The Re-Pitch: Hellboy: The Animated Series

There's a lot to love about Mike Mignola's Hellboy series, whether that be the rich worldbuilding, captivatingly twisted folklore, or the well-realised character that is Hellboy. So, it's no surprise the character has been adapted so many times in a relatively short life span, including two rebooted movies in the past five years and appearing in several video games, including headlining Hellboy: Web of Wyrd, a rather faithful beat 'em up rogue-like developed by Upstream Arcade last year.

Despite the entertaining Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, it feels like no other movie has really knocked it out of the park with 'Big Red'. Sure, both Hellboy: The Crooked Man and even Hellboy (2019) had some good moments, but it felt like something was missing, something that made Mignola's comics hit so hard. So with that all said and done, I present to you The Re-Pitch for Hellboy...

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Hellboy: The Animated Series

The animated series will be a collection of episodic tales that will be bridged by an overarching narrative to be explored in a follow-up season. The basic premise will see a begrudging Hellboy talking through his past adventures and encounters with the B.R.P.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence) therapist. This set-up will allow each episode to focus on an individual short tale, whilst building up an overarching plot and allowing a natural but comedic way to collect these tales together. It will cover Hellboy's adventures, both within and outside the B.R.P.D., as well as spanning multiple timelines.

The episodes will be a mix of new stories and already beloved Hellboy tales, including some well-renowned short stories such as The Crooked Man or The Midnight Circus.

Going down the focused episode route will allow each story to get a moment in the sun, whilst also allowing the pace to be tightened. This way, we can also see Hellboy's relationships with other characters developing through key moments across the multiple tales.

What will really make Hellboy: The Animated Series sing is how it will be animated. by staying as close to the aesthetic and vibe of the comics as possible, similar to the route Upstream Arcade went down with their Hellboy game. The comic book-inspired animation will bring the atmosphere and twisted fantasy of the universe to life. For instance, think about how well Netflix's Scott Pilgrim Takes Off animated series went down thanks to its vibrant comic art style being translated across. that same translation can happen here, by bringing over the eerie yet engrossing art style that can help Hellboy tell his twisted tales authentically and captivate his audience.

There you have it. That's my brief re-pitch idea for a Hellboy Animated Series. Do you see it working, or would you go down another avenue? Be sure to let me know in the comments below.

See you in the next post. :)