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'The Mysterious Benedict Society' is a kid-friendly spin on Umbrella Academy in first quirky Disney+ trailer

By Josh Weiss
Tony Hale The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Hargreeves children better watch their backs. Disney+ has cracked the code on a more kid-friendly version of The Umbrella Academy with the first trailer for The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Based on the best-selling YA books penned by Trenton Lee Stewart, the upcoming series follows a group of gifted orphans who find themselves recruited by the eccentric Mr. Benedict (Arrested Development's Tony Hale) to save the world from a crisis known simply as "The Emergency." Together, Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance must infiltrate the L.I.V.E. Institute and take down Benedict's evil twin brother, Dr. Curtain (also played by Hale).

With its use of vibrant colors, quirky characters, out-of-time aesthetic, and carefully framed shots, The Mysterious Benedict Society feels a lot like The Umbrella Academy fell into a high-powered blender with Wes Anderson and A Series of Unfortunate Events. Heck, the latter also featured Hale in its small screen adaptation on Netflix.

Check out the trailer below:

Kristen Schaal, Ryan Hurst, MaameYaa Boafo, Gia Sandhu, Seth Carr, Emmy DeOliveira, Mystic Inscho, and Marta Kessler make up the rest of the cast. Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay co-created the project and serve as executive producers alongside Jamie Tarses, Karen Kehela Sherwood, Deepak Nayar, and James Bobin. Showrunners are Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin.

The show was originally set to premiere on Hulu before it was shifted over to Disney+ last fall.

The Mysterious Benedict Society is a beautifully executed adaptation of the celebrated and beloved book series," Dana Walden, chairman of Entertainment at Walt Disney Television, said at the time. “It’s original, clever and fun for the whole family, which makes it the perfect fit for Disney+. One of the great benefits to creators working with our company is that we have a platform that’s right for every series, and having seen the first few episodes of this show, there is no better home for it than Disney+."

"We are so thrilled that Disney+ will be the home for our show," added Hay and Manfredi. "What a great place to be. It’s a beautiful thing to feel as supported and inspired as we have, every step of the way, by our entire team at 20th, Hulu and the Disney family; and we are honored and gratified by the belief in the show this represents."

Here's the official poster:

The Mysterious Benedict Society poster

The Mysterious Benedict Society will now arrive at Disney+ on Friday, June 25.