If the 2020 live-action film left a bad taste in your mouth, I have very good news. Disney is giving Artemis Fowl another shot — this time animated, this time with the author fully in the room, and this time with the creative freedom to dig into the world Eoin Colfer actually built!
The announcement dropped yesterday at New York Comic-Con, and the fandom’s reaction has been exactly what you would expect: cautiously, delightedly optimistic.
During Sunday’s “25 Years of Artemis Fowl” panel at NYCC, Eoin Colfer announced that Disney Channel and Disney+ have greenlit an animated series adaptation of the global book franchise.
Colfer will serve as executive producer alongside Emmy and Annie Award winner Ben Juwono and Colleen Evanson.
Colfer’s statement captures everything fans needed to hear:
“I am proud and delighted to be part of the formidable team that is putting the Artemis Fowl animation on screen.”
Who Is Eoin Colfer?
Born on May 14, 1965, in Wexford, Ireland, Eoin Colfer grew up in a household that took education and the arts seriously—both his parents were teachers. He discovered his passion for writing stories at the age of six and eventually studied at Dublin University before following his parents into teaching, working as a primary school teacher in Wexford until 2001.
That year, Artemis Fowl’s success changed everything. Colfer left teaching to become a full-time writer and has not looked back since.
Beyond the Fowl universe, Colfer has authored Airman, The Supernaturalist, the W.A.R.P. series, and many other works. In September 2008, he was commissioned to write the sixth installment of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, And Another Thing…, published in 2009—a commission that says a lot about how much the literary world trusts his voice.
He has described the first Artemis Fowl book with characteristic wit as “Die Hard with fairies.” Colfer was partly inspired by his younger brother, Donal, for Artemis’s character, who was apparently a very serious child.
What Is the Artemis Fowl Series About?
The first Artemis Fowl novel was published in 2001 and became an immediate New York Times bestseller. The series has since grown to eleven books and sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, translated into 44 languages.
The animated series follows thirteen-year-old genius Artemis Fowl II as he uncovers an underground world of armed and dangerous—and surprisingly high-tech—fairies and launches a plan to capture one and steal its magic to heal his dying mother and save his family.
In the books, Artemis begins as a young criminal mastermind who leads the Fowl family’s long-standing empire of villainy, and his arc across the series into something more complicated and more heroic is one of the great character journeys in modern children’s fantasy.
The fairy world Colfer built beneath the human world is extraordinarily detailed—complete with its own technology, legal systems, politics, and mythology. It draws heavily on Irish folklore while remaining entirely its own invention. The result is a universe that rewards patient exploration, which is exactly why the television format suits it so much better than a single feature film ever could.
Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family, put it well:
“For more than two decades, Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl books have captivated readers around the world with unforgettable characters, imaginative world-building, and gripping adventures. Bringing this beloved franchise to life as an animated series gives us the opportunity to introduce a new generation to Artemis’ world while honoring the longtime fans who have cherished these stories for years.”
What Happened with the 2020 Film?
Let’s briefly address it, because it is the elephant in the room.
The 2020 Disney+ live-action film, directed by Kenneth Branagh, was panned by critics and widely regarded as a poor adaptation of Colfer’s source material. Fans took particular issue with how drastically the film altered the plot and characters from the books. The film bypassed a theatrical release entirely and went straight to Disney+ during the pandemic.
This animated series is being approached as a fresh start, not a continuation of that film. Colfer’s executive producer role is the key difference: the author himself is bringing his creative vision directly to the development process this time around, with a mandate to dig deeper into the characters and lore of the books.
What We Don’t Know Yet?
No premiere date has been announced. No voice cast has been confirmed. No episode count has been revealed.
The series joins Disney+’s growing slate of animated titles including Dragon Striker, the upcoming Kingdom Hearts and Warrior Cats adaptations, and Journey. It is in good company, and the platform’s recent track record with animated storytelling has been genuinely strong.
Since no production timeline has been shared, a 2028 premiere feels like the earliest realistic window. But with Colfer in the room and an animation team of this caliber behind it, the wait should absolutely be worth it.
Before Artemis Takes You Underground
The full Artemis Fowl series—eight main novels plus The Fowl Twins sequel trilogy focused on Artemis’s younger brothers—is available now, and the 25th anniversary of the first book is the perfect time to discover or rediscover it.
If you read the books as a kid and drifted away, start again from the beginning. The world holds up extraordinarily well. If you only know Artemis from the 2020 film, please set that experience aside entirely and let the books introduce you to who he actually is. The difference is considerable.
The animated series is coming, and Colfer is in charge this time. Finally, Artemis Fowl is getting the adaptation it has always deserved.
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