Kulipari is an animated television series created by Trevor Pryce for Netflix. It is co-produced by Splash Entertainment, The Outlook Company and Telegael Teoranta. Its first season, subtitled An Army of Frogs, was released in September 2016. The show is based on Pryce's novel series of the same name. Kulipari: Heritage, a four-issue comic miniseries taking place between the first and second seasons, was published by Red 5 Comics and released from August to November 2016.[2] The series was renewed for a second season called Kulipari: Dream Walker on March 8, 2017, which was released on November 20, 2018.[3][4] A graphic novel called Kulipari: Warflower was purported to be released on January 1, 2019, but it was canceled.
| Kulipari | |
|---|---|
 Title card for season 1 | |
| Genre | Comedy-Drama Fantasy Action Adventure |
| Created by | Trevor Pryce |
| Based on | Characters created by Trevor Pryce |
| Developed by | Trevor Pryce Splash Entertainment |
| Voices of | Josh Keaton Keith David Mark Hamill Wendie Malick Charlie Adler |
| Composer | Michael Tavera |
| Country of origin | United States Ireland |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Mike Young Trevor Pryce Paul Cummins Nicholas Atlan (season 1) Steve Rosen (season 2) |
| Producers | Clarise Cameron Cathy Ní Fhlaithearta Patrick Inness (season 1) |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production companies | Splash Entertainment The Outlook Company Telegael |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix (seasons 1-2) Hulu (season 3) |
| Release | September 2, 2016[1] – present |
Three compilation movies for season 1, Kulipari: An Army of Frogs, Kulipari: Mercenaries and Kulipari: Amphibian's Rise have been released on Amazon, Google Play and iTunes between 2017 and 2018.
On February 28, 2023, it was announced that Hulu would be continuing the series with a newly announced third season titled Kulipari: A King Rises, that was set to premiere at the end of the year but was delayed to July 28, 2024, as well as a CGI film reboot of the first season, set to premiere in 2024. The first two seasons were added to Hulu in February.[5] The first two seasons have also been remastered and include new opening and ending credit sequences.
The third season, Kulipari: A King Rises, was released on July 28, 2024.
Plot
editThe series takes place in the Amphibilands — a hidden village of frogs. For many years the inhabitants of the Amphibilands have lived safely, protected by a magical Veil and an elite group of poison frogs called the Kulipari. The story begins with the frogs of the Amphibilands finding their homeland threatened by an army of scorpions teamed up with the magically powerful Spider Queen. Our hero, Darel, a young frog that has always dreamed of joining the Kulipari despite his lack of poison, finds himself at the front of the battle. With the help of his friends, Darel must overcome his anxieties to embrace his dream of becoming a Kulipari warrior and save all the frogs from extinction.[6]
Characters
editMain characters
edit- Darel - The main protagonist, and an Australian wood frog. Son of Apari and Acala.
- Gurnugan "Gee" - Darel's loyal best friend, he is a fat, gluttonous, awkward Australian wood frog.
- Coorah - Another Australian wood frog who is also a friend of Darel, and brief girlfriend of Arabanoo. She has medical skills.
- Stinger - A young scorpion who is identified as being "of Marmoo's bloodline" by Old Jir.[7]
- Tharta, Thuma & Tipi - Triplets, children of Apari and Acala and younger siblings of Darel.
- Old Jir - An elderly Kulipari frog warrior living as a hermit near the village.
Professional Kulipari Frogs
edit- Burnu - The green, wig-wearing male leader of an elite team of four Kulipari.
- Ponto - Yellow male medic of Burnu's team, brother to Dingo.
- Dingo - Brown female Archer of Burnu's team, sister to Ponto.
- Quoba - The green, hooded female scout of Burnu's team, and Lost all her poison.
- Wilka - The newest partner of Burnu, a white Kulipari female who was sent on a mission to infiltrate the spider god's fortress.
- Koa - A young Kulipari frog who was raised by geckos. He was briefly kidnapped by Darkan.
Villains
edit- Lord Marmoo - A powerful scorpion warlord who is the main antagonist of the first season and Darel's first biggest nemesis.
- Commander Pigo - Marmoo's younger brother and right-hand man.
- Spider Queen Jarrah - The queen of the redback spiders.
- Darkan - A giant marine iguana warlord ruling the fortress city of Cardigal.
- Nahradhan - The golden-colored "god" of spiders and their strongest Nightcaster, whom Falgha worked with after Season 1.
- Daly - A white female spider Nightcaster and Darkan's right-hand woman. She becomes the spider queen in Season 3.
