Samurai Jack
Samurai Jack | |
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File:SamuraiJack.jpg | |
Genre | Action/Adventure Chanbara Sword and sorcery Science fantasy Cyberpunk Martial arts |
Created by | Genndy Tartakovsky |
Written by | Genndy Tartakovsky Amy Keating Rogers Bryan Andrews Brian Larsen |
Directed by | Genndy Tartakovsky Randy Myers Robert Alvarez |
Voices of | Phil LaMarr Mako Iwamatsu John DiMaggio Kevin Michael Richardson |
Theme music composer | George Pajon, Jr. will.i.am |
Opening theme | "Samurai Jack" |
Ending theme | "Samurai Jack" |
Composers | James L. Venable Paul Dinletir |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 52 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Genndy Tartakovsky Brian A. Miller Jennifer Pelphrey Mike Lazzo Linda Simmensky |
Producer | Genndy Tartakovsky |
Editor | Paul Douglas |
Running time | 22 minutes |
Production companies | Cartoon Network Studios Rough Draft Studios |
Original release | |
Network | Cartoon Network |
Release | August 10, 2001 September 25, 2004 | –
Samurai Jack is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. The series follows time-displaced samurai warrior "Jack" (voiced by Phil LaMarr) in his singular quest to find a method of traveling back in time and defeating the tyrannical demonic wizard Aku (voiced by Mako Iwamatsu). Episode plots range from dark and epic to lighthearted and comic, but often contain little dialogue. Stories instead rely on the series' highly detailed, outline-free, masking-based animation, as well as its cinematic style and pacing. Many battle scenes in the series are reminiscent of samurai films, and since Jack's robot enemies bleed out oil or electricity and monster and alien foes bleed out slime or goo, the action of these films can be exhibited while avoiding censorship for blood and violence.
Samurai Jack premiered on August 10, 2001, on Cartoon Network and has since garnered high critical acclaim. It won four Primetime Emmy Awards, six Annie Awards, an OIAF Award, and received eight additional nominations. Cultural influences on the series range from the 1970s TV series Kung Fu to the works of director Akira Kurosawa. The series ran for four seasons, totaling 52 episodes, and the final episode aired on September 25, 2004. All four seasons have since been released on DVD by Warner Home Video.
Plot
Samurai Jack tells the story of a young prince (Jack) from Feudal Japan whose father's empire is destroyed by the shape shifting demon Aku. As a child, the prince escapes destruction and travels the world training his mind and his body for years until he reaches adulthood, becoming a legendary samurai. After taking his father's magic katana, he challenges Aku to a duel and defeats the demon. However, before the prince can deal the killing blow, Aku creates a time portal and sends his opponent into the distant future, anticipating that he would be able to amass sufficient power to deal with the samurai later.[1] The protagonist arrives in a dystopian, futuristic Earth ruled by Aku and filled with his robot minions and a large number of alien immigrant races of various appearances. The first people he encounters in the future call him "Jack" as a form of slang, which he adopts as his name (his true given name is never mentioned in the series).[2]
Standard episodes follow Jack's search for a way to travel back to his own time, where he hopes to stop Aku before these events come to pass. The cartoon depicts Jack's quest to find a time portal, while constantly facing obstacles set by Aku in a classic battle of Good versus Evil. Typically each time Jack believes he has reached the end of his quest, something causes him to dramatically miss his chance.[3][4] In one attempt Jack locates a stable portal to the past, but the guardian of the portal (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) defeats him after a long but noticeably mismatched battle. The guardian is about to crush Jack when the portal starts to flicker and glow, seemingly giving the guardian a message; the guardian has a giant pterodactyl take the unconscious Jack away. After Jack leaves, the guardian states that it is not yet time for him to return to the past, and an image of what is implied to be an older Jack is then seen in the portal; indicating that Jack is predestined to succeed, but it will take years for him to do so.[3]
Setting
Samurai Jack takes place in a world where science and technology have developed far beyond what is available in the present day, and in some ways resembles magic on its own.[5] However, despite scientific advances, the future is decidedly dystopian—for example, in one episode the mafia profits greatly from the sale of simple water.[6] Aliens, bounty hunters, and robots are plentiful, and always ready for a fight. The leader of this world is Aku.
