The closing lines of the opening theme of Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time promise us that “the fun will never end.” And yet, the animation juggernaut concluded in 2018, leaving millions of fans to believe said lyric a lie. A lie it was not, however. In 2021, a four-part miniseries, Adventure Time: Distant Lands, revisited many characters from the original series, and two years later, another spinoff series followed gender-swapped representations of the original series’ protagonists, Finn and Jake. Now concluded, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake has catapulted the franchise to new heights with its willingness to grow with its audience and expand its universe—or, rather, multiverse.
Fionna, a righteous young woman with a penchant for swordfighting, and Cake, a talking, shapeshifting cat, appeared in the original Adventure Time only as in-universe fanfiction characters. They starred in stories written by the series’ antagonist, the Ice King, who was once an ordinary twentieth-century man named Simon Petrikov before a magic crown drove him mad. In the finale of the original series, the crown’s hold on Simon releases and he reverts back to his human self; as a result, however, the magic from Fionna and Cake’s world disappears with it. In Fionna and Cake, the titular characters travel with Simon through the multiverse, hopping from dimension to dimension in hopes of finding a way to restore magic to their now-dreary home.
Primarily focused on the trio of Fionna, Cake, and Simon, the series is unafraid to provide fanservice appearances of several beloved characters from the original series, such as Finn, Jake, Marceline, Princess Bubblegum, and BMO. Spotting familiar characters—or their alternate-reality counterparts—in the background of scenes is a treat for long-time fans and illustrates the immense amount of care put in by the storyboarders and animators. This is further highlighted by the consistently excellent animation; the characters’ movements and expressions are all distinctly their own, making everyone in every universe feel all the more grounded.
But it is the series’ acknowledgement of its audience’s growth that is its greatest strength. For one, its TV-14 rating permits language that could only be implied on Cartoon Network (although “Oh my Glob” is a classic line, watching Fionna storm off from an awkward conversation with a muttered “Goddamnit” scratches a previously-unknown itch). The violence, too, is more explicit, featuring fountains of blood and one particularly horrifying scene in which a character decomposes and turns to dust while fully conscious. But while profanity and gore certainly make for a more adult tone, it is the mature development of its characters that illustrates the series’ appeal to an older audience—and is where the show truly shines.
Fionna feels like a reflection of those who watched Adventure Time as kids, now making their way through young adulthood. Instead of the intrepid young hero she once was, she is now a depressed 20-something who can’t hold down a job and longs for a life of excitement. Upon starting her interdimensional journey, however, she realizes that mistakes won’t simply result in pink slips or awkward social interactions like they would back home; now, life and death are on the line. Madeline Martin beautifully brings to life Fionna’s subsequent emotional spiral.
Cake, meanwhile, starts the series as a normal, non-talking cat. She soon gains the abilities to speak and shapeshift, providing her even more motivation to restore magic to her homeworld than Fionna has. Sadly, any development of hers stops there: she wants to stay magical, and she does. The interpersonal stakes are briefly raised in moments of tension between her and Fionna as the latter begins to doubt whether the completion of their mission would truly be for the best. The show could have expanded upon these short interactions to further challenge their relationship, but it instead keeps them relegated to a single episode. Although Cake’s character arc may have fallen a bit short, Roz Ryan, as always, gives a tremendous vocal performance, especially with regard to humor. Indeed, Cake has some of the funniest moments in the show, her repeated attempts to get Fionna and Simon to kiss the alternate-reality versions of themselves being a standout running gag.
Although the titular characters are a delight to watch, it’s hard to deny Simon’s role as the preeminent character in the story. Tom Kenny gives what may very well be his best performance in his three-decade career, expertly conveying Simon’s emotional journey without sacrificing any of the zaniness that gives the Adventure Time franchise its heart. Simon, having spent centuries in lunacy as the Ice King, struggles to adjust to his new far-future home, all the while trying to cope with the loss of his fiancée, Betty. He must come to terms with living in a magical world without his true love. This arc mirrors Fionna’s journey to learn to love the humdrum of daily life, highlighting acceptance as the show’s central theme.
Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake is Adventure Time at its best. Gorgeous artwork, a consummate balance between humor and emotion, and a multidimensional (in more ways than one) cast of characters buoy the series. With creator Adam Muto’s announcement that more Adventure Time stories are being discussed, we can only hope that the fun will never truly end.