This article is about the television series
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Infinity Train is an animated anthology series created by Owen Dennis that centers around various characters trekking through boundless pocket universes on a giant mysterious train trying to find out how and why they got on it.[1] The show's first two seasons aired on Cartoon Network and the last two season on HBO Max. It was ultimately cancelled despite having four working season concepts with one of them being a movie.
The series' pilot episode was first shown on November 2, 2016, on Cartoon Network's YouTube channel. This episode centering around a young girl named Tulip and her friends, One-One and Atticus. The pilot's popularity ultimately lead to Cartoon Network airing the pilot on television on February 11, 2017.[2]
History[]
- On March 2, 2018, Cartoon Network launched a teaser on their official website confirming that Season 1 of the show will launch in 2019.[3]
- In July 2019, the show was confirmed for an August 5, 2019 debut[4] and the first episode was released early on Cartoon Network's website. The week-long airing was promoted as a miniseries, only for the surprise reveal immediately following the final episode that the series would return.
- On November 22, 2019, the official Infinity Train website was updated with a new claw machine puzzle. Completing the puzzle leads to a trailer for Season 2.[5]
- On July 6, 2020, it was announced that Season 3 will be released exclusively on HBO Max.[6]
- On February 17th, 2021, Season 4 was formally revealed through HBO Max's Twitter.[7] It was promoted as the final season due to the show not being renewed, although the crew has supported fan efforts to demand more seasons.
Conceptualization[]
Infinity Train was first imagined by Dennis in 2010 while riding a plane home to the United States from China. Initially, he wondered what would happen should a girl be trapped on a plane, but eventually discarded the idea, stating "there wasn't really a lot to explore if [the setting] is a plane."[8] He later changed the setting to a train.[8] According to Dennis, not much else about Infinity Train's origin can be revealed due to it containing heavy spoilers for the series itself.[8]
The logo for the Infinity Train pilot.
Dennis pitched the idea of the series to Cartoon Network in January 2014.[9] Upon the initial pitch, Cartoon Network executives feared that the series would be too similar to Over the Garden Wall, then referred to as Tome of the Unknown.[10] Eventually, the two shows were deemed different enough, and Dennis received permission to create a pilot. The pilot went into production around 2015.[9] The initial concept did receive edits and changes when Dennis viewed the completed version of Over the Garden Wall, however.[10] Additionally, Dennis often held other fears about Infinity Train's similarities to other media when it was first created, citing films Snowpiercer and Galaxy Express 999 that came out later in the year.
Within the network itself, fellow Cartoon Network storyboard artist Cole Sanchez told Dennis that Adventure Time had created an episode featuring a train with infinity symbols on it, which caused Dennis's "stomach to turn."[10] He eventually overcame these fears, stating "There are certain ideas just... sitting there, plucked up by anyone who feels like they wanna do something with it. The most you can do is just keep making the thing you’re trying to make with the voice you want to make it in."[10]
Seasons[]
| Book | Name | Episodes | Originally aired | Network | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||||
| Pilot | February 11, 2017 | |||||
| 1 | The Perennial Child | 10 | August 5, 2019 | August 9, 2019 | Cartoon Network | |
| Shorts | The Train Documentaries | 10 | October 19, 2019 | November 16, 2019 | ||
| 2 | Cracked Reflection | 10 | January 6, 2020 | January 10, 2020 | Cartoon Network | |
| 3 | Cult of the Conductor | 10 | August 13, 2020 | August 27, 2020 | HBO Max | |
| 4 | Duet | 10 | April 15, 2021 | |||
Episodes[]
The list below provides the sequential order of the episodes of the Cartoon Network series, Infinity Train. The pilot was published on Cartoon Network's YouTube channel on November 2, 2016. It quickly gained popularity, and a cult following. It currently has over 4,700,000 views.
