When Marvel Animation confirmed rumors about a planned Guardians of the Galaxy animated series six months ago, lots of us started rubbing our hands together in excitement. Guardians of the Galaxy is the Marvel property that begs the hardest for an animated version; along with its free-wheeling, comedic style, it also features talking animals and a talking tree humanoid. Animation has brought us talking trees in the past (Grandmother Willow from Pocahontas), not to mention a huge menagerie of talking animals. In short, an animated Guardians Of The Galaxy had “good idea!” written all over it.
Unfortunately, Disney and Marvel clammed up on the subject immediately after the announcement, leaving us fans hanging for half a year. Good news, though: our long wait for more information is over. Yesterday, Disney XD and Marvel Animation announced the voice cast for the upcoming series.
The cast list reads as follows:
- Will Friedle (Boy Meets World) as Peter Quill/Starlord
- Kevin Michael Richardson (Lilo & Stitch) as Groot
- Trevor Devall (Escape From Planet Earth) as Rocket
- David Sobolov (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Drax
- Vanessa Marshall (The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy) as Gamora
- James Arnold Taylor (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) as Yondu
The new cast is set to make its debut in a guest spot on this Sunday’s episode of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, followed by the official Guardians series later in the year.
Along with the cast announcement, Cort Lane, Marvel Television’s VP of Animation Development & Production, dropped some hints as to the direction the show will be taking:
The past misdeeds of each of the Guardians comes back to complicate their lives. That can be funny or very dangerous, but helps the audience understand how far they have come…They are tempted to give in to not-so-heroic instincts, but they end up doing the right thing — even when they really, really don’t want to. And Marvel’s cosmic universe is so vast and weird, so we get to go on an epic quest through it with the Guardians.
Judging by Lane’s comments, it sounds like the animated series is taking a very Empire Strikes Back-like route. Like the second installment of the Star Wars saga, it sounds like the new series is going to have the same kind of adventure and comedy that the movie and comic books have, but also adding some pathos and some drama. This can only be good for the new series; if there’s one thing that the Guardians have always been, they’re antiheroes (they met in prison for crying out loud), so the idea of the Guardians debating whether or not to be heroic is right in the franchise’s wheelhouse.
The Guardians of the Galaxy animated series is just the latest of the many TV projects that Marvel and Disney are releasing into the airwaves. Disney, Marvel, and TV are a match made in heaven, as the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter shows have proven. Here’s hoping that Guardians of the Galaxy has the same magic that Marvel/Disney’s prior shows have!
What do you think? Are you excited to see Guardians of the Galaxy animated? Are Marvel & Disney moving in the right direction with the show?
Edited by: Kelly Conley
