This summer, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is making a comeback with a new animated series that picks up where the original 1980s show left off. Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back director Kevin Smith is behind the latest iteration of the fantasy franchise that launched the iconic toy line, and the first photos of the revamped animated series have arrived.

Powerhouse Animation, the studio behind Netflix’s Castlevania series, is bringing Masters of the Universe: Revelation to life, and the artwork on display here looks absolutely incredible. It perfectly mixes the style and detail of anime with the classic feel of the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series. Get a first look at the new Maters of the Universe animated series below.

New Masters of the Universe Animated Series First Look

Kevin Smith opened up about digging into Masters of the Universe and how he attracted such a stellar voice cast, which includes Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, Lena Headey, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Stephen Root, Diedrich Bader, Phil LaMarr, Alicia Silverstone, and Chris Wood as Price Adam/He-Man. Smith said:

“A big reason we got such top tier voice talent is because people genuinely want to be a part of this world. So many of us were touched by these stories and these characters early in our lives and were so happy to come back to Eternia. But even if you’ve never watched a single episode of the show or don’t know this universe at all, you can jump right into the story. It’s a really classic, universal action-adventure epic about growth, discovery, magic, and power. This series explores destiny in a fresh way. There’s a lot of reconciling with secrets, betrayal, trust, acceptance, love, and ultimately, loss.”

Even though I was a child of the late 1980s and early 1990s, I’ll admit that He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was not one of my favorite cartoons growing up. But these first look photos may be enough to convince me to revisit the classic series just so I can be up to snuff for this series revival. Here are a few more close-up looks at some of the characters, looking better than ever:

Kevin Smith talked about the direction of the series, which will continue the story that began back in 1983. Smith said:

“We’re playing with the original mythology and characters, and revisiting and digging deeper into some of the unresolved storylines. Visually we also made the conscious decision to lean into the MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE line of toys for inspiration as well. Mattel owns this entire vast library of that artwork, so right away we wanted the show to open with classic pieces of that artwork. Mattel has been committed to this look since they first started as a toy line in the ’80s, and now we’re leaning into it and honoring it.”

Of course, since the toys go hand-in-hand with the animated series (and the action figures actually came first), Mattel is also releasing a whole new line of toys for Masters of the Universe: Revelation that you’ll be able to get your hands on in the future.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation is executive produced by Kevin Smith, who also acts as showrunner. Additional executive producers include Frederic Soulie and Rob David from the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Adam Bonnett (Descendants), and Christopher Keenan (Justice League, Batman Beyond). Marc Bernardin (Castle Rock), Eric Carrasco (Supergirl), Diya Mishra (Magic the Gathering) and Tim Sheridan (Reign of the Supermen) are writing the scripts while Susan Corbin (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) is producing.

The first five half-hour chapters of Masters of the Universe: Revelation will arrive in Netflix on July 23, 2021, and the first wave of toys will arrive over a month before that at major retailers starting on June 15.

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