The Legend Of Vox Machina adapts the Briarwood arc, a major storyline in Critical Role’s first campaign, that dives into the dark and tragic origins of Percy de Rolo. The Briarwood arc is the perfect way to dig into the early days of Vox Machina as they make the transition from rag tag adventurers into full blown heroes. And while it isn’t the longest arc of Campaign 1 it does clock in at over 40 hours of game play.
In creating The Legend Of Vox Machina the creators behind the animated series needed to adapt the over 40 hours of story into 22-minute episodes. In adapting so much content The Legend Of Vox Machina still needed to keep major story and character beats as well as the humor, action, and heart that makes this story and these characters so beloved.
MATT MERCER EXPLAINS HOW THEY ADAPTED THE BRIARWOOD ARC FOR THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA
We had the chance to talk to Matt Mercer, Marisha Ray, and Ashley Johnson about the new animated series, The Legend Of Vox Machina. Matt Mercer explained the “lengthy process” of finding the right way to adapt the Briarwood arc into the new animated format and how the cast “feel like it’s authentically telling the story we want it to tell.”
“It was a lengthy process at the very beginning of pre-production where all of us got together with a bunch of the awesome creatives that were helping us helm this project and we put up the major plot points on white boards and basically just all decided together which ones we felt were absolutely necessary to tell this story authentically. Which ones we could maybe see fall to the way side or we could truncate or sneak in as like a little wink and a nod in some places.
And that was kind of the very first stage in this whole process, was looking at the full scope and going, “Ok, how can we crush this down and all still feel like it’s authentically telling the story we want it to tell and that we enjoyed telling at the table?” So, that’s kinda how we did it. It wasn’t easy, but at the end of the day we’re all very proud and excited for how it came out. And the people who might be missing a scene or missing an interaction that don’t make it into the series, the original stream is just a click away.”
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Adapting so much content into this new format seems a daunting task, but the creatives behind The Legend Of Vox Machina seem to have pulled it off which is an impressive feat. It is interesting that certain storylines have been combined or slipped in as “a little wink and a nod.” This gives long time Critters a chance to experience some of their favorite moments without overstuffing the series. By streamlining the story The Legend Of Vox Machina is not only more accessible for new fans, but gives the creators a chance to find new ways to surprise long time Critters who know the characters and story of Vox Machina.
The new animated format also allows for new perspectives to be explored outside Vox Machina which is an exciting way to expand The Legend Of Vox Machina. Through this enemies and allies alike can be developed in a new way which is sure to add new layers to the series. The Legend Of Vox Machina may be streamlining the story, but the series manages to perfectly capture the heart of the characters and their bond with humor, action, and pathos. It will be interesting to see how the Briarwood arc is adapted and which elements are explored more deeply than others in this adaptation.
The first three episodes of The Legend Of Vox Machina are now available on Prime Video with new episodes premiering on Fridays. What do you think of the first three episodes of The Legend Of Vox Machina animated series? Are you excited to see how the Briarwood arc from Critical Role’s first campaign is adapted? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media and check back with The Illuminerdi for more Critical Role and The Legend Of Vox Machina.
