No matter what becomes of Marvel’s mutants in the comic books or any live-action movies Marvel Studios is undoubtedly dreaming up, the ‘90s animated series that dominated the Saturday morning TV bloc will always be one of the most definitive takes on Charles Xavier and his students. Today, Gizmodo has an exclusive look at the iconic art behind the show.
Distinct as The Animated Series was from its source material, showrunner Eric Lewald understood the importance of making sure the characters all felt true to themselves in a way that would appeal to longtime fans and newcomers alike. Everything — from the show’s design to its iconic theme song and its plotlines — was crafted to make The Animated Series a definitive take on the X-Men, and by all accounts, that’s exactly what the creative team achieved.
[referenced id=”1257663″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/08/the-x-men-the-animated-series-theme-song-is-x-ceptional-on-cellos/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/19/pzodcsxykawlddv1fhka-300×169.png” title=”The X-Men: The Animated Series Theme Song Is X-ceptional on Cellos” excerpt=”Forget about possible revivals. Forget about lawsuits. Instead, focus on something pleasant, like this cello rendition of the X-Men: The Animated Series theme song.”]
In Abrams’ new book, X-Men: The Art and Making of the Animated Series, Lewald and X-Men staff writer Julia Lewald look back at their time working on the series and invite readers to gain a deeper understanding of just what all went into the production of every episode. In addition to interviews, the book also features hundreds of detailed character model sheets, high-resolution images of the show’s painted backgrounds, and script excerpts.
Regardless of what your specific interest in production is, the book almost certainly has something that’ll catch your eye — just take a look for yourself at the selection of exclusive pages down below.
X-Men: The Art and Making of the Animated Series hits stores on October 13.