‘Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes’ Review: Black Animation At Its Finest

SPOILER NOTICE:

The following movie review does not contains direct spoilers for the film Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes, however general information in regards to the plot, characters, key climax points and themes explored in the film will be heavily discussed. Please read at your own discretion, or after seeing the television preimiere on Cartoon Network.

Ever since its well-received debut last year, the Cartoon Network animated series Iyanu has been captivating a legion of fans looking for cultural representation and an entertaining plot to get invested in. With two seasons and a television film already in the bag, it was only a matter of time before the masses got to join Iyanu once again as she dives deeper into the history of Elu in a new animated chapter, Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes.

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Following the events of Season 2, Iyanu and Adura have become unlikely allies as they yearn for knowledge of their warring culture. Before moving forward though, both take a look back by reading the century-old tale of love and war between twin brothers Prince Debo and Prince Laja as they sit at the center of a decision by King Oba Adedeji, ruler of the once-united Elu. One burning with fire, the other cold as ice — the parallels between present day Iyanu and Adura are hard to miss — Debo and Laja soon take us on a path that unfortunately leads to an intense rivalry.

Without giving away too much of the plot, one of the core themes explored that even ties back to the climax of Iyanu Season 2 is what can happen if you allow outside forces to get in between the bond of family. For Laja and Debo, their brotherhood is put to the ultimate test by allowing their love for each other to be divided thanks to the deception of a certain majestic eavesdropper. Your heart breaks for the siblings as it all plays out, but the importance of the lesson and its wider effect on the universe of Iyanu in general is a great set-up for future events in the series.

Voice acting creds go to Serah Johnson as Iyanu, Faith Gesiere-Agua as Adura and Femi Bakes taking on dual roles as Prince Debo and Prince Laja. Each do an amazing job at captivating the African dialect synonymous with the story, which helps to bring you into an infectious lore that originally garnered fans with the 2021 graphic novel, Iyanu: Child of Wonder.

Tune in to Cartoon Network tomorrow morning (July 11) at 9 AM ET to catch the premiere of Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes, followed by its streaming debut on HBO Max this Sunday (July 12). Watch the trailer below: