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| creator = [[Genndy Tartakovsky]]
| creator = [[Genndy Tartakovsky]]
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| director = Genndy Tartakovsky
| director = Genndy Tartakovsky
| voices = Aaron LaPlante
| voices = Aaron LaPlante

Revision as of 19:19, 2 November 2020

Primal
Also known asGenndy Tartakovsky's Primal
Genre
Created byGenndy Tartakovsky
Directed byGenndy Tartakovsky
Voices ofAaron LaPlante
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish[a]
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
ProducerShareena Carlson
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAdult Swim
ReleaseOctober 7, 2019 (2019-10-07) –
present

Primal is an American adult animated television series created and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky for Adult Swim. Primal draws in elements of fantasy, horror, action, and adventure. The first episode premiered on Adult Swim on October 7, 2019. The first season of Primal consists of 10 episodes, the first half airing daily on the week it premiered. The second half of the season aired on October 4, 2020. A film retelling of the first four episodes, Primal: Tales of Savagery, screened at the London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills on November 21, 2019. This version was submitted in the Animated Feature Film category for the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

Critics have praised the series, in particular the animation, the pacing and editing, and the storytelling. The show has won three Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation Juried Awards from the Emmy for Storyboard Artist (Genndy Tartakovsky), Art Director (Scott Wills) and Character Designer (Stephen DeStefano).

Premise

Set in an anachronistic and fantastical prehistoric world, the premise is a bond between a caveman and a Tyrannosaurus (named “Spear” and “Fang” in the production notes and credits, respectively) who struggle to survive as they encounter the various dangerous fauna and people that live in their world.

Characters

In comparison to Tartakovsky's other shows where there are multiple characters, Primal only features two protagonists in the show as they encounter different prehistoric or fantastical species and various tribes of hominins. Tartakovsky stated that although the show is a work of fantasy, the animals in the show are based on real prehistoric animals, mythological beasts, as well as some new ones created by the artists involved in the project.[1]

Main

  • Spear (vocal effects provided by Aaron LaPlante) – A caveman whose tragedy begins when his mate and two children are attacked and devoured by a pack of horned theropods. Although he overcomes his initial urge to commit suicide, Spear is still learning to cope with the loss. Eventually, he develops a deep bond with Fang and is willing to make any personal sacrifice to protect her.
  • Fang – A medium-sized female Tyrannosaurus whose tragedy begins with the death of her hatchlings, caused by the same predators who killed Spear's. Unlike Spear, who is still traumatized and dealing with the loss of his loved ones, Fang is able to cope with hers much quicker. Initially, she attempts to assert her dominance over Spear, but eventually learns that it is far healthier to work in a partnership than with a pack mentality, and is willing to do anything to ensure his survival.

Recurring

  • Spear's family – They consisted of his mate, son, and daughter. They were eaten in the first episode by a pack of horned Tyrannosaurus, like Fang's children, but reappear through visions and flashbacks across the series.

Production

Conception and development

According to the show's creator, Genndy Tartakovsky, Primal was an early piece of work he scrapped because it did not click with him at the time. As he learned more and more about what drew people in to his shows, he wanted to experiment with those artistic traits, particularly the use of no dialogue and slow moments.[1][2] He also stated that the method in which he approached animated shows and films began to slow down in terms of energy after Dexter's Laboratory. By the time he began working on season 5 of Samurai Jack, it had come full circle. He said he was inspired by Conan the Barbarian and vintage pulp novels.[1][3] According to Tartakovsky, he felt that people would not take the show seriously because they were "breaking the rules" by having "a man and a dinosaur together," so he emphasized that it is a character study, a "buddies" journey about two characters who are very different but bonded by tragedy.