On February 11, 2017, Cartoon Network premiered the pilot on their channel at 6:00 in the morning. It gained 703,000 views. On March 9, 2018, it was confirmed that the series will be getting a full first season, which premiered on August 5, 2019 and aired through the week as a miniseries. Following the conclusion of "The Engine", it was announced a second season was in the works.
Pilot (2016)[]
| Image | Title | Original Airdate | No. in series | No. in season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pilot | November 2, 2016 (YouTube) February 11, 2017 (TV)
|
0 | 0 |
| Tulip must learn to set her personal interests aside to make her way through a mysterious train and help the king of all corgis save his people. | ||||
Book One - The Perennial Child (2019)[]
| Image | Title | Original Airdate | No. in series | No. in season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
"The Grid Car" | July 20, 2019 (Online) August 5, 2019 (TV) |
1 | 1 |
| Tulip, a headstrong 13-year-old girl, finds a mysterious train where every car contains its own universe. | ||||
|
"The Beach Car" | August 5, 2019 | 2 | 2 |
| Tulip strikes a deal with a cat in an attempt to get home, but is the price worth it? | ||||
|
"The Corgi Car" | August 6, 2019 | 3 | 3 |
| Tulip and One-One explore a car full of Corgis and face off against a mysterious monster. | ||||
|
"The Crystal Car" | August 6, 2019 | 4 | 4 |
| Tulip, Atticus and One-One enter a crystal forest car and have to take part in a musical ritual. | ||||
|
"The Cat's Car" | August 7, 2019 | 5 | 5 |
| Tulip has to face her past. | ||||
|
"The Unfinished Car" | August 7, 2019 | 6 | 6 |
| The gang enters an unfinished train car and tries to fix it. | ||||
|
"The Chrome Car" | August 8, 2019 | 7 | 7 |
| The gang meets a familiar face in a mirrored car. | ||||
|
"The Ball Pit Car" | August 8, 2019 | 8 | 8 |
| The gang is confronted by a strange new force on a Ball Pit Car adventure. | ||||
|
"The Past Car" | August 9, 2019 | 9 | 9 |
| Tulip takes a risk trusting an old foe. | ||||
|
"The Engine" | August 9, 2019 | 10 | 10 |
| Tulip makes it to the front of the train and is faced with a choice. | ||||
The Train Documentaries (2019)[]
| Image | Title | Online premiere date | No. in series | No. in miniseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
"The Green Car" | October 18, 2019 | 10.1 | 1 |
| One-One kicks off a series of train documentaries with a visit to The Green Car. | ||||
|
"The Tiny Wizard Car" | October 18, 2019 | 10.2 | 2 |
| One-One provides a peek into daily life in the Tiny Wizard Car. | ||||
|
"The Kaiju Car" | October 25, 2019 | 10.3 | 3 |
| One-One is oblivious to the menace of The Kaiju Car. | ||||
|
"The Tech Support Car" | October 25, 2019 | 10.4 | 4 |
| One-One wants answers from a familiar salesman. | ||||
|
"The Snow Car" | November 1, 2019 | 10.5 | 5 |
| One-One explores a seemingly familiar winter themed car. | ||||
|
"The Hill Car" | November 1, 2019 | 10.6 | 6 |
| One-One connects with the peace and quiet of the Hill Car. | ||||
|
"The Movie Theater Car" | November 8, 2019 | 10.7 | 7 |
| One-One is treated to the one-of-a-kind entertainment of the Movie Theater Car. | ||||
|
"The Cross-Eyed Ducks Car" | November 8, 2019 | 10.8 | 8 |
| One-One shows off the resplendent majesty of The Cross-Eyed Ducks Car. | ||||
|
"The Minecart Car" | November 16, 2019 | 10.9 | 9 |
| One-One rides a minecart to discover what mysteries lurk underground. | ||||
|
"The Wedding Cake Car" | November 16, 2019 | 10.10 | 10 |
| One-One gives train tips on top of a giant wedding cake. | ||||
Book Two - Cracked Reflection (2020)[]
| Image | Title | Original Airdate | No. in series | No. in season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
