Get out those black armbands and join me in a period of mourning. The first season of X-Men ‘97 is over and Wednesdays won’t be the same again – at least not until season two arrives.
But wait, what’s this?! Disney is offering up some bonus content to help sooth our souls during this difficult time in our lives?!
Yep, X-Men ‘97 might be over (for now), but Disney hasn’t deserted us completely. Should you want more from the world of the X-Men, the Mouse House has got your back with an hour-long documentary.
The documentary – part of Marvel’s ongoing ‘Assembled’ docu-series – is titled Assembled: The Making of X-Men ‘97. Directed by Bradford Baruh, the docu-film is available to stream on Disney+ now and takes audiences behind the scenes on the smash hit TV show, as well as its predecessor X-Men: The Animated Series.
Featuring a whole host of contributors, from the executive producers and directors of X-Men ‘97, through to the original showrunners of X-Men: The Animated Series, Assembled: The Making of X-Men ‘97 provides an in-depth discussion about the world of X-Men. The documentary centres its conversation around both the new show and the ‘90s classic, to provide a celebration of all things X.
This celebration includes input from some of the voice actors, including Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Lenore Zann (Rogue), and George Buza (Beast). They appear on screen, along with a number of their colleagues, to talk about their time in the X-Universe, their backgrounds, and their approach to the characters.
Seeing and hearing the original actors talk about their love for the shows and their characters is a genuine highlight of this documentary. If you’re a fan of the X-Men, and perhaps more specifically a fan of X-Men: The Animated Series, you’ll get a kick out of seeing the likes of Lenore and Cal slipping into character and reciting some of their lines.
For those who simply can’t get enough of the X-Men, Assembled: The Making of X-Men ‘97 is an enjoyable watch, which provides a good dose of entertainment. Everyone involved in the documentary clearly adores being part of the X-Universe and the passion for the show and its heroes comes across loud and clear.
However, is Assembled: The Making of X-Men ‘97 the best documentary it could be? Arguably no, and this is mostly because it tries to do too much in its limited timeframe.
As a fan of the X-Men I want to hear about both X-Men shows, but I want both shows to have the room they need. Because Assembled: The Making of X-Men ‘97 crams in discussions about X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ‘97 (and more of the former than the latter), it simply doesn’t have the time to go as in-depth as anyone would like.
Disney would have been better splitting this into two documentaries, one about each show, and expanding the run-time accordingly. Fans would have loved this (I know I would have), and there would have been more time to talk about the various storylines in the shows, which sadly don’t get a look in.
Downside aside, Assembled: The Making of X-Men ‘97 is still a welcome addition to Disney+. Disney have a huge hit on their hands with X-Men ‘97, and if we are going to have to wait until 2025 for the next batch of episodes, then having additional content like this at least helps to reduce the wait time.
If Disney would like to consider some more X-Men-related programming, I have a feeling the fans would welcome it with open arms. Maybe some kind of discussion about each episode, a look back at the iconic stories that influenced the shows, or even a focus on all of the merchandise etc – whatever is on offer, we’ll take it all!
But this is a conversation for another day. For now, Assembled: The Making of X-Men ‘97 is here and while the title is a bit of a misnomer, as it is more a discussion about the two X-Men shows rather than just the new one, it isn’t a bad way to spend an hour of your time.
—
—
Thank you for taking the time to read this post about X-Men ’97 on It’s A Stampede! – I hope it has proved useful. For more useful posts, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
It's A Stampede! 
Leave a comment