The first season will consist of 10 episodes.[4] On August 31, 2020, it was announced it has been renewed for a second season which will comprise 10 episodes.[5]

Episodes

No.TitleWritten and storyboarded byStory byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Spear and Fang"Genndy TartakovskyN/AOctober 7, 2019 (2019-10-07)[d]0.538[6]
A caveman, Spear, returns from fishing to find his mate, son, and daughter devoured by a trio of horned Tyrannosaurus. Distraught, he contemplates suicide before resolving to take revenge. He sees the silhouette of a dinosaur and, believing it to be one of the Tyrannosaurus that killed his family, silently pursues it into a thicket. He comes face to face with the hornless Tyrannosaurus Fang, with two offsprings with her. The sight of the young dinosaurs causes Spear to back down, just as they are attacked by the horned Tyrannosaurus pack. Though Spear helps Fang kill two of them, their gargantuan alpha eats Fang's babies. Spear and Fang slay the alpha, but Fang is left distraught over the loss of her children. Spear leaves Fang and walks off alone, but is later approached by Fang, and the two decide to travel together.
2"River of Snakes"Genndy TartakovskyN/AOctober 8, 2019 (2019-10-08)0.661[7]
While hunting, Fang consistently bogarts any food she and Spear come across, causing him to grow increasingly agitated at her. Eventually, Spear snaps and attacks Fang, losing his spear in the process, but their fight is interrupted when they wander into a den of large snakes. A flash flood rushes them and the snakes into a swampy river, where a Titanoboa resides. Fang kills it, but despite working together to stay afloat, she and Spear fall down a waterfall, causing him to hit his head on the way down. Fang pulls Spear from the water, and as he comes to, Fang fetches Spear's lost weapon. They reconcile and continue their journey together, now hunting food as a team.
3"A Cold Death"David KrentzBryan Andrews, David Krentz, Darrick Bachman, and Genndy TartakovskyOctober 9, 2019 (2019-10-09)0.573[8]
In the harshness of primordial winter, an elder woolly mammoth is separated from its herd and subsequently killed by Spear and Fang. Spear harvests as much meat from the mammoth as he can, using one of its tusks to pull a makeshift sled. When the dead mammoth's herd comes across their desecrated elder, they follow the sled's tracks and attack Spear and Fang. The pair attempt to fight them off, but they are quickly overwhelmed by their power and numbers. In a final act of desperation, Spear defends himself with the elder mammoth's tusk and notices that the other mammoths stop their attack upon seeing it. He returns the tusk to them, who leave in peace and bring it to their mammoth graveyard to mourn.
4"Terror Under the Blood Moon"Don Shank and Genndy TartakovskyBryan Andrews, Darrick Bachman, and Genndy TartakovskyOctober 10, 2019 (2019-10-10)0.557[9]
After Spear and Fang evade a pack of dromaeosaurs, they experience a red lunar eclipse and encounter a tribe of cavepeople being attacked by gigantic red bats. They attempt to fight the bats off, but Spear is carried away by one, his spear left behind with the cavemen. Fang pursues the bats to a tall stone pillar, which she finds impossible to climb. Seeing the bats emerging from the top, she plays dead and allows them to carry her to a cave at the peak. While searching for Spear, Fang discovers the nest of a massive spider that the bats share their food with. Fang frees Spear, who helps her kill the spider. As the bats return, Spear and Fang use the spider's webbing to safely descend the pillar. Spear retrieves his spear from the cavemen as he and Fang flee from the bats and lead them into a fight with the dromaeosaurs before safely escaping towards the rising sun.
5"Rage of the Ape-Men"Bryan Andrews and Genndy TartakovskyBryan Andrews, Darrick Bachman, and Genndy TartakovskyOctober 11, 2019 (2019-10-11)0.654[10]
Spear and Fang reach a seemingly peaceful oasis and relax before they are captured by a vicious tribe of Ape-Men. The Ape-Men hold a brutal tournament to the death, with one of them eventually coming out on top. After the champion drinks an enhancement serum which mutates and enrages him, Fang is lowered into the arena for him to fight. Helplessly watching as Fang is nearly beaten to death, Spear breaks free from his bindings and drinks the rest of the serum, causing him to transform into a hulking monster. After killing the Ape-Man champion, Spear proceeds to massacre the other Ape-Men in the arena overnight. When Spear eventually returns to normal, he runs to Fang's side as she lies unmoving.
