HBO Max Revives ‘Adventure Time,’ Orders ‘Distant Lands’ Specials
Finn the Human and Jake the Dog are heading back to the Land of Ooo.
HBO Max announced Wednesday that it has ordered four new one-hour specials, Adventure Time: Distant Lands, to continue the stories that captured imaginations and introduced the unlikely heroes, best buds Finn and Jake, who traveled the mystical Land of Ooo and encountered its colorful inhabitants.
The first two specials, BMO and Obsidian, will premiere in 2020. BMO will follow the lovable little robot, who might not be the hero to call when there’s a deadly space emergency in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, except for this time. Obsidian follows Marceline and Princess Bubblegum on a journey to the imposing, beautiful Glass Kingdom and into their tumultuous past to stop an earthshaking catastrophe.
The other two specials are Wizard City and Together Again. The former focuses on Peppermint Butler as he starts over at the beginning as another inexperienced Wizard School student with a checkered past. He must master the mystic arts to prove his innocence after mysterious events on campus. And in the last special, Finn and Jake reunite to rediscover their brotherly bond and set out on the most important adventure of their lives.
“The enchanted world of Adventure Time has mesmerized viewers and critics alike as Finn and Jake right wrongs and battle evil,” Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max, said in a statement. “The addition of these specials to the HBO Max kids and family programming lineup is sure to make kids everywhere say ‘Slam-bam-in-a-can!'”
“Adventure Time was a groundbreaking series and a creative playground for so many talented creative artists,” Rob Sorcher, Chief Content Officer, Cartoon Network Studios, added. “Producing Adventure Time: Distant Lands for HBO Max will allow our studio to explore this beloved world in an all-new format.”
(HBO Max)
The Peabody Award-winning Adventure Time aired on Cartoon Network from 2010 to 2018. It was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program, and it won in 2015 and 2017. It also won Emmys for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in 2013 (Andy Ristaino, character design), 2014 (Nick Jennings, art director), 2015 (Tom Herpich, storyboard artist), 2016 (Tom Herpich, storyboard artist, and Jason Kolowski, production designer), and 2018 (Lindsay Small-Butera, character animation).
The series was created by Pendleton Ward and is executive produced by Adam Muto. Adventure Time: Distant Lands is produced by Cartoon Network Studios.
Adventure Time: Distant Lands, 2020, HBO Max
