The Sandman two-part bonus episode will keep us dreaming until season 2

Image: Netflix

The live-action series based on Neil Gaiman's DC Comics series of the same name has just received a bonus full-length episode. The new episode covers a short story from the original dark fantasy comic series.

The first is an animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel, "A Dream Of A Thousand Cats," which features voice acting talents from Neil Gaiman himself, as well as Rosie Day, David Gyasi, David Tennant, and James McAvoy.

The second half of the episode is titled "Calliope" and features the title character, as well as other cast and crew members. Tom reprises his role as Morpheus in both films.

For some reason I am in this. I'm in 'A Dream of a Thousand Cats' and I play The Black Cat. Other cast are Neil Gaiman, Sandra Oh, Rosie Day, David Gyasi, David Tennant, Michael Sheen and James McAvoy. Sure. https://t.co/F0t5KDbp26

— Joe Lycett (@joelycett) August 19, 2022

Most of the cast have previously appeared in the audiobook version of The Sandman. The Amazon of Good Omens was co-written with the late Terry Pratchett.

The two stories that make up the bonus 11th episode are not related to the series in any way. We won't spoil the plotlines for you, though we will assure new fans of the series that this bonus episode doesn't mop up the remaining source content, so there's still plenty to explore.

The variable style of the original comic is captured in the first mini-episode using some unusual animation techniques. The animated version of "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" was made using real oil paintings on canvas.

In order to create a world that feels both grounded and dreamy at the same time, we combined the paintings with 2D animation, based on realistic 3D animation of telepathic cats. The cats were created by a studio in London. The oil paintings and 2D animation were done in Amsterdam.

A few weeks ago, it was announced that the service had lost more than one million subscribers in just three months. While the show only appeared on the service on August 5th, a press release notes that it is the most popular English-language series since it was released.