Adventure Time

Adventure Time
Genre Comedy, adventure, fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, surreal humor, High Fantasy
Created by Pendleton Ward
Written by Pendleton Ward
Patrick McHale
Adam Muto
Tim McKeon
Merriwether Williams
Steve Little
Thurop Van Orman
Kent Osborne
Mark Banker
Directed by Larry Leichliter
Creative director(s) Patrick McHale (season 1-2)
Cole Sanchez (season 2-3)
Adam Muto (series 3-present)
Voices of Jeremy Shada
John DiMaggio
Hynden Walch
Niki Yang
Tom Kenny
Olivia Olson
Opening theme "Adventure Time" by Pendleton Ward
Ending theme "Island Song" by Ashley Eriksson
Composer(s) Casey James Basichis, Tim Kiefer
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 39 (36½ aired) (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Fred Seibert
Eric Homan
Derek Drymon (season 1)
Pendleton Ward (season 3-present)
Producer(s) Kelly Crews
Pendleton Ward (season 1-2)
Running time 11 minutes
(as of September 6, 2010)
Production company(s) Frederator Studios
Cartoon Network Studios
Broadcast
Original channel Cartoon Network
Picture format 1080i
First shown in December 7, 2008 (2008-12-07)
Original run April 5, 2010 (2010-04-05) – present
External links
Website
Production website

Adventure Time (initially titled as Adventure Time with Finn and Jake; still used in the related merchandise) is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and produced by Frederator Studios for Cartoon Network. The series focuses on the adventures undertaken by two best friends, Finn the human boy and Jake the dog with magical powers, who dwell in the Land of Ooo. The series is based on a short produced for Frederator's Nickelodeon animation incubator series Random! Cartoons. After the short became a viral hit on the Internet, Cartoon Network picked it up for a full-length series that had a preview on March 11, 2010 and officially premiered on April 5, 2010.[1] The series has been a critical and commercial success, receiving generally positive reviews.[2] This series is rated TV-PG.[3] New episodes will begin airing on January 16, 2012.[4]

Contents

Production

Following the animated short, Frederator Studios pitched an Adventure Time series to Nickelodeon, but the network passed on it twice.[5] The studio then approached Cartoon Network, with creator Pendleton Ward delivering them an early storyboard for "The Enchiridion", showing that the premise could be expanded into a series while maintaining elements from the original short: funny catchphrases and dances, an awkward kiss moment with the princess and an "Abe Lincoln moment". Cartoon Network greenlit the first season in September 2008, and "The Enchiridion" would become the first produced episode.[5][6][7][8]

Series creator Pendleton Ward has stated that the artistic style is influenced by his time at CalArts and later working as a storyboard artist on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. He tries to include "beautiful" moments like those in Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro and some subversive humor, inspired by series like The Simpsons and Pee-wee's Playhouse.[9] Executive producer Fred Seibert compares the show's animation style to that of Felix the Cat and the Max Fleischer cartoons but says its world is also equally inspired by Dungeons and Dragons and video games.[10] Ward intends the show's world to have a certain physical logic instead of "cartoony slapstick" — even though magic exists in the story, the show's writers try to create an internal consistency in how the characters interact with the world.[9][10]

Many of the series' writers and storyboard artists have a background in indie comics. Pendleton Ward refers to them as "really smart, smartypants people" who are responsible for inserting weirder and more spiritual ideas into the series during its third season.[11]

Ward describes the character Finn as a fiery little kid with strong morals, while Jake is based on Bill Murray's character in the movie Meatballs, as a laid-back twenty-something who usually jokes around, but occasionally gives good advice.[9]

Setting

Although not implemented in the short and not directly mentioned within the series, the setting of the "Land of Ooo" is a post-apocalyptic continent.[12] According to creator Pendleton Ward, the show takes place "after the bombs have fallen and magic has come back into the world".[13] During a presentation at the Toronto Comics and Arts Festival, Ward said that this will likely never be directly addressed in the series but we will likely see more Easter eggs. Recently, in the holiday special "Holly Jolly Secrets", Finn and Jake discover a few secret VHS-like tapes by the Ice King. In one he is shown as being a human at one point in time, as some kind of collector of mythical items. In his secret tape, he explains how he originally searched everywhere until he found his golden crown in Scandinavia, a real-world location. This Easter egg almost certainly confirms that the "Land of Ooo" is actually a part of Earth.

