Ben 10 (2005 TV series)
| Ben 10 | |
|---|---|
| File:Ben10showlogo.JPG Ben 10 logo | |
| Created by | Duncan Rouleau Joe Casey Joe Kelly Steven T. Seagle |
| Voices of | Dee Bradley Baker Fred Tatasciore Jim Ward Meagan Smith Paul Eiding Richard McGonagle Richard Steven Horvitz Steven Jay Blum Tara Strong |
| Theme music composer | Andy Sturmer |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 37 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Sam Register |
| Running time | 22 minutes approx. |
| Original release | |
| Network | Cartoon Network |
| Release | December 27, 2005 – Present |
Ben 10 is an American animated television series created by Man of Action (a group consisting of Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle), and produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The pilot episode aired on December 27, 2005, as part of a sneak peek of Cartoon Network's new Saturday morning lineup. The second episode was shown as a special on Cartoon Network's Fridays on January 13, 2006, on which the first and second episodes were shown back-to-back. The theme song for the show was written by Andy Sturmer and sung by Moxy.[1]
Plot
The show revolves around Ben Tennyson, his cousin Gwen, and his grandfather Max. At the start of their summer camping trip, Ben is nearly hit by an alien pod that fell from space and crashed next to him. When he examines it, he finds a mysterious, watch-like device, called the Omnitrix, stored inside. The device attaches to his wrist and gives him the ability to transform into different alien heroes, each with their own unique powers (quite similar to DC's Dial H for Hero comic).[2] Although Ben realizes that he has a responsibility to help others with these new abilities at his disposal, he isn't above a little superpowered mischief now and then.
In the first season, the plot mainly focuses on the villain Vilgax, an evil alien warlord who wants to use the Omnitrix to conquer the galaxy. Having been injured at the start of the season, he mainly sends various drones to do his work for him until he heals. After healing, he attempts to retrieve it himself, only to fail.[3]
The second season has a considerably looser plot, mostly following a "villain of the week" format. The few plot-centric episodes focus on Kevin, a super-powered teen with the power to absorb different types of energies, who Ben meets in the first season. Having inadvertently allowed Kevin to absorb the Omnitrix's ability during their first meeting, Kevin serves as an antithesis to Ben. Vilgax also returns in the finale, having teamed up with Kevin in the hopes of succeeding where he failed originally. Again, he fails, and both he and Kevin are trapped in an alternate dimension.[4]
The third season has a similar plot layout, though its few plot-centric episodes seem to focus around aliens styled on traditional horror monsters that Ben acquires as new forms through their contact with the Omnitrix. Purple-colored lightning is also a recurring theme, apparently linking the various aliens.
Main Protagonists
Benjamin "Ben" Tennyson
Ben is a typical 10-year-old boy — he plays video games (his particular favorite is a franchise called Sumo Slammer), rides his bike, and sometimes gets into some mischief. During a camping trip with his grandfather Max and his cousin Gwen, he finds the Omnitrix, an alien device that gives him the ability to turn into various aliens. Unable to remove it, he uses its powers to become a superhero.[2] He finds the job trickier than he imagined, especially with the evil alien warlord Vilgax pursuing him relentlessly to retrieve the Omnitrix. However, no matter what bizarre form Ben takes, inside he's still the same mischievous yet good-hearted 10-year-old boy. In contrast, his thirty-year-old character, introduced in Ben 10,000 - set twenty years into the future, is too serious and strict for his own good, but he eventually learns to lighten up again when he meets his past self. Ben can also play Guitar and Drums, as seen in the episode "Monster Weather".
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Tennyson
Ben's 10-year-old cousin (the two share the same birthday), Gwen is the voice of reason that tries (usually unsuccessfully) to keep Ben from getting himself into trouble. Ben usually wants to ignore her and thinks that (from his point of view) she has no idea when to stop nagging him. Gwen is always trying to plan ahead and calculate the consequences of their (mostly Ben's) actions, because she is convinced that Ben never thinks before he acts. She uses her laptop to research any strange people and/or creatures they might come across, and continually tries to help Ben figure out how the Omnitrix works (much to her own dismay). Although she holds Ben in contempt and insults him with dry wit and sarcasm most of the time, she has some respect for him deep down but rarely shows it.