6"Scent of Prey"Bryan AndrewsBryan Andrews, Darrick Bachman, and Genndy TartakovskyOctober 4, 2020 (2020-10-04)0.442[11]
Spear agonizes over the apparent loss of Fang after the events of his fight against the Ape-Men. Fang awakens, but is critically injured. Seeing that the Ape-Men corpses are attracting vultures, Spear builds a litter to carry Fang and fashions a new spear for himself. He struggles to nurse her back to health while simultaneously trying to keep her from falling victim to predators in her helpless state. Spear discovers they are being followed by scavenging African wild dogs and takes precautions to stop them. As the dog pack grows and continue stalking the pair, Spear and Fang are forced to take shelter in a cave. Defending her from flesh-eating armored beetles inside the cave and the dogs outside, Spear's desire to protect her gives Fang the time she needs to heal and join him once more on the battlefield.
7"Plague of Madness"David KrentzDarrick Bachman, David Krentz, Bryan Andrews, and Genndy TartakovskyApril 1, 2020 (2020-04-01) (April Fools Day)
0.539[12]
October 11, 2020 (2020-10-11)0.404[13]
A nesting herd of Argentinosaurus is decimated by one of its members after it is infected with a flesh-eating rabies-like virus by a diseased Parasaurolophus. Spear and Fang stumble across the slaughtered herd at the devastated nesting grounds and become the crazed sauropod's next target. Running for their lives, the duo trick the behemoth over a cliff and into a narrow ravine before finally escaping with their lives by making a mad dash across a lava field. The sauropod's massive weight makes it fall into the magma, which incinerates it as Spear and Fang observe its final agonizing moments.
8"Coven of the Damned"Nagisa Koyama and Genndy TartakovskyBryan Andrews, Darrick Bachman, and Genndy TartakovskyOctober 18, 2020 (2020-10-18)0.464[14]
Spear and Fang come across a tribe of primitive witches at a ritual. The leader of the tribe uses dark magic to steal the essence of male cavemen and birth females which she gives as daughters to her followers. The witches spot Spear and Fang and give chase to the duo, capturing Spear and using magic to control Fang. One of the witches named Lula uses her magic to travel back into both of their pasts and learns of the tragedies that befell them. Having lost a daughter of her own when she fell off a cliff, Lula saves the pair from the other witches and sacrifices herself to help them escape by stalling the head witch. Fang and Spear mourn the loss of their savior before continuing into the jungle. In the afterlife, Lula reunites with her daughter.
9"The Night Feeder"Genndy TartakovskyDarrick Bachman and Genndy TartakovskyOctober 25, 2020 (2020-10-25)0.355[15]
Spear and Fang come across the mangled remains of a Smilodon, killed by a mysterious creature. While he wants to investigate it, she refuses to let him. The next night, the creature slaughters a herd of Ceratopsians nearby, but Fang refuses to let Spear go anywhere near the area. The next day, Spear and Fang hear bizarre screeching while braving a powerful storm. Later that night, the creature attacks the duo, forcing them to flee into a misty forest. The creature catches up to them and they struggle against the unseen foe, but Fang manages to wound it. As the beast emits ear-splitting shrieks, Spear learns of its weakness to light. Using sparks from his weapon, Spear and Fang create a ring of fire to trap the monster, which is briefly revealed to be a Baryonyx / Therizinosaurus-like creature, and they ultimately kill it.
10"Slave of the Scorpion"[16]David KrentzDarrick Bachman, David Krentz, Bryan Andrews, and Genndy TartakovskyNovember 1, 2020 (2020-11-01)N/A
Spear and Fang encounter a mysterious slave woman running away from a Pliosaurus. The duo are intrigued by her and she herself takes an interest in them, following them as they travel. The woman showcases her aptitude for cooking and archery, and every night Spear witnesses her pray to the moon. Spear and Fang free her from her restraints and she introduces herself as Mira. In her native language, Mira tells Spear her people were enslaved by invaders but she escaped. The trio sets camp in a cave and Mira reveals she prays to the moon as a means of praying for her family's safety. The next morning, Mira is kidnapped by a group of Ape-Men. Spear and Fang go after Mira, only to find the Ape-Men killed by arrows and footprints in the dirt. They follow them to a boat leaving with Mira onboard and the sail marked with the same scorpion brand on Mira's head. The two can only watch as she is taken away, with Spear speaking for the first time by calling out Mira's name.

