Gather your grease paint, arrange your summoning circle, and raise your horns for when one of the most outrageous concepts for an animated series rises from the flames with Belzebubs! Created by J.P. Ahonen and based on the beloved webcomic of the same name, Belzebubs emerged as a standout at Cartoon Forum this year after pitching a thirteen-part family sitcom centering on a Satanic family and their patriarch's black metal band.
Made up of 22-minute episodes, the black-and-white, 2D series acts like a cross between ABC's Modern Family meets The Addams Family that introduces you to “your average devil-worshipping family next door.”
Characters include dad and death metal band member Sloth, his photographer with Lucyfer, and their two teen children, Lilith and Leviathan. Together, they make up an unconventional family that could rival the Addamses in terms of their love of the occult as well as all things dark and full of terrors.
Belzebubs is being made through Finnish animation studio Pyjama Films and is already being backed by Finland’s national broadcaster YLE.
Would you believe that J.P. is a good buddy of mine? It's true, we've known each other since NYCC 2012 and even share the same birthday. In talking with J.P. this morning, he filled me in on how the project is coming along.
The series is definitely a go, and we have a good situation with the funding, as the Finnish national broadcaster YLE is bringing in a big chunk of the budget. We’re already rolling forward and I’m writing scripts as we speak. What we’re currently looking for is 25% gap funding and of course would want to see this go as global as possible right from the start, since the majority of our fans come from the US and Canada, South America and Europe. Finland is approximately the sixth if you look at the top ten countries from the social media stats.
In addition to existing as a must-read webcomic, Belzebubs is also a virtual band that in recent years has turned the heads of the black metal community with their thunderous sound and Gorillaz-like animated presentation.
According to Variety, the first season of Belzebubs will center around Sloth's struggle in his combined duties as a stay-at-home dad and frontman of a black metal band. Speaking of which, just wait until you meet Hubbath, Obesyx, and Samael. They're positively hilarious and will be more than pleased to melt your face right off your skull using nothing but the blackest of metal.
We'll be sure to keep you updated on developments for Belzebubs as the project continues to come together. In the meantime, be sure to check out the Belzebubs webcomic collection from Top Shelf Productions wherever fine comic books are sold. You can also check out the ongoing webcomic by checking Ahonen's Instagram feed.
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed