There’s been a lot of stuff I’ve watched that has come out over this year, even if most have been from my core franchises. A few Star Wars shows, a comeback of Sonic the Hedgehog, and a great second season from one of the best Power Rangers series in Dino Fury. One thing I won’t be talking about here is Pokémon, as while I have been following Journeys a bit, I’m holding off giving it a watch until it’s all available, as I have XY and Sun and Moon.

For Star Wars, there’s been a lot of content on Disney+ to enjoy, with each exploring a different point of time. The Book of Boba Fett has been a great continuation of The Mandalorian. At least the second half was. The first half offered a lovely insight into Tusken culture and setting Boba up to become a man who fights with honour. A crime lord with honour, ruling with respect. I found the insight of Tusken culture great, though the series isn’t exactly one I’d be returning to.

The Obi-Wan series was a slight step up. I delighted in seeing the Obi-Wan and Anakin stuff, along with a bit more exploration of the Inquisitors and in particular Reva’s story being a mirror of Obi-Wan’s. But there felt some weak action and the overall story didn’t feel at all compact. I guess that’s what happens when a story for a film gets turned into a mini-series.

Seems this year was all about character exploration series for Star Wars, as Tales of the Jedi put some focus on Count Dooku and Ahsoka at pivotal moments of their life. A set of shorts that did exactly what it set out to do. The flaws of both the Republic and the Jedi are on show with Dooku’s shorts, while Ahsoka’s growth is visible across the three that focus on her. I’d love to see more shorts that focus on other characters in a season 2 of this.

Then… Andor. This has been amazing all the way through. I’ve called it a slow burn series before, but when I say that, I mean it is taking the time it needs to really tell everything it wants to. There’s no cliffhanger-style ending, no definitive end to an episode. It all just rolls from one to the next, showing Cassian becoming a person who wants to make a difference. Showing the beginnings of rebellion and how the various pieces come together. Won’t say more since it is pretty much new, but I really cannot wait to see the conclusion when it arrives in 2024.

There was a new LEGO Star Wars special, concluding what I see as a trilogy of specials giving a bit of context to events that happen after The Rise of Skywalker. Summer Vacation is Finn’s focus, once again bringing some fun non-canon stories of ages past to teach a lesson for the person of the present. While I find it to be the weakest of the three, it can still be considered a good one to watch during summer.

Sonic the Hedgehog has had a good few years since the first movie came out, and this year saw the second arrive. Improving on the first and bringing in more Sonic elements, it was a lovely tale of friendships forged between the main trio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. As a world that it’s constructing, these films have done a good job of letting the stories of past games guide it while being its own thing. As such, it feels natural in how it comes together, and that’s likely to be the same with what the third movie introduces.

Of course, it wasn’t just a movie that Sonic gave us this year, as there was also a TV series and a game. While I’ll be talking of that game in the gaming roundup, Prime has been a fantastic series that I do wish hadn’t ended on a cliffhanger. I was massively invested in it. As a story of multiverse hopping, and Sonic trying to fix what he’d caused, there’s been fun in seeing Sonic’s friends of Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, and Big as different versions of themselves. I could talk a lot more of it, but I’ll save that for close to when season two appears.

With Power Rangers, Dino Fury continued to provide one of the best Rangers seasons we’ve had in a while. A lot of exploration of the characters and their relationships, which would be a big focus for the finale. Which I absolutely loved. As a carry over from season one, the exploration of Rafkon history was the least well-executed part for me. Everything that follows regarding it fails when the foundation of that history does not show the audience what sort of threat requires the creation of planet killers. It’s a minor gripe when the rest of the season holds up so well, though.

Outside of the cores, there was little I’d seen that had released this year. Lightyear seemed an interesting enough premise, so once it hit Disney+, I gave it a watch. It was a fine enough action film, with the characters all getting some good scenes. The idea that this is a film within the Toy Story universe that Andy would have watched goes against what was already established with the in-universe toyline, but that doesn’t spoil what is a nice enough film.

Miraculous keeps hitting high, and with the fourth season, things are very enjoyable. Marinette is reaching breaking point in keeping secrets, unable to tell anyone she is Ladybug. New powers are introduced to help confront new situations the heroes find themselves in. There’s also some new situations that this season brings, such as a new person becoming a temporary Ladybug for an episode and another version of how Hawk Moth almost succeeds. With how the finale of this season ended, I very much want the next to hurry up and arrive.

Cars On The Road is a new mini-series from the world of Cars, and is a pretty fun watch. Lightning and Mater embark on a road trip across the US to get to the wedding of Mater’s sister Mato. This allows the two to get into crazy situations such as the two joining a hunt for Bigfoot or getting caught up in being movie stars. There’s some lovely character interaction on offer between the two and those that they meet, with the final episode giving a lovely payoff for why Mater was hesitant about going to the wedding in the first place.

There’s a lot that I haven’t been seeing, being more focused on games, but I am interested in starting to be more invested with watching stuff – and not just from my cores. Speaking of my cores, there’s a lot coming from them next year, so I’ll be talking of what’s been confirmed that I’m interested in seeing with one of the first articles of next year in the TV & Film Look Ahead To 2023.

Images Taken From:
Tales Of The Jedi | Official Trailer | Star Wars
Sonic Prime – Official Trailer | Sonic the Hedgehog