All Hail King Julien! A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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The high production values in Netflix’s All Hail King Julien certainly makes this cartoon worth paying attention to. Its CGI quality puts the animated television show Penguins of Madagascar to shame. Story wise, this show has a lot to like about how Julien inherits the throne. The series is not always about slapstick because the next ring-tailed lemur in the family has to learn how to be a proper king.

The irresponsible one viewers have come to know from the films and television series is Julien XIII (Danny Jacobs). In the past, he never learned responsibility and to be suddenly crowned by King Julien XII (Henry Winkler) is a bit of a shock to him. Even as a kid, he was a self-absorbed social misfit and party animal. He never understood about what courtly duties meant until now, and to make a series based on him learning important lessons puts this program right up there as a socially responsible show.

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Not Pleased with Dreamworks: Dragons move to Netflix

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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An all new broadcast direction will be in store for Hiccup and gang in DreamWorks’ Dragons. New seasons will be “exclusively” broadcast on Netflix when the series returns in Spring 2015. No explanation was given for the change and not everyone subscribes to Netflix. Mixed feelings will no doubt spread when children are tuning in find their dragons are not offered on regular channels anymore. Hopefully the executives at Cartoon Network are smart enough to hold on to what they can broadcast: Series One: Riders of Berk and Series Two: Defenders of Berk.

People who are not interested in buying into the Netflix model will be left waiting for the DVDs (if that’s still going to happen) to release months after the end of season to get their Toothless fix. Just what kind of hold Netflix has with DreamWork’s best franchise is no doubt being kept secret much like in how Drago Bludvist, the villain in the upcoming movie, plots to use the dragons he captures against the free city of Berk. He also aspires to take over the world.

Fans will at least have Cressida Cowell’s original booksDragons to read and the comic books by Titan Publishing to keep their appetite sated. Toothless will most likely approve.

However, tasteless is the better word for a ‘global’ decision to limit who can continue watching this series. Thankfully, no country is being prevented from subscribing into Netflix.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Finale to Hit Netflix!

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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Multiple sources have confirmed that the final season to Lucafilm/Disney’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars is coming to Netflix early March. Finally, the fate of Ahsoka Tano will get answered in a 13 episode run that will not only test Anakin Skywalker’s relationship with her (presumably) but also reveal the fate of all Jedi before it leads in to Episode 4, A New Hope.

Even more exciting is that Netflix will present director’s cut of seasons one to five. Now the big question is whether or not new video releases will follow. In this exclusive deal between Disney and Netflix, most likely not. But for fans who knows the lore, all it takes is Obi-Wan to only hope.

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