"The Black Market Car" | January 1, 2020 (Online) January 6, 2020 (TV) |
11 | 1 |
| Mirror Tulip tries to create a new life for herself outside the Mirror World. | ||||
|
"The Family Tree Car" | January 6, 2020 | 12 | 2 |
| Mirror Tulip and Jesse climb down a real live family tree. | ||||
|
"The Map Car" | January 7, 2020 | 13 | 3 |
| Mirror Tulip tries to help Jesse get his number down. | ||||
|
"The Toad Car" | January 7, 2020 | 14 | 4 |
| Mirror Tulip and Jesse get stuck in a car and face an unusual dilemma. | ||||
|
"The Parasite Car" | January 8, 2020 | 15 | 5 |
| Mirror Tulip and Jesse gain an unexpected companion. | ||||
|
"The Lucky Cat Car" | January 8, 2020 | 16 | 6 |
| Mirror Tulip and Jesse enter a carnival car and have to compete for the exit. | ||||
|
"The Mall Car" | January 9, 2020 | 17 | 7 |
| Someone mysterious invites Jesse and Mirror Tulip into a mall car. | ||||
|
"The Wasteland" | January 9, 2020 | 18 | 8 |
| Mirror Tulip finds herself in the wasteland outside the train. | ||||
|
"The Tape Car" | January 10, 2020 | 19 | 9 |
| Mirror Tulip searches for answers. | ||||
|
"The Number Car" | January 10, 2020 | 20 | 10 |
| Mirror Tulip fights for her right to make her own choices. | ||||
Book Three - Cult of the Conductor (2020)[]
| Image | Title | Premiere Date | No. in series | No. in season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
"The Musical Car" | August 12, 2020 | 21 | 1 |
| Before The Apex can complete a raid, leaders Grace and Simon are separated from the kids under mysterious circumstances. | ||||
|
"The Jungle Car" | August 13, 2020 | 22 | 2 |
| Grace and Simon look on the bright side and hope that this will be like a mini-vacation from their responsibilities as leaders of The Apex. | ||||
|
"The Debutante Ball Car" | August 13, 2020 | 23 | 3 |
| The gang's uneasy alliance is tested by a challenge in their first car together: dancing in a high-stakes octopus debutante ball! | ||||
|
"Le Chat Chalet Car" | August 13, 2020 | 24 | 4 |
| Stuck in a blizzard, the gang seeks shelter in a nearby cabin. But when Simon realizes who's inside, he frantically searches for a way out. | ||||
|
"The Color Clock Car" | August 13, 2020 | 25 | 5 |
| A giant, color-changing clock creates a shifting-maze puzzle that the gang has to solve before they can leave the car. | ||||
|
"The Campfire Car" | August 20, 2020 | 26 | 6 |
| The Apex are just a car away! They're almost home! But first they have to make it through a forest full of pinecone camp counselors. | ||||
|
"The Canyon of the Golden Winged Snakes Car" | August 20, 2020 | 27 | 7 |
| The gang finds themselves in a car full of golden winged snakes, but in that dusty landscape a mystery they're unprepared for awaits them. | ||||
|
"The Hey Ho Whoa Car" | August 20, 2020 | 28 | 8 |
| In the seemingly innocent Hey Ho Whoa car, a shocking revelation rocks Grace and Simon's world. Will they be able to fix it before The Apex find out? | ||||
|
"The Origami Car" | August 27, 2020 | 29 | 9 |
| The gang is finally ready to meet The Apex again, but keeping secrets has consequences. | ||||
|
"The New Apex" | August 27, 2020 | 30 | 10 |
| The gang reorders The Apex, but what will the new order be? | ||||
Book Four - Duet (2021)[]
| Image | Title | Premiere Date | No. in series | No. in season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
"The Twin Tapes" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 31 | 1 |
| Min and Ryan’s lifelong friendship and creative partnership disintegrates. | ||||
|
"The Iceberg Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 32 | 2 |
| Min and Ryan wake up on the train and meet Kez, a talking, floating concierge bell. | ||||
