While not as popular as Matt Groening's previous work in The Simpsons or Futurama, Disenchantment, which went into development in 2016 and premiered in 2018, has managed to garner a solid fan base warranting its return to Netflix in 2022.
Premiering back in January 2021, the third season ended with many surprises and multiple cliffhangers, setting up what looks to be a big fourth season (or Part Four as it is listed on Netflix). Hopefully this season will provide answers to the many questions the series has left fans pondering and begin tying in some narrative threads that have persisted since the first season.
Keep reading to get yourself up to speed with all the goings-on in the magical kingdom of Dreamland before Disenchantment drops on Netflix.
When Is the Disenchantment Season 4 Release Date?
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The entire fourth season of Disenchantment will premiere on Netflix on February 9. The first episode is titled “Love is Hell” and was written by Bill Odenkirk (The Simpsons).
Watch the Trailer for Disenchantment Season 4
The trailer for Disenchantment season four dropped on January 31.
Who's In The Cast of Disenchantment?
The voice cast of Disenchantment includes Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), Nat Faxon (The Conners), Eric André (Bad Trip), John DiMaggio (Futurama), Sharon Horgan (This Way Up), Maurice LaMarche (Animaniacs), and Richard Ayowade (The IT Crowd).
How Did Disenchantment Season 3 End?
This fantasy satire is more continuity focused than Groening's previous work, with the fourth season picking up exactly where the story left off in the Season 3 finale.
The heavy drinking and rambunctious Bean (otherwise known as Princess Tiabeanie Mariabeanie de la Rochambeau Grunkwitz), voiced by Abbi Jacobson, is back in Dreamland after her stint in Steamland and is now taking on the important and dangerous role of Queen.
Before she takes on her matriarchal duties, however, she must deal with the dastardly plans of her mother, the sinister Queen Dagmar, which involve another trip to hell, this time for what appears to be a wedding.
According to the trailer, Bean should show some noticeable character growth this season, taking the responsibility of being queen seriously and realizing the fate of her kingdom is in her hands. While worrying about usurpers and revolutionary elves, Bean must also deal with strange dreams, a perturbed father, and uncovering the mystery of her family's curse.
Bean’s closest friend, Elfo, an obnoxious half elf voiced by Nat Faxon, was last seen turning himself over to a horde of Ogres in order to spare Dreamland from their wrath in the season finale. Knowing Elfo, he will most certainly luck his way out of facing whatever punishment the Ogres have in store for him and be back in Dreamland by the end of the first episode, but we shall see.
Luci, Bean’s personal demon, voiced by Eric André is stuck in heaven against his will at the end of season three, having sacrificed himself trying to save Bean from her mother. How the imp escapes from heaven remains to be seen, but the trailer shows he is reunited soon with Bean, only with some issues with keeping his head attached to his body.
Family Drama:
King Zøg, voiced by John DiMaggio, committed himself to the “Twinkle Town Insane Asylum” in the season finale after having a series of nervous breakdowns and near-death experiences. In the trailer, he appears to have moved on from the asylum, taking on a more quiet life in a monastery before returning to Dreamland to help his daughter rule the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Queen Dagmar, voiced by Sharon Horgan, continues to cause trouble for Bean, literally trapping her in an elevator to hell before presenting her as the bride to a mysterious demonic character in a hellish wedding ceremony. Hopefully this season, more will be revealed about Dagmar’s agenda, what it has to do with Bean and her new powers, and the family curse.
Trouble In Dreamland:
Last season, it was revealed that the Dread Pirate and adventurous elf Leavo, voiced by Maurice LaMarche, had uncovered the Candyass, legendary seat of Elven power, within Dreamland. This sets a dangerous precedent for the inhabitants of Dreamland, with elves, led by their king Rulo (also LaMarche), gearing up to take back the seat and reclaim Dreamland as their home in the trailer.
Meanwhile, in Dreamland castle, the Seekers, a secret society led by three-eyed Prime Minister Odval, voiced again by LaMarche, continue to work behind the scenes manipulating the government and royal family in order to further their agenda. Last season’s finale revealed that Odval and the Seekers were aware of the curse befalling the royal family and would have an active role in uncovering the truth behind who conjured the curse, what it is, and potentially how to reverse it.
And elsewhere, it remains to be seen what plans Alva Gunderson, the leader of rival nation and steampunk wonderland, Steamland, voiced by Richard Ayowade, has in store. After being scorned by Bean in season three, it seems inevitable that war between Steamland and Dreamland is on the cards.
How Many Episodes Will Disenchantment Season 4 Have?
Season 4 of Disenchantment will feature ten episodes, with each episode most likely running from 20 to 40 minutes long, as has been tradition in previous seasons.
Will Part 4 be the Final Season of Disenchantment?
While the stakes are higher in season four, there hasn’t been an indication whether this will be Disenchantment’s final installment. Meanwhile, Groening and co-creator, Josh Weinstein (Gravity Falls), have said in various interviews that the show's end is not far off, having already planned the story's conclusion.
Whether Disenchantment will be renewed for further seasons depends entirely on Netflix giving the creators the green light. However, Groening is confident that there will be more Disenchantment on the way despite Netflix's lack of confirmation.
Given Netflix’s penchant for canceling popular cartoons (the premature end of Bojack Horseman still stings), the fate of the show may in fact rest in the hands of Disenchantment fans and whether they show up to stream the latest season. Fingers crossed they do.