3Below: Tales of Arcadia
3Below: Tales of Arcadia (or simply 3Below) is an American computer-animated science fantasy television series produced by DreamWorks Animation, and is the second installment of Guillermo del Toro's Tales of Arcadia trilogy.[2]
3Below: Tales of Arcadia | |
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Promotional poster | |
Genre | |
Created by | Guillermo del Toro |
Based on | characters by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus |
Voices of | |
Theme music composer | The Crystal Method |
Opening theme | "3 Below" |
Composer | Jeff Danna |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers |
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Running time | 24 minutes |
Production companies |
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Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution Netflix |
Release | |
Original network | Netflix |
Picture format | HDTV 1080p |
Audio format | Stereo |
Original release | December 21, 2018 – July 12, 2019 |
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia |
Followed by | Wizards: Tales of Arcadia |
External links | |
Website |
The series was announced on December 12, 2017 by Netflix and DreamWorks. On October 5, 2018, the premiere date was announced and the first teaser was released. The 13-episode first season was released on December 21, 2018 on Netflix. The series concluded with the release of the second season on July 12, 2019.[3][4]
A third and final installment of Tales of Arcadia, titled Wizards, was released on August 7, 2020. The full-length feature film, Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans is set to be released on Netflix Q1 of 2021. [5]
Plot
Two royal extraterrestrial siblings, Princess Aja and Prince Krel of House Tarron, their doglike pet named Luug, and their bodyguard, Varvatos Vex, escape from their home planet of Akiridion-5 and crash-land on Earth, specifically in the California city of Arcadia Oaks. There, the aliens adjust to human culture and try to fix their spaceship (as well as to restore their nearly-dead parents King Fialkov and Queen Coranda) to return and take back Akiridion-5, which is being taken over by an evil dictator known as General Val Morando, who has already sent out a team of intergalactic bounty hunters, called the Zeron Brotherhood, to find and catch the prince and princess.[6] After investigating a way to stop Val Morando and find the hiding place of Aja and Krel, Zadra, one of the noble protectors of the royals from Akiridion-5, arrives on Earth. Meanwhile, after learning of his involvement in Morando's coup, Aja and Krel decide to exile Vex. During his exile, Vex is captured by the Zeron Brotherhood and imprisoned at a bounty hunter outpost located on Earth's moon. In Season 2, Aja and Krel learn of his capture and launch a rescue mission. Soon after the rescue, however the gang discovers that Morando is heading for Earth. After successfully defeating him, Aja, Vex, Zadra, Luug and the rest finally return home, joined by Eli, who has volunteered to be Earth's ambassador on Akiridion-5. Krel decides that Earth has become his home, and decides to stay with his new human friends.
Voice cast
- Tatiana Maslany as Aja & Queen Coranda Tarron
- Diego Luna as Krel Tarron
- Nick Offerman as Varvatos Vex
- Glenn Close as Mothership
- Frank Welker as Luug
- Alon Aboutboul as Val Morando
- Uzo Aduba as Colonel Kubritz
- Oscar Nuñez as Sergeant Costas
- Andy Garcia as King Fialkov
- Tom Kenny as Dadblank
- Cheryl Hines as Momblank
- Nick Frost as Stuart
- Darin De Paul as Zeron Alpha
- Ann Dowd as Zeron Omega
- Hayley Atwell as Zadra
- Jennifer Hale as Izita
- Chris Obi as Loth Saborian
- Danny Trejo as Tronos
- Cole Sand as Eli Pepperjack
- Steven Yeun as Steve Palchuk
- J.B. Smoove as Phil
- Tom Wilson as Coach Lawrence
- Charlie Saxton as Toby
- Fred Tatasciore as AAARRRGGHH!!!, Senior Uhl, Neb, Magmatron
- Matthew Waterson as Mr. Johnson
- Emile Hirsch as Jim Lake Jr.
- Lexi Medrano as Claire Nuñez
- Kelsey Grammer as Blinky
- Jonathan Hyde as Stricklander
- Alfred Molina as Archie
- Yara Shahidi as Darci Scott
- Colin O'Donoghue as Douxie "Big D"
Aja and Krel also appeared in the Trollhunters episodes "In Good Hands", and "The Eternal Knight Pt. 1".
