MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski has compiled 7 new series and movies from 2022 that will enchant you on Netflix.
The following 7 movies and series exude their own magic, which has nothing to do with Santa Claus and typical, cheesy Christmas movies. The stories here have enchanted me in a different way.
Sandman (Series)
The Lord of Dreams, Morpheus, suddenly disappears. For more than 100 years, he lives in captivity, causing the world to go out of balance. To regain his power, Morpheus must embark on a journey between worlds and retrieve what was stolen from him.
Reality, dreams, mysticism, legends, religion, death, life, surrealism, history – everything blurs. Sandman builds layer upon layer, becoming a story about stories themselves. Sometimes it seems to make no sense why certain things are told in the series. It is structured like a dream, which you must allow yourself to fall into. However, every little detail becomes important to the plot, which makes it all the better that another season has already been confirmed.
The series is based on the famous DC comic series “The Sandman” (1989 – 1996) by Neil Gaiman. This is even considered one of the best graphic novels of all time. Gaiman is himself significantly involved in the series – you can tell.
I am also a fan of the comic series and think that the cast and atmosphere fit perfectly with the adaptation.
- For fans of: The Golden Compass, Good Omens, Umbrella Academy
- Genre: Dark Fantasy
- Rating from The Sandman on IMDb: 7.7
- Age rating: FSK 16
- Length: 11 episodes. A second season has been confirmed
Pinocchio (Film)
Guillermo del Toro reinterprets the story of the little wooden boy. Why does Geppetto long for a son so much?
In response to this question, del Toro finds a sad answer that gives this Pinocchio a depth that the fairy tale has not had before. The story is set in fascist Italy in the 1930s, and war is raging. Meanwhile, Pinocchio struggles hard to gain the love of his father and those around him.
Del Toro’s Pinocchio is a story for anyone who sometimes feels like they don’t belong. Despite the serious themes, the film possesses childlike hope, humor, and magic. I promise you, by the end, you’ll feel good, albeit a little melancholic.
The stop-motion technique used is, by the way, the smoothest I have ever seen – and I watch a lot of stop-motion because I love the art form with the puppets.
For me, one of the best films of the year and the Pinocchio interpretation of my heart.
- For fans of: Pan’s Labyrinth, A.I. – Artificial Intelligence, Shape of Water – The Whisper of Water
- Genre: Fairy Tale
- Rating from Pinocchio on IMDb: 7.8
- Age rating: FSK 12
- Length: 1 hour 57 minutes.
Wednesday (Series)
The sarcastic and morbid Wednesday Addams even manages to be an outsider at an academy for outsiders. She takes it upon herself to solve a mysterious series of murders, putting herself in danger.
If anyone has not heard of Wednesday, they might have been sleeping. At least my TikTok and Instagram are exploding with young women imitating Wednesday’s look and dance. Yay, Goth revival!
I can understand it because I’ve also fallen a bit in love with the series. Wednesday is incredibly charming and just fun. At times, she reminds one of Harry Potter, as the young magical people must find their place in the world and at their magical school.
I was a guest on the Nerd & Kultur podcast to philosophize for an hour about why Wednesday is even more successful than Stranger Things. Nerd & Kultur, just like MeinMMO, belongs to Webedia.
- For fans of: The Addams Family, Harry Potter, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
- Genre: Horror, Comedy, Fantasy, Coming of Age
- Rating from Wednesday on IMDb: 8.3
- Age rating: FSK 12
- Length: 8 episodes. A second season has not yet been confirmed, but given the success, it is very likely.
ONI – The Story of the Thunder Goddess (Mini-Series)
The brave free-spirited girl Onari possesses a unique power that has not yet come to light. She wants to become one of the most powerful heroines of her village and embarks on a journey to find her dormant power.
ONI takes you into a mystical world full of Japanese folklore. The dark Oni menace and threaten to destroy Onari’s village.
The short series comes from Daisuke Tsutsumi, known as “Dice”. He is the former artistic director of Pixar. The mini-series has what I would call “the old Pixar magic”. It takes its youngest audience seriously and trusts them, allowing adults to discover something for themselves in ONI as well.
