Netflix is teaming up with Microsoft and Mojang to create a Minecraft animated show, and the timing couldn’t be worse
Netflix partners with Minecraft creator Mojang will be making an animated TV series based on the incredibly popular sandbox video game.
Revealed via a 20-second teaser on its social media channels, the streaming titan revealed that it was developing an animated TV show set in the block-based world owned by Mojang and parent company Microsoft.
Few details have been revealed about the series in development, such as a confirmed release date and/or voice cast. However, Netflix and Mojang provided a little insight into its creation via a short news item on the website official Minecraft websiteincluding which animation studio will lead the development of the upcoming project and the fact that it won’t feature everyone’s favorite blockster, Steve.
NETFLIX & CRAFT! ⛏️An animated Minecraft series is officially in the works from Netflix & Mojang Studios. pic.twitter.com/yo41rEmAPnMay 30, 2024
“We are happy to announce that we have joined forces with Netflix to produce an animated series set in our blocky universe,” said writer Per Landin.
“The series tells an original story with new characters and reflects the world of Minecraft in a new light. It is currently being developed by the talented studio WildBrain (creators of Sonic Prime, Ninjago: Dragons riseAnd Carmen Sandiego) and debuts exclusively on Netflix. We couldn’t be more excited, so stay tuned for more information!”
The one from Netflix Minecraft series is just the latest animated production to be announced for and/or in development at the world’s top streaming service. Ultraman: Get upone of next month’s new Netflix movies, will be the next to come off the streamer’s animated production line, with the film set to hit the platform on June 14.
On the television front Arcane season 2, the next entry in one of the best Netflix shows ever, debuts in November. Other highly anticipated animated shows include A devil can cry series, a Tomb Raider show and an animated spin-off of the incredibly popular Netflix TV Original Stranger things.
Mining the adjustment properly
With its cute, block-based graphics and family-friendly appeal, some people (myself included) found it bizarre that an animated Minecraft series has not been attempted before. The fact that we’re finally getting one from Netflix already feels long overdue.
That said, in some ways, Netflix’s announcement couldn’t have come at a worse time. First, the reveal comes thirteen days later Minecraft‘s 15th anniversary – the actual anniversary took place on May 17, for those wondering – which would have been a more appropriate date to make this announcement. Unless proper work is done on the animated series, it won’t appear on Netflix until after Warner Bros.’ live-action Minecraft film also arrives in theaters. The longest-running film, which stars Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Kate McKinnon, among others, is currently scheduled to hit theaters worldwide in April 2025.
If that film fails to make its mark on audiences, there may not be much interest among viewers in Netflix’s animated offering when it is released. Few others indeed Minecraft spin-offs or adaptations – Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Legendsand Telltale’s story-driven Minecraft video game adaptations, to name three – have struggled to match the original game’s unprecedented success. So there’s little guarantee that upcoming film and TV reworkings will do the same. We’ll find out in the coming months and years whether Netflix and Warner Bros. have built customizations to match Mojang’s universally beloved video game.