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In a previous article, we discussed the untimely cancellation of Infinity Train. The animated show follows different passengers as they are abducted by a supernatural train and made to learn from their past mistakes in order to escape. Passengers are all assigned a number on their hand that counts down as they succeed, but higher if they fail to become better people. Before the show’s third season, it was announced that Infinity Train would be moved from its usual prime time release on Cartoon Network to become an HBO Max Original. This change did not sit well with fans, but the show still managed to maintain high viewership and a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, before the release of the fourth season in April 2021, it was announced that Infinity Train would be canceled. Some fans attributed the cancellation to the transition from cable television to online streaming.
Streaming platforms, while convenient, create a financial barrier that prevents new and old fans from accessing certain shows. Fans also speculated that HBO Max and Cartoon Network struggled to market a multi-season animated miniseries that featured teenagers and adults as its primary characters. It was not until the release of the fourth season that the true cause of the show’s unjust cancellation was revealed. Rather than being a direct cause of the switch to HBO Max, the choice was made by Cartoon Network due to the show’s focus on older characters and mature themes. The decision sparked outrage in fans, as it suggests stereotypes about animation as a genre being focused towards a younger, male audience, rather than appealing to all viewers. As news about Infinity Train continues to arise, so does criticism from audiences and professionals– revealing the unfair treatment of creators and their fans by the industry as a whole.
Cartoons Are Not Only For Kids
According to the crew, Cartoon Network decided that Infinity Train no longer fit their brand as a children’s television network, as it lacked a child entry point (( Baron, Rueben. “What Infinity Train’s Cancellation Means for the Future of Cartoon Network” Comic Book Resources. May 3, 2021. )). This followed Cartoon Network’s announcement (( Goldberg, Lesley. “Cartoon Network, HBO Max Double Down on Preschool Fare.” The Hollywood Reporter. February 27, 2021. )) that it would be moving towards producing more animated preschool content, as well as “family-friendly” shows for ages 6-11. This choice has been criticized by fans, who argue that family-friendly content should not imply the employment of watered-down narratives or young protagonists. Rather, all-ages animation should focus on complex stories from people of backgrounds and teach the audience valuable life lessons.
Infinity Train, of course, is a story built upon diverse characters learning from and overcoming hardships. However, it does not fit into Cartoon Network’s idea of a “family-friendly” show, as it focuses on protagonists in their teens or early adulthood and includes pivotal plot points about death, loss, and ethical corruption. It is suspected that Cartoon Network also rejected further seasons based on the plans for a follow-up film (which was to act as the fifth season) that focused on an adult woman. The movie would follow Amelia (Lena Headey), who served as the antagonist in the first season. Amelia has been on the train for decades after usurping it from the original conductor and must now work to make up for her crimes if she wishes to escape. The movie would act as a more cohesive backstory, revealing the details of Amelia’s time on the train and how she became the false conductor. Audiences hoped that this film would end with Amelia’s redemption, or at least with the hint towards her redemption.
This criticism stems from the potential sexism of Cartoon Network’s dismissal of an adult woman having an interesting and complex story. By the time the audience meets Amelia in the present day, she is a bitter, old woman. She does not fit the traditional archetype for a cartoon protagonist. Yet, despite her role as a villain, the argument that children would not be interested in her story seems unwarranted, especially since older male characters have been allowed to act as cartoon protagonists for decades. Cartoon Network’s decision also comes at the cost of alienation for its audiences. The idea that cartoons should only be for children sparked outrage for fans, both young and old. Older audiences refute the idea that animation is either for children or adults. While adult-specific animation exists, such as Rick and Morty and Bojack Horseman (note that both these shows have an old, bitter, male lead), it is often crude and rarely focuses on positive character relationships and development.
Adults are equally as drawn to the same stories as children are and find value in narratives about hope and growth. Younger audiences found it insulting to suggest that they should not enjoy complex and emotionally stirring stories. While Infinity Train often tells stories about people who experience loss or corruption, these experiences are not “off-limits” to children. The younger audiences are exposed to the same hardships as adults. Telling stories about adults who are imperfect but still work to become better reminds younger audiences that maturing and becoming a good person is not a linear process– but rather a system of trial and error.