While the setting is distinctly futuristic and technological, instances of mythology and supernatural events do occur. Mythologies, like Valhalla, and even supernatural forces, such as demonic enemies, make regular appearances, yet do not seem to stand out amongst the technologically advanced inhabitants. Aku himself is supernatural, as is Jack's sword.
Stories take place in a variety of locations. Ranging from beautiful wilderness to futuristic or even dystopian cities, there is often a stark contrast made between the industrial world and the natural world.
Characters
Jack
Jack (voiced by Phil LaMarr) is the son of the Feudal Japanese Emperor who ruled the area where Aku originally appeared on Earth, and is banished to the future by Aku during their first battle, where he is left in every episode to search for a way home. He was born on the day that his father defeated Aku and he seems to be the only mortal (aside from his father) to be a match to Aku.
As a boy, after his father was captured by Aku, Jack traveled around the world to prepare both physically and mentally for his confrontation with Aku. He studied under various scholars, such as Egyptian thinkers, and mastered each art of combat from the cultures he met, training with African Zulu warriors, Viking sailors, Robin Hood, Mongolian warriors, Shaolin monks, Greek Olympic contestants, Spartans, Russian Cossacks, and others.
Later, after being sent into the future, he is taught the ability to jump hundreds of feet into the air by a species of blue gorilla and a jungle man, thus allowing him to reach vast areas he previously could not reach while also giving the impression that he can fly. Jack's magic katana was forged by the gods Odin, Ra, and Rama through three mortal avatars. The sword was forged from the righteous energy within Jack's father; it is able to cut through all but the most magically-protected targets and strongest materials. On the other hand, it is unable to harm beings that are pure of heart, as seen in Episode XXX where Aku steals the sword and attempts to kill Jack with it, but fails even to cut him.
Jack strongly exhibits the characteristics of a stoic hero. He is unfailingly polite and humble despite the completely alien nature of the futuristic world and never scoffs at or disparages the customs of the people he encounters (as unpleasant as they seem to him at times). Despite his almost hopeless situation, he does not bewail his destiny, instead exhibiting a strong amor fati. Jack consistently shows an uncommon moral strength of character by helping the poor and defenseless along the way, in one instance even helping talking dogs that worked for Aku, in another, releasing the souls of a family in a haunted mansion. Occasionally, he faces great physical pain, or has to forget his own goals in order to help someone in need.
His real name has never been revealed (however, his way of replying his name when asked may be a homage to Violence Jack due to sharing a similar response as well as the name). In the second episode however, he began using the name Jack when three teenage aliens, after witnessing Jack survive a huge fall by jumping onto cars, referred to him as Jack while praising him when he landed — in this case, more of a generic term, i.e. "dude" or "guy." Later, when asked to identify himself, he replied "They call me Jack."
Aku
Aku (voiced by Mako Iwamatsu) is Samurai Jack's arch-nemesis. His name means "evil" in Japanese. He is similar to Akuma, the evil demon with burning eyes from Japanese mythology. He is an extremely powerful demon wizard whose primary ability is shape-shifting, though he does possess other powers. He requires no food, water, or air and is capable of interstellar travel. He also has the ability to spy on Jack and others from a large sphere he can summon at will in his tower. A significant aspect of the series is that Aku is immortal, and Jack's samurai sword is the only weapon capable of harming and finally defeating him; even the slightest physical contact with the sword's blade causes Aku severe pain, and wounds inflicted by it burn his body and cut away his power. Because of this threat, Aku does not like to fight Jack himself, and only does so when Jack is incapacitated or without the sword. Aku much prefers to let his minions and bounty hunters do it for him. Aku is also vulnerable to varying degrees of other forms of magical or divine attacks such as the powers and artifacts of gods.
Aku constantly antagonizes Jack, often attacking him while he is weak, and other times defending himself from Jack's own gambits. The two seem doomed never to defeat each other, for though Jack has bested Aku on numerous occasions, Aku merely transforms into a small creature and escapes, usually calling out a taunt over his shoulder as he flees, a fact that he himself is aware of and even makes a reference to in one episode.
