The final chapter of Guillermo del Toro’s Tales of Arcadia trilogy arrives on Netflix tomorrow!
And whether you’ve watched from the beginning or are new to the series, you’re in for a magical, time-traveling adventure.
I’ll admit, I’m new to the world of Arcadia — but now I am hooked! I binge watched Wizards this week and I adored it. Now I’m starting back at the beginning by watching Trollhunters, the first chapter of the trilogy. While this isn’t the order I normally like to watch a series in, I can definitely say that Wizards is just as magical for new viewers, and I am confident fans of the trilogy will love it, too.
How Does Wizards Fit Into Tales of Arcadia?
If you’re wondering what Tales of Arcadia trilogy is about, let me break it down for you (without giving too much away in case you want to go back and watch from the beginning).
Tales of Arcadia is an animated series created by DreamWorks Animation and all three seasons are available (or soon will be) on Netflix. The trilogy starts with Trollhunters and is followed by the second series 3Below with Wizards being the final chapter that brings together three three disparate worlds of trolls, aliens, and wizards.
Trolls, aliens, AND wizards? Are you intrigued yet??
In Wizards, we find the lovable Douxie (voiced by Colin O’Donoghue from Once Upon a Time), wizard-in-training and apprentice to Merlin, join the heroes of Arcadia to embark on a time-bending adventure to medieval Camelot that leads to an apocalyptic battle for the control of magic that will determine the fate of these supernatural worlds that have now converged.
Okay — I’ll pause here…. doesn’t this sound EPIC?
Created and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro, Wizards is also executive produced by Marc Guggenheim and Chad Hammes while Chad Quandt & Aaron Waltke serve as co-executive producers.
6 Reasons to Watch Wizards: Tales of Arcadia
If I haven’t convinced you to watch Wizards yet, here are a few more reasons.
1 – Meddling with Time is Always an Adventure
In Wizards, we get a reimagined look at medieval Camelot. From King Arthur to Lancelot, Merlin, and the Lady of the Lake…. maybe everything isn’t exactly like the stories that we were told. And with time traveling involved, it’s guaranteed to get interesting.
2 – The Evolution of Douxie and Merlin’s Relationship
As Merlin’s apprentice, the wizard-in-training Douxie has a lot to live up to — and he has a long time to do it (he’s over 900 years old)! While there are several emotional scenes in Wizards, Douxie and Merlin were the ones that brought me to tears! I definitely wasn’t expecting to cry while watching this series, but these two got to me.
3 – Guillermo del Toro’s Easter Eggs
If you’re a Guillermo del Toro fan, you know he loves to slip in references to some of his favorite things. And right from episode one you can catch mentions of The Haunted Mansion, HP Lovecraft, and even a few nods to the series creator himself. Read this post for all of the specifics!
4 – Magic with a Touch of Rock
Not only is Douxie a wizard-in-training, but he’s also a musician. And what do you get when you combine rock music with magic? Something nuclear. (Just wait, you’ll know when you see it!)
5 – A Season Worth of Finale-Worthy Episodes
I’ll be honest, I binge watched Wizards. And halfway through the series, I found myself checking the episode list repeatedly wondering if I was watching the finale. That’s because the back half of the series was EPIC. Huge battle scenes, intriguing character matchups — episode after episode.
6 – An Unlikely Hero Is Always the Best Kind
Douxie might not seem like the hero kind of guy — he’s only an apprentice — but his determination to do what’s right no matter the cost is what makes him the best kind of hero.
“History won’t remember me. Stories wont be told about me… but I won’t let that stop me from fighting for what is right.” — Douxie
WATCH: I interviewed Colin O’Donaghue (voice of Douxie) and Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim and got their perspective on Douxie’s relationship with Merlin, Guillermo del Toro Easter eggs that can be found in the first episode, how Wizards all came together, and more!
