Netflix today announced Wings of Fire, a 10 x 40′ animated event series for the whole family, based on the #1 New York Times and USA Today best-selling book series from author Tui T. Sutherland that has enthralled readers around the world with 14 million copies in print (Scholastic). The epic fantasy saga marks the first animated series from Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Ava DuVernay and ARRAY Filmworks. The series is being animated by Warner Bros. Animation.
“Within this epic book series from the mind of Tui Sutherland is an elegant saga filled with wisdom and wonder, exploring ideas of belonging and bias, camaraderie and community,” said DuVernay. “On behalf of my colleagues Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes of ARRAY Filmworks, we’re thrilled to partner with Netflix and Warner Bros. Animation for this dynamic adaptation where five young dragonets fulfill their destiny and show viewers how to fulfill their own.”
Melissa Cobb, Vice President, Original Animation, Netflix, commented, “We couldn’t be more proud that Ava has chosen Netflix as the home for her first animated series. An epic fantasy saga full of sweep and spectacle, Wings of Fire promises to be a must-see event for the whole family.”
Synopsis: A bitter war has raged for generations between the dragon tribes who inhabit the epic world of Pyrrhia. According to prophecy, five young dragons will rise to end the bloodshed and bring peace back to the land. Raised and trained in secret from the time they were hatched, the Dragonets of destiny – Clay, Tsunami, Glory, Starflight, and Sunny – embark on an evolving quest that will bring them face to face with their true selves and the overwhelming scope of this savage war they are destined to bring to an end.
Showrunners and executive producers are Dan Milano (Glitch Techs), Christa Starr (Mystery Science Theater 3000) and Justin Ridge (Star Wars Resistance). Milano and Starr are adapting the book series for television. DuVernay, Sutherland, Sam Register and ARRAY Filmworks’ Sarah Bremner are exec producers.
“The Wings of Fire books have captured the imagination of millions,” said Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. “In Ava, Justin, Christa and Dan we have a visionary creative team that will bring that same sense of wonder and adventure from the books to life with animation and create the next great animated family series at Netflix.”
“When I started writing my own dragon series, Wings of Fire, I knew a few important things. I knew I wanted it to be a big epic fantasy with a sense of humor and kindhearted heroes. I wanted to explore questions of fate vs. free will, different ways of handling power, nature and nurture, family and empathy and friendship. And perhaps most of all, I wanted it to be a story told entirely from the dragons’ point of view,” Sutherland wrote in an announcement blog post this morning. “… And I knew the minute I met our showrunners, Dan Milano and Christa Starr, that they are funny, kind, super-nerd kindred spirits who 100% understand what I’m trying to do with the books.”
