Ahead of its debut on the streaming service this week, Netflix has released an official trailer for the animated movieInvader Zim: Enter the Florpus. Of course, the one-off movie serves as a sequel to the Nickelodeon cartoon seriesInvader Zim, which has maintained a strong cult following to this day. While Nickelodeon is getting in on the revival trend by developing new episodes ofRugrats, Netflix has also stepped in to bring back other classic Nicktoons likeInvader ZimandRocko’s Modern Life. As shown in the trailer, the series is very much exactly as it was before, which should really satisfy longtime fans of the show.
Created by Jhonen Vasquez,Invader ZIMfirst debuted on Nickelodeon in 2001. It follows an alien named ZIM from the planet Irk, whose mission is to conquer Earth and enslave the human race. Thwarting his plans for world domination is a young paranormal investigator named Dib whose goal is to protect the planet from ZIM at all costs.
Because of its interesting characters and unique art style, the show is one of the most memorable animated series on Nickelodeon from that time. Unfortunately, the series was cancelled before the completion of its second season, cutting off the story very prematurely. Regardless, the Nicktoon has developeda strong cult followingin the years since, and there’s a lot of excitement surrounding its return on Netflix.
In 2017, it was first reported Nickelodeon was developing an animated movie sequel toInvader Zim. Last year, it was then revealed that the movie would be calledInvader Zim: Enter the Florpusand it would instead stream onNetflixrather than airing on Nickelodeon. Directed by Vasquez and Jake Wyatt, the story follows ZIM learning his almighty leaders never had any intention of coming to Earth, causing the extraterrestrial to lose confidence in himself for the first time in his life. This gives his nemesis Dib the chance to unmask him once and for all,forever ending the threat ZIM poses to the planet.
Enter the Florpusfollows the recent release of another revived Nicktoon on Netflix.Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Clinghas been garnering favorable responses since premiering on the streaming service, with fans happy to see the same characters, voices, and art style from before making their return. Because that same approach has been taken with theInvader Zimrevival, there’s a good chance this movie sequel also turns out just as well. Presumably, if fans respond positively and viewership for the special is high, odds are ZIM could wind up coming back once more in another movie or even an animated series.
Invader Zim: Enter the Florpuswill be available tostream on Netflix as of Aug. 16. If there’s enough buzz around its release as there has been forStatic Cling, then hopefully we’ll be revisiting some other classic Nicktoons as well. I can’t be the only one wondering what Doug Funnie is up to these days. The new trailer forEnter the Florpuscomes to us from Netflix on YouTube.
