For the first time in 13 years, new content from the Scott Pilgrim franchise has been released. Last month, the animated series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was debuted on Netflix to the delight of fans (and me) of the franchise around the world. The last time content for the Scott Pilgrim franchise was released was in 2010, with Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, a film adapted from Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. While the film initially flopped at the box office, it grew to become a cult classic that is still widely talked about today, gaining more attention due to the release of the animated adaptation. Let’s take a look at where this franchise started and how it got to where it is today.
Between August 2004 and July 2010, Canadian author and comic book artist Bryan Lee O’Malley released the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. The series consisted of six volumes that follow the titular character Scott Pilgrim, who lives in the “mysterious land of Toronto, Canada.” Twenty-three-year-old Scott Pilgrim is the bassist in his band and is controversially dating a high schooler, 17-year-old Knives Chau. While dating Knives, he meets Ramona Flowers, an American delivery girl for Amazon who can travel Scott’s “subspace highway,” an alternate reality-bending universe that Scott frequently visits in his sleep (making Ramona Flowers, quite literally, the girl of his dreams). Scott goes on to pursue a relationship with Ramona, learning that if he wants to date her, he will have to fight the League of her seven Evil Exes… he also has to break up with his “fake high school girlfriend,” too.
The Scott Pilgrim comics do a great job of telling the story of deeply nuanced characters who aren’t exactly good people. Everyone in the comics has flaws, but at the same time, they’re all still likable. You root for these characters, despite them being somewhat idiotic and problematic. Fans love the idea of there being seven Evil Exes whom Scott has to fight, because it allows for several goofy villains to shine, all with their own distinct and unique personalities, contrasting the typical singular antagonist that most franchises display. One of the biggest things that stick out about the general franchise is the humor, which I can only describe as cheesy and awkward. The frivolity of the franchise is one of the things that attracts viewers the most, being an aspect that greatly contributes to the making of this campy cult classic.
These comics moved on to catch the attention of film director Edgar Wright, who said, “Everything that [he] found interesting about the book, and why it felt fresh and unique, was irresistible to adapt.” In 2010, the aforementioned film adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim novels was released, titled Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. The movie generally followed the story of the comics faithfully, putting aside some minor details and omitted characters. The film featured an iconic star-studded cast, including beloved actors such as Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, Chris Evans as Lucas Lee, Brie Larson as Envy Adams, Jason Schwartzman as Gideon Graves, and more.
The film did a great job adapting the comics to the big screen. Some parts of the movie are 1:1 to the comics, dialogue and all. The film’s visuals also draw inspiration from graphic novels, using unique animated details to translate aspects that one would typically think only could work in a comic book. The cast also does a phenomenal job at embodying the characters they’re playing; It’s clear Michael Cera was born to play Scott Pilgrim, and it’s fortunate that SPVSTW wasn’t the last fans would see of him in that role.
After the release of the movie, Scott Pilgrim was supposedly done. Bryan Lee O’Malley moved on to different comics, the actors in the film grew bigger in popularity, and it seemed like no more content would be released. It stayed that way for 13 years, until 2023, when an adaptation of the graphic novels by anime studio Science Saru was announced. Bryan Lee O’Malley worked as showrunner, Edgar Wright was back as an executive producer, and the entire cast of the 2010 movie returned to reprise their characters through voice acting. When the show was released, many people were surprised to see that this adaptation had a big twist right at the beginning. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off in the first episode after being defeated by Ramona’s first Evil Ex, Matthew Patel. Heavily contrasting the typical sequence of Scott Pilgrim successfully defeating all of Ramona’s exes, the series focuses on a fresh story in which Ramona Flowers is on a mission to find Scott, who mysteriously disappeared following his defeat.
The animated series does a great job of telling a new story in the world of Scott Pilgrim. Because of the twist, it allows for formerly less developed characters to shine. The show still has the same cheesy and awkward charm that made the original so great while also adding new elements never seen in the series before. In a way, it’s a sort of sequel to the OG series, charming old and new fans alike and urging more people to dive deep into the world of Scott Pilgrim.
If any of this sounds interesting to you, you can watch both Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World on Netflix. Additionally, you can find graphic novels in bookstores online or in person. It’s a must-see/read for anyone who loves campy humor, intriguingly strange characters, and an overall good time.
