Kid Cosmic Explained

Creator:Craig McCracken
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:3
Num Episodes:24
Producer:Dave Thomas
Runtime:14–28 minutes
Animator:Mercury Filmworks
Network:Netflix

Kid Cosmic is an American animated superhero television series created by Craig McCracken and developed by McCracken, his wife Lauren Faust and Francisco Angones for Netflix. The series was based on his 2009 comic The Kid from Planet Earth. Produced in-house by Netflix Animation, the show is McCracken's first to have a serialized format, as well as his second foray into the superhero genre, having previously created The Powerpuff Girls.[1] [2] Illustrated in a "retro 2D" style inspired by comics such as Dennis the Menace and The Adventures of Tintin, the series follows Kid, a young boy who gets a chance to become a superhero and fight evil aliens alongside other characters with different abilities.[3]

The first season of the series titled The Local Heroes! was released on February 2, 2021. The second season, subtitled The Intergalactic Truckstop!, was released on September 7, 2021. The third and final season, subtitled The Global Heroes!, was released on February 3, 2022.[4] [5]

Plot

Kid Cosmic follows Kid, a young boy who naïvely fantasizes about becoming a superhero, living in a junkyard in a thinly populated stretch of desert in New Mexico. When a spaceship crashes in the area, he discovers it has onboard five "Cosmic Stones of Power" that give him the chance of fulfilling his dream. When the stones attract alien invasions, he forms a motley team of superheroes to defend the Earth from them. This team, with each member having a stone giving them a unique power, consist of Kid's grandpa, George "Papa G" (Old Man Many Men), who can create multiple clones of himself; Kid's friend Jo (Portal Girl), who has the ability to teleport; Rosa (Niña Gigantica), a four-year-old girl who can become a 40-foot giant; and Tuna Sandwich (The Precognitive Cat), a cat that can predict the future with a third eye on his forehead.[6] They are accompanied by Stuck Chuck, an alien invader stranded on Earth after the destruction of his ship. Stuck Chuck's mission is to steal the Cosmic Stones for his Great Leader.

In the second season, the Local Heroes are teleported into space and have to go on a quest to find the other eight Stones of Power to fight against Erodius the Planet Killer.

In the third and final season, the Local Heroes, now the Global Heroes, find out that there is actually a fourteenth silver Cosmic Stone of Power of healing, and learn further revelations about Erodious and the world they're currently in, requiring that they must make great sacrifices.

Voice cast

Main

Supporting

Minor

Episodes

Season 1: The Local Heroes! (2021)

Each episode was directed by Craig McCracken, but various others co-direct with him.

Season 2: The Intergalactic Truckstop! (2021)

Justin Nichols and Dave Thomas direct every episode, aside from "Kid Cosmic and the Pyramid Puzzle of Pain", which was solely directed by Thomas.

Season 3: The Global Heroes! (2022)

Like most of the previous season, Justin Nichols and Dave Thomas directed every episode.

Production

Upon completion of his Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends series in 2009, Craig McCracken planned a career in publishing his own comics or graphic novels, a more "intimate [and] direct approach to cartooning" in contrast to working with a large crew for a television network.[9] During that time he made a comic strip entitled The Kid from Planet Earth,[10] about a young boy who fantasized about becoming a superhero. He was inspired by the idea of how different reality would be if the character actually got the chance to fulfill such an aspiration. McCracken wanted to "tap into this naïve confidence that all kids have" of being a superhero, while also basing the concept on his early years of wanting to become a professional artist.[11] He later realized that, in order to have the characters "learn, grow and change," he would have to tell the story with a serialized format.[12] Knowing that "[no network] would want it at the time",[13] he put the idea aside until 2015, when the industry of animation became more accepting of serialization within kids' animated series.