|
"The Old West Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 33 | 3 |
| Ryan, Min, and Kez get thrown into an Old West jail. | ||||
|
"The Pig Baby Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 34 | 4 |
| Ryan, Min, and Kez have to make the perfect dessert for a very fussy baby. | ||||
|
"The Astro Queue Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 35 | 5 |
| The trio sneaks into a guarded nightclub astro tower. | ||||
|
"The Party Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 36 | 6 |
| If they want to move forward, Min and Ryan must play their first show together since splitting up the band. | ||||
|
"The Art Gallery Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 37 | 7 |
| The gang needs to escape from a haunted art museum. | ||||
|
"The Mega Maze Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 38 | 8 |
| While they accompany Kez to her home, Min and Ryan air their grievances with each other. | ||||
|
"The Castle Car" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 39 | 9 |
| Ryan and Min finally meet Kez’s roommate. | ||||
|
"The Train to Nowhere" | April 15, 2021 (HBO Max) | 40 | 10 |
| Min and Ryan face a final challenge. | ||||
Videos[]
Infinity Train Official Clip Cartoon Network
Infinity Train Corginia is For Corgi Lovers Travel Commercial Cartoon Network
Infinity Train Cartoon Network
Official Infinity Train Trailer With Alternative Ending Cartoon Network
Infinity Train Crazy Train Trailer Cartoon Network
Until Next Time Infinity Train Cartoon Network
All the Train Cars Infinity Train Cartoon Network
Who's the Conductor? Clues You Missed Infinity Train Cartoon Network
Atticus of Corginia Infinity Train Cartoon Network
The Best One-One Quotes Infinity Train Cartoon Network
Tulip the Literate Infinity Train Cartoon Network
Running Away Music Video Infinity Train Cartoon Network
Learn French With The Cat Infinity Train Cartoon Network
The Start of Tulip's Journey Infinity Train Cartoon Network
Infinity Train Book Two Official Trailer Cartoon Network
Every Hint About Book Two From the Train Documentaries Infinity Train Cartoon Network
One-One Explains The Train Infinity Train HBO Max
Infinity Train Recap Books 1 and 2 HBO Max Family
Book 3 Official Trailer Infinity Train HBO Max
Owen Dennis Explains Multi-Plane Animation Infinity Train HBO Max
Grace and Simon Visit the Unfinished Car Infinity Train
Everything We Know About the Apex Infinity Train HBO Max Family
All the Cars in Book 2 Infinity Train HBO Max Family
Snowball Fight Book 3 Teaser Infinity Train
Infinity Train Book 3 Now Streaming HBO Max
Owen Dennis and Madeline Queripel Read Fan Theories Infinity Train
Tuba's Lullaby -Full Song- - Infinity Train - HBO Max
Infinity Train Book 1-3 - HBO Max
Infinity Train Book 4 - Teaser - HBO Max
Ranking the 30 Coolest Cars in Infinity Train - HBO Max
Grace Monroe Becomes The Hero Infinity Train Needs - HBO Max
Infinity Train Book 4 - Official Trailer - HBO Max
Infinity Train - All The Cars in Book 3 - HBO Max
Book 4 Exclusive Clip - Infinity Train - HBOMax
Infinity Train Book 4 - Opening Scene - HBO Max
Train to Nowhere Music Video - Infinity Train - HBO Max
(Spoilers warning) The following video contains scenes from this season.
Our Favorite Companions - Infinity Train - HBO Max
Infinity Train - All the Feels from Books 1-4 - HBO Max
Infinity Train - Sashay’s Runway Fairway - HBO Max
Infinity Train - Grace Introduces Jessie and Lake to the Apex - HBO Max
Infinity Train - All The Songs in Books 1-4 - HBO Max
Infinity Train - Lake (M.T.) & Jesse Exit the Train - HBO Max
Infinity Train - The Evolution of Lake - HBO Max
Trivia[]
- The initial idea of the show came from Owen's experiences while traveling on a plane.
