Previously on “X-Men…” is a recapping tagline that millennials who watched the game-changing animated series would recongize. Now, Disney has revealed the first trailer for the revival series “X-Men ’97.”
Picking up right where the “X-Men: The Animated Series” ended, “X-Men ’97” follows the core group, plus a few new additions, as they grapple with the loss of their beloved mentor, Charles Xavier. The band of mutants will need to figure out how to continue his teachings of protecting a world that fears them because of their extraordinary powers.
Released back in 1992, “X-Men: The Animated Series” was much more than an animated show, which was seen as something for kids. At its core, the series deals with accepting your identity while also serving as an allegory for the social issues that affected us during that time. The series was unafraid to talk about AIDS and the Holocaust through the superhero lens. So, while it takes some of the greatest story arcs straight out of the pages of the comic books that readers flip through and transforms them into a visually dazzling piece of animation, it reveals the intolerance and depravity of humanity while also giving us hope that there can be change for a better world.
Addressing these real-world issues that affect the globe in such a way that made it accessible to kids is what made “X-Men: The Animated Series” stand the test of time. And to see that continue on in the revival “X-Men ’97” will continue to do the same. Stylistically, the animation stays true to the original version, while the modern technology as allowed the colors to be crisper and sharper and giving the characters the opportunity to do things they were never able to do when it was first released. Example of that is when Gambit uses his kinetic powers to charge Wolverine’s adamantium claws. It’s like a new kind of Fastball Special, but cutting the deck.
The voice cast includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, JP Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler. Beau DeMayo serves as head writer; episodes are directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura. Featuring music by The Newton Brothers, the series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and DeMayo.
Here’s the offcial plot synopsis for “X-Men ’97:”
“X-Men ’97” revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
