Level Up (American TV series)
A live-action series about teens battling video game leaks.
Level Up is an American adventure comedy series that ran on Cartoon Network from January 24, 2012, to February 19, 2013. A pilot film of the same name had premiered on November 23, 2011. It was the network’s second live-action film to inspire a series, after Out of Jimmy’s Head.
The story follows four high schoolers—Wyatt, Lyle, Dante, and Angie—who accidentally open a portal from the video game *Maldark: Conqueror of All Worlds*. This causes characters from the game and the internet to leak into the real world. The group must balance their everyday lives with these virtual intruders, using a device called NeverFail to send the monsters back by “barding” them.
Wyatt Black (Gaelan Connell) is a brilliant techno-geek with perfect grades who hates being outdone. His in-game avatar is Black Death, a warrior with a bronze right arm, and his weapon is the Blast-a-Ton, which can fire almost anything. Lyle Hugginson (Jessie Usher) is a popular high school quarterback who hides his love of fantasy games. His avatar is a Dread Orc named Wizza, who wields the Thunder Pole. Dante Ontero (Connor Del Rio) is a fearless, impulsive rebel who loves junk food and dangerous skateboard stunts for internet fame. His avatar is Sir Bickle, a knight with the Skull Cracker club. Angie Prietto (Aimee Carrero) is smart and spunky but her curiosity often causes trouble. She doesn’t play the game, so she has no avatar, but she uses the Fist of Schoolage, a glove that becomes an armored fist.
Max Ross (Lonny Ross) created *Conqueror of All Worlds* and is an eccentric billionaire obsessed with conspiracy theories. After Maldark’s attack, he becomes an ally to the kids. (In the film, he was played by Eric André.) Laserbot (voiced by Andrea Fraser-Winsby) is a robot Max built. Angie’s little brother Joaquin (Isaiah Lehtinen) is a prodigy at everything, making the guys jealous. After learning about the leaks in “The 4 Harolds! What? Oh. The 4 Heralds!”, he joins NeverFail and uses the War Hammer of Splat.
The main villain is Maldark (John Novak), a narcissistic sorcerer from the game who seeks to conquer or destroy worlds. (George Faughnan played him in the film.) Hideo Nojima (James Rha) is a Japanese game designer and Max’s longtime rival, who comes to Daventry Hills to ruin Max with his business.
Various “leaks” appear from the game and the internet. These include Holiday Orcs, Mount
- Genre
- Adventure comedy
- Network
- Cartoon Network
- First aired
- January 24, 2012
- Last aired
- February 19, 2013
- Country
- United States
- Based on
- Live-action film (pilot) premiered November 23, 2011
Lore & Background
The series follows high schoolers Wyatt, Lyle, Dante, and Angie after they accidentally open a portal from the video game Maldark: Conqueror of All Worlds. Characters and internet phenomena begin leaking into the real world, forcing the group to balance everyday life with extraordinary virtual threats. They use a device called NeverFail to send monsters back by 'barding' them.
The main heroes include Wyatt Black, a brilliant techno-geek with perfect grades; Lyle Hugginson, a popular quarterback who hides his love of fantasy games; Dante Ontero, a rebellious skateboarder; and Angie Prietto, a smart and tenacious girl. They are aided by eccentric game designer Max Ross and his robot Laserbot. The primary villain is Maldark, a ruthless sorcerer from the game, along with rival game designer Hideo Nojima.
Numerous 'Leaks' appear throughout the series, including Holiday Orcs, a Hampire (part vampire, part hamster), a Bicyclops, and characters from classic stories like Jack and the Beanstalk and Snow White. Each leak requires a unique strategy to be barded back into the game.
Reader's Guide
Level Up represents an early attempt by Cartoon Network to blend live-action storytelling with video game and internet culture, following the model of Out of Jimmy's Head. The series is notable for its premise of virtual characters crossing into reality, a concept that resonated with the growing influence of online gaming in the early 2010s. Its significance lies in its portrayal of teenage protagonists using both real-world skills and in-game knowledge to solve problems, reflecting the increasing integration of digital and physical lives. The show's legacy is modest but includes a dedicated fanbase and recognition as part of Cartoon Network's live-action programming era. The series ended after one season, with its final episode airing on February 19, 2013.
Did You Know?
- Level Up was the second Cartoon Network show spawned from a live-action film, after Out of Jimmy's Head.
- The pilot film premiered on November 23, 2011, and the series aired from January 24, 2012, to February 19, 2013.
- Max Ross was portrayed by Eric André in the film and by Lonny Ross in the series.
- The Hampire is a creature that is part vampire and part hamster, created by Maldark to spy on the NeverFail clan.
More in American fantasy comedy television series 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record