3Below: Tales of Arcadia

3Below: Tales of Arcadia is an American computer-animated television series produced by DreamWorks Animation, and is the second installment of Guillermo del Toro's magnificently conceived Tales of Arcadia trilogy. It originated as a Netflix original, with its first season premiering on December 21, 2018, and its second season concluded the narrative on July 12, 2019.

The series illustrates a thrilling intertwined narrative that emphasizes friendship, bravery, and unearthing one's true identity. It revolves around the story of two royal extraterrestrial siblings, Princess Aja and Prince Krel of House Tarron, the ruling family of the planet Akiridion-5. Their peaceful existence gets interrupted when their planet falls under attack by a malevolent dictator known as General Morando.

Following a disastrous coup, Aja, Krel, and their bodyguard Varvatos Vex are forced to flee their planet in a spacecraft. They crash-land on what is arguably the most average of places in the universe: Arcadia Oaks, a quiet suburban town on planet Earth. With their mothership, the mothership’s sentient AI Mother, disguises the extraterrestrial refugees as human beings, allowing them to blend in as they plot their counteroffensive and devise a way to return to their homeland and liberate it.

Pitched hit-first into a world of high school, homework, and perplexing Earth customs, Aja and Krel do their best to fit in while trying to repair their ship and fight off various intergalactic threats that continuously find their way to Earth. Meanwhile, their presence on Earth doesn't go unnoticed, and they are faced with human friends and foes, providing an interesting slice of life against the extraordinary backdrop.

3Below handles the classic trope of disguised aliens grappling with Earth-style adolescence with a unique twist, blending together humor, sentiment, and criticism. The narrative takes the time to address hefty subjects like immigration, acceptance and the struggle of trying to adapt to a foreign land. Viewers learn to see Earth from an alien perspective, bringing a comedic and insightful fresh take on the uncertainties of not just being a teenager, but being an out-of-this-world teenager.

The series is sprinkled with a high-powered voice cast that belongs to an assortment of Hollywood's finest such as Tatiana Maslany from "Orphan Black", Diego Luna from "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story", and Nick Offerman from "Parks and Recreation". The series is indeed a visual spectacle with a vibrant color palette and meticulous attention to detail, courtesy of DreamWorks Animation, offering richly imaginative, bizarrely alien yet relatable characters and environments in a high-definition format.

As with its predecessor, the animated series Trollhunters, another chapter of the Tales of Arcadia trilogy, 3Below: Tales of Arcadia maintains a richly intricate mythos, dense with fascinating alien tech, personalities, and lore. The Easter Eggs and tie-ins with other parts of the Arcadia universe, including the first series, Trollhunters, and the subsequent series, Wizards, provide gratifying nods to fans who follow the entire trilogy.

The series, with its amalgamation of heartfelt moments, explosive action, and thrilling sci-fi elements, managed to keep the storyline engaging and exciting. 3Below: Tales of Arcadia keeps the Tales of Arcadia trilogy's spirit alive, offering viewers of all ages engaging characters, exciting adventures, and poignant themes of friendship, acceptance, and dealing with becoming a stranger in a new world.

3Below: Tales of Arcadia is a fast-paced, action-packed, humorous yet meaningful series, with a narrative that masterfully blends comedy and drama. The series maintains a multi-generational appeal, loaded with layers that children can enjoy for the broad strokes of adventure and adults for the narrative's finer subtleties and socio-political metaphors. Despite being aimed at a younger audience, the series manages to draw viewers of all ages with its cosmic escapades. It is an essential watch for anyone on the lookout for a dynamic, captivating animated series with broader themes that resonate across a myriad of age groups.