The world of The Wingfeather Saga is captivating and full of wonder. I first heard of The Wingfeather Saga in 2017 and was pleasantly surprised by how well thought out and written the books were. As a reader, I love diving into books that connect me deeply to the characters, and this fantasy series, written by Dove-nominated and acclaimed singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson, is a fine example of that.

The main series is comprised of four novels, released between 2008 to 2014. In 2016, Andrew and his team, which included animation producer J. Chris Wall, successfully funded and released a pilot episode to adapt The Wingfeather Saga into an animated show. Fans instantly responded to the unique animation that brought the family-friendly story, mystery, and adventure to life.

Years later, with the help of Angel Studios and an amazingly passionate fanbase, the first season of The Wingfeather Saga is releasing, with a second season already being crowdfunded. I was so excited and honored to be invited to watch the first few episodes at the premiere event in Nashville, Tennessee in November.

Walking in, I learned pretty quickly that this was more than just your standard premiere event, but a celebration of what had been accomplished. The room was decorated with impressive scenery that brought an even greater feeling of anticipation to seeing the books come to life. Throughout the hall, I could see booths set up, artists playing music, food set out, and lifelike characters taking photos, all resembling the world that so many have grown to love. The joy and excitement that the fans had while coming in was one of my favorite parts of the evening to witness. Along with the fans, the crew was also sharing in their joy and excitement, engaging and laughing with so many people who had come from all over to see the show.

Before the show began, we were treated with many performances and speeches from the team that had poured so much into seeing this project get completed. The hit folk duo who helped create the soundtrack, Arcadian Wild, were the first to take the stage. The trio sang a couple of songs that showed their signature style and impressive skill. Before they could leave the stage, Andrew Peterson came out and sang a special song with them for the audience. It was so good hearing the music and style of the world of Wingfeather being sung live. Andrew Peterson then sang two moving songs, with the audience chiming in to help. Afterward, the team from Angel Studios came and gave a few words of gratitude to the team and the fans that had helped bring this book series to life in a new way. With a cheer and applause from the audience, the lights dimmed, and the show began!

The Episodes

There’s so much I could say about the episodes I saw (without spoiling it of course). Even though it is in an amazing book series, The Wingfeather Saga is made for television. The heart that we see in the characters and the world they live in captures viewers, both young and old.

The animation alone is something worth talking about. Instead of using the standard animation we see in almost every animated movie, they decided to create something completely unique that mixed a blend of high-quality videogame cutscenes between beautiful hand-paintings. As expected, the story itself shines through. Although there are a number of changes from the original novels, the show manages to give a slightly new perspective to the story.

After we viewed the first two episodes, we were pleasantly surprised to view a spontaneous showing of the third episode. Although it was still in production, the third episode especially grabbed me. As the story progressed, I was sucked into the adventure and challenges that rose as I watched the characters discover more of the main adventure. It was intriguing and fun to see the episode in this working phase that still had the audience, along with myself, craving so much more.

The message in the early episodes was already becoming more clear. Even with its humor, adventure, and exploration, the show’s core messages of family, truth, faith, and becoming held the amazing journey together. Once the final episode finished, and the cast, team, and producers came onto the stage and the audience stood to their feet and roared in applause. I joined in with them, all of us very excited to see this positive and engaging show reach the world after many years of process.

Closing Thoughts

As the event ended and I began to leave to building, I took a moment to let everything sink in. In a world full of shows and movies, few containing a message that is hardly appropriate for kids, it was refreshing to see The Wingfeather Saga do just that. The show is a family-friendly fantasy journey, that is full of heart, love, and growth. The message is clear without preaching and stays true to the core of the books. 

Episode 1 and episode 2 of The Wingfeather Saga is available now on YouTube and the Angel Studios App with Episode 3 to be released on December 30th.