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Based on the Short Story ‘A Little Sacrifice’ published in ‘Sword of Destiny’, ‘The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep’ expands the rich Witcher lore with a gorgeous animation.
Ever since 1986, The Witcher franchise has made a tremendous impact on the fantasy genre. Whether through the legendary writings of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski or the fan-loved award-winning video game series by CD Projekt Red, the series stands strong to this day with a new entry to the game series being announced to be in development back in December 2024 during the Game Awards.
Unlike other High Fantasy pieces, The Witcher is one of the few that showcase a more nuanced world with complex detailed characters grounded in a sort of reality, a world where morality stands in a grey zone and the line between good and evil is blurred by perspective.
In Netflix’s ‘The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep’ Director Kang Hei Chul and writers Mike Ostrowski and Rae Benjamin aim to adapt the classic short story ‘A Little Sacrifice’. Starring Doug Cockle reprising his role as Geralt of Rivia, Joey Batey retakes the role of Geralt’s Bard companion Jaskier/Dandelion, Anya Chalotra as the possessive Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Christina Wren as Jaskier’s childhood friend Essi Daven.
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Legacy of a Witcher
The Witcher series has always been considered a pinnacle of Dark Fantasy that makes the series feel more realistic than others in the genre while still mixing the fantasy elements perfectly. From ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ side-quests that center on domestic abuse to the racial prejudices seen in the first Witcher novel ‘Blood of Elves’.
‘Sirens of the Deep’ doesn’t stray far from its predecessors, experimenting with topics like xenophobia and the meaning of morality. Greatly balancing it with Geralt’s internal struggles, all while managing to immerse the audience into the darkish Kingdom of Bremervoord and its surroundings. Centering on these alongside the very much human themes of Corruption and Power allows this unique fantastical world to feel more relatable and grounded.
The film successfully combines the Franchise’s 3 iterations of Literature, Video Games, and the Motion Picture world. Borrowing uniquely foundational aspects of each to create a solid version of Sapkowski’s protagonist. It takes Geralt’s prowess and character complexities from the books, his exceptional combat and magical skills as well as his strength that is seen in the games, and his humanity aspects shown in the 2019 Netflix Series.
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The Magical Medium
Similar to 2021’s ‘The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf’ the talented Studio Mir, known for works like ‘The Legend of Korra’ and ‘My Adventures with Superman’ was rightfully tasked with the animation of ‘The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep’.
Making ‘The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep’ an animation was a great decision, it lets the grimdark majestic land that is The Continent to exhibit its unusual beautiful sceneries and gorgeous colors helping increase immersion, perfectly using shadows to accurately increase tensions and emit intrigue. Choosing an anime-inspired animation style allows the action scenes to feel more kinetic allowing detention to truly rise, better showcasing Geralt’s superhuman agility and magical abilities transforming his fighting style into astonishingly visual dances that keep the audience’s attention.
The role that Bards and music play in The Witcher universe, and in the fantasy genre as a whole spans far beyond the importance of mere storytellers, and entertainers. They act as record keepers and oral historians, they’re the sole transmitters of cultural knowledge, myths, and traditions. This film transmits this perfectly by including just the right amount of songs without making it feel like a musical, using them smartly so they don’t feel like mindless exposition.
Deciding to bring back Doug Cockle to portray Geralt while the character’s design looks closer to Henry Cavill‘s iteration of the character helps bring together the fanbases of the respective works, working alongside the fact of the film being an adaptation of one of the core Witcher stories greatly helps with the version mixture that was previously mentioned.
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A Slayer Turned Legend
Despite the film being canon only to the 2019 Netflix live-action adaptation and its 2021 animated spin-off film their goal was to attempt to portray the books more closely from the beginning. Yet, ‘The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep’ still holds some things from the video game adaptations. Some are minimal things like Geralt’s armor design while others seem a tad bit more noticeable on screen.
One good example of the latter is seen in the way Geralt uses magic signs throughout the piece, while in Netflix’s Show, he’s barely seen using them, and the books and games share the same number of signs. The designed mechanics in the games allow for a more proficient use of these unique abilities. In ‘Sirens of the Deep’ this mechanic takes a more protagonistic role, especially when it comes to more action-driven scenes, allowing viewers to experience Geralt’s true powers as a Witcher.
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Another element that has carried over from the games is the increased prominence of monster hunting. As the books centered more on Geralt’s character and relationships, the games’ side quests and open worlds allowed for more monster encounters. The addition of these into ‘Sirens of the Deep’ helps the world feel more alive and immersive while allowing itself for more dynamic sequences.
For the last 40 years, Geralt of Rivia has become a legend. Both within the Witcher universe and outside of it. Although his story started in 1986, he has expanded across decades, his fantastical world has inspired countless creators across books, video games, shows, films, and even comic book series. With ‘Sirens of the Deep’ Geralt, his legacy, and the beloved Witcher series grow everlastingly for audiences to enjoy for generations to come. It reminds creators of the uniquely potent power of inspiration, to explore the limitless horizon that creativity can offer, and to embrace the fantastical elements of our waking reality and if looked upon a closer look this one can surprise even the most fantastical minds.
By Mario Martinez Ignacio
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Mario Martinez Ignacio is a writer from Mexico City. As a child, he spent most of his free time deep-diving into online wikis, which sparked a passion for lore and worldbuilding. Driven by his love for writing, Mario obtained a BFA in Dramatic Writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2024. With the objective of inspiring others, he fuses writing and education to create narratives that entertain while igniting curiosity and fostering new perspectives, one word at a time.
Mario Martinez Ignacio is a writer from Mexico City. As a child, he spent most of his free time deep-diving into online wikis, which sparked a passion for lore and worldbuilding. Driven by his love for writing, Mario obtained a BFA in Dramatic Writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2024. With the objective of inspiring others, he fuses writing and education to create narratives that entertain while igniting curiosity and fostering new perspectives, one word at a time.