Other characters
edit- Apari - The late Kulipari and husband of Acala and Darel and the triplets' father (in the books, he is a corroboree frog).
- Acala - Darel's mother and widow of Apari.
- Arabanoo - A red-eyed tree frog, who initially thinks Darel will never become a Kulipari (in the books, he is a White-lipped tree frog).
- Turtle King Sergu - A wise old turtle and practitioner of Dreamcasting magic.
- Pippi - A young platypus girl and a Stargazer student who has visions that help Darel on his quest. She remains and becomes a Dreamcaster of the new settlement in Season 2.
- Killara - A green lizard mercenary leader who works for Marmoo with his people.
- Skink - A female skink mercenary working for Killara until Killara betrayed her and Nogo.
- Nogo - A large and strong male bearded dragon mercenary working for Killara until Killara betrayed him and Skink.
- Xava - An mute white male lizard living with in the village Darel founded.
- Caz - An elderly male scorpion who is the survivor of the Amphibilands wars. He was later killed by Stinger for poisoning Jir.
- Falgha - A female redback spider who is the current leader of the spiders after the fall of Cardigal.
- Yabber-A turtle who is the apprentice and star pupil of Turtle King Sergu.
More characters to be listed
Cast
edit- Josh Keaton as Darel, Nahradhan
- Mikey Kelley as Gee
- Lacey Chabert as Coorah
- Phil Lamarr as Arabanoo, Apari, Killara, Stinger, Darkan
- Keith David as Lord Marmoo
- Charlie Adler as Commander Pigo, Coorah's dad, Bindi, additional voices
- Wendie Malick as Spider Queen Jarrah
- Mark Hamill as Old Jir, Ponto (episodes 8–9), Caz
- Jess Harnell as Burnu, Yabber, and Sergu
- Candi Milo as Dingo, The Stargazer, Fahlga
- Cree Summer as Skink, Daly and Scorpicurist
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Ponto (episodes 10-present), Nogo, Tharta, Scorpion Warriors
- Kath Soucie as Pippi, The Rainbow Serpent
- Rolonda Watts as Chief Olba
- Amy Margolis as Quoba, Tipi, Akala
- Laraine Newman as Koa, Thuma
Production
editThe series is co-produced by American studios Splash Entertainment and The Outlook Company and Irish studio Telegael Teoranta. Animation was outsourced to Cartoon Conrad Enterprises for the first season and Oasis Animation for the second season.
Episodes
editSeries overview
edit| Season | Title | Episodes | Originally released | Network | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | An Army of Frogs | 13 | September 2, 2016 | Netflix | ||
| 2 | Dream Walker | 10 | November 20, 2018 | |||
| 3 | A King Rises | 3 | July 28, 2024 | Hulu | ||
Season 1: An Army of Frogs (2016)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
While a young frog named Darel dreams of becoming a Kulipari warrior like his late father, Lord Marmoo of the Scorpions starts conspiring with Spider Queen Jarrah to attack the Amphibilands. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
While training with Arabanoo the Tree Frog, Darel accidentally destroys the local market. The townspeople and the Chief ban him from training as punishment. Unfortunately for the frogs, the Scorpion King's army is crossing the Veil with the Spider Queen's magic. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
Darel discovers that Scorpion soldiers have broken through the Veil, and uses his Kulipari training to defend his friends and family. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
Darel's best friend Gee is captured by the Scorpion soldiers. Darel must use his Kulipari training to find and save his best friend, who was caught by a scorpion. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
Darel disguises himself as a sandpaper frog to join a group of lizard mercenaries and rescue Gee, but are the lizards able to be trusted? | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
After rescuing Gee, Darel and his friend decide to stay at the Scorpion camp and do some damage. Meanwhile, their friends and family in the Amphibilands are preparing for battle under the guidance of Old Jir. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
Darel and Gee finally meet the famous Kulipari and go on a journey together to find the Turtle King to save the veil. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Episode 8" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
The Spider Queen finally manages to break down the Veil, allowing the Scorpions to enter the Amphibilands. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Episode 9" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
The Kulipari (and Darel) join the villagers to fight the scorpion army and the Spider Queen's magic. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Episode 10" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
Though Lord Marmoo and Queen Jarrah have been temporarily defeated, Darel and the Kulipari go on a journey to find a way to prevent the scorpions from invading the Amphibilands again. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Episode 11" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