After the cancellation of Wander Over Yonder, McCracken, alongside his wife Lauren Faust, his friend Francisco Angones, as well as several former Wander Over Yonder staff members including Andy Bean, Chris Tsirgotis, Justin Nichols and Dave Thomas, further expanded the idea and ultimately produced an animatic for a 22-minute episode.[14] The series was then pitched to Disney, who ultimately passed on it in favor of The Owl House.[15] Upon learning that Netflix were setting up an animation studio and was looking for new shows, he went to their studios on a Thursday and presented the animatic as a pilot. The executives supported the idea of a 22-minute family show, and greenlit the series the following Wednesday. "It was really quick and quite an incredible experience!", McCracken recalled in 2021. The show was eventually retitled to Kid Cosmic to avoid confusion with The Last Kids on Earth, another Netflix cartoon.

McCracken and his old friend Rob Renzetti served as executive producers for the show. With the use of the Toon Boom Harmony software, Mercury Filmworks animated the show in Ottawa, Canada, with a staff of 110 employees. The company had done animation services previously for the first season of Wander Over Yonder, McCracken's previous creation.[16] Netflix's animation division is leading production with a team of approximately 45 people.[17] Having produced solely for television in the past, McCracken felt that he now had more creative freedom to pitch projects that had a darker tone or that could work as a movie, something that television channels "might shy away from". Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the series team had to continue working at home since March 2020, slowing down the production process. According to McCracken, completing a season takes a year and a half of hard work, from writing start to finish.

Design and themes

The main setting of the show, an arid landscape with a "generic rural southwest desert vibe", is presumed to be New Mexico. However, McCracken said in an interview for Den of Geek: "It could be New Mexico, it could be California [or] it could be Arizona. Basically it's a remote enough place where a spaceship could crash and not a lot of people would know about it."[18]

Stylistically, the show is meant to resemble the visual look of classic comics such as Hank Ketcham's Dennis the Menace and Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin, where every action is grounded in reality: "A lot of the choices that we made in Kid were based on the fact that these are real people in the real world [...] So with the animation we avoided overly smooth and flowy actions or lots of squash and stretch, things that you associate with cartoons," McCracken said. Stuck Chuck's design is a nod to the aliens from the 1996 film Mars Attacks! and other science-fiction movies.[19] Spaceships, cars, and major locations like Mo's Oasis Café are often represented by 3D models.[20]

McCracken affirmed that some of the ideas explored within the show are also based on things that he personally experienced, such as the loss of his father at the age of 7, similar to the protagonist, who lost both of his parents. The dynamics between Kid and Jo are loosely based on McCracken's relationship with his older sister and are similar to those of Mac and Frankie in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Rosa's "playful spirit" is also a reflection of the creator's young daughter.

Kid Cosmic also plays on the theme that "heroes help, not hurt", which means the characters often show a compassionate attitude toward their adversaries. This strays in tone from McCracken's first popular work, The Powerpuff Girls, which he described as a "campy parody of superheroes". He declared: "I really didn't want to tell a story to kids that said, 'Hey, if you get great powers, then you can go and beat up bad guys and be violent and win.' I didn't want that to be the message. So I asked myself what a real hero is".

Music

The series features music by composer and multi-instrumentalist Andy Bean, who had previously worked on soundtracks for animated productions. In February 2021, Netflix released a soundtrack album titled Kid Cosmic and the Sonic Courage. Under the name of the show's fictional "70's psychedelic garage punk band" Dr. Fang and the Gang, the soundtrack features music and songs of the first season written, composed and performed by multi-instrumentalist Andy Bean. He had previously written and composed the soundtrack for McCracken's third series Wander Over Yonder.[21]

Release

Kid Cosmic was announced on November 6, 2018, along with other Netflix animated projects.[22] A trailer was released on January 5, and the show debuted on February 2, 2021.[3] Five companion shorts were released on the Netflix Features YouTube channel on February 3, 2021.[23] The trailer for season 2 was released on August 10 of that year, with the episodes debuting later on September 7. The trailer for season 3 was released on the Netflix website at January 6, 2022 and on the official Netflix Futures YouTube channel on January 13 of that year, with the last 6 episodes debuting later on February 3 of that year.