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
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1 | 13 | December 21, 2018 | |||
2 | 13 | July 12, 2019 |
Season 1 (2018)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |||||||
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Part 1 | ||||||||||||
1–2 | 1–2 | "Terra Incognita" | Guillermo del Toro and Rodrigo Blaas | Guillermo del Toro and Marc Guggenheim | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
After a tyrant invades their parents' monarchy and their home planet, teenage aliens Krel and Aja and their bodyguard Varvatos Vex land for safety on Earth. After crash-landing in the town of Arcadia, California, Krel and Aja search for useful technology in order to power their ship. | ||||||||||||
3 | 3 | "Mind Over Matter" | Johane Matte | Matthew Chauncey, Aaron Eisenberg, Will Eisenberg, and Lila Scott | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
Krel builds a mind-reading device in hopes of blending in with humans. Elsewhere, General Morando dispatches bounty hunters to track down the royals. Aja and Krel find a alien. | ||||||||||||
4 | 4 | "Beetle Mania" | Elaine Bogan | Aaron Eisenberg and Will Eisenberg | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
Royal super-fan Stuart offers to help eradicate an infestation of technology-eating alien beetles-Skeltegs-before it exposes the siblings' true identities. | ||||||||||||
5 | 5 | "Collision Course" | Andrew Schmidt | Matthew Chauncey | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
The royals take a driver's ed class, hoping to find parts for their ship. Instead, they're led on a high-speed chase with the Zeron Brotherhood. | ||||||||||||
6 | 6 | "D'aja Vu" | Johane Matte | A.C. Bradley | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
A time-traveling giant troll wreaks havoc at the school science fair, threatening to expose both the troll world – and the royals' true identities. | ||||||||||||
7 | 7 | "Flying the Coop" | Johane Matte | Lila Scott | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
Krel and Dadblank are attacked by a mysterious bounty hunter, injuring Dadblank. Aja and Krel are summoned by a member of the school board to produce proper identification. Dadblank and Momblank are renamed Ricky and Lucy. The member of the school board attacks and is revealed to be the bounty hunter who attacked Krel and Dadblank earlier. Zadra and the resistance discover the identity of the traitor who aided the coup. | ||||||||||||
8 | 8 | "Party Crashers" | Elaine Bogan | A.C. Bradley | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
An incoming message from Akiridion-5 alarms Vex. Meanwhile, the arrival of the zerons ruins the royals' outing in the woods with friends. | ||||||||||||
9 | 9 | "Lightning in a Bottle" | Andrew Schmidt | Aaron Eisenberg and Will Eisenberg | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
The royal heirs look for Aja's missing serrator in the forest, where they mistake Trollhunter Jim Lake's Amulet of Daylight for her lost weapon. Morando unveils his Ocular Machanically Engineered Neutralizers (OMEN). Note: This episode is connected with Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia episode "In Good Hands". | ||||||||||||
10 | 10 | "The Arcadian Job" | Johane Matte and John Laus | Matthew Chauncey | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
In a daring heist, the royals and Stuart infiltrate high-security military base Area 49-B in hopes of stealing the final part to power the mothership. | ||||||||||||
11 | 11 | "Truth Be Told" | Elaine Bogan | Lila Scott | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
Aja decides to tell Steve she's actually an alien, but her confession is cut short by a visit from the Zeron Brotherhood. Zadra arrives on Earth, unwittingly bringing the OMEN with her. | ||||||||||||
12 | 12 | "Last Night on Earth" | Andrew Schmidt | Matthew Chauncey, Aaron Eisenberg, and Will Eisenberg | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
The royals celebrate their last day on school – and on Earth – with friends, but Zadra's arrival with revelations of Varvatos's betrayal shakes them to the core. Meanwhile, Gunmar and Morgana attack Arcadia and the royals help Steve and Eli take out some goblins. | ||||||||||||
13 | 13 | "Bad Omen" | Rodrigo Blaas | A.C. Bradley and Lila Scott | December 21, 2018 | |||||||
The last Zeron (Zeron Alpha) unleashes a barrage of attacks on the siblings, enabling Omen to hijack the ship and take the royal cores. Alpha Akiridion-naps Varvatos Vex. |
Season 2 (2019)
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |||||||
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Part 2 | ||||||||||||
14 | 1 | "Moving Day" | Andrew Schmidt | Lila Scott | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
Left vulnerable after Omen's attack (and following defeat and return of the royal cores), the extraterrestrial heirs look to conceal their damaged ship but are soon confronted by the bounty hunter Magmatron. | ||||||||||||
15 | 2 | "Moonlight Run" | Johane Matte | Matthew Chauncey | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
Aja and Krel enlist Stuart to help find their former ally Vex, who's being held prisoner at a bounty hunter outpost on the moon. A secretly defected Loth Saborian reveals that Morando has made an army of Omen robots and is heading for Earth. | ||||||||||||
16 | 3 | "Dogfight Days of Summer" | Elaine Bogan | Aaron Eisenberg & Will Eisenberg | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
With General Morando's invasion of Earth imminent, Krel tries to stop the fleet's advance with a video game and unwitting help from the kids of Arcadia. Right at the end, a new bounty hunter arrives on Earth. | ||||||||||||