The episode "The Birth of Evil" reveals Aku's origin. Long ago in the vastness of space, a great formless evil appeared. Before the darkness could do harm to the universe, it was set upon by the kings of three religions: the one-eyed king of Asgard and the Norse Gods Odin, Ra, the sun god and king of the Gods of Egypt, and the seventh avatar of Vishnu Rama, the supreme being in Hindu mythology. So fierce was their attack on the shadow, that it was completely destroyed, save for a small fragment that was flung aside in the heat of battle. For ages, the fragment drifted through the cosmos and eventually fell to Earth, and caused the impact event that wiped out the dinosaurs when it landed. The land around its impact site eventually formed into the islands of Japan, where the evil fragment slowly grew like a forest and spread like poison over the course of eons, creating an ever-expanding mass of black spikes and toxic tar that devoured and poisoned any who entered. Eventually, the forest grew so large that the Emperor of the land decided to kill the evil at its source. Armed with a magic oil given to him by Buddhist monks, the Lord and his cavalry rode into the heart of the forest, the Lord himself the only one to survive. Once at the black lake at the forest's center, the Samurai Lord doused an arrow into the oil he was given, lit it with a green flame, and shot it into the lake. Instead of destroying the evil, however, the magic arrow gave it both a will and consciousness, and the demon wizard Aku was born. Aku went on a rampage of destruction, burning and killing. He proved to be unstoppable, so with the help of the three gods, Jack's father forged a sword capable of harming him. With it, he was able to defeat Aku and turned the demon back into a black tree. This imprisonment was only temporary, as years later, a solar eclipse releases Aku upon the world once more.
While he is usually presented as a serious and threatening foe, Aku is also a source of comedy due to his outrageous design and sometimes wise-guy behavior, supported by Mako's over-the-top voice acting. Aku's shifts in personality between serious and chaotic suggest that his mind changes form just as his body does. In addition, Aku has a tendency to refer to himself in the third person.
Secondary characters
When Jack arrives in the future, he finds that Aku has conquered the world and rules the populace with an iron fist. Jack finds that there are still warriors in this age, and occasionally meets both those fighting for and those siding against the side of good. The Samurai Jack universe is populated by a diverse cast of characters who often appear for single episodes with only two notable exceptions.
The Scotsman (voiced by John DiMaggio) is the name for a Scottish man rather than a real name like Jack. He is one of only two characters to appear in four episodes - "Jack and the Scotsman", "Jack and the Scotsman II", and "The Scotsman saves Jack" (which consists of two consecutive episodes). In "Jack and the Scotsman", he first meets Jack and then makes fun of Jack by calling him various names and insults such as 'a sissy in a nightgown'. He even derides Jack's sword, calling it a butter knife, though Jack has impressed him by the end of the episode. In "Jack and the Scotsman II", the Scotsman enlists Jack to help him rescue his dainty, beautiful wife from a demon. The rescue is successful, but only because the Scotsman's wife turns out to be larger and more terrifying than the Scotsman himself, and stronger than Jack and the Scotsman combined. By time of the episode "The Scotsman Saves Jack", he has come to use the name 'Samurai Jack,' instead of 'friend' or 'stranger'. The Scotsman saves Jack when Jack loses his memory to the Sirens, as the Scotsman's preference for the bagpipes makes him the only one immune to them; he compares their singing to 'someone stepping on a lot o' cats'.
The Scotsman's notable features include his legs; one of them is normal, if disproportionately small, and the other is a fully functional machine gun, which he wields in combat along with explosives contained in his kilt. He also carries a shield on his back, and uses a 6-foot-long (1.8 m) Scottish Claymore sword inscribed with Celtic runes making it unbreakable even against Jack's blade. He also has superhuman strength and endurance, evidenced when he could pick up and throw an entire tank with relative ease, headbutt a robot until it exploded, and get bitten by a pair of alligators without so much as flinching. This seems to be a genetic trait, as the other members of his family are just as powerful, possessed of the same disproportionately small legs, and, by admission of the Scotsman himself, are even rowdier than he is. The Scotsman is heavily featured in the two-part episode "The Scotsman Saves Jack". He counters the Siren's song with his bagpipe playing, thus giving Jack back his memory and saving The Scotsman from being crushed.
