Johnathon Dornbush / Entertainment Weekly
The children’s series, set to debut this summer, features Beatles songs covered by contemporary artists like Pink, James Corden, and more.
Netflix is ready to take viewers on a magical mystery tour with the upcoming animated series Beat Bugs, which will feature new spins on beloved Beatles classics courtesy of contemporary artists.
Beat Bugs focuses on five bug friends as they undertake various adventures; the series is replete with life lessons and, perhaps more importantly for older viewers, a host of classic Beatles tracks. Classic hits like “All You Need Is Love,” “Penny Lane,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” Magical Mystery Tour” have been re-recorded by artists including Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, The Shins, Of Monsters and Men, Birdy, Sia, James Corden, Pink, Regina Spektor, and Chris Cornell. The songs come courtesy of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “Northern Songs” catalogue. More artists will be announced in the coming months.
The new teaser for the show features Vedder’s take on “Magical Mystery Tour,” as well as a look at the series’ stars Jay, Kumi, Crick, Buzz, and Walter on their adventures in a suburban backyard.
The use of The Beatles’ songs comes courtesy of Grace: A Storytelling Company, which acquired the rights to The Beatles’ music in 2014.
Beat Bugs comes from Grace’s Josh Wakely, along with production companies Thunderbird and Beyond Screen Productions.
“Bringing Beat Bugs to life on Netflix and having a platform to re-imagine this universally acclaimed music for families around the world is an exhilarating and rewarding experience,” Wakely said in a statement alongside the series’ teaser.
Beat Bugs will arrive this summer. Take a first look above.