Kurt Vile, A$AP Rocky & More Coming To Foxtel As Cartoon Critters On 'Animals'

Australian Foxtel subscribers are in for a treat this month with the impending debut of Animals, a new animated series boasting the vocal talents of renowned musicians Kurt Vile, A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg, along with a litany of high-profile comic actors.

Stepping out on Aussie screens from Wednesday 17 February, Animals also features the voices of Parks & Recreation's Adam Scott, veteran comedienne Wanda Sykes, The Kroll Show's Nick Kroll, acclaimed actress Jessica Chastain, the incredible Ellie Kemper (The Office, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), celebrated stand-ups Marc Maron and Aziz Ansari, SNL alum Molly Shannon, Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Chelsea Peretti, career "that guy" character actor Rob Corddry, Silicon Valley's Kumail Nanjiani and Zach Woods, and many more.

It comes from creators/writers/directors Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano — who voice a different pair of animal friends per episode, each time named Phil and Mike, and follows the adventures of different critters living in New York City (as well as an extra non-speaking narrative regarding corruption in the mayoral office, because why not). The show is executive-produced by Jay & Mark Duplass — the latter of whom will also provide voice-acting for the series — and was borne from an off-cuff conversation between Matarese and Luciano while watching a pair of pigeons through the window of the advertising production company at which they worked. Giving the urban birds a made-up narrative of their own, the pair turned in 12-minute pilot Pigeons, which won Best Comedy at the 2013 New York Television Festival.

Following the series' first two episodes making their debut at last year's Sundance Film Festival, HBO swooped on the show and picked it up for two seasons out of the gate. Those are big expectations, but with the creative forces behind the laughs, it's not a stretch to assume they'll be able to meet them with aplomb.

Animals is produced by Starburns Industries (the studio responsible for Rick & Morty, an easy contender for the best show on TV at the moment), and comes as part of a two-year deal between the Duplass brothers' Duplass Brothers Productions and HBO.

The show will make its debut Down Under on Foxtel's Showcase from Wednesday 17 February, when the first episode kicks off at 9.30pm. Check out a teaser trailer for the series below.