Nickelodeon and Mattel Giving Us a “Monster High” Live-Action Movie & Animated Series Reboot!

February 23, 2021 Farid-ul-Haq
monster high 2022 reboot
Monster High (Image: Screengrab)

The prayers of Monster High fans around the globe have been answered. The franchise is ready to deliver some amazing content with Mattel and Nickelodeon working together to reboot the Monster High franchise with a live-action movie and a new animated series!

According to Deadline, the upcoming Monster High projects will feature Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura, and Frankie Stein. I’m a bit disappointed we will have to wait until 2022 for the projects to premiere. But at least we can look forward to exciting promo material. And we will be getting a new doll line, right? We have to!

While I understand certain fans comparing the upcoming reboot with the original animated web series, I trust the current creative teams.

The Monster High animated series reboot will have Shea Fontana as showrunner. Fontana is the co-creator of the highly-popular and enjoyable DC Superhero Girls. Claudia Spinelli (SVP Animation Development) will be overseeing the project for Nickelodeon. From Mattel’s side, we have executive producer Adam Bonnett and Christopher Keenan (SVP Content Development).   

As for the live-action musical film, we have Jenny Jaffe, a writer on the Big Hero 6 TV series. Jaffe’s also working on a new version of Rugrats. Jaffe’s co-writers for the Monster High musical film are Greg Erb and Jason Oremland (Princess and the Frog). So, yeah, I have high hopes.

Production on the Monster High TV movie is being overseen by Nickelodeon’s SVP Live-Action Zack Olin and SVP Live-Action Scripted Content Shauna Phelan. Adam Bonnett is also leading the live-action project for Mattel.

With how things have evolved in the animation landscape, I’m definitely looking forward to new Monster High content that doesn’t shy away from canon queer representation. If you read the quotes from the creatives, the signs seem to be pointing in the right direction.

“Monster High’s strong message of inclusivity is more relevant than ever,” said Fred Soulie, General Manager, Mattel Television. “Nickelodeon shares our passion for the brand and its purpose having worked on the franchise when it first launched more than a decade ago. They are the ideal partners to bring these beloved characters and their stories to life through episodic television and the live-action television movie.”

Mattel’s Adam Bonnet added, “This property has always resonated deeply with fans and our reimagination of the franchise will focus on addressing important themes of identity and empowerment for kids today.”

Fingers crossed said important themes push the needle further and build on the content shows like Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, etc. have delivered.

YouTuber Clawdeena9 made a very interesting video about which characters in the Monster High franchise were supposed to be queer. According to Clawdeena9’s video, some of the queer characters (or characters who were hinted at being queer) include Clawdeen, Neighthan Rot, and Kieran Valentine.

Apparently, back in 2010, TPTB decided it wasn’t the right time to have queer characters in a franchise primarily aimed at a younger audience. With the upcoming projects looking at a 2022 release, let’s see if the TPTB will think it will be “the right time” next year. 

We will be keeping an eye on the new projects. From what I have seen, the Monster High fandom is excited especially for the live-action musical TV movie. Being the first live-action entry for the franchise, fans are looking forward to who will get cast because the characters represent a wide range of racial and cultural backgrounds.

Feel free to share your thoughts with us.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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1 thought on “Nickelodeon and Mattel Giving Us a “Monster High” Live-Action Movie & Animated Series Reboot!”

  1. Clawdeen was not intended to be queer according to Garrett Sanders. He said clearly “while this was not in the original plans, he liked the idea of Clawdeen being queer”. Kieran and Neighthon were the only characters he stated he wanted to make a queer storyline for. People insinuated Clawdeen was queer due to an outfit she wore. They asked hm about it and he said while this was not intended originally, he was down for it. He also stated Finnagen was meant to be LGBTQ.

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