Genndy Tartakovsky: Animation Legend on the State of the Industry, His Creative Process, and More!
Genndy Tartakovsky: A Retrospective on a Legendary Career
Genndy Tartakovsky is a titan of animation, the mastermind behind iconic shows like Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Primal. His work spans Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and even Warner Bros. (with the Hotel Transylvania movie franchise), showcasing incredible range and skills; and these unique qualities alone set him apart and helped establish his continued greatness which remains prominent within animation and film! His contributions have become extremely important throughout animation.
Tartakovsky isn't slowing down either. He's behind Primal, Max's Unicorn: Warriors Eternal, and the upcoming movie Fixed! It's an extremely extensive and amazingly detailed career; resulting in many high profile productions being generated; creating those uniquely powerful characters and plots only Tartakovsky himself could achieve; a demonstration that continued contributions are both exciting and greatly expected by fans everywhere.
We recently caught up with Tartakovsky after he received the SCAD Award of Excellence at SCAD Animation Fest 2024 and gave a keynote speech reflecting on his career. We dove into his journey, his creative process, and his views on the current animation landscape.
The Changing Landscape of Animation: A Golden Age and Its Challenges
We asked Tartakovsky about how much animation had changed. He thinks the early days (especially the rise of Cartoon Network) were incredibly special. It was a moment in time, filled with many new ideas, lots of younger people doing really original things with incredible amounts of network support, he mentioned how many risky projects were made which wouldn't normally happen otherwise; a rare combination resulting in that ideal environment only available briefly. That atmosphere—lots of risk, lots of experimentation, and support for fresh projects – that's hard to duplicate now!
Tartakovsky mentioned those significant challenges including the recent global pandemic, multiple labor strikes, a shrinking television audience and all the current streaming woes; demonstrating some incredibly prominent points that every producer has to now seriously address! This isn't just unique to animation – the larger issue with finding viewers impacts all areas – he then further emphasized the problem which makes originality even harder: the increasing trend towards IP-driven shows (versus original content); creating those extremely serious implications which result in few chances being available to present new shows with little to no prior existing history!
Tartakovsky does however remains optimistic despite this complicated atmosphere. He is able to create new content. He believes however this particular success might not be a trend outside his circle. Those other producers might need additional guidance and strategies for navigating those tumultuous times.
Advice for Aspiring Animators: Forge Your Own Path!
Tartakovsky's message towards newer generations and people hoping to have careers is a simple one – forge your own path! He sees an unpredictable landscape of streaming–with many productions canceled or shelved after only a season. He provided this solution: young creatives could get an audience early; using new technology, publishing your own content independently using existing technologies (Youtube, Instagram) building up that essential fanbase and awareness before larger networks even pay attention. His advice includes obtaining a normal, regular source of income while continuing work independently; essentially paying yourself, independently, allowing continued development.
And remember his method: he was constantly developing and creating ideas independently, not waiting for a network to endorse him, he just created on his own and showed others what he produced! That method shows a healthy way of approaching the issues; generating original content is still possible despite those restrictions. That kind of approach isn't a magical recipe, though, but he suggests the benefits outweigh those shortcomings.
The Unique Success of Adult Animation: A Shift in Cultural Perceptions
We also asked Tartakovsky about those projects for adults; Samurai Jack’s continuation and Primal’s success, these are shows emphasizing maturity, but avoiding the usual sitcom formats seen in some Western adult animation productions. The sheer creativity displayed and this decision created a uniquely potent impact and established him at the forefront within his specific genre of adult animation. Tartakovsky does not quite understand why other adult animated projects often simply fail to convey mature themes as well, unlike many titles coming out from Anime and those kinds of productions. The comparison alone, this observation generates more important aspects.
He observes a lack of appreciation for those mature animated productions from mainstream audiences within Western societies, something very apparent; not merely in movie theaters or other platforms— it has cultural reasons! The long history behind adult anime titles might be why it has already reached a different status than other similar shows outside Japan. The massive contrast between both sides needs to be examined critically.
Tartakovsky's Creative Process: Characters First, Story Second!
Tartakovsky's approach focuses on character-building first; then situations; then plotting; finally refining and examining the essence of the storyline. He does this by finding that original character. And only develops ideas further if his initial response produces more than 10 related, equally potent storylines. Then it gets developed, this approach results in many shows; including Primal; where many original concepts were quickly fleshed out because of that creative initial spark which already provided most of those story beats to work from.
The development approach changes from one project to another: His methods are flexible, dependent on both his inspiration but also including additional collaboration and improvisation methods especially while collaborating with actors; enhancing and solidifying various initial ideas after that brainstorming process! Those various actors’ own inputs significantly impacts each finished product.
Live-Action Remakes: A Cash Grab or Artistic Reimagining?
Tartakovsky's take on live-action remakes is largely negative: He views it mostly as a cash grab, rather than any other motivation. And does not believe these approaches result in satisfactory end products which only justify themselves through profits, rather than actual creative value and the uniqueness produced! He feels most adaptations fail at properly conveying an important message. The notable exceptions he believes to be any adaptation done with a profound director with very strong opinions, resulting in these reimagined concepts.
Unfulfilled Projects and the Power of Looking Forward
Tartakovsky also discussed that other never-realized projects – including some particularly creative ideas like those based on Viking history! –He feels these could potentially be done with another round of funding, suggesting an incredibly potent and exciting perspective that hasn’t yet had a chance. The only decision at this point was the already realized project Fixed. He isn't necessarily sentimental about those early projects which showcase a forward-looking approach rather than reminiscing upon what happened; showing that past failures should always serve only as lessons learned; this approach and optimistic view generates those opportunities needed for continued creation. He focuses completely upon creating new stuff!
Working Within Established Franchises: A Future Possibility?
Although his current focus remains largely focused upon building original content and working on those pre-existing ideas rather than building those completely novel stories for different audiences! The possibilities are massive: from Conan-related concepts (based on Tartakovsky's love of the series) he highlighted several comic book possibilities.
Conclusion: Genndy Tartakovsky: An Unstoppable Force in Animation!
Genndy Tartakovsky’s incredible interview showcases a remarkably unique outlook upon the entire field and history within animation; that insight provided is highly valuable and not just specific to animation! His success comes through constantly creating and innovating his creative style while acknowledging the significant challenges presented throughout this industry. He delivers great creative projects – yet always manages to look forward and never forget those crucial life lessons from previous endeavors; not merely within animation itself – but throughout all phases of production, delivery and especially concerning what audience reception meant throughout all these past endeavors and its ultimate impacts upon future creations and the creation of novel and ambitious future productions which showcase both ingenuity and incredible passion!
