Picture: Netflix / DreamWorks Animation Television
One of the biggest series to come from Netflix’s decade-plus relationship with DreamWorks Animation on the TV side was eight seasons of Voltron: Legendary Defender. We first gave you notice that the show was leaving in September but now the time has come with the show leaving tomorrow, December 7th.
Between 2016 and 2018, Netflix and DreamWorks Television produced and released 78 episodes across eight seasons, serving as a reboot of the original series that ran in the 1980s. The most recent eighth season marked the show’s end despite continued fan efforts to get a ninth season.
The series, featuring the voices of Jeremy Shada, Tyler Labine, and Bex Taylor-Klaus, followed five heroes who combined into a mega powerful form to fight off evil.
That brings us to its Netflix removal. We’ll soon be coming up on six years since season 8 was added back in December 2018. Come November, according to our intel you can expect a removal notice to begin showing for Voltron: Legendary Defender on the Netflix app and website, which will state that your last day to watch will be December 6th, with the day of removal being December 7th (a Saturday).
Following our initial publishing in September 2024, the official Instagram account for Voltron addressed the potential removal saying, “Discussions are ongoing. When we know, you’ll know.”
That was followed up in early November 2024 with the official Voltron account providing additional context about the removal:
“Here is a summary of the situation:
1. Voltron: Legendary Defender was not produced by Netflix. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and licensed to Netflix. That license is expiring.
2. There is a chance the license gets renewed, those discussions are ongoing between all parties involved.
3. If the license does not get renewed, DreamWorks is free to license VLD to another streaming platform.
4. Seasons 1-6 can be purchased on Amazon Prime. They will continue to be available after December 7th. For now, seasons 7 and 8 will be harder to come by, unfortunately.
5. If an extension is not agreed upon, December 7th is not the *last* day to watch Voltron: Legendary Defender on Netflix, it is the *first* day you *can’t* watch Voltron: Legendary Defender on Netflix anymore.
We’ve been asked if this is because Amazon is producing a live action Voltron film. The live action film and the end of the contract to stream Legendary Defender are completely unrelated. By coincidence, a film that has been in development for years is moving into production around the same time as the six-year terms of the Netflix contract are coming to an end.
Assuming the contract is not renewed, if you are interested in getting in one more rewatch while Voltron: Legendary Defender is still on Netflix, you have 50 days to watch all 75 episodes.
That means if you watch three episodes every two days, or about 11 episodes a week, you can time saying goodbye to VLD on Netflix with the Paladins saying goodbye to the Lions.
Legendary Defender will still be available elsewhere, but if it’s taken off Netflix, it will mark the end of a Voltron era.”
On December 6th, the animation studio behind the show said their final goodbye in a heartfelt Tweet:
넷플릭스! 그동안 고마웠어~ 안녕!👋🏻
Today is the last day to stream #VoltronLegendaryDefender on Netflix. Until we meet again, defenders of the universe! #studiomir #netflix #스튜디오미르 #넷플릭스 pic.twitter.com/Ue0EDNC0mt
— Studio Mir 스튜디오미르 (@StudioMir2010) December 6, 2024
The official Voltron account also shared:
“Tomorrow, December 6th, is the last day Voltron fans can watch Legendary Defender on Netflix.
To celebrate everything that this series means to us all, we invite you to join us in a rewatch of the episode that started it all: The Rise of Voltron.The Voltron social media team will be watching alongside you all. Whether you’re watching on Netflix, DVD, or a digital copy you bought on Amazon Prime, at 2pm Eastern, we all press play. There will be a post on Instagram where you can add your comments and read ours.
We hope you can join us for this sendoff.”
DreamWorks Television series began leaving Netflix in April 2023, when the rights for the series began expiring six years after their final seasons (or around then) were added. It started with Turbo Fast and Mr. Peabody and Sherman, but VeggieTales, Home: Adventures with Tip and Oh, and most recently, Dinotrux: Supercharged have since departed. In 2025, we’ll see Spirit Riding Free, Richie Rich, Trolls: The Beat Goes On, and others leave.
If you’re tempted to sign up to Netflix to rewatch Voltron: Legendary Defender before it leaves, you’ll need to do so on a premium account. As with all the DreamWorks Television shows, the series is completely blocked on the streamer ad account for rights reasons.
For more on what’s leaving Netflix in the near future, keep checking back on What’s on Netflix.
Are you disappointed that Voltron: Legendary Defender is leaving Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
