Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia

Guillermo del Toro’s Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia is an appealing family fantasy with a fairly ordinary story. We recommend it for the creatures and the performances, with the warning that the writing rarely matches their individuality. There is little here to surprise anyone who already knows how family adventures tend to proceed. That becomes easier to forgive when the characters are good company, and this programme understands how much depends on making us like them.

Anton Yelchin voices Jim Lake Jr., and his youthful delivery is crucial to that pleasure. We warmed to Jim sooner than we expected because the voice gives him an openness that makes his concerns worth taking seriously. Fantasy can ask for a considerable emotional investment before it has given us much reason to care. This performance gets us interested without making the effort conspicuous, and it helps the familiar material feel less second-hand.

The troll designs are the strongest visual attraction, with enough personality to sustain interest beyond their initial novelty. The directing team includes Rodrigo Blaas and Elaine Bogan, and the creatures are where the programme feels most confident about what it can offer. They are worth looking at while they speak, which matters in animation just as much as the scale of an action scene. The troll mentors also provide welcome company, giving the fantasy some of its humour and warmth.

Kelsey Grammer’s Blinky is a particular pleasure, and the vocal performances remain reliable reasons to keep watching. Charlie Saxton voices Toby Domzalski, while Lexi Medrano voices Claire Nuñez; their contributions help sustain our interest beyond the creature designs. The small human moments deserve the space they take, allowing affection to develop without demanding that every exchange advance the adventure. That patience is useful in a programme whose more unusual inhabitants could easily occupy all our attention.

Marc Guggenheim and Guillermo del Toro have story and teleplay credits, and the writing is less distinctive than the performances. Familiar developments arrive with too little variation, and some of the story feels underdeveloped. That leaves the cast doing work the writing ought to have done first, particularly when charm is needed to keep predictable material moving. Enjoying these characters does not stop us wishing they had been given a less routine adventure, with more thought spent on what would make their particular story different.

The 24-minute episodes are a sensible fit for family viewing, although the series asks for a substantial commitment across its three parts. Part 1 runs to 26 episodes, with 13 apiece in Parts 2 and 3. Anyone expecting a familiar introduction followed by an entirely new kind of fantasy story should adjust those expectations. The genre conventions remain visible, and viewers who need frequent surprises may find the agreeable company insufficient compensation.

For families who enjoy fantasy creatures and comic company, the balance is more favourable. The humour keeps the programme from becoming too solemn, while the voice cast gives it feeling that the plotting alone would struggle to supply. Its PG certificate offers a starting point for family viewing, though individual tolerance for fantasy action will vary. Give it a few episodes to see whether these characters earn the longer commitment.