Hello From the Magic Tavern podcast set to get the cartoon treatment

Hello From the Magic Tavern podcast set to get the cartoon treatment

Fans of the hit comedy improv podcast Hello From the Magic Tavern will soon have another way to enjoy their favorite show: on the small screen!

Play Hooky Productions, founded by Mark Berger and award-winning actor Sam Rockwell, is partnering with StarBurns Industries, the company involved with the creation of Rick & Morty, to adapt the long-running fantasy podcast into an animated series.  This news came just before the premiere of the podcast’s fifth season, which started March 18th.

The podcast, which debuted back in 2015, was created by hosts Arnie Niekamp, Matt Young, and Adal Rifai.  The show features a mix of storytelling, improv comedy, and absurdity as Arnie, along with his co-hosts Chunt the shapeshifter and Usidore the wizard, interview various characters from Foon. If you’re unfamiliar with the show, here’s a synopsis:

Hi! I’m Arnie. I fell through a portal behind a Burger King and found myself in a strange magical land called Foon. Somehow I’m getting a wi-fi signal so I host a weekly podcast, interviewing creatures, wizards, and adventurers. I recommend listening from the beginning. But hey, you do you.

In a joint statement, Rockwell and Berger were quoted as saying:

“As soon as we listened to the podcast, we fell in love with this world and these characters and quickly became fans. We can’t wait to continue to build Foon with Arnie, Matt, and Adal and add gorgeous animation from Starburns to the puzzle.”

Niekamp, Young, and Rifai had this to say regarding the new partnership:

“It’s been a lifelong dream to work with the amazing artists at Starburns and Play Hooky who want to help us create an animated series of Hello from the Magic Tavern, allowing us to tell familiar stories with a new twist in an exciting medium. We can’t wait for our fans to see what we’ve been up to.”

The animated show will follow host Arnie (played by Arnie Niekamp) and his newfound friends, the wizard Usidore the Blue (played by Matt Young) and Chunt the Talking Badger (played by Adal Rifai) as they interview all kinds of creatures, wizards, and adventurers in the fantastical land of Foon and beyond.