Netflix Expands Slate of Kids Animated Programs With ‘Daniel Spellbound’ Series

Kids (and children at heart), prepare to be mystified: Netflix has summoned “Daniel Spellbound,” a new CG-animated series about a young seller of rare magical goods to sorcerers and sorceresses in modern-day New York City. The show will be produced in collaboration with creator and director Matt Fernandes (“Dino Ranch,” “Remy & Boo,” “Kingdom Force”), co-founder of Toronto-based studio Industrial Brothers.

The upcoming Netflix series, made in partnership with Industrial Brothers and Boat Rocker Media, joins the streamer’s expanding slate of kids and family animated programs on the platform, including “Kid Cosmic” from PowerPuff Girls creator Craig McCracken, which debuted on Feb. 2. Other titles arriving in 2021 are “City of Ghosts” from “Adventure Time” and “Phineas & Ferb” alum Elizabeth Ito, and “Maya and the Three” from Mexican animator and writer Jorge Gutierrez, most known for his work on the Emmy-award winning “El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera” Nicktoon and on the Golden Globe-nominated film “The Book of Life.”

“We’re very excited to finally announce a project that we developed and pitched over three years ago, and couldn’t be happier to be producing it with Netflix. Matt and I always envisioned this story would inspire kids and families around the world and it’s incredible to now see these magical worlds come to life,” said Jon Rutherford, president of kids and family rights at Boat Rocker Studios. Rutherford will also serve as an executive producer on the show, alongside Fernandes.

The titular protagonist of “Daniel Spellbound” is described as a tracker of magical ingredients who helps out witches and wizards in procuring items for their elixirs. But, when he discovers a strange ingredient, Daniel gets unwanted attention from dangerous alchemists — all while the secret magical world hangs in the balance.

“I wanted to create a contemporary fantasy world that reflected urban culture — not just set in a magical world, but where the magic is woven into the fabric of modern society, only hidden in plain sight. I had always been curious about how wizards actually acquired the strange ingredients for their spells. Is there a corner store that has them? And who is the guy that finds all that weird stuff? From that point, Daniel Spellbound was born,” Fernandes said.

The animated adventure series will debut globally on Netflix sometime in 2022. Joining Fernandes and Rutherford as executive producers are Industrial Brothers co-founder Arthur Spanos and executive VP of production Tammy Semen, and  Boat Rocker Studios’ Ivan Schneeberg, David Fortier and Chapman Maddox. Cartoon writer Merrill Hagan, who has worked on numerous “Teen Titans Go,” “The Magic School Bus” and “Danger Mouse” episodes, has been tapped as the show’s executive story editor.