The Liberator
GenreWar drama
Created byJeb Stuart
Based onThe Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey
by Alex Kershaw
Written byJeb Stuart
Directed byGreg Jonkajtys
Starring
Narrated byMike Rowe
Opening theme"July 10, 1943"
by Jason Todd Shannon
Composers
  • Mikolai Stroinski
  • Jason Todd Shannon
  • Benjamin Scott Holst
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • Jeb Stuart
  • A&E Studios:
  • Barry Jossen
  • Unique Features:
  • Michael Lynne
  • Bob Shaye
  • Sarah Victor
  • Trioscope Studios:
  • L.C. Crowley
  • Grzegorz Jonkajtys
  • Brandon Barr
  • Mark Apen
Producers
  • Alex Kershaw
  • Łukasz Dzięcioł
  • Natalia Lacosta
AnimatorTrioscope Studios
EditorAkın Özçelik
Running time45–56 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseNovember 11, 2020 (2020-11-11)

The Liberator is an American adult animated war drama mini-series created and written by Jeb Stuart.[1] It is based on the book The Liberator: One World War II Soldier’s 500-Day Odyssey by Alex Kershaw.[1]

Directed by Greg Jonkajtys, the miniseries was released on November 11, 2020, on Netflix.[1][2][3][4]

Synopsis

The Liberator takes place during World War II where maverick U.S. Army officer Felix Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment fought for over five hundred days alongside the Allied forces during the Italian campaign.[5]

The Liberator is a character-driven action miniseries based on the true story of World War II infantry commander Felix "Shotgun" Sparks, who led the members of the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division, an integrated group of white cowboys, Mexican Americans and Native soldiers drawn from across the west. Sparks and his battalion of "Thunderbirds" were classic citizen soldiers, and for over 500 days they led a special group of American soldiers from Italy to France to the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp, through some of the most grueling battles of the war, becoming one of the most decorated American combat units of World War II. The unit received eight combat awards for service in Italy, France, Germany and Central Europe [6]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Why We Fight"Greg JonkajtysJeb StuartNovember 11, 2020 (2020-11-11)
The Thunderbirds' time in Salerno hits some very big bumps, particularly for Capt. Sparks, whose early days as the unit's commander are also explored.
2"One Word: Anzio"Greg JonkajtysJeb StuartNovember 11, 2020 (2020-11-11)
With their flank exposed, the Thunderbirds face a brutal standoff with the Germans while defending Anzio. Sparks faces discipline for his actions.
3"The Enemy"Greg JonkajtysJeb StuartNovember 11, 2020 (2020-11-11)
A rebuilt E Company, with now-Major Sparks, ships off to France. Initially it's a welcome break, but it soon brings another impossible mission. Sparks receives high honors.
4"Home"Greg JonkajtysJeb StuartNovember 11, 2020 (2020-11-11)
As the Allies close in on increasingly desperate German forces, now-Lieutenant Colonel Sparks and the Thunderbirds bear witness to the atrocities of their enemy, and their fellow troops.

Production

Announced in November 2018, the miniseries's production was handled by A&E Studios and Unique Features with animation services by Atlanta-based studio School of Humans.[1] In January 2019, Bradley James was cast in the leading role of Felix Sparks and Martin Sensmeier was cast as Samuel Coldfoot.[7][8]

Filmed primarily in Poland, some additional scenes were filmed in Atlanta.[9]

The animation team behind the series launched Trioscope Studios, with the show as its first series in production.[10] The miniseries was the first to use Trioscope Enhanced Hybrid Animation, a technique that blends live-action actors with CGI. In a November 2020 interview, Trioscope chief content officer Brandon Barr stated that the project had been "particularly challenging", while arguing that anime opened the door for other visual techniques and styles.[11]

Release

The limited series was released on Veterans Day, November 11, 2020.[2]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 69% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Liberator's eccentric animation gives it some creative gloss, but clichéd storytelling and stock characters keep this World War II tale from being wholly salute-worthy."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the miniseries a score of 59 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]

Reviewing the miniseries for Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars and said, "The Liberator more often than not is an effective reminder about why pop culture keeps revisiting World War II material again and again."[14] On contrast, Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter called the show a series which is "very watchable" but is infuriating due to its "inconsistent focus and narrative choices" even though his interest never wavered due to the interesting and "eye-popping" animation. Fienberg concluded that people should check out the show for the animation, for a commemoration of Veterans Days but to be prepared for frustration over "how much more complicated, and how much richer" the actual history is and how the show could have been better.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Netflix Orders World War II Animated Drama Series The Liberator". Netflix Media Center. November 15, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Del Rosario, Alexandra (October 24, 2020). "'The Liberator': Netflix Drops Trailer, Premiere Date For WWII Animated Series". Deadline. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  3. ↑ Matthews, Liam (November 5, 2020). "Best New Shows and Movies on Netflix This Week: Dash & Lily, The Liberator". TV Guide. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  4. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (November 15, 2018). "Netflix Orders Innovative Animated World War II Drama Series 'The Liberator' From A+E Studios, Unique Features & Jeb Stuart". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  5. ↑ Sarto, Dan (November 11, 2020). "Trioscope's Gripping WW2 Animated Drama 'The Liberator' Premieres Today". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  6. ↑ Wilson, John B. (1999), Armies, Corps, Divisions, and Separate Brigades, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, ISBN 978-0-160499-94-4
  7. ↑ Flook, Ray (January 22, 2019). "The Liberator: Netflix Enlists Medici's Bradley James for WWII Animated Series". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  8. ↑ Petski, Denise (January 31, 2019). "'The Liberator': Martin Sensmeier To Star In Netflix's Animated World War II Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  9. ↑ Szaroleta, Tom (November 8, 2020). "Star of Netflix WWII series 'The Liberator' has Jacksonville roots". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  10. ↑ White, Peter (January 22, 2020). "L.C. Crowley, Brandon Barr & Greg Jonkajtys, Team Behind Netflix's 'The Liberator', Launch Trioscope Studios". Deadline. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  11. ↑ Layton, Mark (November 9, 2020). "TBI In Conversation: Trioscope's CCO on launching Netflix's 'The Liberator' & an animation revolution". Television Business International. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  12. ↑ "The Liberator". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  13. ↑ "The Liberator". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  14. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (November 9, 2020). "'The Liberator' Revisits World War II Through a New Lens". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  15. ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (November 10, 2020). "'The Liberator': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
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