Trollhunters: Guillermo del Toro previews one of Anton Yelchin's final roles

Eight years in the making, Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated animated series, Trollhunters, is finally set to debut on Netflix in December, and EW has your first look at the series.

The show follows 15-year-old Jim (Anton Yelchin), who is transformed into the Trollhunter, defender of the good trolls, after stumbling upon a magical amulet. While fighting alongside his best friend Toby (Charlie Saxton) and the wise four-armed troll Blinky (Kelsey Grammer), he also must juggle play rehearsal and homework.

“I wanted that juxtaposition that Jim could be bad at gym class but fantastic at fighting in the troll arena,” says the Pacific Rim director, who was inspired by 1980s Amblin movies like The Goonies.

After a wide search, Yelchin proved the perfect voice for the “warm, accessible quality” that del Toro imagined for Jim: “That simple goodness and beautiful soul came through every time [Yelchin read].”

To read more on Trollhunters and other stories, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday, or buy it here now – and subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

Yelchin died tragically in June at 27, but not before completing most of his work on the first season. “We went through great pains to ensure that his voice is preserved for the series,” says del Toro poignantly. “He was so passionate about it, and he had so much fun doing this.”

Trollhunters also features the voices of Ron Perlman, Jonathan Hyde, Lexi Medrano, Amy Landecker, Fred Tatasciore, and Steven Yeun. See more exclusive images from the show below.