Fast-forward to now and creator George RR Martin<\/a> <\/span>is suggesting<\/span> that three franchise animations are in the works, pivoting the Nine Voyages spin-off from live-action.<\/span><\/p>\n At this point, we have to stress \u2013 this isn\u2019t a continuation of where things left off after the season 8 finale<\/a>. Think of it instead as a new branch on the same tree, exploring the same world at the same point in time, only focusing on different stories. <\/span><\/p>\n Even better, said stories will now have a whole new visual style to explore. Given how intricate the main series was, any animation should be nothing less than breathtaking.<\/span><\/p>\n However, as the world of Game of Thrones<\/a> continues to expand commercially, the move to animation begs the question: why bother? <\/span><\/p>\n Fans of the main series will remember (or might choose not to) how abysmally badly season 8 ended \u2013 so much so that it completely eclipsed its former reputation of being an unmissable show. We watched, we left and we moved on, still with a bitter aftertaste in our mouths.<\/span><\/p>\n As of November 2023, it was estimated that at least six more Game of Thrones spin-offs were somewhere in the development pipeline. <\/span><\/p>\n So, at what point does this hit expansion for expansion\u2019s sake? As Martin wrote himself on his <\/span>personal blog<\/span><\/a>: \u201cThere\u2019s a whole world out there. And we have a lot better chance of showing it all with animation. So we now have three animated projects underway.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n With this in mind, animation is possibly looked at as the potential saviour of a franchise with a rocky history. At first glance, this is totally understandable. Who doesn\u2019t like being whisked away to a world where everything is obviously make-believe? After all, isn\u2019t that why Game of Thrones worked so well in the first place?<\/span><\/p>\n If nothing else, this approach from the show\u2019s creative eggheads could then be doing animation a huge disservice. Already looked upon as a genre rather than an art form, animation isn\u2019t exactly an easy beast to tame, needing barrels of time, history and understanding. <\/span><\/p>\n Though the franchise IP is incredibly strong, it\u2019s now entering into an arena it hasn\u2019t dealt with before, stacking up to the likes of anime titans<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Away from the hallmarks of Game of Thrones, animation has hit a global boom. Anime, in particular, is growing in popularity internationally, with success stories such as One Piece<\/a> and Avatar: The Last Airbender<\/a> making the transition from cartoon to live-action. <\/span><\/p>\n In effect, Martin is planning the reverse strategy, perhaps with the hopes of capitalising on this thirsty demand.<\/span><\/p> There\u2019s no two ways about it: Game of Thrones is likely to struggle \u2013 or unlikely to be successfully revived \u2013 by an animated series. <\/span><\/p>\n Competition is already extremely fierce, with fan doubt possibly holding over from the sour note that season 8 created. There seems to be little value in continuing to explore the world in its \u201cpresent\u201d day, not building on anything that wasn\u2019t already bludgeoned by the series finale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If there is no value, then the animation itself will suffer. Anime or cartoon shows perform at their best when they are enriched with unique storytelling \u2013 just look at Blue Eye Samurai<\/a> or Invincible<\/a>. If that authenticity is dulled, then so is the end product, resembling something that instead looks like a cheap cash grab.<\/span><\/p> ![\"George](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2018\/04\/GettyImages-164018882-639177e-e1704277824237.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"George")
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