DC Showcase - Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth!
Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation
Home Media Release - Original: April 27, 2021, included with Justice Society: World War II
Home Media Release - Special Re-Release: May 3, 2022, included with DC Showcase - Constantine: The House of Mystery
Synopsis: Directed by Matt Peters (Justice League Dark: Apokolips War) from a script written by Paul Giacoppo (Young Justice, Star Wars: Resistance), Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! was initially released as a bonus feature on Justice Society: World War II in Spring 2021. Jack Kirby's beloved DC comic creation features the last civilized teenage boy on a post-apocalyptic Earth ruled by talking animals. In this short, Kamandi and his friends Prince Tuftan of the Tiger Kingdom and humanoid mutant Ben Boxer are kidnapped by a gorilla cult dedicated to finding the reincarnation of their god, The Mighty One. Golgan, the cult's leader, puts Kamandi's team through a series of deadly tests to find if any of them know the secret of The Mighty One. The thriller features the voices of Cameron Monaghan (Gotham, Shameless) as Kamandi, Steve Blum (Star Wars: Rebels, Cowboy Bebop, Naruto franchise) as Golgan & Tuftan, Adam Gifford (Masters of the Universe: Revelation) as Zuma, and Armen Taylor (Justice Society: World War II) as Ben Boxer.
Additional Details:
Runtime: Appr. 15 minutes
DC Showcase - Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! Mini-Review
By James Harvey
Bringing to life one of Jack Kirby's most popular creations for DC Comics, DC Showcase - Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! is not just a love-letter to the famed comic book creator, but it's also a thrilling introduction to Kamandi's world. The animated short superbly captures the look of Kamandi's world, and even throws in a couple surprise curveballs along the way.
The last civilized teen boy on a post-apocalyptic Earth ruled by talking animals, DC Showcase - Kamandi: The last Boy on Earth! finds the title hero and his friends - Prince Tuftan of the Tiger Kingdom and humanoid mutant Ben Boxer - kidnapped by a gorilla cult dedicated to finding the reincarnation of their god, The Mighty One. Directed by Matt Peters from a script written by Paul Giacoppo, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth features the voices of Cameron Monaghan as Kamandi, Steve Blum as Golgan & Tuftan, Adam Gifford as Zuma, and Armen Taylor Ben Boxer.
As with other DC Showcase shorts, for the most part, the story is a little light but by no means is that a bad thing. The writer here drops just enough details to get us familair with the world Kamandi inhabits, before leaving us with one heckuva cliffhanger. Just to note, and no spoilers, but there are a couple sizable reveals which, believe it or not, seemingly ties this short with Justice Society: World War II.
On top of the great script work, the acting here is top-notch and character designs (and the short's overall look and tone) are just fantastic across the board. The only thing that really falls flat in DC Showcase - Kamandi: The last Boy on Earth! is the animation, which clearly struggles with the line-heavy character and background designs. The effort is there, but the budget and execution unfortunately is not. It's adequate but falls short.
A great look into the incredible world of Jack Kirby's creation, DC Showcase - Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! is one of the strongest installments of the popular animated shorts line. While the mediocre animation is disappointing, everything else soars. The character designs, the script, the acting, all of it works so well together. Another strong animated short from Warner Bros. Animation, DC Showcase - Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth! comes Highly Recommended!
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