*“The Sisters Grimm,” the animated fantasy adventure series based on Michael Buckley’s New York Times bestselling books, has officially arrived on Apple TV+. The six-episode series, produced by Titmouse and developed by showrunner Amy Higgins, follows two orphaned sisters who uncover secrets in a town inhabited by fairy-tale figures, all while searching for their missing parents.
For Buckley, seeing his world reimagined in animation has been both surreal and deeply rewarding. “It’s always scary when somebody wants to adapt something that you have written, especially something that means so much to me,” he said. “And luckily, Amy came along at the right time, because we had been in the nightmare of development for a very long time.”
He credited Higgins for honoring the essence of his original characters, explaining, “For me, the most important things were that Sabrina, the main character remains a little prickly… and it was very, very important to me that she did not get watered down, or made nice, because, you know, girls aren’t allowed to be difficult on television.”
Buckley also wanted to preserve the sharp humor of Puck, one of the series’ standout personalities. “He is the ultimate obnoxious little boy,” he said. “I didn’t want him to lose that edge… Amy understood those two things. And they were important to her, too.”
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Higgins, who previously worked on “Star vs. the Forces of Evil,” described the adaptation process as a delicate balancing act. “I did not take that venture lightly. It was not easy,” she said. “I remember a few times I was reading the book, like, how am I going to do this? I have six episodes. They’re 22 minutes long. How am I going to take a full book and cut (it) down?”
She approached the task with precision. “I distilled down the major beats. And then I went through methodically and said, okay, I can’t lose this. This is the most important part,” she explained. “ I squished a few things together that made the feeling of some of the elements that I had to cut out. You know, if I had to cut out like two or three elements to streamline it, I made them into sort of one chunk.”
That same meticulous care was extended to the series’ visual design. “I started out making these mood boards about each of the characters,” Higgins said. “What they felt like, how they moved, what they wear.” Every detail mattered — even Puck’s footwear. “I remember we had the huge conversation about Puck’s shoes. I’m like, no, he wouldn’t wear these shoes.”
The series also incorporates small personal touches. “Sabrina’s shirt… is a baseball shirt,” Higgins noted, adding that it reflects the character’s love of New York baseball. “Daphne has these little stars on her tights, because Elliot Blake’s daughter had stars, and it was just like this sweet, like extension of a character.”
Among Buckley’s favorite aspects of the adaptation is how Prince Charming’s story unfolds. “There’s a story arc that happens with Prince Charming that I’m really delighted with how it turned out,” he said. “In the story, Prince Charming is sort of a rusty hero who has gotten a little bit more self-involved and arrogant over hundreds of years… but the more I wrote about him… I could understand his point of view more. I think that Sabrina is the main character, but if there’s a second main character, it’s Prince Charming.”
Beyond the fantasy and humor, both creators hope the series connects with viewers on a human level. “I hope that they find a character that they identify with, especially in this time period that we’re in, where it’s hard to see eye to eye and the humanity in other people,” Buckley said. “Hopefully, I think that if kids and parents are watching this, they’re going to see that if Sabrina can do it, they can too. We all need to sit down, take a breath, and look at each other like human beings again.”
With its heartfelt storytelling, vivid animation, and timeless themes of family and resilience, “The Sisters Grimm” delivers an enchanting new chapter for fans — and a powerful introduction for those discovering its magic for the first time.
Watch our full conversation with Amy and Michael below.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Apple TV+ Unveils Trailer for Animated Fantasy Series ‘The Sisters Grimm,’ Premiering October 3
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