Activision Blizzard Studios is taking the characters of Skylanders from video games to TV in their debut animated series, set to stream later this year on Netflix – and EW has an exclusive look (above) at a photo from the upcoming project. Created by Toys For Bob, the $3 billion Skylanders franchise has sold through more than 250 million toys since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011, and earlier this month Activision revealed Skylanders Imaginators, the latest innovation in the franchise.
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The show follows the adventures of the Skylanders team as they use their elemental skills to protect the Skylands universe from Kaos and other bad guys.
A 2-year deal between Activision Blizzard and Netflix will initially see two seasons of the show produced. This is one they will freak over.
“Over the last five years, millions of families around the world have welcomed Skylanders characters into their homes”, said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick in a statement.
As announced previously, its showrunner is Eric Rogers, who wrote for Fox’s Futurama. Dubbed Skylanders Academy, the series has enlisted a wealth of actors, actresses and musicians to lend their voices to the game’s characters.
Existing fans of the series won’t find the familiar voices of Kari Wahlgren or Patrick Warburton in Skylanders Academy, however, with Activision Blizzard studios instead enlisting a variety of celebrity names for voice work. “We’re inspired by our fans’ excitement for these characters and have worked hard to bring these characters to life with stories our fans will love”.
Nick van Dyk and Stacey Sher, co-presidents of Activision Blizzard Studios, declined to discuss in specific terms how the show would be tied to the game.
Susan Sarandon, Parker Posey and James Hetfield are among the additional voice talent featured on the show.
As for future original programming endeavors, Activision Blizzard Studios wants to create a series of Call of Duty feature films and possibly some television adaptation as well.
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Skylanders pioneered the toys-to-life genre.
