Netflix continues to assert itself as a powerhouse in the field of animation. Already, they’ve had multiple acclaimed projects (such as last year’s Nimona) in TV and film, and yesterday a presentation was held to highlight what’s in store over the coming year. In short: it’s a lot, including new animated Terminator and Hotel Transylvania series, and a confirmation the recently-released Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (review here) will have a second season.
Zack Snyder was on hand to tease his mythological animated series Twilight of the Gods, featuring the voices of Sylvia Hoeks, Stuart Martin, Pilou Asbaek, John Noble, Paterson Joseph, Rahul Kohli, Jamie Clayton, Kristopher Hivju, Peter Stormare, Jamie Chung, Lauren Cohan and Corey Stoll.
“I love mythology,” Snyder said about the adult-themed Norse mythology series. “On a scale like this, I feel like animation was the greatest way to tell the story.”
Timothy Olyphant was revealed as the voice of a Terminator in Terminator Zero, about a killer robot that comes to 1997 ahead of Judgement Day to assassinate scientist Malcolm Lee before he can create a rival to Skynet. The series was created by Mattson Tomlin, known for directing Mother/Android and co-writing The Batman. Look for it to hit Netflix on August 29th.
There’s already a lot of buzz surrounding Netflix and Skydance’s Spellbound, which Nathan Lane was on hand to introduce. Releasing on November 22nd, the film is directed by Vicky Jenson (Shark Tale) and centers on a world of magic known as Lumbria where a young girl, Ellian, must break the spell that has split her kingdom in two by turning her parents into monsters. Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, Lane, and John Lithgow lead the voice cast, while the musical will feature an original score by composer Alan Menkenwith with lyrics by Glenn Slater.
Netflix reteams with Skydance for Pookoo, directed by Tangled filmmaker Nathan Greno. The animated film about a woodland creature and its friendship with a majestic bird arrives in 2025.
The full English voice cast was revealed for Studio Ponoc’s The Imaginary, directed by Yoshiyuki Momose. Louie Rudge-Buchanan, Evie Kiszel, Hayley Atwell, Sky Katz, Jeremy Swift, Kal Penn, LeVar Burton, Jane Singer, Ruby Barnhill, Roger Craig Smith, Courtenay Taylor and Miles Nibbe voice the film about an imaginary boy in a world of imagination. Already released in Japan late last year, The Imaginary will premiere stateside on July 5th.
Phil Johnston’s (Ralph Breaks the Internet) adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Twits revealed its voice cast, too. Margo Martindale, Johnny Vegas, Natalie Portman and Emilia Clarke lead the way.
Finally, Motel Transylvania is a series spinoff of the popular Hotel Transylvania movies. The synopsis reads, “Motel Transylvania is open for business, as Drac & Mavis take a break from their Transylvanian haunts to set up a brand new resort for humans and monsters in the California desert. Vampires and sunshine… what can go wrong!?”
Watch a teaser reel for Netflix’s animation projects below.
