2)

Episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally released
1	7		June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
2	7		April 25, 2025 (2025-04-25)

Season 1 (2024)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date [4]
1	1	"Chapter 1: Doors"	Andrew L. Schmidt and Micah Gunnell	Bobs Gannaway	June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
2	2	"Chapter 2: Lifeforms"	Andrew L. Schmidt	Lauren Bradley and Bobs Gannaway	June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
3	3	"Chapter 3: Bargain"	Lawrence Gong	Kyle McVey and Bobs Gannaway	June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
4	4	"Chapter 4: Ghosts"	Lawrence Gong	Grace Davis	June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
5	5	"Chapter 5: Captive"	Philip Pignotti	Mario Carvalhal and Bobs Gannaway	June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
6	6	"Chapter 6: Bridge"	Phillip Pignotti	Adam Galen	June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
7	7	"Chapter 7: Ruins"	Lawrence Gong	Christian Magalhaes and Bob Snow	June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)

Season 2 (2025)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date [4]
8	1	"Chapter 8: Home"	Phillip Pignotti	Mario Carvalhal and Christian Magalhaes and Bob Snow	April 25, 2025 (2025-04-25)
Hailey Turner and Van Turner arrives in a spaceship to rescue Eva (Eva from Sactuary 573). Eva, Otto and Rovender flies on the spaceship to New Attica, a place for Human Civilization. Otto and Rovender leaves. Eva meets Cadmus Pryde. Eva and Cadmus Pryde's daughters explore New Attica. Eva gets a new outfit, have some food and play a video game. Eva meets another Multi Utility Task Helper Robot (Muthr 248). Eva sees someone looking exactly like her outside her sleeping unit. Muthr 248 calls Eva as Eva Nine.
9	2	"Chapter 9: Family"	Carlos Baena	Che Grayson	April 25, 2025 (2025-04-25)
Cadmus Pryde asks Eva Nine to meet New Attica's scientists to share her experience outside New Attica. Muthr 248 shows Eva Nine the way to meet Cadmus Pryde but Eva Nine starts to follow the person who looks exactly like her. Eva Nine jumps into a waterfall which goes below the surface and reach a sanctuary. Eva Nine meets Eva Eight who was also raised in Sanctuaty 573. Eva Eight shares her story to Eva Nine. Eva Nine meets other sanctuary born people, Viloet (Sanctuary 475), Xander (Sanctuary 342) and Kai (Sanctuary 256). The group share a meal. Muthr 248 finds the location. Eva Eight and Eva Nine meets Cadmus Pryde. Otto communicates with Eva Eight telepathically and informs her that Otto and Rovender are trapped.
10	3	"Chapter 10: Discovery"	Lawrence Gong	James Strzelinski	April 25, 2025 (2025-04-25)
Eva Nine tells Eva Eight about her friends. Eva Eight gets a map for the underground tunnels from Violet. Otto and Rovender are held captive inside Cadmus Pyrde's lab. Cadmus Pryde informs the board members about the lack of food and plans to use Eva Nine to reach the power source of Orbona. Eva Nine rescues her friends. Eva Eight and Violet helps Eva Nine and her friends to get out of the underground tunnels. Van Turner stays behind to open the hatch door for the spaceship to let Eva Nine, Eva Eight, Hailey Turner, Otto and Rovender escape New Attica. A robot looking like a spider chases the spaceship.
11	4	"Chapter 11: Lesson"	Philip Pignotti	Mario Carvalhal	April 25, 2025 (2025-04-25)
The Spider Robot crashes into a flying whale and the spaceship crash lands on wastelands. The group hides from the spider robot behind a moving tree. The group encounters a group of Mirthians and Eva Nine convinces the Mirthians to show her the way to escape the wastelands. The Mirthians warn Eva Nine about Dovasu, a dangerous butterfly like creature with a scorpion tail. The group travels through a sand storm and hide inside a cave. Rovender decides to sacrifice himself to the creature as he is sick and dying but Eva Nine stops Rovender. The creature tricks Eva Nine but Eva Eight kills the creature. The group reaches a green spot, Farnus.
12	5	"Chapter 12: Truth"	Rhea Dadoo	Che Grayson	April 25, 2025 (2025-04-25)
Farnus is the home of Cærulean (Rovender Kitt's people). The Cærulean rejects entry to the group caliming that there is no place for Rovender in Farnus as he is a deserter. Eva Eight and Hailey Turner goes to look for fireword. Eva Nine takes Rovender into farnus to find medicine for his sickness. Eva Nine's group is captured. Rovender's father, Antiquus is the leader of Cærulean. Eva Nine agrees to a trial of truth to save Rovender. To begin the trial, Eva Nine has to find the bird of revelation, Kawona. Eva Nine flies on a flying whale and finds the Kawona with the help of another Cærulean. After the trial of truth, Antiquus orders to save his son, Rovender.
13	6	"Chapter 13: Connection"	Lawrence Gong	James Strzelinski	April 25, 2025 (2025-04-25)
At Farnus, the Cæruleans celebrate Joyous Bloom festival around the heart of the forest. The group joins the celebration except Eva Eight who leaves farnus to meet her friends. During the celebration, the heart of the forest communicates with Eva Nine and Eva Nine sees a vision of the creation of Orbona. Spider Robots attack farnus and the Cæruleans evacuate. Eva Nine, Hailey Turner and Otto distracts the spider robots to give the Cæruleans time to evacuate. Rovender and another Cærulean helps the group to escape the spider robots. Hailey Turner is revealed to have betrayed the group by giving the location of Farnus to Cadmus Pryde. Cadmus Pryde arrives and takes Eva Eight and Eva Nine with him but leaves Hailey in the forest.
14	7	"Chapter 14: Heart"	Philip Pignotti	Christian Magalhaes and Bob Snow	April 25, 2025 (2025-04-25)
Cadmus Pryde uses Eva Nine to locate the heart of the forest (Source of Orbona). Eva Nine asks help telepathically from the nearby birds and wandering trees. The wandering trees knocks down Cadmus Pryde's spaceship. Eva Nine is injured during the crash. Eva Nine finds the source attached to a MUTHR unit inside sanctuary 118. Eva Eight knocks Cadmus Pryde unconscious. The source connects with Eva Nine. Eva Eight removes the source from its resting place and all of Orbona dries out. Eva Nine looks like she died of old age. Cadmus Pryde captures Eva Eight.

Production

Development

In February 2021, it was announced that Apple, in partnership with Skydance Animation, was creating a television adaptation of The Search for WondLa to stream on Apple TV+. It was originally set to be written and executive produced by showrunner Lauren Montgomery with Chad Quant, Tony DiTerlizzi and Skydance Animation head John Lasseter attached as executive producers.^[5] In August 2022, it was announced that the series was given a two-season order as Montgomery left the project and was replaced by Bobs Gannaway, who had previously co-directed Secret of the Wings (2012) and directed Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) for Lasseter.^[6] Lasseter's son, short-film director Bennett Lasseter, was brought on as a consultant on the show.^[7][8] On April 30, 2024, Apple and Skydance announced the cast and the premiere of the series to be set on June 28 with seven episodes of the first season releasing on Apple TV+.^[1]

Animation

Animation provided for the series is made by ICON Creative Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.^[9]

Music

Joy Ngiaw, composer of Skydance Animation's short film Blush, was announced to compose the score for the series in January 2024.^[10] The Season 1 soundtrack was released by Milan Records on June 28, 2024.^[11] The score for Season 1 was nominated for an Annie Award.^[12]

Release

The series premiered on June 28, 2024 on Apple TV+.^[1]

Notes

1. Archive audio from Luck