Few individuals are as heralded in American animation as Genndy Tartakovsky. Genndy Tartakovsky’s creations have been the backbone of Cartoon Network’s programming, and have directly influenced how the station has focused on producing original content that is consumable for kids, teens, and adults.
Despite the diversity of the types of stories Genndy Tartakovsky tells, they still have his distinct imprint. Genndy Tartakovsky’s movies and shows often utilize silence to tell stories, mix cultures from different civilizations to create unique worlds, and feature jaw-dropping action scenes that portray violence few cartoons can match. Genndy Tartakovsky has produced so many hit shows that a long-standing debate persists over which is his magnum opus.
10 Hotel Transylvania
Hotel Transylvania
The genre of kid’s horror has gained traction in recent years, with tales like ParaNorman being triumphant. While well done, spicing horror with comedy is a match made in heaven. Well, Hotel Transylvania is a prime example of horror/comedy done exceptionally well, bubbling a winning concoction from the beginning to the end.
Directed by one of the most credited directors, Genndy Tartakovsky, this animated flick brings all monsters in creation under one roof. His comedic timing is perfect, providing kids with slapstick humor and lots of belly-laughs. Mostly, the movie pokes fun at frightening conventions, so even young kids will barely have nightmares.
The hotel is magnificent, and the fact that staff members are witches, zombies, and mouthy shrunken heads keeps the kids amused. Using 3D gives the film shape and texture and brings kids to a deeper amusement level to the Halloween mood.
One thing that works well to keep kids in the spooky mood is Dracula’s (Adam Sandler) character traits. The soundtrack performance is played in various styles, like dubstep and voice modulation. For quite some time, Adam Sandler has written funny songs, which keeps young stars glued to the screen. The supporting characters know what to do, being equally irritating yet loveable.
Characters are many, and it’s impressive how the movie ensures they get most of the action. Hotel Transylvania is entertaining and so funny that it can’t fail to impress every family member for All Hallows Eve.
Hotel Transylvania follows the story of a hotel for monsters managed by Count Dracula. Dracula’s 118-year-old daughter, Mavis, falls in love with Jonathan, a human who accidentally discovers the secret hotel during his vacation. Dracula harbors a deep distrust of humans due to their history of hunting him and other monsters. Jonathan and Mavis must persuade Dracula to overcome his biases.
Hotel Transylvania is a hit with kids, but older audiences may find it lacking. Its humor relies on basic slapstick, and the plot follows predictable beats. Genndy Tartakovsky, known for more sophisticated animated series, still crafted a fun world that pays homage to various pulpy horror fiction. While commercially successful, Hotel Transylvania stands as one of Tartakovsky’s safest ventures.
9 Dexter’s Laboratory: Ego Trip
Dexter’s Laboratory: Ego Trip (1999)
This animated movie follows boy genius Dexter as he travels to the future to confront his greatest enemies. Along the way, he encounters various versions of himself, each embodying different stages of his life. Together, they must thwart a plan to steal his intelligence and save the world.
- Director
- Genndy Tartakovsky
- Release Date
- December 17, 1999
- Cast
- Christine Cavanaugh , Eddie Deezen , Jeff Bennett , Kath Soucie , Kat Cressida , Tom Kenny
- Writers
- Genndy Tartakovsky , Chris Savino , Paul Rudish , Craig McCracken , John McIntyre , Amy Keating Rogers
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This TV special revolves around Dexter discovering that he will save the future, prompting him to travel forward in time to see his future greatness. During his journey, he encounters his archenemy, Mandark, and the two Dexters team up to confront him. True to Dexter’s Laboratory‘s episodic style, the epic battle concludes inconclusively, with Dexter eventually nonchalantly leaving to make himself a sandwich.
Genndy Tartakovsky designed a one-hour TV movie intended to serve as the series finale for Dexter’s Laboratory. Despite the continuation of Dexter’s Laboratory after its airing, this project provided Tartakovsky with the experience of crafting longer narratives compared to the typical ten-minute episodes. While the movie features amusing moments such as Dexter working as Mandark’s underling and encountering a muscular version of himself, Dexter’s Laboratory: Ego Trip suffers from a lack of plot that justifies its one-hour runtime commitment.
8 The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls
Three super-powered little girls constantly save the world (or at least the city of Townsville) from monsters, would-be conquerers and a few other gross things.
- Release Date
- November 18, 1998
- Seasons
- 6
Genndy Tartakovsky didn’t create The Powerpuff Girls, but he did direct six episodes during the series’ prime years. These episodes weren’t throwaways; they were some of the most memorable and highly rated in the animated series.
Among the episodes he directed was “Criss Cross Crisis”, where the Powerpuff Girls swap bodies with the Mayor, Ms. Bellum, and Professor Utonium while still in their iconic dresses. Tartakovsky introduced the Rowdyruff Boys, male counterparts who pushed the Powerpuff Girls to their limits. Genndy Tartakovsky also directed “Telephonies”, a famous episode where the Gangreen Gang breaks into the Mayor’s office and pranks various characters, only to face a beating from Fuzzy Lumpkins, Mojo Jojo, and Him.
7 Sym-Bionic Titan
Sym-Bionic Titan
This animated show follows Ilana, Lance, and Octus, three alien refugees who hide on Earth from an evil warlord. Disguised as human teenagers, they blend in while defending their new home using their combined sym-bionic robot, Titan.
