Like an upstart nation-state with a strong military and oodles of money, Netflix has continued expanding outward in all directions. After a banner 2015, the streaming-video giant has announced plans to make 2016 their biggest year ever with more original scripted and documentary programming than ever before. The flagship programs on Netflix tend to err on the side of the difficult and handsomely-mounted, with dark dramas such as House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black (mostly dark, anyway) leading the way. But a strong network, which appears to be what Netflix is intent on making itself, needs a diverse roster of programming, and head honcho Ted Sarandos realizes this.
That’s why Netflix has renewed its commitment to branching out into kid-oriented programming, as a new item in The Hollywood Reporter notes. Netflix will team with DreamWorks Animation to exclusively release several new animated series in 2016, including a revival of the Generation X nostalgia object Voltron, as well as Trollhunters, another twisted fantasy from the mind of Guillermo del Toro. Adapted from the teen-geared “illustrated novel” that del Toro co-authored with Daniel Kraus in 2015, Trollhunters pits a standard-issue SoCal Teen (complete with unrequited crush, sarcastic best friend, and overprotective dad) against a legion of attackers that treat humans like humans treat burritos. Voltron, as some readers may remember, was a Japanese-derived cartoon popular during the ’80s wherein a superteam of five pals piloted robots that would connect to form a larger, more powerful robot. Millennials: think Power Rangers pre-Power Rangers.
A handful of other series will be announced in the months to come, but for now, this is a strong move from Netflix. Soon, there will be no demographic left untapped, no pocket of humanity for whom Netflix will not specifically cater. The next target demo: People who don’t have Netflix yet.
