‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ revival is coming to Disney+
By Frank Pallotta, CNN Business
Get ready to have this theme song stuck in your head again. “X-Men: The Animated Series” is coming back.
“X-Men ’97,” a reboot of the beloved ’90s children’s show that followed the adventures of Marvel’s favorite mutants, will debut new episodes on Disney+ in 2023.
The announcement came Friday during Disney’s “Disney+ Day” celebration, which showed off a trove of content coming to the service — but X-Men stands out because it’s one of Marvel’s most popular brands.
The animated series was also the gateway to lifelong fandom for many aficionados, who later fell in love with the live-action Marvel films about Wolverine, Professor X, Magneto, Storm, and more.
The original series, which is available on Disney+, aired from 1992 to 1997. “X-Men ’97” will explore “new stories in the iconic ’90s timeline of the original series,” Disney said. The company tweeted about the announcement saying “we’ve missed you, too” alongside an image of an animated Wolverine mournfully looking at a picture while lying in bed — an image that has become a popular internet meme.
While the X-Men have always been a part of Marvel, they are not yet a part of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s because the films — which starred Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence and other big stars — were made at 20th Century Fox, which then held the rights to the group.
The X-Men franchise has made more than $6 billion at the global box office over 13 films, according to Comscore.
But now Disney owns Fox (or 20th Century Studios, as it’s now called) — and therefore the X-Men. That’s good news for Disney, as Marvel Studios will bring its fans with it. And adding the X-Men to Disney’s already blockbuster ranks makes Marvel even mightier.
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