Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom
An animated sequel inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's writings.
Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom is a 2017 animated film released directly to video, based on a graphic novel of the same name and inspired by the work of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. It serves as the sequel to the 2016 film *Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom* and was itself followed by *Howard Lovecraft and the Kingdom of Madness* in 2018.
The story picks up after the events of the Frozen Kingdom, with Howard Lovecraft back at home. A curse strikes his family, forcing him to journey to the Undersea Kingdom to rescue his mother, who has been captured by an old enemy. Along the way, he receives help from Dr. Armitage, his father Winfield, and his best friend Spot.
On January 18, 2017, the voice cast was announced, including Mark Hamill as Dr. Henry Armitage, Christopher Plummer as Dr. Herbert West, Jeffrey Combs as King Abdul, and Doug Bradley as Nyarlathotep. Ron Perlman reprised his role as Shoggoth. Shout! Factory acquired distribution rights for the series across theatrical, digital, broadcast, and home entertainment formats.
The cast also features Kiefer O'Reilly as Howard Lovecraft, Scott McNeil as Dagon and the Govlins, Sean Patrick O'Reilly as Spot, Harmony O'Reilly as Innes, Michelle O'Reilly as Sarah Lovecraft, Phoenix O'Reilly as Twi'i, Summer O'Reilly as Gotha, and Tyler Nicol as Winfield Lovecraft.
The film was released on October 1, 2017, and screened at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Oregon, the FearNYC Film Festival, and the Hot Springs International Horror Film Festival. It came out on DVD and Blu-ray on December 5, 2017, through Shout! Factory as part of a three-feature deal with Arcana Studio.
Critical reception was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 40% approval rating, and on IMDb it has a weighted average of 7.5/10 from 392 votes. Critics noted that while the film is fun, adventurous, and makes Lovecraft's mythos accessible to younger audiences, the story becomes muddled with too many plot points crammed into a short runtime. Fans praised the voice talent but criticized the animation quality.
The film won Best in the Festival: Sci-Fi at the Hot Springs International Horror Film Festival and Best Director at FearNYC.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Sean Patrick O'Reilly
- Producer
- Sean Patrick O'Reilly / Michelle O'Reilly
- Starring
- Christopher Plummer / Mark Hamill / Scott McNeil / Jeffrey Combs / Ron Perlman
- Music
- George Streicher
- Editing
- Chris Trinh
- Studio
- Arcana Studio
- Distributor
- Shout! Factory
- Released
- 1 October 2017
- Runtime
- 89 minutes
- Country
- Canada
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
After the events of the Frozen Kingdom, Howard Lovecraft is now home. A terrible curse is placed upon his loved ones, and he must travel to the Undersea Kingdom to free his mother, who has been captured by an old foe. On his quest, he gains help from Dr. Armitage, his father Winfield, and his best friend Spot.
On January 18, 2017, it was announced that Mark Hamill, Christopher Plummer, Jeffrey Combs, and Doug Bradley would join the voice cast. Hamill was cast as Dr. Henry Armitage, while Plummer, Ron Perlman, and Bradley reprised their roles as Dr. Herbert West, Shoggoth, and Nyarlathotep, respectively. Shout! Factory acquired distribution rights to the series, including theatrical, digital, broadcast, and home entertainment.
The film was released on October 1, 2017, and screened at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Oregon, FearNYC Film Festival, and Hot Springs International Horror Film Festival. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 5, 2017, by Shout! Factory.
Reader's Guide
Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom is notable as part of a trilogy of animated films adapting H. P. Lovecraft's mythos for a younger audience. The film received a 40% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a weighted average vote of 7.5/10 out of 392 votes on IMDb. Critics noted that the film 'does a lot of things right; it's fun, packed with high adventure, and manages to soften the Lovecraft mythos to make it palatable to younger viewers,' but also found 'the story is muddy in some areas with a myriad of story points going on simultaneously over a rather short runtime.' Fans and viewers praised the voice talent but criticized the quality of the animation. The film won Best in the Festival: Scifi at Hot Springs International Horror Film Festival and Best Director at FearNYC. Its legacy lies in bridging Lovecraftian horror with family-friendly animation, featuring a notable voice cast including Mark Hamill and Christopher Plummer.
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