The Scotsman serves as a convenient foil for Jack, as they are nearly perfectly matched in fighting and survival skills, but very different in personality, manners, and sense of honor. While Jack is humble and polite, The Scotsman tends to be rude and brags about his skills. Yet he happily calls Jack "The greatest warrior on the planet aside from me." Whereas Jack has mastered martial arts skills, The Scotsman seems to rely almost entirely on his freakish strength, brawling using his Claymore, machine-gun leg and various grenades in his kilt.
The Emperor (portrayed by Sab Shimono as an old man, and Keone Young as a young man) is the Emperor of the land, Jack's father, and the original wielder of Jack's sword. Like his son, the Emperor is brave, humble, and polite. Despite having a striking resemblance to his son, the Emperor has a bigger nose.
Production
Samurai Jack was created by Genndy Tartakovsky as a follow-up to his successful series Dexter's Laboratory. He intended to develop a series "that is cinematic in scope and that incorporates action, humor and intricate artistry".[7] Prior to Samurai Jack, Tartakovsky had had complaints with action cartoons, which is why he decided to create his own series in the genre. He based his new project on the samurai character, one of his favorites, as well as the works of Seven Samurai director Akira Kurosawa and Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago director David Lean.[8] Cartoon Network executive Mike Lazzo recalled Tartakovsky pitching him the series: "He said, 'Hey, remember David Carradine in Kung Fu? Wasn't that cool?' and I was like, 'Yeah, that's really cool.' That was literally the pitch."[8]
The network announced the series' launch at a press conference on February 21, 2001.[9] Weeks leading up to the series were accompanied by a sweepstakes giveaway sponsored by AOL in which the grand prize was a trip for four to Japan. The promotion also included sneak peeks of Samurai Jack, behind-the-scenes model sheets, and exclusive Cartoon Orbit cToons.[10] Samurai Jack officially debuted on Cartoon Network on August 10, 2001, with the three-part special "The Beginning".[11] The premiere received high praise, including four award nominations, and was released as a standalone VHS and DVD on March 19, 2002.[8][12][13] Cartoon Network ordered 52 episodes of Samurai Jack, which were aired as 4 seasons of 13 episodes each, as a primetime member of the Cartoon Cartoon Fridays programming block. The final episode aired on September 25, 2004.
Influences
Style and cultural references
Samurai Jack frequently features appearances from deities of varying pantheons and creatures of legend. Tartakovsky was influenced by many different sources. The series overall was designed to look like a Japanese epic, with individual episodes taking on their own styles. Action in Samurai Jack borrows liberally from old martial arts and samurai films, and action films of the 1970s and Japanese anime. Like 1963's Toei Animation studio release entitled The Little Prince and the Eight Headed Dragon (Originally Wanpaku Ouji no Orochi Taiji), it uses multiple angle and split screen shots to display action from multiple angles. The plot is frequently stopped to allow for the building of tension before combat or for the sake of humor; it is also not uncommon for episodes to be almost entirely free of dialogue which results in cinematic or stylized episodes. Regardless of the setting, the simple, minimalistic art style employed resembles ukiyo-e paintings.
Tartakovsky has also acknowledged taking some of his thematic inspiration from Frank Miller's comic book series Ronin, including the premise of a master-less samurai warrior thrown into a dystopic future ahead of our present in order to battle a shape-shifting Demon. Similarly, the episode "Jack and the Spartans" was specifically inspired by Miller's graphic novel 300 that retold The Battle of Thermopylae.[14]
In the episode "Jack Remembers the Past", Tartakovsky included a cameo of a Samurai with a young child in a baby carriage. This character has a strong resemblance to Ogami Itto of Lone Wolf and Cub.[15]
In addition to occasionally borrowing from ancient sources as well as current ones, Samurai Jack has referenced Tartakovsky's previous work as well. When Jack first meets the canine archaeologists, one of the dogs is "Big Dog" from 2 Stupid Dogs, a show on which Tartakovsky worked back in 1993.[16]
In the episode "The Birth of Evil", Odin, Ra and Rama are shown to join forces to battle the dark power that would one day spawn Aku. In another episode Jack shows he is familiar with the chronology of the Greek pantheon, such as the Olympian Zeus and the Titan Cronus.[17]
The premise of the entire series — a solitary man from the Orient wandering in a foreign world — is adapted directly from the early 1970s television drama Kung Fu which starred David Carradine as the Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine.[8] While their individual adventures do not correspond to each other, the ongoing dynamic of solitary wanderer learning, sometimes through pain and sometimes bemusedly, his new surroundings, while simultaneously teaching his own sense of ethics to those he meets, is consistent. At the conclusion of season 2 of Kung Fu, Kwai Chang meets a burly, somewhat crazy Scotsman who is transporting his wife in a gigantic casket. In this case, it turns out that the wife is a stone statue.
