As summer approaches, streaming sites and Prime Video offerings have had a bit of a slow start this month. Instead of pumping out Prime Originals, the Bezos Content Machine is shifting more of their attention to move fresh content across their no-cost streaming platform, Freevee.

Nonetheless, a couple of light-hearted specials and fantasy series will be hitting the deck with Jimmy O Yang’s hour-long comedy special and fantasy novel adaptation of Wolfgang Hohlbein’s ‘The Gryphon’ taking the lead.

To announce the arrival of summer, Amazon has also brought back some of our favourite throwbacks to laden with sunshine and beachside mimosas, with sweltering-vacation classics like ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’, ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘Madagascar’.

Films

‘Madagascar’

Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past 18 years will have remembered watching ‘Madagascar’ and imagining themselves on a desert island far, far, away from their responsibilities. After all, nothing says summer much like washing up on the white sandy beaches of Madagascar with your most trusted friends – even if you’ve been taken there against your will.

New York Zoo residents Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria find themselves trapped in Madagascar while en route to a wild-life reserve. Despite Alex the lion’s insistence on getting back to the city – the rest of the gang are pretty content on living out the rest of their days on this blue-skied paradise. Until hijinks ensue!

When: May 1

‘Mamma Mia!’

Meryl Streep’s iconic bed-jumping-split-in-the-air is a scene forever immortalised in the ABBA inspired summer-flick, ‘Mamma Mia’. With everyone’s favourite ballads and pop-hits performed against the backdrop of Skopelos, Greece; this campy feel-good film has you belting ‘Mamma mia, here I go again’ with every rewatch.

On the fictional island of Kalokairi, bride-to-be Sophie invites three men to her wedding without telling her mother, Donna. The three men, Harry, Sam, and Bill were all once Donna’s lovers during the window of Sophie’s conception, and Sophie hopes to find out which one of them will give her away at the wedding.

When: May 1

‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’

Another flick set in the sunny vacation island of Hawaii, this comedy-drama starring Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand and Jason Segel is an instant classic that embodies the fun-loving bewilderment and zest of summer.

When composer Peter Bretter gets broken up with by actress Sarah Marshall in his birthday suit, he decides to drop over to Hawaii and forget about his freshly terminated five-year relationship. To his devastation, Sarah and her new boyfriend, rockstar Alduos Snow, are also vacationing at the same hotel. Peter begins to realise how awful his relationship with Sarah really was after starting a healthier relationship of his own.

When: May 1

Series

‘Jimmy O Yang: Guess How Much? Comedy Special’

Jimmy O Yang’s break out role in Silicon Valley kickstarted his elusive comedy career, now decorated with books and stand-up specials. This summer, he releases an hour long special titled ‘Guess How Much?’, outlining his take on the pandemic, fearmongering and conspiracy theorists, popular Asia culture, and bargain hunting.

When: May 2

‘Hohlbein’s The Gryphon’

Amazon doubles down on German originals, looking to adapt cult fantasy novel ‘The Gryphon’ into a full-length TV series.

Three adolescent outsiders, Mark, Memo, and Becky stumble upon the fantastic world of the ‘Black Tower’ where they encounter the Griffin. The Griffin, as it turns out, is a menacing world-devouring monster, mercilessly plundering other living creatures for centuries, and is exactly whom the three friends must somehow subjugate.

When: May 26

‘Tommy Little: Pretty Fly for a Dickhead’

35-year-old Australian comedian Tommy Little’s contagious personality and ‘frat-boy-esque’ persona is put on full display for fans of the anecdotal comedy genre. His self-deprecating style comes through in this one hour special of self-contained chaos.

When: May 5