'Summer Camp Island' Creator Speaks out Amid Cancellation Fears, HBO Max Changes

By Daniel S. Levine

Summer Camp Island creator Julia Pott was "assured" the sixth and final season of the acclaimed Cartoon Network Studios series will be released next year, she told fans of the show Friday. The new episodes were scheduled to appear on HBO Max on June 9, but the show was delayed suddenly three days earlier. Summer Camp Island fans peppered Pott with questions about the show's future in recent days following Warner Bros. Discovery's changes at HBO Max last week.

Since HBO Max subscribers began noticing some shows and movies were disappearing without notice from the platform, one fan asked Pott on Thursday if there was any reason to worry about Summer Camp Island's future. "I, unfortunately, have as much information as you, but am very hopeful that it will be released next year," she replied. "We're so proud of it and are so excited for you all to see it."

On Friday, a viewer who recently discovered the show asked Pott if she was worried about the show disappearing from HBO Max or if the final season would not be released. "I am really hoping so – we have been assured that it will be released next year and they're all done and ready to go," Pott wrote. "So glad you're enjoying the show! I hope you keep going as IMHO it only gets better."

Summer Camp Island debuted on Cartoon Network in July 2018. After the first 40 episodes aired on the network, the show moved to HBO Max exclusively for its second season. Season 5 was released in December 2021. Season 6 was included on HBO Max's June list of programs, but Cartoon Network announced on June 6 that new episodes would not be released until 2023. At the time, Pott said she could not go into detail about the delay, but told one fan there were "just logistical things" that caused the postponement.

Summer Camp Island centers on Oscar Peltzer, an elephant, and Hedgehog, who are best friends and attend a magical summer camp. Many strange things happen at the camp, including camp counselors becoming witches and horses transforming into unicorns. The voice current voice cast includes Antonio Raul Corbo, Ashley Boettcher, Charlyne Yi, Nikki Castillo, and Ramone Hamilton. Pott voices Susie McCallister, the lead camp counselor. The show was nominated for the GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Children's Programming award in 2021 and 2022.

Since the Warner Bros.-Discovery merger was completed in April, the company has canceled already-completed shows at TBS and pulled the plug on Warner Bros' almost-complete Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, which were both intended for HBO Max. During the company's second-quarter earnings report, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed that a combined HBO Max-Discovery+ streaming platform will launch in summer 2023. The company said there are a combined 92.1 million subscribers for the two platforms.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of