Gwen is a capable gymnast and has had some training in martial arts (which she mentions in Ghostfreaked Out and previously demonstrates in Washington B.C.). She has also shown an almost innate skill in using various complicated devices or objects, such as in the hiatus episode Gwen 10, when Gwen gained the Omnitrix instead of Ben, and proved to be far more adept in its use than he initially was. However, this does not seem to apply when she is outside of her own body.
Overall, her most notable skill is her innate, if untapped, natural ability at magic. Having within her what Charmcaster calls a "magical aura", Gwen is capable of using various magical artifacts and spells. When using the luck-giving charm of Bezel (which gave Gwen the inspiration for her own super heroine identity, "Lucky Girl"), she was able to activate it instinctively, whereas Hex did not (or could not). Later on, when she gets a hold of his staff, she was able to make it fire an energy blast which only a master magician should have been able to do, according to Charmcaster and Hex. Gwen has only recently started to actually tap into her magical powers to help Ben (though her first use in Under Wraps wasn't exactly as useful as she had hoped). In the possible future of Ben 10,000, Gwen's physical and magical training leads her to become both a black belt and a master magician using the recreated Charms of Bezel, which makes her more than a match for any adversary.
Max Tennyson
Max Tennyson, or Grandpa Max as his grandchildren call him, is the 60-year old paternal grandfather of cousins Ben and Gwen Tennyson. With a keen sense for adventure and a strange taste in food, Max always ends up taking the kids (and their taste buds) on interesting trips. As soon as school lets out, Ben looks forward to going on a traditional summer road trip with Max. Much to Ben's annoyance, Ben discovers that his cousin Gwen (whom he dislikes) is joining them as well. Max travels in a motorhome nicknamed "The Rust Bucket", which he has modified with advanced technology. The Rust Bucket is a replica of a GMC Classic Motorhome. Ironically, a GMC Motorhome is manufactured from fiberglass and aluminum, and can't rust.[2]
Max, who was a "plumber", which is explained in the episode "Truth" (among other things, it seems) and has been through his share of scrapes, takes his grandson gaining superpowers in stride, and supports Ben in any way he can. Ben and Gwen were ignorant of this at first, believing him to have been a literal plumber. They began questioning this after several incidents in which he displayed knowledge and skills that a plumber would not normally have; everything from military-style hand signals to a working knowledge of nuclear reactors. Max and Vilgax are also old enemies, with Vilgax even going so far as to call Max "a thorn in my side."[3]
In reality, Max was indeed a plumber, but not the kind that Ben and Gwen thought he was. He was part of a government organization called "The Plumbers" which dealt with extra-terrestrial, paranormal, and other situations that many could not. Their base was beneath Mount Rushmore. The group was disbanded shortly after Max defeated Vilgax for the first time, suggesting that Vilgax had been largely responsible for the various incidents they dealt with.[5]
In Ben 10,000, Max has further modified his RV, grown a beard, and even replaced his arm with a mechanical limb, but still retains his caring personality.
Main Antagonists
Vilgax
Vilgax serves as the main antagonist of the series. Vilgax is a Chimera Sui Generis from a place called the Shadowy Realm, as stated by the bio that comes with his action figure. His appearance is very similar to Cthulhu. A vicious, intergalactic conqueror, Vilgax will stop at nothing to obtain the Omnitrix and use it to build an army capable of conquering every planet in the galaxy.
After being severely injured by the final attack from the ship transporting the Omnitrix, he was confined to a regeneration tank, ordering his robotic minions and cosmic bounty hunters to track down the Omnitrix, not realizing that it was a "mere child" who outsmarted and outfought his minions.[6] However, while his body was being repaired, he was also being cybernetically enhanced. When he was finally able to leave the regeneration tank, he had been enhanced to the point that none of the Omnitrix's aliens could so much as scratch him. Vilgax's ship was destroyed with him still aboard, but he survived its destruction and remained trapped within an iceberg floating in space until he was found by Kevin 11 in the episode "Back With a Vengeance". In that episode, he teamed up with Kevin in order to remove the Omnitrix, since Kevin shared its DNA. He is currently locked away in the Null Void dimension along with Kevin.
