Pac-Man has been on a long hiatus from the TV format, after his short-lived Hanna-Barbera cartoon in the 1980s. But the allure of the spotlight is too much to resist, and so the Man of Pac is scheduled to star in a new TV series on Disney XD. Yes, the station that looks like an emoticon.

Namco Bandai, in conjunction with Arad Productions and 41 Entertainment, announced the new series today. It's tentatively titled Pac-Man - The Adventure Begins and is slated for fall of 2013. It will be presented in stereoscopic 3D, which seems like a perfect fit for a game character known for running around flat 2D mazes.

The show will be executive produced by Avi Arad (Spider-Man, Iron Man) and Rick Ungar (Biker Mice from Mars, X-Men Evolution). So far our sole look at the series is in a piece of promotional concept art showing Pac-Man with his bizarre little friends (above).

"I am very excited about producing Pac-Man - The Adventure Begins, the 3D animated series, with Rick Ungar. Pac-Man is one of the world’s greatest icons," said Avi Arad in the announcement. "He is funny and adventurous and will bring his tone and abilities to this beautifully executed animated series. For more than 30 years, Pac-Man has been a household name. Having this property on Disney XD is its rightful place to be."