Netflix is adapting the 'Redwall' fantasy books into a film and series

Netflix just can’t get enough animation and sprawling fantasy. The streaming service announced that it’ll be adapting the popular Redwall books from Brian Jacques, a Game of Thrones-like series following the heroic adventures of mice, moles and rabbits living in Redwall Abbey. Notably for animation fans, Netflix has also tapped Patrick McHale, the creator of Cartoon Network’s haunting Over the Garden Wall, to develop a film based on the first Redwall book. Additionally, a TV series will follow Martin the Warrior, a mouse whose legendary adventures later inspire the citizens of Redwall.

More so than The Witcher series, the Redwall novels gives Netflix fertile ground to create more family-friendly fantasy films and TV shows down the line. The real question is what these adaptations will look like. Over the Garden Wall was a landmark for modern 2D animation, but we’re also seeing plenty of CG series from Netflix, like last year’s Ghost in the Shell. Perhaps Netflix could try different styles of animation for every entry in the series. But after seeing how well Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra have performed, both of which were landmark 2D animated series, I’m hoping Netflix sees the value in traditional animation.

“Brian often travelled the globe to tell his Redwall stories to young audiences, more often than not at their schools,” said Alan Ingram, representative of The Redwall Abbey Company, in a statement. “Brian would have been very happy to see that Netflix shares his joy and desire to bring his stories to life as a new universe of films, series and potentially much more for audiences of all ages to enjoy.”