''Hellboy Animated'' are original

straight-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

adult animated films based upon the ''

Hellboy Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers ...

'' comic books by

Mike Mignola Mike Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', '' Abe Sapien'', '' Lobster Johnson'', '' Wit ...

. Both films take place before the events of the 2004 ''

'' film and contains the full-length titles named '' Sword of Storms'' and '' Blood and Iron'', received the signature of

and

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...

. Like the live-action films, it was co-produced by

Revolution Studios Revolution Studios Distribution Company, LLC is an American motion picture and television studio headed by Chief Executive Officer Scott Hemming. The company focuses primarily on the distribution, remake and sequel rights to titles in its librar ...

. Both films were distributed by

Anchor Bay Entertainment Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television ser ...

, instead of

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

(first film),

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

( second film), and

Lawrence Gordon Productions Lawrence Gordon (born March 25, 1936) is an American producer and motion picture executive. He specializes in producing action-oriented films and other genres. Some of his most popular productions include ''Predator'' (1987), '' Die Hard'' (19 ...

(both live-action films). A third film was being planned but was never

greenlit To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead". Film industry In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...

. Both films were re-released in

Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Bl ...

as a double feature by

Lionsgate Home Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered in ...

on April 12, 2019.

Cast

Ron Perlman Ronald Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in ''Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in the television series ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1987–199 ...

, who played

in the live-action films, reprises his role in the animated version.

Selma Blair Selma Blair Beitner (born June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She played a number of roles in films and on television before obtaining recognition for her leading role in the film '' Brown's Requiem'' (1998). Her breakthrough came when she s ...

and

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

also reprise their roles from the film of

Liz Sherman Elizabeth Anne "Liz" Sherman is a fictional character appearing in the ''Hellboy'' comic book series created by Mike Mignola. A firestarter, she becomes a ward of the B.P.R.D. at age 11 after burning her family to death in a traumatic acciden ...

and Professor

Trevor Bruttenholm Trevor Bruttenholm ( alias: Prof. Trevor Broom) is a fictional character in the comic book series '' Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola and John Byrne. His first appearance was in the comic book '' Hellboy: Seed of Destruction'' issue #1 (1994). ...

, respectively. The voice of

Abe Sapien Abraham Sapien, born Langdon Everett Caul, is a fictional character introduced in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola. He takes his name from "''Ichthyo sapien''", the fanciful species designation chosen for him by his co ...

is Doug Jones, who played Abe in prosthetic work in the live-action movies but did not provide the voice for the first film (Abe's vocals for that film were done by an uncredited

David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is an American actor and director of stage, film and television. He starred as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, and won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Screen ...

). He did, however, voice the character in the second film. Kate Corrigan is voiced by

Peri Gilpin Peri Gilpin (born Peri Kay Oldham; May 27, 1961) is an American actress. She portrayed Roz Doyle in the television series ''Frasier'' and Kim Keeler in the ABC Family television drama ''Make It or Break It''. She is due to reprise the role of R ...

. Music is by

Christopher Drake Christopher Drake is an American film, television and video game composer. Drake was selected by director Guillermo del Toro to provide the music for the first two 75-minute animated films, '' Hellboy: Sword of Storms'' and '' Hellboy: Blood an ...

Films

''Sword of Storms''

In ''Sword of Storms'' (2006), Hellboy and

Kate Corrigan Katherine Corrigan is a fictional character from the ''Hellboy'' and '' B.P.R.D.'' comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics and created by Mike Mignola. Her appearance is based on Mignola's wife, Christine. Within the world of the comics ...

are dispatched to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

to solve the mystery of a professor possessed by the Japanese demons Thunder and Lightning. The demons wish to get their hands on a powerful haunted sword, which will free them, and allow them to unleash their

brothers A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

and destroy the world. While Hellboy is sent into an alternate dimension, facing Yokai on the way, his B.P.R.D. teammates, Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman, try to stop one of the Dragons on the first wave of the coming chaos.

''Blood and Iron''

''Hellboy: Blood and Iron'' (2007) deals with Professor Trevor Bruttenholm's experience with a vampiress (the blood countess) in 1934 and the present day. Hellboy also faces off against

Hecate Hecate or Hekate, , ; grc-dor, Ἑκάτᾱ, Hekátā, ; la, Hecatē or . is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later periods depicte ...

Short film

The DVD for ''Hellboy: Blood and Iron'' also includes a bonus short called ''Hellboy: Iron Shoes''.

Comics

As with the DC animated universe's spin-off comic books,

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

released three volumes under the ''Hellboy Animated'' range. These continued the adventures of the animated characters. *'' Hellboy Animated'': ** ''The Black Wedding'' (80 pages, January 2007, ) contains: *** "The Black Wedding" (written by Jim Pascoe with art by Rick Lacy) *** "Pyramid of Death" (written by

Tad Stones Edward T. "Tad" Stones (born May 28, 1952) is an American animator, storyboard artist, screenwriter, producer and director, best known for his work for The Walt Disney Company, where he worked from 1974 to 2003. His most notable credits for Disn ...

with art by Fabio Laguna) ** ''Judgment Bell'' (80 pages, June 2007, ) contains: *** "The Judgment Bell" (written by Jim Pascoe with art by Rick Lacy) *** Unspecified (written by Tad Stones) ** ''The Menagerie'' (80 pages, December 2007, ) contains: *** "The Menagerie" (written by Jason Hall with art by Rick Lacy) *** "Small Victories" (written by

Nate Piekos Blambot is the name of an online type foundry and is the alias of typographer Nate Piekos. Blambot specializes in typefaces for use as lettering in both print and online comics.Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...

exclusive.

References

External links

Official ''Hellboy Animated'' production blog
{{Hellboy Film series introduced in 2006

Animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

Action film series Fantasy film series Adventure film series Animated film series