Wizards: Tales of Arcadia


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This article is about the 2020 computer animated television series. For the 1977 Ralph Bakshi film, see Wizards (film).

Wizards: Tales of Arcadia (or simply Wizards) is an American animated fantasy television limited series created by Guillermo del Toro, and produced by DreamWorks Animation Television and Double Dare You Productions. The award-winning series is the third and final installment of the Tales of Arcadia trilogy, following Trollhunters (2016–2018) and 3Below (2018–2019), and was released on August 7, 2020, on Netflix.[1]

Wizards: Tales of Arcadia
GenreScience fantasy
Created by
Based onCharacters by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus
Showrunners
  • Aaron Waltke
  • Guillermo del Toro
  • Marc Guggenheim
  • Chad Quandt
  • Chad Hammes
Voices of
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
  • Guillermo del Toro
  • Marc Guggenheim
  • Aaron Waltke
  • Chad Quandt
  • Chad Hammes
Running time23–24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseAugust 7, 2020
Related

The first and only limited series in the Tales of Arcadia franchise, it is a fantasy time travel saga that explores the world's mythological origins and introduces a new protagonist in Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan, a former apprentice to the legendary Merlin who was forgotten for centuries and is now eager to prove his worth as a sorcerer in the eyes of his old master.

Wizards has been acclaimed by critics as a groundbreaking animated series, both for its complex storytelling and high-quality animation. Alci Rengifo of Entertainment Voice writes, "...Del Toro wants everyone, even the adults, to get something out of Wizards. This makes it an adventure worth taking, like any great fairy tale."[2] In 2021, the series won an Annie Award and the Kidscreen Award for "Best New Series," a category including all live-action and animated programming that year, and was nominated for four Daytime Emmys, including Outstanding Children's Animated Series.[3][4]

It was followed by a full-length feature film titled Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans, released on July 21, 2021.

Following the events of Trollhunters and 3Below, Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan – who has secretly been the apprentice of Merlin for nine centuries – must recruit the Guardians of Arcadia to travel back in time to the 12th-century's Camelot. During the journey, the heroes learn why the amulet was built, how Morgana became the Pale Lady, and what events led up to the Battle of Killahead Bridge.

Wizards was announced as the third and final series in the Tales of Arcadia trilogy following the release of Trollhunters and 3Below. It was produced by Guillermo del Toro's Double Dare You alongside DreamWorks Animation for Netflix, with del Toro, Marc Guggenheim, Aaron Waltke, Chad Quandt, and Chad Hammes serving as executive producers. Waltke and Quandt served as head writers and co-showrunners.[1] It was initially set to be released in 2019 but was postponed for August 7, 2020.

The series features an ensemble cast of voice actors returning from Trollhunters and 3Below, alongside new voice actors.

  • Colin O'Donoghue as Douxie Casperan, Merlin's Apprentice living in the 21st Century in Arcadia working various jobs who is eager to become a Wizard and would end up joining the Trollhunters but accidentally sends Clarie, Jim and Steve to Arthur's Reign.
  • David Bradley as Merlin Ambrosius, a centuries-old Wizard, creator of the Trollhnter Amulet and Douxie's master.
  • Lexi Medrano as Claire Nuñez, A human witch, Jim's Girlfriend who would become Morgana's apprentice before wielding her staff and is a member of the Trollhunters.
  • Lena Headey as Morgana le Fay, a shadow witch and Arthur's sister who is sympathetic to magical beings and trolls.
  • James Faulkner as King Arthur/the Green Knight,[5] the king of Camelot who dispites magic and trolls.
  • Steven Yeun as Steve Palchuk,[6] a school bully who joins the Trollhunters and would become a Knight in Camelot.
  • Alfred Molina as Archie the Cat-Dragon,[5] a dragon and Douxie's best friend who can shapeshift into a Cat and a Dragon.
  • Emile Hirsch as Jim Lake Jr., the Trollhunter and Claire's boyfriend, who after being turned into a troll has a stone slowly impaling his heart.
  • John Rhys-Davies as Sir Galahad,[5] a knight in Camelot who is Merlin's old friend.
  • Rupert Penry-Jones as Sir Lancelot, a knight in Camelot who resembles Steve and would train him as a knight.
  • Kelsey Grammer as Blinky Galadrigal, Jim's master in the future but a cowardly Troll Advisor during Arthur's reign.
  • Mark Hamill as Dictatious Galadrigal, Blinky's brother who collects books and in the future would join Gunmar.
  • Stephanie Beatriz as Callista the Calamity / Deya the Deliverer, a troll Jim meets when he is thrown into the dungeon who was kidnapped at birth and didn't know her original name, they would escape together and make it to the Trollbase.
  • Angel Lin as Nari of the Eternal Forest, a former member of the Arcane order who joined sides with Merlin.
  • Clancy Brown as Gunmar the Black/Skullcrusher, the powerful leader of the Gumm-Gumms.
  • Darin De Paul as Bular the Butcher, son of Gunmar. De Paul replaces Ron Perlman from Tales of Arcadia.
  • Diego Luna as Crown Prince Krel Tarron, the King of Akiridion-5 who stayed on Earth.
  • Tom Kenny as Dadblank, Krel's Blankbot disguised as his human father.
    • Kenny also voices Lock, one part of Latch and Lock.
  • Piotr Michael as Skrael, a member of the Arcane Order who controls ice.
    • Micheal also voices Bellroc's male voice.
  • Charlie Saxton as Tobias "Toby" Domzalski, Jim's best friend and member of the Trollhunters.
  • Fred Tatasciore as AAARRRGGHH!!!, Toby's wingman and Blinky's friend who in the past was a Gumm-Gumm general who was captured by the good trolls and wrangled by Blinky.
  • Brian Blessed as Charlemagne the Devourer/Charlie, a powerful dragon and Archie's father.
  • Victor Raider-Wexler as Vendel, the elder of Trollmarket who is untrustful of Humans.
  • Rodrigo Blaas as Gnome Chompsky,[5] a gnome Toby adopts as a pet.
  • Kay Bess as Bellroc, a member of the Arcane Order who controls fire, Bess provides the female voice and Micheal the Male.
  • Brook Chalmers as Latch, one part of Latch and Lock.
  • Kathleen Turner as the Lady of the Lake, who helped forge Excalibur, Turner previously voiced Gwendolyn from 3Below: Tales of Arcadia.
  • Matthew Waterson as Draal, son of later-Trollhunter Kanjigar.
  • Ike Amadi as Angor Rot, Morgana's champion.
  • Sandra Saad as Zoe, a girl who knows Douxie and works at a electronics shop.
  • Bebe Wood as Shannon, a girl who goes to Arcadia Oaks High.
  • Tom Wilson as Coach Lawerance, the Coach at Arcadia Oaks High.

