Genndy Tartakovsky has been a revolutionary voice in the world of animation, creating some of the most celebrated cartoon shoes on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. Popular shows of the 2000s including Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Sym-Bionic Titan, and recent entries like Primal, and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal were his creations.
His ongoing show Primal has been a big hit on Adult Swim. The visionary creator/ director drew a lot of inspiration from some of the cinematic greats like Star Wars and Sergio Leone films. Interestingly, Tartakovsky based the behavior and mechanics of the dinosaur Fang in his show on how Max Fleischer’s Superman carried himself in the 40s animated show.
Genndy Tartakovsky Took Inspirations From Max Fleischer’s Superman For Primal
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal intrigued fans of the celebrated visionary with its unique visual style and the ambitious scale of the series. It portrayed a prehistoric world featuring a Neanderthal (Spear) and a female Tyrannosaurus (Fang) who come together after tragic events happen to their loved ones. As they explore the wasteland, they come into conflict with various developed civilizations.
In an interview with Vulture, Tartakovsky revealed how the show was an evolution of his previous works including Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Star Wars: Clone Wars. He also went back to the legends of cinema like Sergio Leone, John Woo, and others to mimic their presentations of scenes and characters.
In the interview, Tartakovsky stated how he wanted to bring new flavor to the movement and behavior of the characters in Primal. He struggled with the presentation of the Fang. He had never done a dinosaur character before and he kept on sketching till he found the perfect language and pitch of the character. He mentioned Max Fleischer’s Superman animated show as a big inspiration for designing both Spear and Fang’s traits and build. Tartakovsky said,
“It’s really interesting because as you start each new show, you have to learn how the character stands, how they pose, all those things. We did it with all of them, including Copernicus.
It was like going through the struggle with Fang in Primal. I’d never done a dinosaur character before. I had to sketch and sketch and sketch in order to find that language that would define her. Like how Max Fleischer’s Superman stands with his chest out.”
Tartakovsky also pointed out the similarities between Superman and Spear with his this “weird, bulky body that we would draw a little differently every time”. It’s also important to note that Fleischer’s Superman show also had a huge influence on Batman: The Animated Series.
Bruce Timm leaned on the show’s style and mandate for the Caped Crusader’s show (via Forbes). Tartakovsky’s Primal also raised the benchmark for animated storytelling with the show and other future shows will surely take inspiration from it.
Genndy Tartakovsky Initially Couldn’t Find Anybody To Make Unicorn: Warriors Eternal With
With Primal being a gigantic success, Genndy Tartakovsky created another adult animated show called Unicorn: Warriors Eternal. The show chronicled a group of ancestral heroes coming together to stop an evil force from destroying the universe. Despite Tartakovsky tasting success with Primal, it seems no one was interested in being a part of the wacky series.
In an interview with Paste Magazine, Tartakovsky revealed that no one was ready to support him during the show’s development phase as they were busy. After the show came out, everything was the opposite and everyone was calling Tartakovsky to work on potential projects. Tartakovsky felt weird about the whole thing as he hadn’t been called for work for over 2 years. He said,
“When I was starting Unicorn, I couldn’t find anybody to work on it. It was crazy! That’s why I had to do it myself because I couldn’t find anybody. Everybody was busy. And now it’s the opposite. All of a sudden, there’s people calling for work, which I haven’t had a call for work in over two years.”
The show received positive reviews from fans, becoming another winner for Tartakovsky. He is coming up with yet another adult animated project titled Fixed featuring the voices of Adam DeVine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, and Beck Bennett.
Fans can watch Tartakovsky’s Primal on Adult Swim/Max.