17 | 4 | "Mother's Day" | Andrew L. Schmidt | Matthew Chauncey | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
Mother, the AI controlling the royals' ship, reflects on keeping the peace between her quarreling family. Morando discovers a secret hidden on Earth and captures Loth Saborian. Colonel Kubritz from Area 49-B teams up with the captured bounty hunter after she noticed it causing power problems as it looked for Aja and Krel. | ||||||||||||
18 | 5 | "Ill Gotten Gains" | Elaine Bogan & Francisco Ruiz Velasco | Ian Rickett | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
Colonel Kubritz stages a phony quarantine of Arcadia Oaks High School in a ploy to capture the royals -- and their advanced weapons technology with help from the bounty hunter, Tronos. After she fires on him so she can get the royals to study first (allowing them to escape), Morando make contact with her. | ||||||||||||
19 | 6 | "There's Something About Gwen (of Gorbon)" | Johane Matte | Aaron Eisenberg & Will Eisenberg | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
Stuart gets an unexpected visit from his bounty hunter ex-girlfriend, Gwendolen; Krel helps Toby and Eli produce a short film, "Kleb or Alive," for a local contest. | ||||||||||||
20 | 7 | "Asteroid Rage" | Andrew Schmidt | Matthew Chauncey, Aaron Eisenberg & Will Eisenberg & Lila Scott | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
Unable to stop an asteroid hurtling toward Earth, Kubritz pleads with the royals to help destroy it by offering stored alien technology from Area 49-B, before betraying them to King Morando. | ||||||||||||
21 | 8 | "Luug's Day Out" | Johane Matte | Lila Scott | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
Krel finally builds a prototype device that will create a wormhole back to Akiridion-5, but Luug swallows it whole before it can be tested further and transports himself all over Arcadia. | ||||||||||||
22 | 9 | "The Fall of House Tarron" | Francisco Ruiz Velasco & Elaine Bogan | AC Bradley | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
The last defenders of House Tarron face off against General Morando and his army of Omen blanks in an all-out battle for survival in the Mothership. Mother is destroyed and downloads herself into an OMEN. | ||||||||||||
23 | 10 | "The Big Sleep" | Rodrigo Blaas | Matthew Chauncey | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
With General Morando searching for Gaylen's core, Aja and Krel must travel into their parents' subconscious to learn the core's location first. | ||||||||||||
24 | 11 | "Race to Trollmarket" | Andrew Schmidt | Aaron Eisenberg & Will Eisenberg & Lila Scott | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
After learning that Kanjigar was given Gaylen's Core by the Royals' parents,Toby calls Trollhunter Jim Lake, and Blinky advises the royals to consult the Soothscryer, which sends them to the Deep. | ||||||||||||
25–26 | 12–13 | "A Glorious End" | Francisco Ruiz Velasco (Part 1) Rodrigo Blaas & Johane Matte (Part 2) | AC Bradley, Marc Guggenheim, Ian Rickett & Lila Scott | July 12, 2019 | |||||||
As the town of Arcadia gathers for the premiere of Kleb or Alive, an army of Omens, led by an armored Kubritz, make plans to lure out the royals. With the fate of the universe at stake, the royal heirs and their allies must gather their forces for the ultimate battle to defeat General Morando, who has gained immense power from Gaylen's Core. |
Reception
Critical response
As of July 22, 2019, the series holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.[7]
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production | Guillermo del Toro and Rodrigo Blaas, "Terra Incognita, Part 1" | Nominated |
Outstanding Achievement for Editorial in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production | John Laus, Graham Fisher, "Terra Incognita, Part 1" | Nominated | ||
Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Main Title and Graphic Design for an Animated Program | Rodrigo Blaas, Michael Smukavic, Alfonso Blaas, Brandon Tyra, Greg Lev, Igor Lodeiro, John Laus | Nominated | |
Outstanding Sound Mixing for an Animated Program | Carlos Sanches, Aran Tanchum | Won | ||
Outstanding Sound Editing for an Animated Program | Otis Van Osten, James Miller, Jason Oliver, Vincent Guisetti | Nominated | ||
2020 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production | Greg Lev, Igor Lodeiro, Chen Ling, Brandon Tyra | Nominated |
Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Children | Guillermo del Toro, Rodrigo Blaas, Chad Hammes, Marc Guggenheim | Nominated | ||
Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Editing for an Animated Program | Otis Van Osten, Jason Oliver, Carlos Sanchez, Tommy Sarioglou, Aran Tanchum, Vincent Guisetti, James Miller | Nominated |
References
- Trumbore, Dave (12 December 2018). "Exclusive: Official Trailer for Netflix's '3 Below' Brings the Aliens to Arcadia". Collider. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- Milligan, Mercedes (December 12, 2017). "DreamWorks & Netflix Plan 6 New Series, Date 'Trolls' Toon". Animation Magazine. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- Moore, Kasey (June 20, 2019). "Part 2 of '3Below: Tales of Arcadia' Coming to Netflix in July 2019". What's on Netflix. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- "3Below Season 2's Ending Sets Up New Arcadia Show Wizards". ScreenRant. July 13, 2019.
- Trumbore, Dave (July 7, 2020). "'Wizards' Brings Guillermo del Toro's 'Tales of Arcadia' Trilogy to a Close Next Month". Collider.com. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- "'Trollhunters' Universe Will Expand Into The Trilogy Series 'Tales of Arcadia'". Cartoon Brew. November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- "Tales of Arcadia: 3Below". Retrieved 22 July 2019 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.