The series has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[7] According to Guillermo del Toro, Wizards: Tales of Arcadia was in the Top Ten most streamed series worldwide on Netflix during the week it premiered, drawing more viewers than all other live-action and animated content at that time.[8] As reported by Screen Rant, Wizards was rated the best new Netflix Original Kids' Series released in 2020, according to IMDb.[9]

Drew Taylor of Collider writes, "Everything about the world is fully realized with incredible detail... it really looks exceptional, and as the culmination of the franchise so far, it is hard to top."[10] In his Decider review, John Serba of The New York Post writes the show excels in "...classical myths reimagined with modern sensibilities, with vivid animation, crisp comedy and a muscular, but not too heavy, sense of drama. Del Toro's hand guides the series into creative avenues without ever being off the rails."[11]

Rafael Motamayor of The Observer applauded the series for its bold deconstruction of Arthurian myth, which it uses to explore difficult themes like prejudice, ideological war, and racism. In his essay, he compares the series to del Toro's films such as The Shape of Water, with Douxie and the other heroes observing firsthand how history can be rewritten into false legends at the expense of the oppressed magical creatures Arthur and his knights seek to slay.[12]

In 2021, Wizards won the Kidscreen Award for "Best New Series," a category including all live-action and animated programming that year.[13][4] It was nominated for four Emmys, including Outstanding Children's Animated Series, and won "Outstanding Main Title for a Daytime Animated Program." It was also nominated for a Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing, and has received an Annie Award in the category of Best Voice Acting and a nomination in Best FX.[14]

On August 7, 2020, following the premiere of Wizards, it was announced the Tales of Arcadia trilogy would be concluded with a full-length feature film titled Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans, set to be released on Netflix on July 21, 2021.[16]

  1. ^ a b Holloway, Daniel (July 7, 2020). "'Wizards,' Final Chapter in Guillermo del Toro's 'Tales of Arcadia' Trilogy, Sets Premiere Date". Variety. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  2. ^ Rengifo, Alci (July 10, 2020). "'Wizards: Tales of Arcadia' Continues Guillermo del Toro's Animated Epic With Great Action and Big Heart". Entertainment Voice. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  3. ^ "Kidscreen Awards 2021 winners".
  4. ^ a b Dickson, Jeremy (July 10, 2020). "Who's up for a Kidscreen Award?". Kidscreen. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Milligan, Mercedes (July 7, 2020). "Final Chapter of del Toro Trilogy 'Wizards: Tales of Arcadia' Enchants Netflix Aug. 7". Animation Magazine. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "TROLLHUNTERS Interview: Marc Guggenheim, From Epic to Epic más grande". Animation Scoop. May 18, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  7. ^ "'Wizards,' Final Chapter in Guillermo del Toro's 'Tales of Arcadia' Trilogy, Sets Premiere Date". Rotten Tomatoes. July 7, 2020.
  8. ^ del Toro, Guillermo (July 10, 2020). "'Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Persaud, Christine (November 11, 2020). "The 10 Best New Netflix Original Kids' Series Released In 2020, According To IMDb". Screen Rant. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Taylor, Drew (July 7, 2020). "'Wizards' Review: Netflix's 'Trollhunters' Conclusion Is a Blast from the Past". Collider. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  11. ^ "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Wizards: Tales of Arcadia' on Netflix, the Latest Continuation of Guillermo del Toro's Animated Saga". New York Post Decider. August 15, 2020.
  12. ^ Motamayor, Rafael (October 31, 2020). "Guillermo del Toro's 'Wizards: Tales of Arcadia' Cuts Down the Myth of King Arthur". The Observer. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Kidscreen Awards 2021 winners".
  14. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (March 1, 2021). "'Sound of Metal,' 'News of the World' Lead Sound Editors' Golden Reel Awards Feature Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  15. ^ "Annie Awards Nominees". Variety. March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Guillermo del Toro's 'Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans' Movie Scheduled for 2021". Variety. August 7, 2020.