- The decision to refer to all the seasons as "books" was made by someone else outside of the crew. Owen Dennis originally wanted the marketing to refer every season by his titles. When Dennis learned that the seasons were being called "books" he worried that fans would be confused.[11]
- Owen Dennis tried making the titles official but his request was brushed off by Cartoon Network; feeling that copyrighting those titles after calling them books for so long would be a hassle. Thus the titles are canon because of Dennis' word and not because of the company.[12]
- It was revealed in an interview with Creative Block that the MeToo movement helped in getting the pilot greenlit. Cartoon Network reacted to the movement by picking up the only pilot with a female protagonist in it and it happened to be Infinity Train. Way before MeToo, Owen Dennis was cautioned that his main character Tulip, might deter the executives from picking it.[13]
- Cartoon Network allow certain content in Infinity Train that would not have been possible for other shows simply for the existing fanbase.[14]
- Unusual for a cartoon, Infinity Train's voice-overs are mostly recorded in group sessions, with as much of the cast and guest actors for an episode recording in the same booth as possible.[15]
- All the seasons of Infinity Train are similar in narrative to a famous piece of classic literature.
- Book One takes inspiration from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
- Book Two is basically Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio.
- Book Three has references to J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan.
- Book Four had nods and themes from Nikolai Gogol's short story, Nevsky Prospekt[16]
- Additionally, each season has its own theme and genre.[17]
- Book One is a mystery about reality
- Book Two is an adventure focusing on identity.
- Book Three is a tragedy about empathy.
- Book Four is a comedy focusing on communication.
- Owen has previously revealed and hinted at unfinished storylines, which include concepts of seasons, a short, two games.
References[]
- ↑ Inspired by the IMDb synopsis.
- ↑ "My pilot for Cartoon Network was just released! It's about a girl, her robot, and a corgi on an Infinity Train!" – Owen Dennis! on Twitter
- ↑ http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/infinity-train/
- ↑ "‘Infinity Train’: Cartoon Network Series Set For Five-Day Rollout Next Month." from Deadline
- ↑ http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/infinity-train/
- ↑ "Exclusive: Infinity Train's Third Season Is Bringing Anarchy to HBO Max" from Gizmodo
- ↑ Announcement of Book 4 on HBO Max's Twitter.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "5-Pizza Party Podcast – FT: Owen Dennis INFINITY TRAIN Creator" (at times 2m18s, 2m33s, 2m55s)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://www.animationmagazine.net/animated-people/animated-people-owen-dennis-infinity-train-steams-ahead/
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 They didn’t inspire each other. If I were to guess, The Adventure Time episode and Infinity Train were probably thought of around the same time period. – Owen Dennis' Tumblr
- ↑ Response from Reddit: "Somewhere along the line I was like 'I wanted to just call each season/book "Infinity Train: *title*', like how Doctor Who arcs worked, but someone somewhere outside of my orbit kept referring to them as books." - Dennis
- ↑ Response from Reddit: "Somewhere along the line I was like 'I wanted to just call each season/book "Infinity Train: *title*', like how Doctor Who arcs worked, but someone somewhere outside of my orbit kept referring to them as books." - Dennis
- ↑ "Well nobody's watching The Powerpuff Girls just to see the professor" (Timestamp: 1:00:08 - 1:03:53)
- ↑ "They’re also allowing us to do some things content-wise that other shows might not normally be able to do, simply because Infinity Train already has a fanbase." - Owen Dennis on Reddit
- ↑ Kyle McCarley. "Bella, @DianeDelano and I were there for every group record together. Kirby Howell-Baptiste was there whenever her schedule allowed, as were a rotating cast of phenomenal actors who came in for some of the guest roles. Group records are the best... Usually :P" Twitter. August 14, 2020.
- ↑ Justin Michael's Nevsky Prospect reference.
- ↑ What keywords could be used to define the books that could not be published?