Twelve Forever

Premise

Set in the early 2000s, the series follows Regina "Reggie" Abbott, a 12-year-old whose desire to remain a child lets her enter Endless, an island where her toys and drawings are real. She visits with friends Todd and Esther Hopkins to live out superhero fantasies and avoid adulthood. Their growing conflicts feed the Butt Witch, who seeks to destroy Endless.

Characters

Executive producer Shadi Petosky described Reggie as a queer character "coming to terms with her sexuality. Todd (voiced by Antony Del Rio) and Esther Hopkins (voiced by Jaylen Barron) are her friends who travel to Endless. Other characters include Reggie's mother Judy (voiced by Bridget Everett), brother Dustin (voiced by Brandon Wardell), Judy's best friend Kathy (voiced by Abbott), Kathy's nephew Ogden (voiced by Maximus Riegel), literature teacher Mrs. Krandle (voiced by Laura Zak), Todd's brother Aaron (voiced by Daniel Amerman), Aaron's father Manny (voiced by Sam Brown), Todd's girlfriend Gwen (voiced by Ashley Boettcher), Judy's boss Leslie and her daughter Kendra (both voiced by Brittany Ashley), Judy's boyfriend Dennis (voiced by Rothbell), the Butt Witch (voiced by Matt Berry), his assistant Big Deal (voiced by Steve Agee), Beefhouse and Mack (both voiced by Agee, a gay couple), Galaxander (voiced by Agee), Flaps the octopus (voiced by Abbott), Captain Elmer (voiced by Paul Williams), Manguin the penguin (voiced by Ron Funches), and Borbo (voiced by Wade Randolph).

Production, release, and future

The original pilot was produced for Cartoon Network by Cartoon Network Studios and released on their website on May 18, 2015, as part of the Cartoon Network Shorts Department, inspired by Vickerman's feelings as "a burgeoning adolescent." In December 2017, Netflix acquired the rights for a full series, with production by The Cartel and Puny Entertainment, after Cartoon Network passed on it with "promises of queer-inclusive content." Shadi Petosky began working on the show before July 2017 as a non-creative, non-writing executive producer.

Paul Hornschemeier described himself as the series art director. The series debuted on Netflix on July 29, 2019. Kelsy Abbott, Steve Agee, and Matt Berry reprised their pilot roles. The series was created by a "design crew of all local artists" based in Minnesota.

An official gift shop sold merchandise. In September 2019, Petosky announced the show had been canceled; she stated she had no connection with the show since its first season premiered. EW reported that the producers had parted ways with Vickerman without a specific reason, noting speculation about a "hostile work environment." In October 2019, Vickerman and Petosky appeared on separate panels at the Catalyst Content Festival. In 2020, Lacey Womack of Screen Rant stated the series was on "indefinite hiatus" with unclear plans for its future.

Reception

Critics generally liked Twelve Forever. Lacey Womack of Screen Rant felt it had appeal for viewers of any age. Rodney Ho from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution pointed to the strong creative team behind the show. Kevin Johnson at The A.V. Club highlighted how the series used its small-town Midwest setting to explore pressure to conform, and drew comparisons to Gravity Falls.

Dina Rudolph of Windy City Times praised the LGBTQ representation, grouping it with shows like Steven Universe and She-Ra. Steven Pearce, writing for The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, noted the balance between dark and light elements, with the world of Endless acting as a metaphor for Reggie's real-life struggles, calling the show inventive and good. Mandie Caroll of Common Sense Media called it a wonderfully weird show with heart, noting cartoon violence and appeal for tweens and young teens.

In January 2020, GLAAD nominated the series for its Outstanding Kids & Family Programming award. Nathan Maizels of Collider later ranked it among the best series for LGBTQ characters and themes, citing Reggie's crush on Connelly and describing it as a coming-of-age story about a young queer girl discovering her identity.