Elvis Gets Animated on Netflix

Return of the King

More than 40 years after his death, the legacy of Elvis Presley continues to loom large. That’s become even more true this year, as Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis sweeps through awards season, racking up eight Oscar nominations, including nods for Best Picture and Best Actor for star Austin Butler.

This week brings another Elvis-related project, albeit one that’s far weirder than a big-screen drama: Netflix’s new animated adult comedy Agent Elvis.

NetflixAccording to the series synopsis, “Elvis trades in his jumpsuit for a jetpack when he joins a secret spy program to stop villains from destroying the world.”

Co-created by Presley’s ex-wife Priscilla Presley, Agent Elvis follows the animated make-believe adventures of the King, voiced by Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey.

NetflixOver the course of 10 bonkers episodes, viewers will watch Presley become sidelined on his comeback special when he battles Charles Manson and his followers, before infiltrating The Rolling Stones’ infamous Altamont concert in search of a top-secret mind-control weapon, inadvertently experiencing an LSD trip courtesy of Timothy Leary, encountering Howard Hughes while performing in Vegas, and even setting foot on the surface of the moon.

As ridiculous as it may appear, there’s some heavyweight talent behind the animated silliness. For example, the outfits worn by animated Elvis were created by famed fashion designer John Varvatos, while Oscar-nominated filmmaker Robert Valley (who animated all those Gorillaz music videos) provides the visuals.

“From the time Elvis was a young boy, he always dreamed of being the superhero fighting crime and saving the world!” said Priscilla Presley, promising “to show the world an Elvis they haven’t seen before.”

Agent Elvis premieres Friday, March 17 on Netflix