Reviews
We spoke with Genndy Tartakovsky about his new series Unicorn: Warriors Eternal
Soon we will be able to see a new animated series on Adult Swim and HBO Max that caught our attention due to its particular visual style and setting. His name is Unicorn: Warriors Eternal and is the latest creation of Genndy Tartakovsky, the director behind cartoons like Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, samurai jack and the movies of Hotel Transylvania.
This is the story of the powerful sorceress Melinda, the elf warrior Eldred, the cosmic monk Seng and the robot Copernicus. They revive over and over again throughout the centuries to stop a great force of evil. But this time, in England at the end of the 19th century, something has gone wrong. Melinda returned in the body of a young woman about to be married, but her memories are hazy and she does not have full control of herself.
We had the opportunity to speak via Zoom with creator and director Genndy Tartakovsky about this new work and this is what he had to say about it. Unicorn: Warriors Eternal .
GamerFocus: Something that surprised us about Unicorn: Warriors Eternal It was their ‘steampunk’ setting because —unlike the use they give it in other works where it’s only something aesthetic— here they go further and really use steam technology. Why did they go for this setting when it would have been easier to use a traditional Victorian setting?
Genndy Tartakovsky: I’ve always wanted to create a world that wasn’t just human. It wasn’t just “normal.” What I find funny in everything I do is take reality and put it in the language of a cartoon. When I started developing this idea in the early 2000s no one was doing steampunk stuff, so it felt very original at the time. I love that certain industrial nature that steam gives to things like trains.
At the beginning, when we were just developing the story of the project, it was magic versus technology. The technology that uses steam is the one that feels the most like old machinery. So the setting of Victorian England during the industrial revolution felt appropriate. It is the birth of many machines and much technology.
That was the beginning. Then we went ahead with the idea and put in a robot that was powered by steam. It was something he hadn’t done before. I’ve done a lot of science fiction, but with more normal robots and I always want to do something new with each project.
The ‘anime’ has always been a great influence on his work, but we have never seen it in such a direct way as in this series, especially since it is clear that he follows the style of Osamu Tezuka, known as “the father of manga”. . Is this series a tribute to that author? Why did you choose this style for Unicorn: Warriors Eternal?
It’s interesting because I was definitely inspired by Tezuka, I love the way he designed his worlds. But he, in turn, was inspired by the Fleischer Studios and the Disney of the 30s, which are also part of my inspiration.
Animation is “incestuous” because of the way we all inspire each other. I wanted to make more volumetric characters, get away from the style of Dexter’s Laboratory and samurai jack which is much flatter, but still cartoonish.
I am a child of the seventies and I love Tex Avery and Warner Bros., so that was the character desEsports Extraslanguage I wanted to follow, but in a more modern narrative and cinematic context. I think that juxtaposition makes him feel different and with a unique personality.
After watching the first five episodes we believe that the world of Unicorn: Warriors Eternal it has potential beyond the cartoon. It could be expanded to tell many more stories in the same universe. What are your plans for these characters and this world? Have you thought about another season, a movie, ‘crossovers’, etc.?
You’re right. We can make stories with the characters in the past or in the future. This world is very open. We have 10 episodes and plans for more, but that’s the danger of doing a series and selling it to a company that says “we’re going to do 10 and we can’t promise anything after that.” It’s a matter of risking luck.
I don’t want to just do a miniseries that ends with 10 episodes. The plan is to do multiple seasons so I hope people watch the show, it’s successful and we can do more.
Nowadays it seems that “everything has to be a franchise”. It is often said that if a new series, cartoon or movie gets the green light, it is because the executives want it to become an expanded universe. Have you thought about the place that this series occupies in this industry? We are not saying that it is the right project for a franchise, but there are always talks about it.
I do want to build franchises. That’s good for me because that way I can do more of my thing. But it is challenging to do something new and original because you have to make a new audience fall in love with it on a large scale. It can’t be just two thousand people, it has to grow.
Almost everything I’ve done has slowly grown in popularity. samurai jack it was successful from the start, but it wasn’t huge. It literally took him 10 years to become as big as he was, for more people to know him.
That’s the challenge with television. It’s so competitive nowadays, there are so many shows. How to highlight? What to do to make people see it? It is very difficult and success is only measured by the people who see it.
What is your favorite character in the series?
I love Copernicus. He turned out to be very funny, ‘cool’ and different. Having a character like this even though he doesn’t speak, only communicates with hisses and steam is great. I am very proud of the result.
Also Melinda. She came out very well. She has so many conflicts and as the story progresses it becomes more interesting. They are my two favorite elements of the series.
Thank you very much Mr. Tartakovsky! We wish that Unicorn: Warriors Eternal be a very successful series and we can’t wait to see the next episodes. It was great talking to you.
Thank you very much, I really appreciate those good wishes.
Remember that the new series by Genndy Tartakovsky Unicorn: Warriors Eternal will premiere on Adult Swim on Friday May 5, 2023 and we can start watching it the next day on HBO Max.
