Go into a Gamestop or to the game section at Walmart. You’re guaranteed to find two or three shelves lined with plastic non-posable figurines that will come to life when placed on top of the correct peripheral. The Skylanders would like to say “you’re welcome.” Having started the biggest toys-to-life gaming trend in the industry’s history so far, Activision Blizzard’s cartoony kiddie-appealing heroes have set their sights on an animated series.
Skylanders Academy is set to premier as a Netflix exclusive series later in 2016. The first production from Activision’s new film studio, the animation will be used to test the waters of fan reception and attempt to draw in newcomers. Skylanders Academy will feature many of the characters from the first Skylanders game, but it is unknown if characters from future games will make an appearance.
Plot details are sparse. What we do know is that the senior Skylanders will travel throughout Skylands, battling evil forces while training newbies to do the same. The series will see 26 episodes running at half an hour each. Whether these will be two 15-minute shorts back-to-back or singular 30-minute episodes is up in the air, as is the animation style. It’s likely to be similar to the likes of Sonic Boom in terms of visuals and very likely to be just as campy with its humor.
The major talent recruited for the series include Justin Long as Spyro, Ashley Tisdale as Stealth Elf, Johnathan Banks as Eruptor, Norm Macdonald as Glumshanks, and Richard Horvitz as Kaos. Also set to appear as unidentified characters are Harland Williams, Susan Sarandon, Josh Haber, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Ellis Graig. Activision Blizzard’s studio also plans to produce a number of Call of Duty movies sometime in the future.