In Secrets, Max tells Ben and Gwen how he had a run in with Vilgax. Vilgax was stealing warheads from a military base when Max and his partner showed up. In the resulting fight, Vilgax was strapped to a warhead by Max and launched into his own ship.
According to events revealed in "Ben 10,000", Vilgax eventually escaped the Null Void but is torn to pieces during his last battle with Ben. Future Ben is not exaggerating about this fact, as Vilgax is fairly torn up when found by Future Dr. Animo. Animo revives Vilgax using his Transmodulator and the two of them then attempt to get revenge, only to be defeated by both the present and future Bens and Gwens. Future Ben ultimately defeats Vilgax by freezing him in a river.
Kevin 11
By all outward appearances a rebellious eleven year-old, Kevin is actually a sociopath that Ben meets after having an argument with Max. Kevin serves as season two's main antagonist along with Vilgax. Kevin has the unique ability to absorb any type of energy and release it at will. The energy can be used to activate or overload various machines and can also be used to make energy blasts. When absorbing energy from the Omnitrix's aliens, he becomes an incomplete, but effective, version of that alien. In his first appearance in "Kevin 11", he absorbed the abilities of Heatblast and Fourarms, using the former form's powers to get revenge on those who had wronged him. He absorbed the latter form's powers during his second battle with Ben to even the odds. After trying to take the Omnitrix from Ben, the Omnitrix emitted a feedback pulse to prevent Kevin from taking it, seemingly neutralizing his power. Kevin, however, exhibits the ability to create flame at the end of the episode.
As an unexpected side-effect of the feedback pulse, Kevin absorbed enough of the Omnitrix's power to permanently gain its powers, allowing him to perfectly copy the original ten alien forms (minus the Omnitrix symbol). Unfortunately, his human form is supplanted by the alien forms, forcing him to remain as an alien most of the time. He used some of those forms to cause a crime spree in San Francisco in "Framed". Eventually, the constant transformations caused him to mutate into a combination of the ten original forms, and he was permanently stuck in that form. All that remained of his former self were his pants, hair, and ears. Shortly after mutating and fighting Ben as Fourarms, he was shot into the waters below the Golden Gate Bridge by a laser fired on the orders of Lt. Steel.
After formally returning, Kevin gloats that he has all of Ben's powers plus his own, making him "Kevin 11" (the name Kevin is credited under in the ending sequence of the show). Despite Kevin's claim, Ben notes that Kevin's powers aren't as good as his pure version (he quips that they're only one-tenth as strong, though this is likely not an accurate assessment[7]). Also, he lacks the majority of the special abilities of the Omnitrix's aliens such as Stinkfly's 360-degree field of vision or Ghostfreak's mobile eye. Vilgax's description of Kevin (a "misshapen, chaotic amalgam of creatures from the Omnitrix")[4] adequately describes his limitations. Being a random fusion of aliens, Kevin only has access to the powers most prevalent in his form, those being Fourarms' strength, Heatblast's fire control, Diamondhead's projectile attacks, Stinkfly's flight and goo-spitting abilities, Wildmutt's sense of smell, Ripjaws' razor-sharp teeth (and expandable jaw as seen in "Grude Match") and gills, and XLR8's speed. The rest of the aliens do not show up to any significant degree in his mutated form, so he evidently cannot access their powers. In addition to these limitations, Kevin seems unable to use the powers of any aliens Ben has gained since their original encounter. Kevin has also never used his energy-draining powers since his debut episode; this may be a drawback of his mutated form.
During his third appearance in "Grudge Match", Kevin attacks Ben to get revenge, blaming his condition on Ben. As the two battle, they are abducted and forced to fight in gladiator games. During their battles, Ben helps Kevin to realize the advantages of his mutated form. Because Kevin is an amalgam of aliens, he can mix and match their powers to make up for their reduced potency. Although forced to work together, Kevin's only goal was killing Ben. He is transported to a different galaxy at the end of the episode while locked in combat with Technorg.
