It's taken more than eight years, but "Trollhunters," one of the many passion projects from writer and director Guillermo del Toro, is finally seeing the light of day later this year.

As proof, Entertainment Weekly debuted the first official stills from the animated series that highlight some of the many characters audiences will encounter, including the story's protagonist, Jim, voiced by the late Anton Yelchin ("Star Trek Beyond").

"He was so passionate about it, and he had so much fun doing this," del Toro told EW about Yelchin's performance.

The 27-year-old actor died in June a tragic car accident, but had already completed most of his work for the long-in-development series. Announced in January as part of Netflix's deal with DreamWorks Animation, the show centers on Jim, a high school theater student who comes across a magical amulet that transforms him into the "Trollhunter," who defends a group of "good trolls" against the forces of evil.

"I wanted that juxtaposition that Jim could be bad at gym class but fantastic at fighting in the troll arena," del Toro explained.

Co-starring Charlie Saxton and Kelsey Grammer, "Trollhunters" will debut in December on Netflix. "Star Trek Beyond," one of Yelchin's last completed theatrical films, is available Tuesday on Digital HD, and DVD and Blu-ray beginning Nov. 1.