Skull Island (TV series)

Skull Island is an American animated adventure television series developed by Brian Duffield for Netflix. It is the fifth installment and the first television series of the Monsterverse franchise and a sequel to Kong: Skull Island (2017). The series was produced by Powerhouse Animation, JP and Legendary Television and animated by South Korean studio Mir, with Duffield and Jacob Robinson serving as showrunners, and features the voices of Nicolas Cantu, Mae Whitman, Darren Barnet, Benjamin Bratt and Betty Gilpin as a group of shipwrecked characters who find themselves on Skull Island in the 1990s, where they encounter giant-sized prehistoric creatures, including the island's self-appointed guardian Kong.

The series debuted on Netflix on June 22, 2023. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Premise
In the 1990s, a group of well-meaning explorers venture out to sea to rescue Annie from the ocean. In doing so, they find themselves shipwrecked on the perilous Skull Island. Together, they fight to survive the dangers of the mysterious isle, which is home to large creatures and terrifying monsters, including Kong.

Voice cast

 * Nicolas Cantu as Charlie
 * Mae Whitman as Annie
 * Darren Barnet as Mike
 * Benjamin Bratt as Cap
 * Betty Gilpin as Irene
 * Phil LaMarr as Sam
 * Fryda Wolff as Island Girl
 * Tania Gunadi as Islander

Development
By January 2021, a continuation of the MonsterVerse in the form of an animated television series was in development. Brian Duffield was hired to serve as writer, creator, executive producer, director, and showrunner for the show, while Jacob Robinson was hired to serve as an executive producer. The project is a joint-venture production between Legendary Television, Powerhouse Animation, and Tractor Pants Productions and was produced with intent to release exclusively to Netflix, as Warner Bros. still owns the rights for the MonsterVerse franchise alongside Legendary.

In October 2023, Duffield stated that the script for the second season had been completed; while creatives were waiting for an official season two renewal green-lighting from Netflix.

Casting
By May 2023, the voice cast was announced with Nicolas Cantu, Mae Whitman, Darren Barnet, Benjamin Bratt, and Betty Gilpin serving in the primary roles.

Release
Skull Island was released on Netflix on June 22, 2023.

Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 82% and an average score of 7.00/10 based on 17 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "A rousing if faintly recycled reincarnation of King Kong's latest cinematic foray, Skull Island succeeds in its aim of putting a more adult twist on Saturday morning cartoons of yore". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 51 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Samantha Nelson of IGN gave 5 out of 10 stating that "Skull Island tries to fuse Kong: Skull Island with Jonny Quest, but dull performances, weak writing, and retreads of fights from the film blunt the pulpy action". Joey Rambles of Cultured Vultures gave an 7.5 out of 10, writing: "With fun characters, gripping action, and splendid visuals, Skull Island is a highly energized rollercoaster ride that earns its hefty title as well as its place in the MonsterVerse".