With the new series set to hit Netflix’s worldwide catalogues next month, here’s everything we know about Disenchantment so far.

Is there a trailer for ‘Disenchantment’ yet?

Yes, there are two. The latest, unveiled at Comic-Con, sets the scene in a Royal Wedding, before things get a little bit gory…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp_RnJcb8Ig


“You’ve seen the future in Futurama, you’ve seen the present in Springfield,” a narrator says, referencing Groening’s other shows in the first trailer released for the series. “So what’s the obvious third move? The past, of course. Welcome to dreamland!” We are then given our first look at some of the shows characters. Watch it below.

When is Disenchantment released?

Netflix have commissioned 20 episodes of the show which are expected to make up two series. They recently announced that the first 10-episode series will have a release date of August 17, so prepare yourself for some serious binging.

Drink it in, peasants! @Disenchantment, the latest series from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, premieres August 17 on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/INr3mDOzuB — Netflix US (@netflix) May 23, 2018

Who’s going to be working on the new series?

Groening has brought with him long-time Simpsons co-worker Josh Weinstein as well as a large number of animators that he worked with on Futurama in order to bring Disenchantment’s fantasy world to fruition. Disenchantment will be Groening’s first new show since Futurama’s 1999 release.

What do we know about the plot?

On Wednesday, three teaser pictures were released on Disenchantment’s official twitter page showing the three main characters, princess Bean, Elfo and Luci.

Art thou ready for this?

August 17. pic.twitter.com/iY2psJqB96 — Disenchantment (@disenchantment) May 23, 2018


The series will be set in a crumbling medieval world called “Dreamland” and will follow “The misadventures of hard-drinking young princess Bean, her feisty elf companion Elfo and her personal demon Luci” according to the official summary released by Netflix.

Disenchantment marks Groening’s first venture into the popular world of fantasy and the cult like following of his previous series ensures that it will be an instant hit.

When speaking at Comic-Con in July of last year, Matt Groening said that the show will be “about life and death, love and sex, and how to keep laughing in a world full of suffering and idiots, despite what the elders and wizards and other jerks tell you.” This certainly matches Groening’s long time goal of making viewers see the humour and positives in worlds in which there are seemingly none.

Netflix’s VP of Original Content, Cindy Holland, announced in an official statement last year that “The series will bear his trademark animation style and biting wit, and we think it’s a perfect fit for our many Netflix animation fans.”. This comes after there was much anger amongst Futurama fans when Netflix removed the series from their catalogues at the beginning of last year.

Who will play the characters?

The inebriated princess Bean will be voiced by two- time Primetime Emmy award nominee Abbi Jacobson, her trusty companion Elfo will be played by Academy Award winning screen- write Nat Faxon and her “personal demon” Luci by Eric André.

These three are relative newcomers to the world of animated comedy but with them Groening has brought many of the actors whom he worked with on Futurama. Namely, John DiMaggio, Billy West, Maurice LaMarche and Tress MacNeille all of whom voiced Futurama characters.

What are the first reviews saying?

The first reviews for the show began to roll in on August 7 and they’re not looking too great. The Guardian said “there is promise in Disenchantment, but we will have to wait for it to be realised,” while Empire wrote that it’s “not yet the equal of [Groening’s] previous work.”

“The storytelling is above-average sitcom fare (which is no small feat; great sitcom plotting is rarely achieved). Still, it’s just not all that funny,” Den of Geek noted, while Metro wrote that “Disenchantment, while wonderful to look at, is missing a soul which runs through Matt Groening’s best works.”

However, Forbes were a little more positive, stating: “If you’re a fan of the kind of humor and style we’ve come to expect from The Simpsons and Futurama, then you’re going to be a fan of Disenchantment. It’s as simple as that.” Ars Technica also wrote that “Disenchantment wins by establishing friendships between unique, likable characters—and then leading them to their basest urges.”

Words: Nick Elliott