As 2016 winds down and a new year approaches, it’s undeniable that the past year has brought along (and continues to bring) its share of hits at the box office. However, one medium that arguably saw the greatest gains since last January has been streaming video – the likes of which Netflix continues to dominate. With hits like Luke Cage, The Crown and the pop culture phenomenon of Stranger Things, hopes are high that Netflix will continue to maintain its level of quality programming into 2017.
One of the first new Netflix series’ to arrive just before the New Year will be the animated adaptation of Guillermo del Toro’s Young Adult novel Trollhunters. The road to getting the project off the ground has been a long one – with talk initially revolving around a feature film rather than a TV series. But some six years after del Toro fans first learned that Trollhunters was going to be adapted, we have finally arrived at the point where the finished product is only a matter of days away from being revealed to all.
In anticipation of Trollhunters’ upcoming release, Netflix has provided a new trailer (above). The trailer doesn’t offer that much of a different view of the series than the one released back in October – though it does have a much faster and more action-packed pace to it. What’s more, thanks to a ComicBook interview with Trollhunters’ executive producer Marc Guggenheim, we also have a little more insight into what sort of series we should (and can) be expecting. According to Guggenheim, Trollhunters will feature strong characters that develop as the series progresses into “a high school show mixed with madcap adventure”:
“I think what’s so much fun about the show, and what’s so advantageous about the fact that we were able to do it as a series rather than as a feature film, is there’s a lot of room for a show to grow. … It’s one thing to focus on character, but unless those characters go on an emotional journey, you’re lacking character development. The show’s very heavy on character development while still being lots of fun and introducing you to lots of different strange creatures and fun environments. It’s a high school show, mixed with a madcap adventure.”
The revelation that Trollhunters makes character development a priority will likely upgrade its value in the eyes of many who might have otherwise passed it off as simply another animated series. It makes sense to expect something more given that it comes from the mind of a filmmaker as talented and diverse as del Toro. Though the story is based on a YA novel and the series itself is animated, there’s still plenty of reason to believe that Trollhunters can entertain quite a vast demographic.
In addition to its potential for growth and expansion, Trollhunters also has a decent cast lined up with Kelsey Grammer (The Simpsons), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) and Charlie Saxton (Young & Hungry). With a Netflix release scheduled just before Christmas, this could be an adventure series to enjoy throughout the holiday season and into the New Year.
Trollhunters season 1 premieres December 23, 2016 on Netflix.
