Disney+ - Percy Jackson and the Olympians: A mythical rebirth to discover from December 20

By Mulder, 14 december 2023

Although Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is one of the best-loved (and longest-running) children's book series of the 2000s, its adaptation into animated film has not been easy, to say the least. The series' first foray into animation, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010), met with a scathing response from fans (mainly due to the many creative liberties taken with the source material) and a less-than-favorable critical reception.

Almost a decade and a half later, Percy Jackson is back on screens, this time with a much more faithful adaptation. Although it doesn't quite capture the humor and zest of the novels, Percy Jackson and the Olympians makes an admirable effort to remain faithful to the novels, and the ensemble cast of young talent is a promising start to the new series.

Starring Walker Scobell, Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows the titular hero, a troubled 12-year-old boy who discovers that his ADHD, dyslexia and talent for getting into sticky situations are actually signs that he's a demigod: the predestined son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. With the help of his best friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri), a satyr, and Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), Athena's daughter, Percy embarks on a quest to recover the lightning bolt stolen from Zeus and learn more about the magical world that has been hidden beneath the surface all his life.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians' greatest strength is undoubtedly its attention to detail. From production design to casting to episode titles, the series shows great affection for the novels - a deliberate correction no doubt motivated by the unconvincing film adaptations. Honoring the source material also means introducing a much younger cast, and while the children may not have all the nuances of the older, experienced actors, there's an apparent reverence for the characters and a tenacity present in their performances that more than smoothes over any rough edges.

However, even if the heart is in the right place, Percy Jackson and the Olympians isn't the perfect adaptation either - there's a very specific and pervasive sense of humor in the novels that the series hasn't yet managed to capture, and the series' attention to detail makes the first two episodes feel bogged down by exposition and world-building. If Percy Jackson the Disney+ series has a longevity comparable to that of Percy Jackson the book series, fans can rest assured that Scobell and company are (finally) doing justice to a childhood icon. TV-PG, eight 40-minute episodes.

They say you should never meet your childhood heroes. Even fictional heroes don't always hold up - problematic creators, disappointing endings, stories that don't stand the test of time - and the inevitable adaptations of these gigantic stories risk falling flat and failing to capture the magic of the original. But fans of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson novels - whether new or old, as there's sure to be a resurgence of interest - can take heart in knowing that Percy Jackson and the Olympians, currently streaming on Disney+, is more than worthy of its source material and the immense mythology that underpins it. Riordan himself co-created and executive produced the series with Jon Steinberg, both of whom were heavily involved in the production and writing. For adults who discovered Percy in 2005, or for new generations joining the quest with time to spare (a seventh novel is scheduled for publication in 2024), this hero is well worth meeting.

Walker Scobell stars as 12-year-old Percy, a boy who grew up listening to his mother (Virginia Kull) tell him stories about the Greek gods, before realizing he was the offspring of one of them. When Olympus bursts into Percy's world, he joins a camp for other children of gods (demigods, or half-bloods) and embarks on a treacherous mission.

Walker Scobell, who more than proved his talent in The Adam Project, doesn't have much to do in the first four episodes as an actor; he mostly engages in stunts and fights while exploring shades of fear and confusion, but even this works expertly with his pubescent character's epiphanies and flights of fancy. Anyone familiar with the young actor's potential will be eagerly awaiting Percy's odyssey to blossom, and until then, the stunts remain captivating, as do the accompanying visual effects, especially the monsters, all under the direction of Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson and James Bobin. In the TV format, the story takes the form of a monster or villain of the week, with Percy and his friends battling powerful forces trying to prevent the success of their mission.

And while our hero's range is set aside - if only to be saved for later - the team around him gets a chance to shine, perhaps most notably Aryan Simhadri as Percy's best friend and protector Grover. Not only is Simhadri sweet and funny, but it turns out that his character is actually 24 years old, giving the 17-year-old actor's performance an extra dimension of entertainment. The trio is rounded out by Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth, a defiant but reliable daughter of Athena, whose loyalty depends on Percy himself being honest (which he isn't always). Elsewhere, the Olympus team includes a parade of prolific guest stars, from Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus (truly inspired casting) to Megan Mullally as Alecto, to Suzanne Cryer in the spellbinding role of Echidna in episode 4 (still to come...) : Jay Duplass as Hades, Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus and Lance Reddick as Zeus).

The series can be a little heavy on exposition - not its fault, when there's not only a fantasy world to build but also an existing mythology to tell - which occasionally muddles the pace when it comes to which explanations make it to the screen and which don't. But the action-fantasy project comes at a critical time for Disney, capitalizing on the nostalgia of millennials while targeting younger audiences and franchise opportunities outside the diminishing returns of Marvel/Lucasfilm (season 1 is ostensibly only the events of the first book, The Lightning Thief). Four of the eight episodes have been screened for critics, but if they're any indication, Percy Jackson is reborn not only faithful to Riordan's novels, but a fitting addition to its streaming home.

Despite a few missteps, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a solid and promising debut for the long-awaited live-action adaptation. Its attachment to the source material and the potential for character development give hope for an exciting future. As Percy and his friends navigate the world of gods, monsters and demigods, longtime fans and newcomers alike are sure to find something to love in this mythic return to Disney+.

Synopsis: 
The adventures of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, who has just accepted his new supernatural powers when the mighty Zeus accuses him of stealing his lightning bolt. Percy must travel the United States to restore order on Olympus.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Created by Rick Riordan, Jonathan E. Steinberg
Based on Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan
Starring Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri
Theme music composer : Bear McCreary
Composer: Sparks & Shadows
Executive producers: Jonathan E. Steinberg, Dan Shotz Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, D. J. Goldberg, Bert Salke, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Monica Owusu-Breen, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson
Producer : John Catron
Cinematography : Pierre Gill, Jules O'Loughlin
Editors : Stewart Schill, Colleen Rafferty, Curtis Thurber
Running time : 39-43 minutes
Production companies : Co-Lab21, The Gotham Group, Mythomagic, Quaker Moving Pictures, 20th Television, Disney Branded Television
Network : Disney+
Release December 19, 2023 - present

Photos : Copyright Disney +

Rating : 4/5