- For fans of: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Spirited Away, Hilda
- Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family
- Rating from ONI – The Story of the Thunder Goddess on IMDb: 8.2
- Age rating: FSK 6
- Length: 4 episodes, which have a closed ending.
To ONI on Netflix.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Film)
A mysterious box leads world-famous detective Benoit Blanc to Greece to unravel the riddle of an eccentric tech billionaire.
Glass Onion is a bit different from this list, as it doesn’t initially have anything mystical, mysterious, or fairy-tale-like. And yet, for me, it is a magical film that captures well-known crime classics and modernizes them.
Although Glass Onion deals with themes like Twitch, corrupt environmental politics, and selfish tech billionaires, the film feels like it comes from a bygone era. You can immediately recognize the tributes to Agatha Christie and that special charm of old crime stories.
Glass Onion was shown in theaters before its release on Netflix. That’s where I saw it, and I haven’t heard an audience laugh so heartily in a long time, including myself. It’s fun to try to figure out the solution to this case.
If you are looking for something for the whole family during the holidays, you can’t go wrong with Glass Onion.
- For fans of: Murder on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express, Who Framed Roger Rabbit
- Genre: Mystery, Whodunit, Comedy, Family
- Rating from Glass Onion on IMDb: 8.0
- Age rating: FSK 12
- Length: 2 hours 19 minutes.
The House (Episodic Film)
Three stories, three epochs, one house.
You will see three self-contained stories that all take place in the same house and loosely connect them.
The three short stories deal with finding a home and a safe haven in a house. The primal fascination with houses and how they sometimes outlive us is inherent.
I know that “The House” is not for everyone. But some will find a real gem here if you like films that deviate from the usual formula.
- For fans of: Cabinet of Curiosities, The Shining, Love, Death & Robots
- Genre: Mystery, Horror
- Rating from The House on IMDb: 6.8
- Age rating: FSK 12
- Length: 1 hour 37 minutes. Divided into three mini-films.
Bee and PuppyCat: Lazy in Space (Series)
Bee is in her early 20s, unemployed, and urgently needs to pay her rent. Luckily, she meets PuppyCat, half cat and half dog. Through PuppyCat, the young woman comes across an intergalactic temp agency that gives her the weirdest assignments.
At first glance, Bee and PuppyCat looks like it is for the smallest kids. It is not. The series is rated FSK 12 and always deals with adult themes. If the style and atmosphere remind you of Adventure Time, you are very much on point.
The creator of the series is Natasha Allegri, who worked as a character designer for Adventure Time and contributed to the storyboard.
- For fans of: Doctor Who, Adventure Time, Inside Job
- Genre: Science Fiction, Surrealism, Fantasy
- Rating from Bee and PuppyCat on IMDb: 8.7
- Age rating: FSK 12
- Length: 16 episodes. It remains unclear if there will be another season.
To Bee and PuppyCat on Netflix.
Bonus: Klaus (Film)
If any of you want to watch a “real” Christmas movie during the holidays, I heartily recommend Klaus. The film is from 2019 and is an animated film as one would wish from Disney today.
A selfish postman is stranded on a desolate island where everything is gray. Here, he befriends a grumpy toymaker. Their unusual friendship brings joy and color back to the island.
To this day, I cannot watch Klaus without shedding a few tears of emotion at the end. It is a heart-warmer and can be watched with the whole family.
Notably, Klaus has a very special animation technique. The film is hand-drawn in 2D and constantly blends this with 3D elements, creating this clear look. The same technique was later used in League of Legends: Arcane.
- For fans of: Rise of the Guardians, The Polar Express, The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Genre: Family, Christmas Movie, Fantasy
- Rating from Klaus on IMDb: 8.1
- Age rating: FSK 6
- Length: 1 hour 38 minutes.
To Klaus on Netflix.
Do you have any recommendations?
The list is, of course, colored by my personal taste. I hope there was at least one movie or series for all of you. Otherwise, here are my personal Netflix tips from 2021.
What recommendations do you have? Feel free to write them in the comments!
