We’ve talked many times about the curious streaming industry, which approves and cancels productions (be it series or movies) without any discernible criteria that us mere viewers can understand. If there were logic in this, Mindhunter would never have been canceled, let’s be clear.
In terms of animation, Netflix has received contradictory news this week: it has saved an animated series from cancellation, but it has also canceled two of its own animated movies. Life is one step forward, two steps back in the house of the Big Red N.
Let’s start with the good news first
Star Trek: Prodigy, which was canceled mid-season by Paramount Plus, has found a new home on Netflix. The streaming service led by Ted Sarandos will air the first season and plan to release the second season once its production is completed.
So, you can expect the first season before the end of 2023, and the second season should arrive in 2024.
The series Star Trek: Prodigy has been the latest victim of the most terrifying villain in the universe: budget cuts. Paramount Plus dropped it at the same time as Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Queen of the Universe, and The Game.
The series has received critical acclaim, with an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s clear that Netflix believes it’s better to watch it than condemn it to death by spreadsheet.
And now for the bad news
According to Variety, significant changes are happening in Netflix’s animation unit, leading to job cuts and the cancellation of two animated films currently in production, Escape from Beverly Hills and Tunga.
Tunga, purchased by Netflix at auction in 2019, is a mythical epic rooted in the Shona mythology of Zimbabwe. Despite being taken out of production, Netflix has not entirely ruled it out. Variety reports that “the film will remain at Netflix and has been sent back to development.”
Escape from Beverly Hills is a mysterious project that hadn’t even been officially announced. All we know is that Netflix intends to sell it to any interested parties.
These cuts are undeniably disheartening and not limited to Netflix: there have been waves of layoffs in the animation industry, with studios like Warner Bros. and DreamWorks reducing their animation expenditure in recent years.
As Variety notes, despite everything, Netflix’s animation will have its best year in 2023. Like other studios, it is turning more to external production to deliver the same amount of content with fewer in-house staff.
