Aquaman is about a guy who lives (partly) underwater and hangs with sea creatures (one of them voiced by Julie Andrews). But it’s a mostly serious affair, not unlike most films in the DCEU that aren’t made by James Gunn. The animated version is a different story. A new trailer dropped for Aquaman: King of Atlantis, HBO Max’s forthcoming cartoon riff on DC’s favorite oceanic superhero, and boy does it look goofy.
Let’s start with Aquaman himself, who looks nothing like Jason Momoa (and is voiced by The Walking Dead’s Cooper Andrews). He doesn’t even look like the Super Friends-era version. Instead he’s got a yellow top as well as long green locks and a big, scruffy beard. The animation, too, is intentionally rough and exaggerated, even more bold than the cartoon Harley Quinn. It, in short, looks fun. And the DCEU isn’t always that.
The show’s other cast members suggest King of Atlantis will lean hard (or hard-ish) into yuks. Gillian Jacobs will voice Mera, played by Amber Heard in the movies, Thomas Lennon will take over for Willem Dafoe as Vulko, and no less than Dana Snyder — aka Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Master Chef — is Ocean Master. King of Atlantis isn’t a show; it’s a miniseries, with a mere three episodes. And they’ll be dropping on October 14 on HBO Max.
You can watch the wacky trailer in the video above.