Reception

Kid Cosmic was met with positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 100% approval rating based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.[24]

Adrián Carande from the Spanish magazine Cinemanía called it "a little miracle [that is] flawlessly animated" and brings McCracken back to his roots, while being "sincere" "fast-paced", and "effective".[25] IGN's Nicole Clark said that the first season wrapped up with the side characters lacking development, instead focusing on Kid's emotional process as a superhero. She also described him as "an extremely challenging character to sit with", and synthesized this season as a "merely entertaining show."[26] Karen Han from Slate magazine said that the season "is all about opening the gates and letting people in", with the main team "finally finding its groove" and a cliffhanger ending.[27] Vulture editor John Maher included the show as one of the stand-out animations from early 2021, praising the "patient character development, subtle world-building flourishes, and a willingness to explore just how hard it is to grow up."[28] Likewise, Los Angeles Times named Kid Cosmic one of the 13 best TV shows of that year.[29] Amanda Dyer of Common Sense Media described the series as a "fun superhero comedy teaches patience" but warned of the "mild violence." She also stated that character in the series learn "valuable lessons about teamwork and what makes a true superhero" and said the series is a "great option for family viewing" especially for those who grew up watching The Powerpuff Girls.[30]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2022Annie AwardsBest Character Design - TV/MediaCraig McCracken
[31]
Best Storyboarding - TV/MediaJustin Nichols
Children's & Family Emmy AwardsIndividual Achievement in Animation Chris Tsirgiotis
[32]
Craig McCracken
2023Kidscreen AwardsBest Animated SeriesKid Cosmic[33] [34]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zahed . Ramin . January 5, 2021 . Close Encounters of the Retro Kind: Craig McCracken Discusses His New Show 'Kid Cosmic' . January 25, 2021 . Animation Magazine.
  2. Web site: Baron. Reuben. January 20, 2021. The Powerpuff Girls' Craig McCracken Talks Entering the Streaming Age With Kid Cosmic. January 25, 2021. CBR.com.
  3. Web site: January 5, 2021 . Craig McCracken's 'Kid Cosmic' Premieres February 2 on Netflix . January 5, 2021 . Animation World Network.
  4. Web site: Craig McCracken's 'Kid Cosmic' Renewed For Seasons 2 & 3 At Netflix; Return Date & Trailer Set. Deadline Hollywood. Alexandra. Del Rosario. August 10, 2021. August 10, 2021.
  5. Web site: Arvoy. Lee. January 6, 2022. Your TV Source Roundup: 'Ozark' Trailer, Final 'Kid Cosmic' Premiere Date, 'Shaman King' Trailer, 'Summer Camp Island' Ending, 'Saturday Night Live' Sets Return Date, 'Kung Fu' Adds to Cast, and More!. January 9, 2022. TV Source Magazine.
  6. Web site: Bender. Brittney. January 5, 2021. Kid Cosmic: "Powerpuff Girls" Creator Unveils Trailer for New Series. January 27, 2021. Bleeding Cool.
  7. Web site: Kid Cosmic Cast & Character Guide: What All The Voice Actors Look Like. February 4, 2021. ScreenRant.
  8. Web site: McCracken . Craig . Feb 4, 2021 . Early Kid, Jo, & Rosa attitude and design explorations. Art by @cmcccartoons . Instagram.
  9. Web site: Price. Matthew. January 16, 2009. DVD, special celebrate Powerpuff Girls. October 5, 2021. The Oklahoman.
  10. September 4, 2021 . Craig McCracken: Creating Kid Cosmic! (Teaser) . What's In My Head Podcast . . December 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220502225311/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnnhm1gBy7s . May 2, 2022 . live.
