King Of The Hill's New Animation Style Has Me Concerned About The Revival

King of the Hill is returning for a revival series on Hulu, but the new animation style is concerning. King of the Hill originally aired on FOX from 1997-2009, following in the steps of The Simpsons for adult animation. The series followed Hank Hill, his family, and his neighbors in Arlen, Texas throughout its initial run. King of the Hill season 14 is set to debut on Hulu on August 4, 2025. Unlike some long-running animated shows, King of the Hill will see the passage of time and age up all of its characters.

Created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, the revival will pick up with the Hill family after a long hiatus. Judge has previous experience bringing one of his old series back with Beavis and Butt-Head, and Daniels is involved with the upcoming The Office spinoff. Given the series’ pedigree with impressive comedy talent and hundreds of episodes already produced, King of the Hill seems like it would be the perfect show to reboot. However, as the release date approaches, clips of the series immediately bring its quality into question.

Hand-Drawn Animation Is A Thing Of The Past

The Show Looks Entirely Different

At face value, the King of the Hill reboot looks great. The character models have been updated to reflect the intervening time, although the female members seem to have aged more than their male counterparts. The new intro to the series makes it clear that it will tackle issues like COVID-19 and how the residents of Arlen handled it. Bobby Hill is now in his 20s, and is a chef at a fusion restaurant. With all the positives going into the series, how the animation looks is jarring.

In a clip released by Hulu, Hank is seen admiring the George W. Bush museum. Interestingly, Hank previously met Bush in season 5, episode 1, “The Perils of Polling,” where he obsesses over Bush’s weak handshake. What makes the footage stand out is how obviously the show is rendered with computer animation. When the series premiered in 1997, everything was done with hand-drawn animation. Unfortunately, that time has long passed, and animation is created digitally now, which is a complaint that Hank might even make.

Given how long King of the Hill originally ran, the series did transition away from cel animation in later seasons. Even with that change, the series still looked mostly consistent. With the revival, the new animation looks shocking. The characters don’t appear to exist in the same space together, and it pulls the viewer immediately out of the scene.

The New Animation Style Clashes With Nostalgia

It Could Take Time For Viewers To Adjust

Animation fans will likely lament the change in style. Digital animation is ultimately cheaper and faster, so the direction of the series can’t really be faulted; it’s just how things are done now. However, it could be done better. With what has been released, the animation looks choppy. Returning to King of the Hill should feel like revisiting something nostalgic, especially as the world has changed with the characters. I want to see how the residents of Arlen have grown in the intervening years, but the animation is deeply distracting.

I have faith in the writing of the show, and the comedy will hopefully be on the same level as it was before. The series won’t be a replica of what happened in the ’90s, and it shouldn’t be. The response to the show should be based on the quality of the material, but unfortunately, the budget behind the animation could bring it down. Viewers may be able to settle into the change, but it remains to be seen how King of the Hill will be received once it reaches streaming.

Source: Hulu/YouTube