‘The Legend of Vox Machina‘ animated series first launched on Amazon Prime on January 28, 2022. A decade before the series first aired the birth of Vox Machina’s story (then known as “The Shit’s”) began during a birthday celebration amongst close friends who just so happened to be nerdy-ass voice actors. That group is now known as the cast of Critical Role. To prevent the writing of an entire book on this subject, this article will be an overarching view of the series as a whole. We will feature refined and broken down reviews in the future, so stay tuned!
The Legend of Vox Machina is an animated adaption of Critical Role’s first campaign. The original setting was created in Pathfinder and converted to Dungeons & Dragons when the group decided to stream the series live and thus, their adventures became viewable for the world to see. I myself was introduced to Critical Role as Vox Machina’s story was coming to an end and they had announced a second campaign was in the works. Now that second campaign (known as The Mighty Nein) is being converted into another animated series that will also be featured on Amazon Prime at a to-be-determined date. After years of playing via livestream, podcast recordings, and in-person events, Critical Role wanted to create something special for fans as a thank you for all of their support. After a record breaking response to an online crowdfunding event, the cast was able to create an entire series that has catapulted the franchise into the mainstream spotlight and allowed Critical Role to grow as a company beyond their wildest dreams.
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Now that we have the series backstory established, let’s dive into ‘The Legend of Vox Machina‘ (TLoVM). The animated series follows a group of seven friends turned found family called Vox Machina. The group consists of Keyleth of the Air Ashari (Half-Elf Druid), Pike Trickfoot (Gnome Cleric), Scanlan Shorthalt (Gnome Bard), Grog Strongjaw (Goliath Barbarian), the twins Vax’ildan Vessar aka “Vax” (Half-Elf Rogue) and Vex’halia Vessar aka “Vex” (Half-Elf Ranger), and Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, aka “Percy” (Human Fighter). Notably, the group features a special companion names Trinket, who is Vex’ahlia’s right hand Bear. He may not always be present, but he is fiercely loyal to Vex and the rest of Vox Machina. Scanlan may not be a fan, but I sure am! Though the series is animated, it is FAR from family-friendly. TLoVM features sexual innuendos/scenes, nudity, excessive drinking, smoking, drug use, violence, gore, blood, horror, death, profanity, torture, and more. So, it is best to watch the series when younger audience members are not present or within ear shot.
There is so much more to this series than the content warnings may lead you to believe. At the core of the show there are stories about the importance of love, family, friendship, trust, loyalty, and sacrifice. Frequently, Vox Machina finds themselves at the center of political strife, world dominating ideals, dangerous expeditions, and some of the most challenging and emotional issues including conflict within themselves, their pasts, and/or the group.
Critical Role and Titmouse (the series animation studio), found the perfect balance between modern technology and classic animation styles. For the generation that was raised on “Saturday Morning Cartoons” and/or a love for Anime, the show has a nostalgic feel while also managing high octane battle scenes and depictions that leave audiences ready and waiting eagerly for the next episode or season. The showrunners also maintain a delicate balance between featuring key moments that long time fans were eager to see animated while keeping the story fresh, original, and interesting. There were plenty of surprises for even the most dedicated viewers to enjoy (or critique depending on expectations). Though it would be a massive feat to bring together and introduce everyone who made an appearance in the original streams, the cast is diverse and features a variety of talent.
Utilizing their voice acting skills in The Legend of Vox Machina series, the original cast of Critical Role including Matthew Mercer (Sylas Briarwood/Various Voices), Marisha Ray (Keyleth), Ashley Johnson (Pike), Sam Reigel (Scanlan), Travis Willingham (Grog), Liam O’Brien (Vax), Laura Bailey (Vex), and Taliesin Jaffe (Percy) reprise their original characters from the live stream/podcast. The show also features the vocal talents of Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Obi Wan Kenobi), David Tennant (Doctor Who, Good Omens) Kelly Hu (Phineas and Ferb, Young Justice), Esme Creed-Miles (Silver Haze, Hanna), Sunil Malhotra (The Legend of Korra, Blaze and the Monster Machines), Cree Summer (Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Rugrats), Stephanie Beatriz (Encanto, Brooklyn Nine Nine), Grey Griffin (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Invincible), Gina Torres (Suits, Hannibal), Aisling Franciosi (Game of Thrones, Speak No Evil), Will Friedle (Boy Meets World, Kim Possible), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Naruto), Felicia Day (Supernatural, Mystery Science Theater 3000) and the late Lance Reddick (John Wick, Fringe) who bring some of Mercer’s Non-Player Characters (NPC’s) and guest characters to life on screen.
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The Legend of Vox Machina releases on Amazon Prime in 3-episode increments weekly during the premiere period with episodes running around 25+ mins in length. This give feature length film content weekly to enjoy and ample time to emotionally process the heavier storylines before the next round of episodes. You know a series is done well when fans are eager for more content and that is one of the chief complaints from viewers with every season. From a entertainment standpoint, TLoVM does well to stand on its own and has brought thousands of fans into the world of Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPG). The show is a love letter to fans who have been with the cast for nearly a decade and give a refreshing and nostalgic experience to new viewers looking to follow along with Vox Machina’s adventures.
Like many others, we are excited for what The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4 has in store and what The Mighty Nein animated series will entail. Here’s to hoping Amazon will also be interested in featuring a Bell’s Hells animated series as well! Have you seen The Legend of Vox Machina on Amazon Prime? Will you be checking out the series if you are just hearing about it? What are you excited to see in Season 4? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Be sure to check back here at Variant Ventures for all things Gaming and Entertainment!
