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Skylanders Academy was a French-American computer-animated spin-off television series based on the Skylanders franchise. It serves as Activision Blizzard Studios' first animated production with Futurama writer Eric Rogers overseeing the creation of the series.[3] The series premiered on October 28, 2016 worldwide on Netflix.[4] On April 30, 2019, it was announced that Skylanders Academy was cancelled by Netflix, lasting three seasons.[5]

Production

At an Investor Day presentation on November 6, 2015, Activision Blizzard announced the formation of Activision Blizzard Studios, a film production subsidiary dedicated to creating original films and television series. Headed by former The Walt Disney Company executive Nick van Dyk, Activision Blizzard Studios would look to produce and adapting Skylanders into a film and television series.[6]

Production started in early 2015. Art director, Lee Harker, was assigned by Activision and Activision Blizzard Studios to lead the transition from the Skylanders video games into the new medium while keeping the show on brand. Characters from Skylanders were chosen that would make up the show's main cast; they would be given different facial animation, require major changes to anatomy and silhouette; actors redesigned for film but still retain likeness, personality and familiarity with the existing character designs from the Skylanders franchise. Assets, including environments and props, textures, and effects, were recreated to match the style of the characters, including the most minor prop went through the same process.[7]

As part of a two season partnership, Activision Blizzard Studios announced that Skylanders Academy would air on Netflix.[8] Two seasons were originally planned; season one debuted on October 28, 2016 with a second season coming out the following year on October 6, 2017.

The television series is a spinoff to the storyline of the games with no direct tie-ins to sequels, being its own separate identity.[9] Eric Rogers mentioned the series being a mixture of Gravity Falls and Futurama.[10]

On February 2, 2017, Season 3 was announced to be in production[11], and later on August 22, 2018, it was slated for released on September 28th. After disagreements between him and former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, Eric Rogers stepped down as showrunner and was replaced by the showrunning duo of Clayton Sakoda and Ian Weinreich starting with Season 3.[12][13] On April 30, 2019, it was announced that Skylanders Academy won't be returning for a fourth season and has been cancelled.[5]

Plot

As darkness begins to threaten the balance of peace in the Skylands, Master Eon is forced to assemble a ragtag group of heroes to protect the universe from evil-doers Kaos and the Doom Raiders. Using their unique blend of personalities and elemental-based super powers, Spyro and his fellow Skylanders are called upon to set aside egos as they come together to maintain harmony and balance in the land. Jam-packed with humour, heart and memorable moments, Skylanders Academy promises to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with epic action for kids of all ages.

Along with a new class of cadets, and newcomers Cynder and Sprocket, the team returns in an action packed Skylanders Academy Season 2 that finds our heroes seeking answers from the past. Spyro begins a search for information about his ancestors in order to harness and understand his special powers. Meanwhile, Kaos’ quest to bring evil rule to the Skylands realms accidentally unleashes a villain more powerful than anything Kaos or the Skylander warriors have ever faced. The Skylanders unite once more for the greatest showdown against evil yet – putting them all to the ultimate test!

In Season 3, all is not right at Skylanders Academy. After being turned evil at the hands of uber-villain Strykore, Spyro returns as an undercover agent, set on finding an ancient artifact hidden at the Academy that will help his new dark master take over the Skylands! With Kaos out on his own quest to spread evil as a dastardly pirate captain, it will take all of the Skylanders uniting together -- along with some new characters and alliances -- to help Spyro remember the true hero he really is if they have any hope of stopping Strykore and restoring peace to the realm.

Episodes

List of Skylanders Academy episodes

Voice cast (English)

Additional voices

Crew

  • Bobby Kotick - Executive Producer
  • John Mathot - Supervising Director
  • Kristi Reed - Voice Director
  • Eric Rogers - Executive Producer
  • Eric S. Rollman - Supervising Producer
  • Sander Schwartz - Executive Producer
  • Stacey Sher - Executive Producer
  • Collette Sunderman - Voice Director
  • Timbaland - Theme Song Performer
  • Toys For Bob - Special Thanks
  • Nick van Dyk - Executive Producer
  • Quentin Lebegue - Storyboarder (S3)[26]

Main theme

The theme song for Skylanders Academy, Harmony, was composed by Timbaland and performed by Dalton Diehl.

