Guillermo del Toro's "Trollhunters" to launch over the holidays exclusively on Netflix

Did I mention that my kids don't go back to school until January 9th? I'm sure I'll be needing the rest after hosting both sides of my family for Christmas dinner that will include little ones running around singing Jingle Bells. I know I'll be needing some peace and quiet! But once the presents have been opened and the cookies have all disappeared, many parents will be looking to fill up some downtime with their kids. This has definitely caught my attention...

Starting on December 23rd, Netflix and DreamWorks Animation will launch 26 episodes of the all-new series Trollhunters. It is the most ambitious family series to date as the creative team aimed for the stories to be as cinematic as possible with rich lighting and sophisticated rendering software and other techniques that are more commonly used in feature-length productions. 

Inspired by the acclaimed novel by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus, Trollhunters is a tale of two worlds set to collide. When ordinary teenager Jim Lake Jr. stumbles upon a mystical amulet on his way to school one morning, he inadvertently discovers an extraordinary secret civilization of mighty trolls beneath his small town of Arcadia. Strong-willed and seeking adventure but wholly unprepared for the responsibilities thrust upon him, Jim is forced to take on the exalted mantle of Trollhunter, sworn to protect the good trolls from powerful enemies bent on revenge.

The first human ever to hold the honor, Jim abruptly goes from fighting his way through the daily mayhem of high school to joining a war that has raged for centuries, a conflict that now threatens all of mankind and troll-kind alike.

Accompanied by his closest human friends and a few key troll allies, the courageous fifteen-year-old must plunge headlong into a fantastical world of astonishing creatures, glorious cities, and fierce enemies desperate to destroy him. Suddenly destined to play a crucial role in an ancient battle of good and evil with stakes that couldn’t be higher, Jim is determined to save the world — right after gym class.

“When I was kid, I always loved the idea that trolls live under bridges and the bridges exist in cities everywhere,” says del Toro, the Academy Award®-nominated writer and filmmaker whose outstanding visual effects and creations have captivated global audiences for more than two decades.

He adds, “I wanted a series that (had) a lot of mythology behind it, but that actually dealt with regular kids – you know, kids that were having braces put on, they had gym class, they had theater class, and so forth.” 

The voice cast of Trollhunters includes the late Anton Yelchin (as Jim Lake, Jr.), Charlie Saxton (as Toby), Lexi Medrano (as Claire) as well as Kelsey Grammer, Ron Perlman, James Purefoy, Steven Yeun, Tom Wilson, Laraine Newman, Amy Landecker and Jonathan Hyde. 

This infographic recently produced by Netflix and DreamWorks Animation gives us a good idea of what to expect! I'm putting it on my winter must-watch list...