Broadcast

The first season premiered on October 7, 2019. The first half of the seasons had the episodes airing daily from the premiered date.[17][18] An episode from the second half was shown during Adult Swim's April Fools' Day 2020 run. Adult Swim announced on their Twitter that the second half would be released on October 4, 2020.[19][20][21]

Reception

Critical response

Initial reception for Primal was highly positive; much praise was given to the art and animation, the use of storytelling with no dialogue, and the balancing of the show's interpretation of violence and beauty. In a review from IndieWire, Steve Greene wrote "Primal is a piece of elemental storytelling that finds some real emotional depth without either of its protagonists uttering a single word of dialogue", ultimately giving the series an "A-".[22] On Rotten Tomatoes the show has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 20 critics. The site's critical consensus states: "Epic in every sense, Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal is a stunning feat of visual storytelling".[23]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2020
 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation Stephen DeStefano (character designer) (for "A Cold Death") Won [24]
Genndy Tartakovsky (storyboard artist) (for "Spear and Fang") Won
Scott Wills (art director) (for "Spear and Fang") Won

Notes

  1. ^ The series had no spoken dialogue until "Slave of the Scorpion"
  2. ^ a b c Miller, Pelphrey and Sorcher are executive producers for Cartoon Network Studios
  3. ^ a b Lazzo and Crofford are executive producers for Williams Street
  4. ^ This episode was first released online on October 4, 2019.

References

  1. ^ a b c Eddy, Cheryl (July 24, 2019). "We Got a First Look at Genndy Tartakovsky's Beautiful and Brutal Primal". Gizmodo. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  2. ^ Genndy Tartakovsky's 'Primal' has gritty dinosaurs, no dialogue, retrieved 2019-10-18
  3. ^ Primal - First Look With Genndy Tartakovsky | SYFY WIRE, retrieved 2019-10-18
  4. ^ Genndy Tartakovsky's 'Primal' has gritty dinosaurs, no dialogue, retrieved 2019-10-18
  5. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (August 31, 2020). "'Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal' Saga Continues with 5 New Eps". Animation Magazine.
  6. ^ Rejent, Joseph (October 8, 2019). "Monday cable ratings: NFL keeps ahead of 'WWE RAW'". Archived from the original on October 9, 2019.
  7. ^ Rejent, Joseph (October 9, 2019). "Tuesday cable ratings: MLB leads, 'Teen Mom' stays steady". Archived from the original on October 9, 2019.
  8. ^ Rejent, Joseph (October 10, 2019). "Wednesday cable ratings: Nationals vs. Dodgers tops all, 'American Horror Story: 1984' holds". Archived from the original on October 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "Thursday cable ratings: MLB continues to lead, 'Jersey Shore: Family Vacation' rises". October 11, 2019. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019.
  10. ^ Rejent, Joseph (October 14, 2019). "Friday cable ratings: Nationals vs. Cardinals soars, 'Gold Rush' returns low". Archived from the original on October 14, 2019.
  11. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 6, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.4.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  12. ^ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.31.2020 | Showbuzz Daily". www.showbuzzdaily.com.
  13. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 13, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.11.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  14. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 20, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.18.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (October 27, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.25.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  16. ^ https://tvlistings.zap2it.com/overview.html?programSeriesId=SH03312437&tmsId=SH033124370000&from=TVGrid&aid=gapzap
  17. ^ Wallis, Adam (October 4, 2019). "Introducing 'Primal,' the latest gory animated series from Genndy Tartakovsky". GlobalNews.ca. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  18. ^ Eddy, Cheryl. "Genndy Tartakovsky Explains How He Created Primal's Ferocious Fantasy World". io9.gizmodo. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  19. ^ Valentine, Evan (April 2, 2020). "When Will Primal Return With A New Episode On Adult Swim?". ComicBook. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  20. ^ Baron, Reuben (April 1, 2020). "A Surprise April Fools Primal Is Scarily Relevant". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  21. ^ https://twitter.com/adultswim/status/1300463361734381569
  22. ^ Greene, Steve (October 7, 2019). "'Primal' Review: Genndy Tartakovsky's Fantastic Prehistoric Saga Finds Beauty in Brutality".
  23. ^ "Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  24. ^ "Juried Emmy Award Winners Announced". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
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