Response
Awards and recognition
In 2004, British broadcaster Channel 4 ran a poll of the one hundred greatest cartoons of all time, in which Samurai Jack achieved the 42nd position.[18] The show was ranked 11th by IGN for its Top 25 Primetime Animated Series of All Time list in 2006.[19] IGN also ranked the show 43rd in its Top 100 Animated Series list in 2009.[20]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Annie Award | Outstanding Character Design in an Animated Television Production[12] | Lynne Naylor for "Jack and the Warrior Woman" |
Nominated |
Outstanding Music in an Animated Television Production[12] | James L. Venable for "The Beginning" |
Won | ||
Outstanding Production Design in an Animated Television Production[12] | Dan Krall for "The Beginning" |
Won | ||
Outstanding Production Design in an Animated Television Production[12] | Scott Wills for "The Beginning" |
Nominated | ||
Outstanding Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production[12] | Bryan Andrews for "Jack and the Three Blind Archers" |
Won | ||
OIAF Award | Best Television Series[21] | Genndy Tartakovsky for "Jack and the Blind Archers" |
Won | |
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More)[13] | Brian A. Miller, Yu Mun Jeong, Yeol Jung Chang, Paul Rudish, Genndy Tartakovsky, Bong Koh Jae for "The Beginning, Parts 1–3" |
Nominated | |
TCA Award | Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming[22] | Samurai Jack | Nominated | |
2003 | Annie Award | Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production[23] | Cartoon Network Studios | Nominated |
Outstanding Character Design in an Animated Television Production[23] | Andy Suriano for "Jack and the Haunted House" |
Won | ||
Outstanding Directing in an Animated Television Production[23] | Genndy Tartakovsky and Robert Alvarez for "The Birth of Evil" |
Nominated | ||
Outstanding Production Design in an Animated Television Production[23] | Scott Wills for "The Birth of Evil" |
Won | ||
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation[13] | Scott Wills for "Jack and the Traveling Creatures" |
Won | |
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation[13] | Dan Krall for "Jack and the Spartans" |
Won | ||
2004 | Annie Award | Outstanding Directing in a Television Production[24] | Genndy Tartakovsky for "Tale of X-49" |
Nominated |
Outstanding Production Design in a Television Production[24] | Richard Daskas for "Seasons of Death" |
Won | ||
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)[13] | Genndy Tartakovsky, Brian A. Miller, Don Shank, Robert Alvarez, Randy Myers, Yu Mun Jeong, Bong Koh Jae, James T. Walker for "The Birth of Evil |
Won | |
2005 | Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)[13] | Genndy Tartakovsky, Brian A. Miller, Bryan Andrews, Mark Andrews, Hueng-soon Park, Kwang-bae Park, Randy Myers, James T. Walker for "Seasons of Death" |
Nominated | |
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation[13] | Bryan Andrews for "Seasons of Death" |
Won |
Influence
The distinctive style of Samurai Jack is what drew Lucasfilm to recruit Tartakovsky for the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series. Much of the signature cinematic style of Samurai Jack is present in Clone Wars, such as lightning-fast combat, extended sequences without dialogue, explosions, epic vistas, etc.[25]
Samurai Jack also remains a popular subject with Cartoon Network animators and continues to show up in programs being broadcast today. The following are examples:
- The Duck Dodgers episode "Samurai Quack" was dedicated to spoofing the various stylistic elements and plot devices of Samurai Jack, such as only ever killing robots and the progressive ripping of clothes leading up to the final battle of the episode. Tartakovsky himself also made a cameo in that episode.[26] The role of Aku is played by Dodgers's Happy Cat alarm clock voiced by Mako Iwamatsu once again.
