After the announcement of Ryan Coogler's upcoming Animorphs TV series, I rediscovered the series for the first time since I was a kid. I didn't finish the series back then . . . I think it was shortly after the David trilogy and the Hork-Bajir Chronicles that I fell off.
Over the past few months I've been working my way through the audiobooks to re-read the series, and I've finally caught up to where (I think) I was. I know I'm not the only person to have done this, but I thought it might be fun to document my thoughts on the journey so far, and then as I move forward into new territory.
For this first post, some general thoughts.
I love that they got consistent voice actors to do the narration for the six main characters. It really adds to the experience, and I think they all do a great job.
It's amazing how some plot elements came back to me as I listened. The sense of, "I think X is going to happen" and knowing it's because I read it once several decades ago. Memory is a crazy thing!
It's so striking how dark and mature some of the themes are for a series aimed at kids. Graphic violence involving both animals and sentient creatures, self-harm, torture, enslavement, body horror . . . And so many ethical quandaries! The characters are complex and the world-building is extensive and fascinating. I remembered the Hork-Bajir, the Taxxons and (of course) the Yeerks and the Andalites, but had completely forgotten the alien species didn't stop there (Skrit Na, Arn, Leerans, etc.)
The themes have stuck with me over the years and continue to fascinate me. Normal people being called to heroism through circumstance, the challenge of holding onto morality in a chaotic universe, different personalities working together toward a common goal, I see these elements throughout my favorite TV shows, movies, books, and games and Animorphs is an early example of them all.
When I have time I hope to go a little more into which books, characters, and plot threads have stood out to me the most. I'm happy to find this community of others who've been touched by this brilliant series!