Gallery

Logos

Artwork

Trailers

Clips

Trivia

General Trivia

Academy Intro Skylanders

Artworks of various Skylanders in the Academy TV Series Season 1 intro. None of these Skylanders appeared in the show.

  • In the Season 1 intro, there are several artworks of Skylanders within The Book of Skylanders who did not appear in the show itself. This includes Gill Grunt, Wrecking Ball, Drobot, Double Trouble, Shroomboom, Chop Chop and Prism Break.
    • Gill Grunt was planned to be appear in the show, but due to budget constraints, he wasn't included.[27]
    • Wrecking Ball and Drobot are quickly shown again in the show when the Book of Skylanders's pages are being flipped at points.
      • Drobot and Shroomboom would later be referenced in Season 3 in the episode In Like Flynn, with the addition of Stump Smash, not shown in the book.
    • All characters have the artwork of their latest figure release as of Season 1. Drobot, however, has the artwork of his LightCore version rather than his Series 2, as both were released in the same game lineup.
    • In Season 2, the book aesthetic is replaced by showing the main characters all over Skylands, and the book characters are no longer seen.
  • Flynn, Sal, Fiesta, Tree Rex, Jawbreaker, The Gulper and Dr. Krankcase were characters planned for Season 2, but were cut due to budget reasons.[28] Flynn however made his debut in Season 3.[29]
  • A model of Trolling Thunder was made, but was never used in the show itself.[30]
  • On Twitter/X, both newly appointed showrunners, Clayton Sakoda and Ian Weinreich, responded to fan questions through the official Skylanders social media page about Season 3. Most of the answers regarding character appearances turned out false, such as the new showrunners claiming that the viewers would see new faces[31], more of Cynder[32], Cy[33], and Malefor having a pivotal role in the season.[34]

Story

  • While in the main canon spells are recited with regular english or gibberish, some spells in the show are in English, with the phrases or each word in reverse.
  • Notable aspects from the Skylanders franchise, such as the existence of Portal Masters, were not included in the spinoff TV series, though they are still mentioned.
  • Unlike in the games, many Skylanders have already retired or retire during the events of the show, though some still have their skills in good shape.

Production

  • The different voice cast of several characters in Skylanders Academy are made to give the show its own separate identity.[9]
  • Malefor, Dark Spyro and Strykore were leaked months before their reveal in a photo from Stealth Elf's voice actress, Ashley Tisdale; though the focus of it was the brightly lit recording room, parts of the script for a Season 3 episode could be seen at the bottom of the picture on a table.
    • James Hetfield, Wolfgang's voice actor, would later parody this leak; taking pictures of himself holding a Season 3 script. However, this picture did not have name spoilers.
  • A running gag in the show involves the characters going unrecognized using simple and nearly non-existent disguises. This is because of the show's budget and CG quality, which would not allow most characters to switch outfits in any way.[35]
  • The Season 2 intro was made by the UI and video design company Experience Perception.[36]