The Rainbow Serpent delivers an important message to Darel, while the Spider Queen makes Lord Marmoo stronger than he's ever been before. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Episode 12" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
Darel and the Kulipari exit the Veil in search of allies who can help defend the Amphibilands from Lord Marmoo and his Scorpion Army. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Episode 13" | Tad Stones | Lee Nichols, Joel Naftali, and Tad Stones | September 2, 2016 | |
|
Darel leads the bruised and banished frogs and platypi through the desert, trying to find water with the Rainbow Serpent's help. | ||||||
Season 2: Dream Walker (2018)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Chuck Patton | Trevor Pryce and Joshua Starnes | November 20, 2018 | |
|
As the Kulipari thrive in their new settlement of Nova Australis, Chief Bindi of the Gecko tribe seeks Darel's help to rescue his kidnapped son. | ||||||
| 15 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Chuck Patton | Trevor Pryce and Joshua Starnes | November 20, 2018 | |
|
While the Kulipari youth deal with a snake problem, Darel and his party descend upon Cardigal, where Darkan's guards scour the area for intruders. | ||||||
| 16 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Chuck Patton | Trevor Pryce and Joshua Starnes | November 20, 2018 | |
|
Darel dons a disguise to rescue Ponto deep inside the dungeons of Darkan's fortress. Stinger and the triplets tend to a poisoned Jir back home. | ||||||
| 17 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Chuck Patton | Trevor Pryce and Joshua Starnes | November 20, 2018 | |
|
As Jir's condition worsens, the Kulipari youth search for a rare flower to be used in an antidote. Lady Fahlga offers to help Darel in locating Ponto. | ||||||
| 18 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Chuck Patton | Trevor Pryce and Joshua Starnes | November 20, 2018 | |
|
With all of Cardigal focused on the tournament, Captain Killara offers Darel and his rescue party a way to slip inside Darkan's palace undetected | ||||||
| 19 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Chuck Patton | Trevor Pryce and Joshua Starnes | November 20, 2018 | |
|
Per Killara's plan, Darel and party find themselves easily infiltrating the palace dungeon. But a cleverly set trap awaits their arrival. | ||||||
| 20 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Chuck Patton | Trevor Pryce and Joshua Starnes | November 20, 2018 | |
|
The events that transpired during Darel's rescue attempt are shown from Killara's viewpoint. Lady Fahlga gets an opportunity to exact her revenge. | ||||||
| 21 | 8 | "Episode 8" | Chuck Patton | Trevor Pryce and Joshua Starnes | November 20, 2018 | |
|
The Kulipari youth rush to deliver the antidote to Jir. Chained to each other, Marmoo and Ponto must fight together to survive the tournament. | ||||||
| 22 | 9 | "Episode 9" | Chuck Patton | Trevor Pryce and Joshua Starnes | November 20, 2018 | |
|
Darel and Lady Fahlga hatch an escape plan, urging Ponto to persuade Killara's soldiers to convince prisoners inside Darkan's castle to revolt. | ||||||
| 23 | 10 | "Episode 10" | Chuck Patton | Trevor Pryce and Joshua Starnes | November 20, 2018 | |
|
While Koa's body floats in a trancelike state, his mind struggles inside the dreamworld as a battle for his soul rages on between Sergu and Jarrah. | ||||||
Season 3: Kulipari: A King Rises (2024)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Trevor Pryce and Tyriq-Tyrell Murphy | Trevor Pryce | July 20, 2024 |
| 25 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Trevor Pryce and Tyriq-Tyrell Murphy | Trevor Pryce | July 28, 2024 |
| 26 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Trevor Pryce and Tyriq-Tyrell Murphy | Trevor Pryce | July 28, 2024 |
Accolades
editMark Hamill was nominated for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program at the 46th Daytime Emmy Awards.
References
edit- ^ "SEPT. 2nd. is #AMPHIBIANSDAY @netflix #PICKYOURPOISON". Twitter. Twitter.com. August 20, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- ^ "Trevor Pryce Continues His Netflix Show Kulipari As A Comic Book". May 22, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ Maddaus, Gene (March 8, 2017). "'Kulipari' Lawsuit Reveals Rift Over Netflix Show Financing". Variety. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ "Netflix's New Movies, Originals, TV Shows to Watch in November 2018 (US)".
- ^ "Hulu Unveiled as the New Home for the Animated "Kulipari" Franchise". The Futon Critic. February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ "Kulipari: An Army of Frogs - Netflix Trailer" (Press release). YouTube. September 1, 2016.
- ^ Pryce, Trevor. "Kulipari: Dream Walker, Episode 1". Netflix.com. Splash entertainment.
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External links
edit- Official website
- Official website at Netflix
- Kulipari at IMDb