| Exploding Kittens | |
|---|---|
 Initial promotional poster with the release window | |
| Created by | Matthew Inman & Shane Kosakowski |
| Based on | Exploding Kittens by Matthew Inman and Elan Lee |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Shirley Song & Jina Hyojin An |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Janet Dimon |
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 24—27 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | July 12, 2024 |
Exploding Kittens is an adult animated television series loosely based on the tabletop card game of the same name designed by Matthew Inman, of The Oatmeal webcomic, and Elan Lee. It features the voices of Tom Ellis, Sasheer Zamata, Suzy Nakamura, Mark Proksch, Ally Maki and Kenny Yates.
Produced by Chomp City, Bandera Entertainment and Chernin Entertainment, it premiered on Netflix on July 12, 2024, to mixed reception from critics.
Premise
[edit]When an eternal conflict reach the epic proportions when God and the Devil both are sent to Earth... in the bodies of chunky house cats!
— Netflix
Voice cast
[edit]- Tom Ellis as Godcat/God
- Sasheer Zamata as Devilcat/Beelzebub
- Suzy Nakamura as Abbie Higgins
- Mark Proksch as Marv Higgins
- Ally Maki as Greta Higgins
- Kenny Yates as Travis Higgins
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Eddie Rosas | Matthew Inman & Shane Kosakowski | July 12, 2024 |
| 2 | "Tartar Recall" | Scott Bern | Matthew Inman & Shane Kosakowski | July 12, 2024 |
| 3 | "Shane & Chugger's" | Eddie Rosas | Caitie Delaney | July 12, 2024 |
| 4 | "Emotions Are Hard" | Traci Honda | Noah Prestwich | July 12, 2024 |
| 5 | "No Regrets" | Scott Bern | Sierra Katow | July 12, 2024 |
| 6 | "The Town with No Internet" | Traci Honda | Shawn Kenji Pearlman | July 12, 2024 |
| 7 | "SeaWorld Is Hell" | Eddie Rosas | Maggie Gottlieb | July 12, 2024 |
| 8 | "Let the Games Begin" | Traci Honda | Shane Kosakowski | July 12, 2024 |
| 9 | "The Westminster Human Show" | Eddie Rosas | Matthew Inman & Shane Kosakowski | July 12, 2024 |
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]In April 2022, it was announced that an animated streaming television series was first officially ordered by Netflix, with King of the Hill creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels as executive producers, alongside Peter Chernin.[1] Additional game mechanics and cards tied to the show will be added to the mobile game at a later date.[1]
Casting
[edit]Alongside the series' announcement, Tom Ellis, Sasheer Zamata, Abraham Lim, Lucy Liu, Ally Maki and Mark Proksch, were cast as the ensemble cast. In May 2024, Suzy Nakamura and Kenny Yates joined the cast;[2] but within the two year span of the show's development, Liu and Lim dropped out from the project.[3]
Release
[edit]Exploding Kittens had its first look preview at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2023.[4] Originally planned for a release in late 2023,[1] the series was delayed for a 2024 premiere.[5] The series was released on July 12, 2024.[6]
Reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 54/100[7] |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 67%[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The A.V. Club | C−[9] |
| The Guardian |   [10] |
| IGN | 4/10[11] |
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 67% approval rating with an average rating of 4.9/10, based on 15 critic reviews.[8] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 54 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews" based on 9 critic reviews.[7]
Lucy Mangan, reviewing for The Guardian, gave the series one star, saying it was "carelessly made, infuriating and unfunny" and criticising the poor storyline.[10] The A.V. Club's Isobel Lewis gives the series a C−, saying that the jokes are "the kind that lead to a small smile but rarely makes anyone laugh out loud" though there are "nuggets of comedy gold"; she criticises the writing as "tame" and "lack[ing] the bravery of other animated series".[9] Chase Hutchinson, writing for IGN rated the series 4/10, saying that throughout the show "premises are stretched well beyond their breaking point, jokes land with tiresome thuds, and every cliffhanger feels like a forced attempt to get Netflix subscribers to keep the app open."[11]
In the Los Angeles Times, Robert Lloyd notes that while the series is a "lesson ... that anything can amount to exploitable intellectual property", it is also "corny as... hell, but it's genuine corn".[12] Angie Han in The Hollywood Reporter said the show's plot was "admirably zany" but that the comedy "[tended] to be obvious"; she concludes that "if you're looking for light humor, you could do worse".[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Goldberg, Lesley (April 18, 2022). "'Exploding Kittens' Animated Series, Mobile Game Coming to Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ Milligran, Mercedes (May 9, 2024). "Trailer: Feline Foes Collide in Netflix's 'Exploding Kittens'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Carr, Mary (May 9, 2024). "Netflix's Exploding Kittens trailer is about as random as you'd expect". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Drew (April 24, 2023). "Netflix to Debut Official First Looks at 'Nimona,' 'Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget' at This Year's Annecy". TheWrap. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ Reul, Kate (November 11, 2023). "Exploding Kittens Teaser Unveils Tom Ellis as God in Cat Form". IGN. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "Next on Netflix Animation Presentation Sneak-Peeks 'K-Pop: Demon Hunters,' 'Plankton' Movie, 'Motel Transylvania' and Much, Much More!". Animation Magazine. June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "Exploding Kittens: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ a b "Exploding Kittens: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ a b Isobel Lewis (July 11, 2024). "Netflix's Exploding Kittens series is lost in translation". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Mangan, Lucy (July 12, 2024). "Exploding Kittens review – unfunny, infuriating and life-sapping". The Guardian. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Chase Hutchinson (July 12, 2024). "Exploding Kittens Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
- ^ Lloyd, Robert (July 11, 2024). "Review: Adult cartoons 'Sausage Party' and 'Exploding Kittens,' one charming, one (purposely) not". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
- ^ Han, Angie (July 12, 2024). "'Exploding Kittens' Review: Netflix's Admirably Zany Animated Cat Comedy Could Use Sharper Jokes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
External links
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