If you’ve recently finished watching the fantasy series The Sandman on Netflix and can’t wait for the next instalment… Good thing Netflix is willing to provide a hand! Although the streamer has not yet announced a Season 2 renewal, they have announced the availability of a bonus episode. The two-part episode will focus on a different arc from the Sandman comic book series, but will otherwise follow the same formula as the main plot, with Dream (Tom Sturridge) tending to his domain while other beings from other worlds appear and disappear. Short tales “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” and “Calliope” will be presented in the bonus episode’s two parts. In the former, a Siamese cat loses faith in mankind after witnessing a terrible murder, and the story is one of the most well-known in the Sandman canon. After that, she meets Dream, who whisks her away to a fantastic alternate reality. Series author Neil Gaiman wrote the tale.
The plot of “Calliope” centres on a depressed writer who has written a successful novel but is stuck and unable to produce a sequel. Then, he makes a pact with a supernatural power in order to rediscover his lost inspiration. An all-star voice ensemble, including Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Rosie Day (Living the Dream), David Gyasi (Interstellar), James McAvoy (X-Men film series), David Tennant (Doctor Who), Michael Sheen (The Twilight Saga), and Tom Wu (Crazy Rich Asians), will bring the cat narrative to life in animated form (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw). Hisko Hulsing, who directed and designed the stunningly beautiful Prime Video animated science fiction series Undone, is responsible for the episode’s animation segment.
Hulsing detailed the method used in The Sandman episode in a formal declaration. With the help of authentic oil paintings on canvas, we worked hard to create the animated version of ‘A Dream of a Thousand Cats’ as entrancing and captivating as possible. To create a surreal yet grounded and dreamlike setting, we blended the paintings with traditionally created 2D animation based on actual 3D animation of psychic cats. The stunning 3D animation of the cats was made by Untold Studios in London.
Submarine Studios in Amsterdam was responsible for the beautiful 2D animation, oil paintings, and stylizing. Besides Melissanthi Mahut (Eurovision) in the lead role, “Calliope” also stars Arthur Darvill (Legends of Tomorrow), Kevin Harvey (Hidden), Amita Suman (Ackley Bridge), and Derek Jacobi (Gladiator). Repeating their roles as Fate Mother, Fate Crone, and Fate Maiden are Nina Wadia (EastEnders), Souad Faress (Dune), and Dinita Gohil (Our House). Louise Hooper helms the production (Flesh and Blood).
Having directed the ninth episode of the main series together, Hooper and Hulsing are no strangers to The Sandman. The Sandman is based on Neil Gaiman’s 1989 critically acclaimed and award-winning comic book series of the same name. It was thought difficult to adapt for decades, but Gaiman, David S. Goyer (Batman Begins), and Allan Heinberg at Netflix took on the job (Wonder Woman). On August 5, the first episode of the live-action series debuted, and it was met with universal praise from critics.