Adventure Time: Side Quests premieres June 29 on Disney+ and Hulu, marking the first time any Adventure Time series has streamed on a Disney platform, while HBO Max has separately given a 10-episode straight-to-series order for an entirely new spinoff, Adventure Time: Bubblegum and Marceline.
Adventure Time: Side Quests on Disney+
Side Quests is a prequel set during Finn the Human’s childhood, focusing on the early development of his bond with his best friend Jake the Dog before the events of the original series. The series shifts away from the heavier serialized storytelling of recent franchise entries like Fionna and Cake, returning instead to lighter, standalone episodic adventures in the style of the original show’s earliest seasons.
Sasha Knight voices Finn, with John DiMaggio returning as Jake. The cast also brings back Tom Kenny as Ice King, Hynden Walch as Princess Bubblegum, Olivia Olson as Marceline, and Niki Yang as BMO. Nate Cash serves as showrunner and executive producer, with Victor Courtright and Niki Yang directing, Nick Cross as art director, and Matthew Janszen composing the score. The opening theme is a reimagined version of the original series’ theme song performed by the band The Moldy Peaches.
“Making Side Quests felt like making the original Adventure Time, which felt like hanging out with art school buddies making professional cartoons,” Cash said. “You’re going to love these NEW adventures with Finn & Jake!”
The simultaneous Disney+ and Hulu release in the United States is notable, since Adventure Time has exclusively lived on Cartoon Network and HBO Max for its entire 16-year history. The series will still air on Cartoon Network and HBO Max internationally, but not until October 5, more than three months after the Disney+ premiere.
Adventure Time: Bubblegum and Marceline at HBO Max
In a separate announcement, HBO Max has ordered a 10-episode straight-to-series season of Adventure Time: Bubblegum and Marceline, following the success of HBO Max Originals Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake and Adventure Time: Distant Lands. Emmy winner Adam Muto, who previously served as showrunner on those projects, continues in that role as showrunner and executive producer for the new series.
The new show follows Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen as they journey across the farthest reaches of Ooo, encountering familiar faces alongside new dangers. Amy Gravitt, Executive Vice President of HBO and HBO Max Comedy Programming, said the team can’t wait to see where Muto’s imagination takes the franchise next. Sam Register, President of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, called Adventure Time one of the most inventive and beloved worlds in animation.
Muto said continuing in the spirit of Fionna and Cake, he was excited the next series would center two more of his favorite characters in Bubblegum and Marceline, calling it a chance to revisit old friends while expanding the Adventure Time universe further. The series is executive produced by Muto alongside Fred Seibert and Sam Register, produced in partnership with Cartoon Network Studios.
Our Take: Having two new Adventure Time projects announced within the same window, on two completely different streaming ecosystems, says a lot about how valuable this IP remains nearly a decade and a half after it first premiered. Side Quests landing on Disney+ is the more surprising move given Adventure Time’s entire history on Cartoon Network and HBO Max, and it signals real interest from Disney in building out family animation content beyond its own library. Bubblegum and Marceline getting a full 10-episode order, rather than another limited special, also suggests HBO Max sees real continued demand for these characters specifically.
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Adventure Time Expands With Disney+ Side Quests and HBO Max Bubblegum and Marceline Series