Characters

Protagonists

Recurring characters




Episodes

Season Episodes Season premiere Season finale
Pilot 1 December 7, 2008
1 13 April 5, 2010 September 27, 2010
2 13 October 11, 2010 May 9, 2011
3 13[20] July 11, 2011[21] TBA

Each Adventure Time episode is approximately eleven minutes in length, although episodes are often telecast in a pair to form a half-hour program. The series has completed two seasons of thirteen episodes each, and a third season premiered on July 11, 2011.[22] In April 2011, Pendleton Ward stated that writing on a fourth season was underway.[11]

Some episodes were drafted, such as "Jake Suit", but were not used; instead, they were incorporated into other episodes.[23]

Reception

Reviews

"Adventure Time makes me wish I were a kid again, just so I could grow up to be as awesome as the kids who are currently watching Adventure Time will be."

D.F., Entertainment Weekly

The show has received positive reviews and has developed a cult following among both teens and adults alike. Television critic Robert Lloyd, in an article for the LA Times covering the new series, said it "strikes [him] as a kind of companion piece to the network's [then] currently airing Chowder and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. Each takes place in a fantastical land peopled with strange, somewhat disturbing characters and has at its center a young male person or person-like thing making his way in that world with the help of unusual, not always reliable, mentors."[24] He went on to say that the show is "not unlike CN's earlier Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, about a boy and his imaginary friend, though [it is] darker and stranger and even less connected to the world as we know it."[24] Lloyd also compared it to "the sort of cartoons they made when cartoons themselves were young and delighted in bringing all things to rubbery life."[24] The show has also garnered much more of an adult and teen fan base than the creators expected. Metacritic, a site that reviews shows and movies, gives Adventure Time a 9.2, indicating "universal acclaim" for season 1.[25] Entertainment Weekly named Adventure Time #20 on their The 25 Greatest Animated Series Ever list.[26][27]

Awards and nominations

Award Category Nominee Result
2008 Annie Awards Best Animated Short Subject[28] Pendleton Ward
Larry Leichliter
For the original short
Nominated
2010 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Short-format Animated Program[29] Pendleton Ward
Kent Osborne
Larry Leichliter
For "My Two Favorite People"
Nominated
2011 Annie Awards Best Animated Television Production for Children[30] Nominated
2011 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Short-format Animated Program[31] For "It Came From the Nightosphere" Nominated
2012 Annie Awards Best Animated Special Production For "Thank You" Pending
Best Storyboarding in a Television Production Rebbeca Sugar Pending

Pilot

Adventure Time
Directed by Larry Leichliter
Hugo Morales
Pendleton Ward
Produced by Kevin Kolde
Written by Pendleton Ward
Starring Zack Shada
John DiMaggio
Paige Moss
John Kassir
Dee Bradley Baker
Pendleton Ward
Music by Casey James Basichis
Studio Frederator Studios
Distributed by Nicktoons
Release date(s) December 7, 2008
Running time 7 minutes

The animated short "Adventure Time" aired as part of Frederator Studios' Random! Cartoons on December 7, 2008, subsequently leading to the creation of the animated series.

The short focuses on a boy named Pen (the character who would later be renamed Finn) and a dog named Jake as they learn from Lady Rainicorn that the Ice King has kidnapped Princess Bubblegum, in the hope of marrying her. Declaring that it's "Adventure Time", Pen and Jake set off for the Ice King's mountain lair. Pen and the Ice King fight while Jake remains outside flirting with Lady Rainicorn, ignoring the battle. Just when Pen seems to be gaining the upper hand, the Ice King uses his "frozen lightning bolts" to freeze Pen in a block of ice. For unexplained reasons, this transports Pen's mind "back in time, and to Mars" where he has a short motivational conversation with Abraham Lincoln. After being told to believe in himself, Pen is returned to the present, just in time to see the Ice King fly away with Princess Bubblegum. Chasing after him using Jake's extendable legs, Pen rescues the princess from the Ice King's grasp. Jake pushes the magical crown off the Ice King's head, thereby removing the King's source of power. The Ice King then plummets off screen, yelling a long list of complex threats of things he will do when he returns. The story closes with Princess Bubblegum giving Pen a kiss, which he enjoys but which embarrasses him greatly. He attempts to leave, but Jake claims that they have nowhere else to go and that there are no adventures that need them. Fortunately, some nearby ninjas are stealing an old man's diamonds, and they both run off in pursuit.