- In one episode of Dexter's Laboratory (another cartoon created by Tartakovsky), boy-genius Dexter frequently says "Samurai Jaction" rather than "action", e.g., "Aww, no more Samurai Jaction for you!". Also in the post-2001 episodes, a Samurai Jack action figure is sometimes visible on the shelf in Dexter's bedroom. Additionally, in one of the episodes Dexter is watching a TV show resembling Samurai Jack.
Reviewers of the 3D animated feature film Kung Fu Panda (DreamWorks Animation) have noted that the stylized 2D opening sequence is either inspired by or a homage to Samurai Jack.[27][28]
Other media
Home video releases
Like other previous Cartoon Network shows, Samurai Jack DVDs were released by Warner Home Video between 2003 and 2007. The DVDs include episode numbers in Roman numerals as they appear at the end of each episode but remain untitled. Season 1 was released on Netflix streaming service in 2013[29].
Title | Episodes | Release date | Description | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Region 1 | Region 4 | |||
The Premiere Movie | 4 | March 19, 2002[30][31] | October 10, 2007[32] | Available on DVD and VHS, this release contains the first 3 episodes of season 1 ("The Beginning" (I–III)) as well as the episode "Jack and the Scotsman" (XI) in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. |
Season 1 | 13 | May 4, 2004[33] | November 7, 2007[34] | This 2-disc DVD set includes all 13 episodes from season 1. It also includes a "making-of" documentary, an original animation test, original artwork, and commentary on one episode. |
Season 2 | 13 | May 24, 2005[35] | March 4, 2009[36] | This 2-disc DVD set includes all 13 episodes from season 2. It also includes commentary on "Jack and the Spartans" (XXV), "Creator Scrapbook", and an original episode pitch. |
Season 3 | 13 | May 23, 2006[37] | September 9, 2009[38] | This 2-disc DVD set includes all 13 episodes from season 3. It also includes commentary on "The Birth of Evil" (XXXVII/XXXVIII), "Lost Artwork", and a featurette called "Martial Arts of the Samurai". |
Season 4 | 13 | August 28, 2007[39] | October 3, 2012[40] | This 2-disc DVD set includes all 13 episodes from season 4. It also includes "Genndy's Roundtable", "Genndy's New Project", deleted scenes, and Samurai Jack promos. |
Video games
The Samurai Jack world has been seen in the video games Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Time for the Game Boy Advance in 2003 and Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2004.[41][42]
Several elements of the Samurai Jack concept was reused in several video games: The MMORPG Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall features Jack, the Scotsman and Demongo are non-playable characters and Aku is a Nano. The online game Project Exonaut features Jack only as a playable character for the Banzai Squadron. The brawler game Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion for Nintendo 3DS, Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 features Jack and the Scotsman as playable characters while Aku is an assist character, a boss and a playable character.
Samurai Jack is voiced by Phil LaMarr once again in Samurai Jack: The Amulet of Time, Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku, Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall and Project Exonaut and by Keith Ferguson for Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion. In Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, the Scotsman is again voiced by John DiMaggio and Demongo is again voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. Due to Mako Iwamatsu's passing in 2006, Aku gets voiced by Greg Baldwin in Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall and Fred Tatasciore in Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion.
Comics
In February 2013, IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Cartoon Network to produce comics based on its properties. Samurai Jack was one of the titles announced to be published. It was further announced at WonderCon 2013 that the first issue of Samurai Jack will debut in October 2013.[43]
Film
There had been plans for a Samurai Jack feature film in 2002 with New Line Cinema, but this project was cancelled after the lackluster performance of The Powerpuff Girls Movie.[44] In an interview, Tartakovsky confirmed that "Jack will come back" and that "we will finish the story, and there will be an animated film."[45] In 2007, the then newly formed production company Frederator Films announced in Variety that one of their first projects will be a feature film adaptation of Samurai Jack, written and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky.[46] As of September 2009, the film was said to be in the writing stage of pre-production, co-produced by J. J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions alongside Fred Seibert of Frederator Films and distributed by Warner Bros.[44][47] The movie is still being planned.[48][49] In September 2012, Genndy Tartakovsky announced in an interview with IGN that a Samurai Jack movie is in pre-production. He said; "I've been trying so hard every year, and the one amazing thing about Jack is that I did it in 2001, you know, and it still survived. There's something about it that's connected with people. And I want it, it's number 1 on my list, and now Bob Osher, the President (of Digital Production at Sony Picture Entertainment), is like 'Hey, let's talk about Jack. Let's see what we can do.' And I go, 'You're going to do a 2D feature animated movie?' and he's like, 'Yeah. Maybe. Let's do some research and let's see.' So it's not dead for sure by any means, and it's still on the top of my list, and I'm trying as hard as I can." It is going to be the conclusion for the series.[50] The film, which is budgeted at $20 million, will combine traditional 2D animation with stereoscopic 3D. It is being produced by Frederator Films and J. J. Abrams’ production company Bad Robot Productions.[51] Tartakovsky said the loss of Mako Iwamatsu (Aku's voice actor) would also need to be addressed.[52]
References
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- ^ "II - "The Samurai Called Jack"". Samurai Jack. Cartoon Network.
