Netflix’s Scooby-Doo Origins is using a real Great Dane for the first time, and that choice may define whether this live-action reboot can charm old fans and new viewers.
Last week, Netflix announced the rest of the cast for Scooby-Doo Origins, which is currently in production in Atlanta, Georgia. Whether this live-action reboot is truly needed, and whether it can work, depends on a fan’s point of view. After seeing how the production is approaching the property, I’m willing to give it a chance. To make everything live-action with minimal CGI use looks great.
When the studio revealed on Instagram how the canine looks, fans of the long running franchise will either yelp or go aww. That alone has sparked plenty of debate.
In addition to a review of the FBCD release of The Greatest American Hero, we look at what’s in store for the franchise. If you’ve missed out in getting that teaser, fret not. After the retail release, there’ll be a Kickstarter deluxe edition. And we clear the air on what’s what.
Although details remain scarce about AMP Comics’ continuation of The Greatest American Hero, fans are already speculating about what the mini-series will explore when it debuts in July. After the Free Comic Book Day preview, a Kickstarter edition was announced faster than readers could plug in the regular release.
Some fans may wonder if the crowdfunding campaign offers a separate, brand-new story. Based on the current details, AMP Comics is presenting it as a hardcover edition with bonus exclusives. The five-issue mini-series will not wrap until November or so, and this deluxe version likely will not ship until sometime in 2027.
At long last, the four part original video animated series Vampire Princess Miyu is headed to Blu-ray, giving fans a chance to bathe in this supernatural classic!
Release Date: Sept. 8, 2026
AnimEigo, along with parent company MediaOCD, is finally unearthing a classic for fans of Vampire Princess Miyu. She’s no ordinary teen who has joined the ranks of the undead. Instead, she’s a Guardian, accompanied by a servant of sorts who may be much older than she is. And for this release, the companies are going for a bold design: a pure white label to reflect innocence. The only text to be found will be on the spine.
Although his name sounds strange, Larva, as used in the translation, serves a very specific purpose. He’s meant to keep Miyu from becoming a full vampire, even though he’s the one responsible for her transformation! As part of his shame, he hides his face behind a ceramic mask.
From fantasy adventures to animated oddities and supernatural intrigue, the top streaming films (and series) to see in June may seem slim, but these are the titles worth checking out.
Nearly every anxious Netflix subscriber is counting down to the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender season two, coming June 25, but there’s plenty else to watch while we wait. As for what other top streaming films or series there are, the mileage will vary depending on tastes.
The former service is running a bit light right now. Stranger Things carried it for years, and Tales from ’85 didn’t really fill that gap. The Boroughs is here. Both debuted last month, and tried as I might to watch, they didn’t hold my attention that well. Also, without the Duffer Brothers in the director’s chair, since they’re producing, not directing, it doesn’t have the same pull. It’s also more sci-fi than supernatural, which changes the vibe considerably.
So here are my top five picks for June. The streamers seem to know better than to drop heavy hitters in summer heat, which works out fine for us.
I Am Frankelda
(Netflix) June 12
This dark fantasy stop-motion feature feels like a bizarre love child of del Toro’s nightmarish aesthetic and Tim Burton’s stop-motion sensibility, and that’s absolutely a compliment. Part gothic fairy tale, part horror-lite, the scares hit just right. It’s “just a film,” sure, but anyone who falls for Frankelda is going to want more. Worth your evening.
Hotori: Simply Wishing for Hope is a short anime about a girl losing herself to an unknown condition and the android built to inherit a dead child’s memories, and their unlikely bond asks the most essential questions about what makes us human.
The quest for memories is the focus in Hotori: Simply Wishing for Hope, a short film about a girl who can’t have a tomorrow. She’s struggling with an unknown condition that’s steadily erasing who she is. She’ll become a shell of what she was, and in contrast, she meets an android built to inherit the memories of a deceased child. His parents know Suzu is no replacement, but when a life is cut too short, is it a fair trade to gain what another has lost? That’s the existential crisis at the heart of this heartbreaking, or is that heartwarming, story about why life is precious, and why we shouldn’t take every day for granted.
Hotori originally aired as a Japanese television special and was directed by Takashi Anno (Maison Ikkoku, Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma). It won third place at the 2004 Animax Grand Prix awards, and although this release comes very late, the themes feel timely when you consider what defines an AI, its personality, and what exactly constitutes a soul. Memories aren’t the only piece of the puzzle. There’s “Personality,” which can apparently be extracted and put into code. We’re not meant to unpack how all of that works, and what’s genuinely poignant is the relationship these two tweens share.
AnimEigo and MediaOCD are bringing Alien Nine to Blu-ray, giving this oddball schoolgirl sci-fi horror OVA a new HD life with restored visuals and plenty of archival extras.
Anime distributor AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD have announced that Alien Nine is coming to Blu-ray on June 9, 2026. And while this original video animation focuses on elementary school girls battling aliens, I’m wondering when teens will get in on the act too. Technically, they have with Prefectural Earth Defense Force, but that prior licence belonged to ADV Films rather than this partnership to redistribute older titles. Technically, the original North American release was handled by Central Park media, so who knows?
Although the animated adaptation didn’t continue as the manga continued with Emulators and Next, chances are very slim when considering the height of its popularity was back in 2001.
From the Press Release:
This upcoming release is based on a manga series written and illustrated by Hitoshi Tomizawa that was originally serialized in Akita Shoten’s manga magazine, Young Champion. Set in the not-too-distant future, alien invasion is a daily occurrence. Someone must save the planet, so Yuri and her 6th grade classmates are elected for this important assignment. Can a trio of cute schoolgirls defeat terrifying creatures from outer space?
Last week, Netflix announced the rest of the cast for Scooby-Doo Origins, which is currently in production in Atlanta, Georgia. Whether this live-action reboot is truly needed, and whether it can work, depends on a fan’s point of view. After seeing how the production is approaching the property, I’m willing to give it a chance. To make everything live-action with minimal CGI use looks great.
Release Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Nearly every anxious 
I Am Frankelda