Other media

Licensed merchandise

Jazwares has produced an assortment of 2, 5, 10 and 20-inch licensed action figures for the series, which launched in Fall of 2011.[32] "Grow Your Own" characters that expand more than 500 percent when immersed in water also hit markets.[32] Role playing toys have also be produced, with a 24-inch "Finn Sword" being released first.[32]

Comic books

On November 19, 2011, Boom! Studios announced plans for an Adventure Time comic book series written by independent web comic creator Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics).[33][34] The limited edition series is set to launch in February 2012, with art by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb.[35][36]

Home media

Region 1

DVD title Season(s) Aspect ratio Episode count Time length Release date
Adventure Time: My Two Favorite People[37] 1, 2 16:9 12[37] 137 minutes September 27, 2011[37]
Adventure Time: It Came From the Nightosphere[26][38] 1, 2, 3 16:9 16[26][38] 176 minutes[26][38] March 6, 2012[26][38]

Region 2

DVD title Season(s) Aspect ratio Episode count Time length Release date
Adventure Time: Vol 1[39] 1 16:9 TBA 109 minutes October 5, 2011
Adventure Time: Vol 2[40] 1 16:9 TBA 87 minutes October 5, 2011
Adventure Time: Vol 3[41] 1 16:9 TBA 88 minutes October 5, 2011

