A fan on Twitter has posted what is supposedly test footage from a since axed Crash Bandicoot cartoon.
The clip features a Crash origin story in which Neo Cortex mutates a simple marsupial into the Crash Bandicoot we all know and love today. Take a look at the scene below.
RUMOUR: Activision may have cancelled a Crash Bandicoot cartoon that was in development for a year.This test animation shows a glimpse of what the show would’ve looked like. Take it with what you will. pic.twitter.com/BovuzSpTuyJanuary 12, 2021
This footage, which supposedly originated from the Crash Bandicoot subreddit, has since been deleted. However, the post claims the series was commissioned by Amazon and was in production for a whole year before getting cancelled. However, there's been no official confirmation of this.
The animation does look to be of a high quality, especially considering that this is supposedly test footage. Many fans of the video game series remain unconvinced though, with some believing that this may in fact be fan-made or a scrapped video game cutscene, of which there were apparently plenty during the development of the first Crash Bandicoot game in the 90s.
Some habits never die. Back in the 90s there were some unused animated cutscenes that were going to be in the first crash bandicoot game pic.twitter.com/Xuzz8VO4GHJanuary 13, 2021
Around the same time as the animation appeared online, a second version of the same scene also did the rounds on Twitter. This version has slightly different effects and gives Crash different characteristics, however, remains mostly the same as the first.
So, apparently a test animation for a canned #CrashBandicoot cartoon was recently found and man, why the hell is Activision say no to it? pic.twitter.com/gLpY0yJamJJanuary 12, 2021
Although the idea of a Crash Bandicoot animated series is exciting, another plausible explanation for this footage may be that it came from an early revision of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, which was released last year. If we consider that this wouldn't be the first time Crash could have had animated segments (as referenced in the tweet above) and that Crash 4’s developers Toys For Bob have always wanted to maintain the “old school animation vibe that the game gives off", it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.
For now, things remain inconclusive due to the fact that Activision hasn't commented on the rumours, but it’s still fun to imagine what this could be.
If you’re still struggling with collecting all those coloured gems, take a look at our Crash 4 coloured gems guide.
