Earlier this week, Netflix released a surprise announcement that it is adapting author icon Brian Jacques Redwall books in a new animated film and TV franchise. Based on the 22-book children’s series published from 1986 to 2011, the books span generations of anthropomorphic sword-fighting mice, rabbits, badgers and other forest creatures that live in the titular abbey of Redwall.
Although the show was already made into a TV series in the late 1990s, it was never adapted to the scale (or presumably, budget) of a Netflix movie. Many of us here in The Verge are longtime fans of the series. See how we’re getting the news.
What were your initial thoughts about a Redwall adaptation?
Chaim Gartenberg: I think my initial reaction was “OMG” followed by a lot of shouting from my seven-year-old son. I grew up reading the Redwall books. I remember that the original was one of the first “real” books I read. And the whole series has that bright, golden spot in my memory. They are healthy and adorable books, full of daring adventures, clever puzzles and where good always triumphs over evil. What’s not to like?
Jay Peters: I was elated when I first saw the news from the Redwall remaster. I was a devoted fan of the books for years as a child, devouring each new entry in the series as soon as I could. But, to be honest, I can’t say a single point of the plot of any of the books right now. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter for the new series; as long as it contains adorable forest creatures in epic battles and enjoying decadent banquets, I will be happy.
Adi Robertson: I am partially in the same boat: I read the books religiously, but I remember very little about their real plots. They really hit the part of my brain that loved dollhouses and other miniature things. Unlike Jay and Chaim, though, I remember liking the fact that they can be kind of bloody and scary – we’re not talking sunken boat or anything, but I remember many scary forts and crazy kings.
Mitchell Clark: Yes, I have to agree. Although I remember books like Triss being light adventures, I know there were some pretty dark ones like Marlfox and parts of Salamandastron – murderers, bloodlust, the entire nine meters. As an adult, and given the reputation of Netflix, I wonder if they will get to the darkest parts, but I sincerely hope that they keep it more child-friendly, and that it inspires some of these kids to take the book series .
What does the Redwall a good choice for a TV show?
Jay: There is a lot of fanfare and heroic tales, which consistently contribute to good TV. I’m sure that many of the characters will be confused and adorable, making the series even more watchable. And Netflix has a lot of background material to extract, as there are approximately 1,000 books in the series.
Chaim: So many books. But part of the brightness is that they are all (for the most part) quite autonomous, so adapting each one can be its own project.
Mitchell: The fantasy has been very at the lately, but it’s usually not aimed at children. It’s a good series with a lot of elements that really let your imagination run wild, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. It can also lend itself to a really elegant art style. There is always a lot of talk about tapestries and paintings in books.
What parts or books in the series are you most looking forward to seeing?
Russell Brandom: It’s been 20 years since I read these books, but two scenes stand out. First, Matias’ absolute terror facing Asmodeus in the first Redwall hooked me like nothing else. The snake’s hypnotism is a great use of the central concept of animal fantasy, and the fact that Asmodeus is not the main villain makes the encounter much more disturbing. The second – spoilers for Mossflower, I think? – it’s Tsarmina in the castle sinking at the end of the second book, a legitimately amazing image if you’re afraid of drowning, which I definitely had at the time. (Cats hate water! It’s true.) However, I will have to wait for Martin the Warrior’s prequel to see it on the screen.
Chaim: I’m kind of hoping for something good, diffuse, Lord of the Ringsstyle battles. Show us some Badger Lords, please.
Any concern about making a Redwall Show?
Mitchell: There is so much tradition, backstory and regular stories told throughout the series that I hope that Netflix and the creators of the show have come up with a specific story that they want to tell within the universe. I’m not sure I want to see them trying to deal with the whole thing. I prefer to be wanting more than overwhelmed.
Chaim: It’s a good point, but it looks like they’re starting (relatively) small: a film based on the first book and a TV series focused on Martin the Warrior, which makes sense to me. Martin’s story is broader, spread over several books, while the first book is relatively independent.
Adi: I remember books that depend a lot on species-based morality in Tolkien’s style, and this is objectively strange, and I’m not sure how the series will handle it! I was going to soften this up by saying that I remember some good foxes or something, but the Redwall The Wiki informs me that foxes are “villainous worms without exception”, so I think that solves the problem.
Russell: I will present a practical concern here. Part of the fun in the books is to imagine this wide range of animals interacting as friends and enemies, with rabbits, badgers, rats, crows and various dark mustelids interacting more or less as equals. But if you have to draw canonical versions of these characters, the size differential becomes an issue. Mice are much, much smaller than crows, cats, weasels, rats and many of the other common animals Redwall antagonists.
With a sword or not, even the bravest mouse cannot realistically take down an animal more than 10 times its size, so choreographing the fight scenes will be a serious problem if we are even slightly close to natural proportions. But at the same time, an undeniable attraction of the series is to portray mice holding swords in their little mouse hands, which is less fun if you stray too far from the type of photorealistic animals depicted on the covers of classic books. It’s a real bond!
CGI? Hand-drawn animation? Lion King-esque faux live action? How would you like to see a Redwall show performed?
Mitchell: I hate to be boring, but it has to be done by hand. I think it will work better for the fantasy environment, and although I don’t need it to have the same art style as Through the garden wall, I would like the vibration to be similar, if that makes sense.
Chaim: Anything but “realistic” CGI, please. These books are … very violent, which I’m afraid to translate same bad for a realistic style. No one needs to see a mouse kill a flock of mice with a sword in a faux-live-action, especially the familiar target audience.
Jay: I want a drawing by hand, but I expect CGI. Netflix, if it’s not too late: please do the show drawn by hand.
Russell: Given the surreal nature of the setup, I think they could also get away with 2D computer-assisted animation, along the lines of what Cartoon Saloon does. But it’s definitely not 3D and it’s definitely not photo-realistic. Nobody wants to see another Lion King.
A Deeper’n’Ever Turnip’n’Tater’n’Beetroot pie or a strawberry cordial?
Mitchell: Although I don’t love beets, strawberries are extremely out of season now, so remove as many roots as you can from the cellar, yes buddy?
Adi: Anything, except curdled cream, because A) the large amount of milk-based foods in Redwall always asked me where exactly does milk come from in a series on humanoid animals (do I vaguely remember “aphid milk” to be an answer at one point?), and B) I still don’t know what it is.
Jay: Honestly, I would try anybody. If the program is successful, maybe Netflix can make a Redwall-spinoff of the thematic cooking program.
Adi: Anyway, Redwall Feast TikTok will be great.