References

  1. ^ "Cartoon Network Premieres Adventure Time with Finn & Jake ~ ApnaDesi". Apnadesi.net. 2010-03-01. http://www.apnadesi.net/2010/03/cartoon-network-premieres-adventure.html. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 
  2. ^ Kenny, Charles (2010-04-14). "Adventure Time Season 2 Starts This Monday?". The Animation Anomaly. http://animationanomaly.com/2010/10/05/adventure-time-season-2-starts-this-monday. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 
  3. ^ http://www.toonzone.net/forums/showthread.php?290181-Adventure-Time-Is-Moveing-7-30-Next-Year.
  4. ^ http://www.toonzone.net/forums/showthread.php?290535-Cartoon-Network-January-2012-Premiere-Info
  5. ^ a b ""The Enchiridion" Storyboards". Frederator Studios. 2010-04-22. http://frederatorblogs.com/adventure_time/2010/04/22/the-enchiridion-storyboards/. Retrieved 2010-07-14. 
  6. ^ "Cartoon Brew, August 29, 2008". Cartoonbrew.com. 2008-08-29. http://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/cartoon-network-acquires-adventure-time.html. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 
  7. ^ ""Adventure Time" Background Development Art". Frederatorblogs.com. 2008-11-11. http://frederatorblogs.com/adventure_time/2008/11/11/background-development-art/#comment-3720539. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 
  8. ^ ""Enchiridion" Props in Color". Frederatorblogs.com. 2009-07-16. http://frederatorblogs.com/adventure_time/2009/07/16/enchiridion-props-in-color/#comment-12960762. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 
  9. ^ a b c DeMott, Rick (2010-04-25). "Time for Some Adventure with Pendleton Ward". Animation World Network. http://www.awn.com/articles/2d/time-some-adventure-pendleton-ward. Retrieved 2010-07-14. 
  10. ^ a b Zahed, Ramin (2010-02-05). "And Now for Something Entirely Brilliant!". Animation Magazine. http://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/and-now-for-something-entirely-brilliant. Retrieved 2010-07-14. 
  11. ^ a b Webb, Charles (2011-04-28). "It's 'Adventure Time' with Series Creator Pendleton Ward". MTV.com. http://geek-news.mtv.com/2011/04/28/its-adventure-time-with-series-creator-pendleton-ward/. Retrieved 2011-06-21. 
  12. ^ "Not sure if it's been asked, but is Ooo a continent, country, island, or the whole world? | Formspring". Formspring.me. http://www.formspring.me/buenothebear/q/847736511. Retrieved 2011-11-13. 
  13. ^ "Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Pendleton Ward Interview)". Wizards of the Coast LLC. 2011-04-08. http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4spot/20110408. Retrieved 2011-08-23. 
  14. ^ a b c Orange, B. Alan. "SDCC 2011 EXCLUSIVE: Adventure Time Cast Interviews". Movie Web. http://www.movieweb.com/comic-con/2011/news/sdcc-2011-exclusive-adventure-time-cast-interviews. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  15. ^ a b "Toonzone recap". Toonzone.net. http://www.toonzone.net/blog/blogs/417/adventure-time---what-was-missing-recap/. Retrieved 2011-11-13. 
  16. ^ a b "Lesbian controversy". Autostraddle.com. http://www.autostraddle.com/adventure-time-censored-for-exploring-lesbian-subtext-112941/. Retrieved 2011-11-13. 
  17. ^ "Ice King's Origin - Frederator | frederator.com". http://adventuretimeart.frederator.com/post/13831772126/now-you-know-my-secret-you-know-i-used-to-wear. Retrieved 2011-12-06. 
  18. ^ "How old is The Ice King? - Formspring". Formspring.me. http://www.formspring.me/buenothebear/q/847624209. Retrieved 2011-11-13. 
  19. ^ "Marceline (Young)". Behind The Voice Actors. 2011-08-05. http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Adventure-Time/Marceline-Young/. Retrieved 2011-09-05. 
  20. ^ Homan, Eric (2010-09-30). "The Secret’s Out - "Adventure Time" Gets Third Season". Frederator Studios Blogs. http://frederatorblogs.com/adventure_time/2010/11/30/the-secrets-out-adventure-time-gets-thirds-season/. 
  21. ^ "OVGuide - Conquest of Cuteness". OVGuide. http://www.ovguide.com/tv_episode/adventure-time-with-finn-and-jake-season-3-episode-1-conquest-of-cuteness-4100408. Retrieved June 19, 2011. 
  22. ^ "Adventure Time Returns July 11 It’s the premiere of...". Frederatorblogs.com. 2011-06-08. http://adventuretimeart.frederator.com/post/6324141934/adventure-time-returns-july-11-its-the-premiere. Retrieved 2011-06-21. 
  23. ^ ""Jakesuit" Story Notes". Archives.frederatorblogs.com. 2009-03-03. http://archives.frederatorblogs.com/adventure_time/2009/03/03/jakesuit-story-notes/. Retrieved 2011-11-13. 
  24. ^ a b c Lloyd, Robert (2010-04-05). "'Adventure Time With Finn & Jake' enters a wild new world". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/05/entertainment/la-et-finn-jake5-2010apr05. 
  25. ^ "Adventure Time: Season 1". Metacritic.com. http://www.metacritic.com/tv/adventure-time/season-1/user-reviews. Retrieved 2011-09-05. 
  26. ^ a b c d e Lambert, David. "Adventure Time with Finn and Jake - Press Release, Box for 'It Came From the Nightosphere'". TV Shows On DVD. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Adventure-Time-Finn-Jake-Nightosphere/16240. Retrieved December 4, 2011. 
  27. ^ The 25 Greatest Animated TV Series: You Ranked 'Em!
  28. ^ "37th Annual Annie Nominations and Awards Recipients". Annie Awards. http://annieawards.org/legacy34th.html. Retrieved 2010-09-10. 
  29. ^ "Emmy Nominations". Emmy Online. http://www.emmys.com/sites/emmys.com/files/62ndemmys_noms_4.pdf. Retrieved 2010-09-10. 
  30. ^ "Adventure Time Nominated for an Annie". Frederator Studios Blogs. 2010-12-06. http://frederatorblogs.com/adventure_time/2010/12/06/adventure-time-nominated-for-an-annie/. 
  31. ^ "Emmy Nominations". 2011-07-14. http://www.emmys.com/sites/emmys.com/files/PressReleaseNoms2011emmys.pdf. 
  32. ^ a b c Goellner, Caleb (2011-08-16). "Jazwares Rolls Out 'Adventure Time' Toy Images". Comicsalliance.com. http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/08/16/adventure-time-toys-jazwares/. Retrieved 2011-09-05. 
  33. ^ It’s ADVENTURE TIME at Boom! in February
  34. ^ Goellner, Caleb (November 19, 2011). "'Adventure Time' Comic Series Coming From Boom! in February". ComicsAlliance. http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/11/19/adventure-time-comic-series-boom-kaboom-february/. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
  35. ^ Adventure Time Goes KABOOM! This February!
  36. ^ Ryan North Talks 'Adventure Time' Comic: "The Zombies Represent Friendship" [Interview]
  37. ^ a b c "Adventure Time: My Two Favorite People DVD on September 27th". Toon Barn. http://toonbarn.com/2011/06/adventure-time-favorite-people-dvd-september-27th/. Retrieved July 5, 2011. 
  38. ^ a b c d Liu, Ed. "PR: "Adventure Time: It Came From the Nightosphere" on DVD on March 6, 2012". Toon Zone. http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/39477/pr-adventure-time-it-came-from-the-nightosphere-on-dvd-on-march-6-2012. Retrieved November 20, 2011. 
  39. ^ "Adventure Time: Säsong 1 - Vol. 1 - DVD - Film - CDON.COM". CDON.COM. http://cdon.se/film/adventure_time%3a_s%C3%A4song_1_-_vol._1-15399045. Retrieved December 9, 2011. 
  40. ^ "Adventure Time: Säsong 1 - Vol. 2 - DVD - Film - CDON.COM". CDON.COM. http://cdon.se/film/adventure_time%3a_s%C3%A4song_1_-_vol._2-15399046. Retrieved December 9, 2011. 
  41. ^ "Adventure Time: Säsong 1 - Vol. 3 - DVD - Film - CDON.COM". CDON.COM. http://cdon.se/film/adventure_time%3a_s%C3%A4song_1_-_vol._3-15399047. Retrieved December 9, 2011. 

External links

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