But I got distracted by other things and the idea never went anywhere. And if I can write 10 stories within 10 minutes, then I know there's a solid idea. I always trust my gut on an idea if it sticks, there's something really good. It went through some iterations where it became more of an alien kid riding this creature, but that never connected. I was drawing this little Astro Boy, Tezuka inspired, cartoony caveman kid riding a T-Rex. GT: It started off maybe 10 years ago as a kids’ show.
There's not as much compromise, because sometimes on a TV schedule and budget, you're like, “Well this is the best it can be for the time and money that we have.” But with Primal, it feels very creatively satisfying. And especially with the addition of La Cachette, doing the animation for Primal, it's a whole different level of quality and I'm so much happier. TV for me has always meant complete freedom and trust to try different things, to push where I think I can push, and to strive to do better work. They’ve all been incredibly supportive in what I want to do creatively. I have such a special relationship with Adult Swim because of Mike Lasso, Keith Crawford, and everybody there.
And then I had this idea for how to continue the storyline. And then it grew to five, which were successful. But it started getting more and more attention, more and more love. Genndy Tartakovsky: It's funny because the whole thing with Primal is that I thought nobody's going to want to do this, so I’ll just do it as a short. You’ve circled back to your roots in auteur-driven TV animation. I recently spoke with the director about the show, his creative approach to its development, and his successful embrace of storytelling without dialogue that makes Primal unlike anything else on TV.ĭan Sarto: Primal is a project that’s become a force of nature in a way, going from five episodes, to five more episodes, to now a second season renewal for 10 more episodes. Safe to say, people love their dinosaurs. Just last month, Primal won three Juried Emmy Awards: Tartakovsky, Willis and character designer Stephen DeStefano. Aliens, Hotel Transylvania 3), lends his talents to the show’s design. Tartakovsky’s long-time partner in crime, art director Scott Willis ( Monsters vs. The series, billed as an animated painting come to life, is uniquely told without dialogue it features an emotionally compelling story voiced through breathtaking animation, mind-blowing sound design, and a gripping original score by composer Tyler Bates ( Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool 2, John Wick). You can watch the first five Primal episodes on or HBO Max.
Even with his jump to big budget animated features with Hotel Transylvania, the 2012 film he saved from six years of development hell by wrangling into the first of a hugely successful three-film and growing franchise, he kept his hand in TV, producing an additional season of more adult-oriented Samurai Jack episodes that aired in 2017.įocused on an unlikely friendship between a caveman, Spear, at the dawn of evolution, and a T-Rex, Fang, on the brink of extinction, as they fight to survive a violent, primordial world, the first five mesmerizing episodes of Tartakovsky’s new series debuted on Adult Swim last year with unexpected success five more episodes of Season 1 are currently airing Sunday’s on the network, having debuted October 4, and a 10-episode Season 2 renewal was just announced, though no release date was shared. A prolific artist, writer, director, producer, and showrunner, the four-time Emmy Award and two-time Annie Award-winning Tartakovsky helped shape some of animation’s most memorable and impactful series, an impressive set of characters and shows that remain hugely popular still today. Their names are synonymous with the shows and films they created. For a generation of animation fans weaned on seminal TV series like Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and Samurai Jack, the name “Genndy Tartakovsky” carries considerable cultural weight, much like Chuck Jones, Hayao Miyazaki, or Matt Groening.