Dec 28, 2023

Streaming animation debut expected in January 2024.

The new year is upon us, and there are a lot of new releases debuting on streaming platforms. So, we checked out all the debuts currently scheduled and picked out a few noteworthy titles that we are looking forward to checking out in January.

Platform Prime Video

Distribution date: January 19

This is one of the biggest indie animation success stories of the last few years: in 2019, Vivian Medrano (online aka Vivizy Pop) released an independently produced pilot episode of this wildly successful animated series about a hotel in hell on Youtube. The film quickly went viral, and indie giant A24 picked up the project. Earlier this year, Prime Video ordered two seasons of the musical comedy, the first of which will debut on January 19 with four episodes, animated by Bento Box Entertainment. The show has all the sex and swearing that audiences enjoy in many of the adult animated features currently being produced in the U.S., but adds Broadway-like musical numbers and sincere character development that takes it to the next level. At least, that's the impression I got from the pilot and the trailer. Here's hoping the series will be exactly what fans have been waiting for.

Platform Peacock

Release Date: January 25

Certain to be one of the most niche series to air on a major platform in January, "In the Know" is the latest in a lineup that includes Zach Woods of "The Office," David Brandon Gardner, and Mike Judge (King of the Hill) created this stop-motion comedy. It is also Peacock's first foray into adult animation. The show, which is an equal parts public radio and modern PC culture, highlights the hypocritical side of each of us, no matter how well-intentioned we may be in our daily lives. Woods and Gardner say they want to start a "funny, scary, friendly conversation" about the modern world, rather than just a series of radio conversations. Sadly, there is no trailer for the show yet, but the few images that have been released show highly detailed puppets, each promising to be full of personality. Not surprisingly, the stop-motion animation is done by Shadow Machine, the talented stop-motion studio behind Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio" and "Morel Orel," among others.

Platform Crunchyroll

Release date: January 6

Solo Levelling connects the real world with another dimension, a game, ten years after a mysterious gateway opens. After the gate opens, people with superhuman powers known as "hunters" awaken and begin to fight monsters from another world. Adapted from the popular Korean manhwa (manga) of the same name, "Solo Reveling" is based on a video game theme. It is no wonder that A-1 Pictures, which produced the very popular video game-themed "Sword Art Online," is producing this show. Production I.G., producers of "SHINGEI NO KYOTSU ATTACK ON TITAN" and "PSYCHO-PASS," is in charge of motion graphics for "Solo Reveling. The film is also directed by Shunsuke Nakashige, director of "Sword Art Online".