- Release Date
- September 17, 2010
- Creator(s)
- Genndy Tartakovsky , Paul Rudish , Bryan Andrews
- Cast
- Brian Posehn , Tara Strong , Corey Burton , Audrey Wasilewski , kari wahlgren , Richard McGonagle , Tom Kenny , Jeff Bennett
- Seasons
- 1
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Most series created by Genndy Tartakovsky enjoyed multiple seasons, but Sym-Bionic Titan was short-lived. Despite featuring a cast of highly relatable characters that resonated with teenagers in the 2010s, it was canceled prematurely, never fully realizing its potential.
Sym-Bionic Titan explores what it’s like to be different in school through the lens of literal aliens disguising themselves as humans. Like most of Genndy’s work, the animation is wonderful, thus it has good action scenes, but most of the best parts about Sym-Bionic Titan consist of the slice-of-life moments.
6 Dial M For Monkey
Dial M for Monkey is a cartoon short that was a part of Dexter’s Laboratory. It revolves around a seemingly normal monkey that Dexter routinely experiments on, which has adopted superpowers and fights crime as a superhero simply named Monkey. The series often features parody-based superheroes like the Justice Friends. Monkey also hilariously engages in a bizarre romance with Agent Honeydew, a SHIELD-inspired super-spy who treats Monkey as if he were a human being.
Dial M For Monkey differs significantly from its parent cartoon, Dexter’s Laboratory, by offering action and slightly more mature humor. Memorable episodes of Dial M For Monkey include scenarios where Monkey battles an alien wrestler who is voiced by Macho Man Randy Savage, and a space lion-humanoid intellectual who hunts aliens before Monkey pushes him into savagery.
5 Unicorn: Warriors Eternal
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The most ambitious work to date by Genndy Tartakovsky, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal challenges its audience with brave artistic choices and a fast-paced plot. A team of ancient heroes, borrowing heavily from different mythologies throughout time, fights evil across various eras of humanity.
The animation may surprise viewers, but it represents Genndy Tartakovsky’s most advanced work in choreography and memorable visuals. The fusion of mythology with steampunk gives Unicorn: Warriors Eternal a distinctive look unmatched elsewhere. However, the series may suffer from style over substance, often cramming too many plot points into brief episodes. The balance between action and character development feels inconsistent, with Season 1 feeling rushed with 10 episodes when it might have benefited from a longer season.
4 Samurai Jack
Samurai Jack
A samurai, sent through time, fights to return home and save the world.
- Release Date
- August 10, 2001
- Seasons
- 5
This was one of the first kids’ shows that wasn’t afraid to use silence as a tool for storytelling. Samurai Jack marked Genndy Tartakovsky’s transition from comedy into action. It was pivotal in influencing Cartoon Network to produce more original content aimed at older audiences and not shy away from violence.
Samurai Jack is the story of a samurai who is transported far into the future after battling an ancient demon, Aku. Jack embarks on an endless quest to hunt down Aku and find a way back to his own time. The aesthetics of Samurai Jack were distinct: not highly detailed, but characterized by sharp angles and a bright color palette. Each episode of Samurai Jack was a self-contained story, giving it an almost Western-like vibe, despite the clash of Edo-era samurai against futuristic mechanical weapons.
3 Dexter’s Laboratory
Dexter’s Laboratory (2006)
The misadventures of a boy genius and his annoying sister.
- Release Date
- April 27, 1996
- Seasons
- 4
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This was not only Genndy Tartakovsky’s first hit show, but Dexter’s Laboratory was the show that gave Cartoon Network confidence in producing its own original content. Dexter’s Laboratory paved the way for other popular 90s cartoons like Powerpuff Girls, Cow & Chicken, and Johnny Bravo. Dexter’s Lab is the story of a boy genius whose plans for world domination are always foiled by his negligent, air-headed sister, Dee Dee.
Dexter’s Lab had an incredibly cute art style as well as quirks like Dexter’s thick German accent despite being raised in American suburbia by a cookie-cutter nuclear family. The contrast between Dexter’s gigantic laboratory and his mundane surroundings created a hilarious vibe. Dexter’s Laboratory was a kid’s show, but it wasn’t afraid to throw in-jokes for adults.
2 Primal
Spear and Fang, a caveman and a T-Rex, make for a unique duo in the hit series Primal. The two become unlikely allies as they fight against the vicious, ruthless elements of prehistoric nature. Primal was Tartakovsky’s exploration into creating an Adult Swim-oriented show. This meant that Tartakovsky was not bound by censors and could tell the story as he liked. As a result, Primal is the most graphic and vulgar of Genndy Tartakovsky’s works.
The action in Primal is incredibly vicious, and in season 2, it becomes a grand spectacle as the duo begins to interact with different human civilizations. Primal is diverse in its content, covering our protagonists struggling for basic survival needs to fighting wizards and magical demons.
1 Star Wars: Clone Wars
Star Wars: Clone Wars
Jedi Knights lead the Grand Army of the Republic against the droid army of the Separatists.
- Release Date
- November 7, 2003
- Seasons
- 3
Not to be confused with the 2008 3D animated The Clone Wars, in 2003 Genndy Tartakovsky was given a special project to provide audiences with a view of what the Clone Wars would have been like. Clone Wars is an anthology covering different stories with micro episodes often around 5 minutes long.
The art style of Clone Wars is heavily influenced by Genndy Tartakovsky’s other hit show, Samurai Jack. The interpretation of the Clone Wars borrows a lot from anime, featuring extravagant scenes such as Mace Windu fighting hordes of machines without any lightsabers. Star Wars: Clone Wars also introduced General Grievous to audiences, and many consider it the best depiction of the four-limbed cyborg. Two major story arcs revolve around General Grievous hunting down Jedi like an apex predator, providing a genuine sense of awe and fear that the films and the 2008 series versions of the character severely lacked.