  11. Web site: Pulliam-Moore . Charles . February 10, 2021 . Kid Cosmic's Craig McCracken Is Over Superheroes Trying to Be Cool . March 5, 2021 . Gizmodo.
  12. Web site: Maher. John. February 2, 2021. Two Decades After The Powerpuff Girls, a New Superpowered Kid Learns Some Big Lessons. February 20, 2021. Vulture.
  13. McCracken. Craig. Craig McCracken. CrackMcCraigen. 1357154545957183490. February 3, 2021. @supersmith2500 No not back then, I knew no one would want it at the time.. en. February 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210204023126/https://twitter.com/CrackMcCraigen/status/1357154545957183490. February 4, 2021. live.
  14. Web site: 2015- After Wander Over Yonder was cancelled @FrankAngones @Fyre_flye @andybeanmusic @ownerofwendys @skulptduggery Justin Nichols & I started working on what was then called "The Kid from Planet Earth" for Disney TVA. . 2023-05-30 . Twitter . en.
  15. Web site: After two years of development & a final pilot animatic Disney said no & passed on the project. . 2023-05-30 . Twitter . en.
  16. Web site: Hill. Jim. November 14, 2014. Craig McCracken talks about the labor intensive story process behind Disney XD's "Wander Over Yonder"». January 10, 2022.
  17. Web site: Tuchow. Ryan. February 8, 2021. Craig McCracken experiments with Kid Cosmic. February 21, 2021. Kidscreen.
  18. Web site: Johnson. Kevin. February 15, 2021. Why Kid Cosmic Is About "People, Not Powers". February 18, 2021. Den of Geek.
  19. Web site: Weiss. Josh. February 2, 2021. Kid Cosmic: Craig McCracken discusses his new Netflix animated series. March 5, 2021. SyFy Wire.
  20. Cosmic Cartooning. March 2021. Keyframe Magazine. Fray. Kim. 40. December 18, 2021. 13.
  21. Web site: Netflix Uncovers Cool Soundtrack to Craig McCracken's 'Kid Cosmic'. Animation Magazine. February 25, 2021. February 26, 2021.
  22. Web site: Lang . Brent . November 6, 2018 . Netflix Unveils Six Animated Films, Shows . January 7, 2021 . Variety.
  23. February 3, 2021 . Kid Cosmic and the Local Heroes Superpower Shorts Netflix After School . Netflix After School . . December 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220719071715/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3mAFVewZgA . July 19, 2022 . live.
  24. Web site: Kid Cosmic - Rotten Tomatoes. January 27, 2022. Rotten Tomatoes.
  25. Web site: Carande. Adrían. February 3, 2021. 'Kid Cosmic': los superhéroes de andar por casa de Craig McCracken. March 9, 2021. Cinemanía. es.
  26. Web site: Clark. Nicole. February 5, 2021. Netflix's Kid Cosmic: Season 1 Review. February 7, 2021. IGN Southeast Asia. en-sg.
  27. Web site: Han. Karen. February 5, 2021. The New Show From the Creator of The Powerpuff Girls Is an Incisive Indictment of Bad Fans. March 9, 2021. Slate.com.
  28. Web site: Vilas-Boas. Eric. Maher. John. April 9, 2021. The Best Animation of 2021 (So Far). April 11, 2021. Vulture.
  29. Web site: Lloyd. Robert. December 14, 2021. The 13 best TV shows of 2021. December 18, 2021. Los Angeles Times.
  30. Web site: Dyer. Amanda. Kid Cosmic Review. Common Sense Media. September 14, 2021. April 28, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220127095424/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/kid-cosmic. January 27, 2022. live.
  31. Web site: Sarto . Dan . March 13, 2022 . 'The Mitchells vs. the Machines' and 'Arcane' Big Winners at 49th Annie Awards . July 8, 2023 . Animation World Network.
  32. Web site: Schneider . Michael . December 11, 2022 . Children's & Family Emmys Final Winners List 2023 . July 8, 2023 . Variety.
  33. Web site: Streamers rule Kidscreen Awards nominations. Dickson. Jeremy. KidScreen. November 29, 2022. July 8, 2023 .
  34. Web site: And the 2023 Kidscreen Awards winners are… . February 14, 2023 . July 8, 2023 . Kidscreen . Dickson . Jeremy.