The Idhun Chronicles is an upcoming anime-style cartoon series premiering on Netflix, directed by Pilar Blasco and based on Laura Gallego's YA fantasy trilogy Memorias de Idhún. While the anglophone sphere might not be very familiar with the saga, The Idhun Chronicles is extremely popular in Spain, and the books have been translated into a dozen of foreign languages.
Originally published in 2004 by SM, the trilogy was quickly adapted into a comic book series in 2009, and the rumors of options to turn it into a film or a TV series have been a steady staple of the Spanish geek grapevine. When Netflix Spain released a sketch of the main characters on Instagram, fans were delighted. Let's take a closer look at The Idhun Chronicles and why this might be one of the most exciting animated series coming to Netflix this Fall.
Plot and Characters
The series will be set in the Earth and Idhún, a parallel world created by six gods. These gods also created the six warm-blooded races as well as the divine dragons and unicorns. A seventh god opposed them by creating the cold Szish and the divine winged snakes, the sheks. When the powerful necromancer Ashran took over the magical world of Idhùn, he set out to destroy all the dragons and unicorns, as well as any Idhunites that might have flown to Earth. To accomplish this, he sent out his assassin Kirtash to Earth.
Jack, a Danish boy that doesn't understand why everything keeps bursting on fire around him, comes home from school to find his parents murdered by Kirtash. Jack is quickly whisked away by a member of the Idhun Resistance. Victoria, a girl that was born, orphaned and raised in Madrid by a mysterious benefactor, also turns out to be a powerful magician that might be able to oppose Ashran. Magical wars, fantastic battles and an epic love triangle ensue.
Production
The Idhun Chronicles was produced by Zeppelin TV, which has also produced the slice-of-life teen series Skam Spain and the Spanish anime Virtual Hero. The script was written by Laura Gallego, the author of the original trilogy, and Andrés Carrion, drawing inspiration from the 2009 comic book adaptation of the novels. It was directed by Maite Ruiz de Austri, two-time winner of the Goya Awards in the Best Animated Picture category (Goyas are the highest prize of the Spanish Film Academy and the rough equivalent of an Oscar).
Trailer
The trailer for The Idhun Chronicles was released on Aug. 6 by Netflix, and Netflix Spain promoted it on its social media platforms. It immediately attracted criticism for its use of TV actors --and not professional voice actors -- and a dubbing quality that Spanish fans and professionals considered mediocre. The English version seems to be much better.
The trailer introduces the main characters and their mentors, as well as some of the magical creatures and powers that will affect the plot of the first season.
Release Date
The Idhùn Chronicles will be released on Netflix worldwide September 10, dubbed into Castillian Spanish, French, English, German and Italian. The first season will focus on the first half of The Resistance, the first book of The Idhun Chronicles, and have five 25-minute episodes. The second season, which has already been confirmed, will cover the second half of The Resistance.