References

  1. It's awesome. @barelysarcasm @jpatrickrigney @lady_writers @nickconfalone @juliayorks wrote episodes.. (Date Posted - Jul 15, 2017). Twitter.
  2. Proud to have written two episodes for Season 2 of #SkylandersAcademy.... (Date Posted - Oct 4, 2017). Twitter.
  3. Activision Blizzard Launches Activision Blizzard Studios to Create Original Film and TV Content Based on Iconic, Globally-Recognized Franchises. (Date Posted - Nov. 06, 2015). BusinessWire.
  4. Netflix's Skylanders Academy series to premiere in October. (Date Posted - Sep. 20, 2016). EW.com
  5. 5.0 5.1 ‘Skylanders Academy’ not returning for Season 4 at Netflix. (Date Posted - Apr. 30, 2019). What's on Netflix
  6. Activision Blizzard Launches Activision Blizzard Studios to Create Original Film and TV Content Based on Iconic, Globally-Recognized Franchises. (Date Posted - Nov. 06, 2015). BusinessWire.
  7. Skylanders Academy- Netflix. Squarespace.
  8. Skylanders Academy Animated Series Coming to Netflix. (Date Posted - Jun. 16, 2016). Activision Blog
  9. 9.0 9.1 the same reason we chose a lot of different actors for several roles - to give the show its own separate identity.. (Date Posted - Jul 22, 2016). Twitter.
  10. Eric Rogers' Twitter tweet #2.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Attention All Skylanders! Activision Blizzard Studios Expands “Skylanders Academy” To Season 3. (Date Posted - Feb. 2, 2017). Gamasutra
  12. Black Panther, Maniac, and BoJack Horseman coming to Netflix in September. (Date Posted - Aug. 22, 2018). EW.com
  13. New ‘Skylanders Academy’ Showrunners Tease the Adventures Ahead in Season 3. (Date Posted - Aug. 22, 2018). Collider
  14. Chompy Mage Voice Actor. (Date Posted - Jan. 30, 2017). Twitter
  15. Skylanders Academy Season 2 Summary Reveal. (Date Posted - Sep 12, 2017). Collider.
  16. I've always wanted to play a warrior penguin.... (Date Posted - Oct. 27, 2016). Instagram
  17. Skylanders Academy Writer Responds to Crash Getting a Voice, Talks Season 2, and More - GameSpot. (Date Posted - Dec. 2, 2016). GameSpot
  18. New ‘Skylanders Academy’ Showrunners Tease the Adventures Ahead in Season 3. (Date Posted - Aug. 22, 2018). Collider
  19. Josh Thompson's Bio
  20. Cedric Yarbrough's Instagram. (Date Posted - May 31, 2016). Instagram
  21. I believe @GreyDeLisle is Chill. She's rad.. (Date Posted - Aug 4, 2017). Twitter
  22. Pre-Season 2 Interview with Eric Rogers. (Date Posted - Sep 12, 2017). Collider
  23. I voice Dark Spyro in Season 3 of #SkylandersAcademy. (Date Posted - Sep 28, 2018). Twitter
  24. New ‘Skylanders Academy’ Showrunners Tease the Adventures Ahead in Season 3. (Date Posted - Aug 22, 2018). Collider.
  25. We love the character of Coco and wanted to bring her aboard! She's voiced by the amazing @tarastrong. (Date Posted - Sep. 19, 2018). Twitter
  26. Quentin Lebegue
  27. Skylanders Academy Season 1and 2 Q&A with Eric Rogers. (Date Posted - May 1, 2024). Magic Crafters - Spyro Fan Forum.
  28. Yep, wish we could've done more. Flynn, Fiesta, Tree Stomp, Jawbreaker, Gulper, Dr. Krankcase are others I really wanted to use in S2.. (Date Posted - Oct. 7, 2017). [http://twitter.com Twitter.
  29. New ‘Skylanders Academy’ Showrunners Tease the Adventures Ahead in Season 3. (Date Posted - Aug 22, 2018). Collider.
  30. Skylanders Academy (season 1). (Date Posted - June 29th 2020). Behance.
  31. We're also thrilled to have Flynn on the show. There will be some other new faces as well.. (Date Posted - Aug. 22, 2018). Twitter.
  32. You're going to be seeing plenty of Cynder very soon!. (Date Posted - Sept. 12, 2018). Twitter.
  33. You're going to be seeing plenty of Cynder very soon!. (Date Posted - Sept. 1, 2018). Twitter.
  34. Oh yeah, Malefor is awesome. He'll be back this season in a pivotal role. (Date Posted - Aug. 29, 2018). Twitter.
  35. "That's the running joke(...)". (Date Posted - Oct. 7, 2017). Twitter.
  36. Just posted our title sequence design for season 2 of @skylandersacademy on @netflix. (Date Posted - Oct 11, 2017). Twitter.

External Links

Skylanders Academy
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