While full of colorful locations, quirky characters, and catchy songs, there has always been a bit of a sad streak running through Adventure Time. From the fact it takes place after a nuclear war to the reveal that its main ‘villain,’ Ice King, is actually a tragic figure who sacrificed his sanity to save a child, the writers have planted some dark material throughout its otherwise bright and positive universe. So it’s not surprising how well the concept lends itself to a reimagining by Gritty Reboots, a YouTube channel that “takes popular and nostalgic video games, TV shows, comics, and more and turns them into gritty, cinematic trailers.”
A project of the Cinesaurus group, Gritty Reboots has created an Adventure Time trailer that is more melancholic than mathematical. Magic is leaving the Land of Ooo (which is a great cover for using found locations in the everyday world), and Finn and Jake have to find a way to save their world—even if it potentially means destroying everyone they hold dear. A lot of the dialogue is lifted directly from the series, though it’s now in a newer, sadder context. And it appears that this version has met with Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward’s approval as he tweeted out:
Live Action Adventure Time: https://t.co/9yJkg0rb2l – this is super nice y’all.. reading silly lines sincerely is really nice.
— Sindletomb Horrored (@buenothebear) October 7, 2014
While no one would want a gritty reboot of Adventure Time, it is still impressive how much craft and care went into this video.