I was visiting the Dreamworks Animation campus in Glendale, California on Tuesday, on a parenting blogger press event for the upcoming The Croods, and unexpectedly received not only a look at the upcoming Turbo movie but a hint of the basis for Netflix’s first original series for kids.
Turbo is the story of a snail who dreams of racing glory and gets his chance when he accidentally is gifted with super speed. Director David Soren, when introducing two clips from the movie, described the story as a mix of racing cars and superheroes, and the clips definitely showcased the melding of those two genres.
In the first clip I watched, which part of the opening sequence, Turbo dreams of racing glory and is unexpectedly exposed to a chemical that changes him. In the second, Turbo was introduced to a group of racing snails just as his ability kicks in. Both clips were very entertaining, giving a far better view of the story than the current trailer. The movie will be released on July 19th.
Turbo the Snail, the star of a new movie and upcoming Netflix original series. Photo from Dreamworks.
It’s the snail racing team that will be the focus of the just announced Turbo F.A.S.T. on Netflix. That’s likely good news for viewers, as that team was a fascinating group of normal snails who nevertheless still managed to do impossible things. (Naturally, given they are led by Samuel L. Jackson.)
In their press release, Dreamworks said the new series “picks up where the feature film leaves off. It showcases the world-traveling exploits of our snail hero and his tricked-out racing crew as they master outrageous new stunts and challenge any villain unlucky enough to cross their path.”
It’s unclear yet as to whether the voice actors from the movie will return in the series, scheduled to be released on Netflix in December. This is the second original series from Netflix, though the first for kids. The first series was House of Cards, which went live with its entire first season on February 1st.
