Percy Jackson and the Olympians is the kind of Sunday tea-time family television that sadly feels lacking in our superhero-dominated streaming world. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (season one) is now streaming on Disney+.
Rick Riordan’s ever-popular Percy Jackson series first arrived on our screens in 2010 with Chris Columbus’ Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, a cracking adventure film led by the brilliant Logan Lerman. However, it hardly set cinemas alight, and while its popularity grew thanks to DVD and Blu-ray, the follow-up Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters was a disappointing mess.
Much of the criticism of Percy Jackson on-screen came from the divergence from Riordan’s Young Adult books and the choice to cast older actors in leading roles. Therefore, by 2013, it appeared Percy Jackson would never return, and like so many promising YA adaptations, Jackson’s adventures would abruptly come to an end. But there was gold in Riordan’s books, something Disney recognised when they purchased 20th Century Fox. Instead of launching another movie franchise, Disney would revive Percy Jackson on its streaming service, focusing on one book per season.
Disney made the right choice by bringing in Riordan as a creative consultant to ensure the on-screen adventures largely matched the pages of his Young Adult classics; however, changes remain, mainly due to the page-to-screen translation.
The real genius of the Disney+ reboot lies in its casting. Walker Scobell’s Percy is fabulous alongside Aryan Simhadri’s Grover and Leah Jeffries’ Annabeth Chase. Their ages match the books perfectly, and their charm is effervescent; however, that won’t last as puberty kicks in and the boys quickly become men and the girls women between season premieres.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is the kind of Sunday tea-time family television that sadly feels lacking in our superhero-dominated streaming world. It’s safe, adventurous, charming, and epic. If there was ever a sign that Disney+ needs to embrace new (non-Marvel) stories, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is it, and with The Artful Dodger also on the way, maybe Disney is moving into a post-Marvel streaming world.
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