Kevin returned in the episode "Back With a Vengeance", where he teamed up with Vilgax to defeat Ben, but he betrayed Vilgax later on an attempt to leave both in the Null Void, only for Ben to escape and leave him and Vilgax trapped. While it was confirmed in "Ben 10,000" that Vilgax eventually escaped, it is unknown as to what became of Kevin.
Ghostfreak
Ghostfreak is one of Ben's forms, freed from the Omnitrix. A copy of his personality was trapped within the Omnitrix when his DNA was sampled. He finally manages to force his way out of the Omnitrix in "Ghostfreaked Out." After peeling off the protective layer of skin that normally covers him, he tries to take over Ben's body in order to become whole again. On top of that, he plans to take over the world. After a failed attempt to possess Ben, he coerces Acid Breath, Thumbskull, and Frightwig to help him by taking over Thumbskull and tossing him about the room in a show of force. He is apparently killed when exposed to sunlight by Ben at the end, at which point the evil creature bursts into flames and is reduced to ash. Following this, Ben has not transformed into Ghostfreak and he has been replaced in the theme song by Cannon Bolt.
Ghostfreak will return in the episode "The Return". Its unknown if Ghostfreak survived the events in "Ghostfreaked Out" or if another of his kind will appear in "The Return". There's also a second part of "The Return" called "Be Afraid of the Dark" where Ben chases Ghostfreak into space to prevent him from plunging Earth into eternal darkness.
Secondary characters
Ben 10 has a wide array of secondary characters that have been the focus of one episode or another. Often, those characters will be the main villain for the episode. Other times, they'll be supporting characters for the heroes.
Omnitrix
The Omnitrix is a watch-like alien device. When the button on the side is pressed, the face pops up and shows a silhouette of an alien. The face can then be twisted to select different aliens. By settling on a specific alien and pushing the face back down, the Omnitrix transforms the bearer into the alien they selected. However, the Omnitrix malfunctions frequently, transforming the bearer into an alien that wasn't the one selected on many occasions.
Episodes
DVD releases
| Screenshot | Title | Release date | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Ben10S1-New.jpg | "Season 1" | February 6, 2007 | 13 | |
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The first set contains the first thirteen episodes. Bonus features include commentary on the episode "Secrets", a creator drawing lesson, creator interviews, and a collectible poster.[1] | ||||
Movies
Two Ben 10 movies are planned to be released at different times during 2007. The first is a regular animated feature, in which Ben accidentally sets the Omnitrix to self-destruct and must track down its creator to stop it.[8] According to a Toon Zone article it will precede the live film in November. Michael Ouweleen described the film's villain as "like Darth Vader without the sense of humor."[9]
The second is a live-action adaptation of the series, with no specific details given about the plot. It is scheduled to premiere on Cartoon Network in Autumn of 2007. The film will be directed by Alex Winter.[10] Winter stated at the 2007 Upfront presentation that he wants "this thing to look like X-Men," an epic adventure that will be "more cinematic than cartoony" and appeal to all ages. Production on the film is expected to finish in October. CG effects and characters have been confirmed, though Winter promises the film will feature "no Jar Jar."[9]
Ben 10: Hero Generation
Cartoon Network has announced that a sequel series of the show will premiere before Spring 2008.[11] The new series will focus on a slightly older Ben and Gwen, who serve as mentors to a younger generation of heroes with powers similar to Ben's Omnitrix-based ones. Though aimed at the same demographic, the series will reportedly address more mature issues than its predecessor.
Voice Actors
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References
- ^ Moxy Music
- ^ a b c "And Then There Were 10". Ben 10. Season 1. Episode 1. 2005-12-27. Cartoon Network.
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{{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|began=,|ended=, and|city=(help); Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Framed". Ben 10. Season 2. Episode 3. 2006-05-31. Cartoon Network.
{{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|began=,|ended=, and|city=(help); Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ Cartoon Network Upfront — Multi-platform Events
- ^ a b Toon Zone article covering Cartoon Network Upfront in New York
- ^ Animation Insider article covering various Cartoon Network Upfront events
- ^ CN Upfront: "Ben 10: Hero Generation" Announced
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