#RenewInfinityTrain
Infinity Train was originally set to have 8 seasons, all of which had been carefully planned out ahead of time to create a cohesive and satisfying narrative. While certainly entertaining and well-written, the fourth season was used as a setup for the would-be follow-up film. While the prior seasons take place in the present day, the fourth season takes place in the 1980s — at the same time, Amelia has overthrown the conductor and taken control of the train. The season left audiences hungry for more and without a satisfactory capstone for the plot. Creator Owen Dennis has been openly displeased with Cartoon Network’s decision to pull the plug on Infinity Train. As a response, he gathered his fans on Twitter and began the #RenewInfinityTrain campaign.
On April 29th, he urged fans to tweet their love of the show using the specific hashtag in order to demonstrate to media executives the demand for the rest of the show. In return, Dennis held a raffle in which fans could win prizes, such as stickers, for their participation. Fans gathered online to discuss their love for the show but also to share their fan art, cosplays, and collections of show memorabilia to express their desire for more. During this campaign, Dennis released concept art for the now-canceled follow-up film, featuring Amelia and a turtle (likely her companion). The turnout was so intense that #RenewInfinityTrain trended on Twitter for several hours. Fans across the globe are continuing to create these campaigns on behalf of the cast and crew, including another Twitter event set for sometime in June of 2021.
Hope has not yet been lost for the show, as Owen Dennis works to find a new, permanent home for Infinity Train. On May 17th, AT&T announced (( Kovach, Steve. Meredith, Sam. “AT&T announces $43 billion deal to merge WarnerMedia with Discovery”. CNBC. May 17, 2021. )) its merge with WarnerMedia and HBO– providing a new opportunity for Dennis to pitch the show again to HBO Max. Dennis has argued that the cost of renewing Infinity Train is significantly lower than the proposed $20 billion WarnerMedia wants to put towards new content each year and would be a wise financial choice for the company (( Dennis, Owen. @oweeeeendennis. Twitter. May 17, 2021. )). Dennis has described a potential as a requiring a “multi-pronged approach” (( Dennis, Owen. @oweeeeendennis. Twitter. June 1, 2021. )), and it will likely take a lot of time. Meanwhile, fans continue to urge HBO Max to take the proposal seriously– considering the streaming platform did not seek to buy out Infinity Train after its cancellation, despite it being one of their most popular original series. News of Infinity Train’s revival may be slow, but fans will continue to prove their loyalty until the series is finally completed.
What Does This Mean For Animated Television?
During the campaign to renew Infinity Train, other cartoon creators and crew members took to Twitter to discuss their grievances with the industry. Primarily, the discussion focused on the poor communication between executives and creatives. Infinity Train’s cancellation has been one of several abrupt and poorly communicated changes in television animation within the last few months. Around the same time at Disney Television Animation, creator of Amphibia, Matt Braly discussed how executives pulled the season finale of his show just hours before its original airing time– later resulting in the episode’s leak from iTunes (who were not notified about the change).
Though the episode aired two weeks later, the last-minute change caused unneeded stress and confusion for the entire crew. The consistent poor communication that exists within all of animated television has left fans outraged and demanding better for the teams that made the shows they love. It is not uncommon for television shows to be canceled or changed without timely communication to the creative teams, often resulting in mishaps or unsatisfactory endings to a show. These abrupt changes often leave crew members scrambling to perform unpaid marketing labor and online communication to fans. In fact, it is often expected that show creators and crew members market their own shows for free online, thus placing more responsibility on their shoulders.
Show creators also do not own their shows. The IP (intellectual property) belongs to the corporation that produces it, and they also keep a majority of the revenue as well. For creators like Owen Dennis, this means they do not legally own the show and cannot produce more official content for it without permission. This may cause problems for any plans to renew Infinity Train, should Dennis seek to pitch the show to other corporations outside of HBO Max and WarnerMedia. This issue poses the question of if show creators should own the IP they created or what unions could be doing to better support their animators and artists. While changing the legal and union rights of animation workers would be a long and difficult process, it may be one of many steps towards improving the industry as a whole.
An Evolving Story …
The case for Infinity Train’s renewal remains an ongoing and constantly changing situation. Fans will continue to campaign for the show via social media, as well as by purchasing some of the merchandise for the show (including DVD sets for seasons one and two). Continuing to show support is the best thing fans can do for Infinity Train, as well as for animation as a whole. So keep watching, keep tweeting: and maybe we can still save Infinity Train.