- ^ a b "XXXII - "Jack and the Traveling Creatures"". Samurai Jack. 2003-09-26. Cartoon Network.
- ^ "XXXIX - "Jack and the Labyrinth"". Samurai Jack. Cartoon Network.
- ^ "XV - "Jack Tales"". Samurai Jack. Cartoon Network.
- ^ "XII - "Jack and the Gangsters"". Samurai Jack. Cartoon Network.
- ^ "Animator Profile: Genndy Tartakovsky". CartoonNetwork.com. Turner Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on July 17, 2008. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ a b c d Flaherty, Mike (February 21, 2002). "'Jack' Magic". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
- ^ "Cartoon Network Announces New Programming and Online Initiatives For 2001-2002 Television Season". Business Wire. February 21, 2001.
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(help) - ^ "Cartoon Network and America Online Team Up to Celebrate the Premiere of Samurai Jack". Business Wire. July 30, 2001.
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(help) - ^ Wellons, Nancy Imperiale (August 8, 2001). "'Samurai Jack,' debuts on Cartoon Network". Telegraph Herald. Woodward Communications.
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- ^ a b c d e f g "Primetime Emmy® Award Database". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
- ^ "XXV - "Jack and the Spartans" (DVD commentary)". Samurai Jack. 00:21 minutes in. Cartoon Network.
- ^ "XIX - "Jack Remembers the Past"". Samurai Jack. 2002-10-04. Cartoon Network.
- ^ "III - "The First Fight"". Samurai Jack. 2001-08-10. Cartoon Network.
- ^ "XXXVII - "The Birth of Evil"". Samurai Jack. 2003-08-16. Cartoon Network.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Cartoons". Channel 4. Archived from the original on March 6, 2005. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
- ^ "Top 25 Primetime Animated Series of All Time". IGN. News Corporation. September 28, 2006. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
- ^ "43. Samurai Jack". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
- ^ "Ottawa 02 Winners". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
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- ^ a b c d "31st Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2003)". AnnieAwards.org. ASIFA-Hollywood. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
- ^ a b "32nd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2004)". AnnieAwards.org. ASIFA-Hollywood. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
- ^ "Genndy Tartakovsky". sci-fi-online.50megs.com. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ ""Samurai Quack"". Duck Dodgers. Season 2. Episode 211. Cartoon Network.
- ^ "Kung Fu Cinema Kung Fu Panda review".
- ^ Stephen Garrett. "Timeout Kung Fu Panda review". Time Out. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
- ^ Cole, Jack. "Netflix Instant Picks 3/29/13—4/4/13". Movie Mezzanine. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
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- ^ a b Seibert, Fred (September 5, 2009). "Lunch with Genndy". Frederator Studios Blog. JoeJack, Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
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- ^ Pollard, Mark (November 25, 2009). "J. J. Abrams to produce Samurai Jack film". Kung Fu Cinema. Retrieved 2009-11-26.
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External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Official website (archive)
- Template:Bcdb
- Samurai Jack at IMDb
- Template:Tv.com show
- 2000s American animated television series
- 2001 American television series debuts
- 2004 American television series endings
- Anime-influenced animation
- Cartoon Network programs
- Time travel in fiction
- Martial arts television series
- Time travel television series
- Time travel in television
- Cartoon Network Studios series and characters
- American children's television series
- Emmy Award winners
- Fictional samurai
- Shows on Toonami Jetstream
- Science fantasy television series
- English-language television series
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television
- Jack tales