DreamWorks premiered the trailer for the upcoming animated series created and produced by Del Toro during New York Comic Con, and surprisingly, it’s not nearly as creepy as one might expect from the filmmaker who gave audiences Pan’s Labyrinth and Crimson Peak. In fact, the series — which will debut on Netflix later this year — actually looks kind of, well … fun.
The series follows a teenager who encounters a magical amulet on his way to school one morning and soon finds himself caught up in a long-standing war involving a secret civilization of mystical, powerful creatures living below the surface of the Earth. Assisted by some human and troll allies, the teen must learn to carry the mantle of the “Trollhunter,” and safeguard the balance between the human world and the world of the trolls.
The series features an impressive cast of voice actors, including a few that are not strangers to Del Toro’s projects. Among them are Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy), Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead), and Charlie Saxton (Betas). The script for the series was penned by Del Toro, Tom Wheeler (The Cape), and Kubo and the Two Strings writer Marc Haimes. Wall-E and The Incredibles animator Rodrigo Blaas directs the series.
The first trailer for the series teases some of the impressively detailed environments in which the series will unfold — particularly the world of the trolls — as well as the comedic and family-friendly nature of the series, which should offer a nice opportunity to introduce young audiences to Del Toro’s work.
Along with revealing the first trailer for the series, DreamWorks also announced the official premiere date for the series. The entire first season of Trollhunters will debut at 12:01 a.m. December 23 on Netflix.
