Unfortunate timing with the news of HBO and CN going scorched earth on Infinity Train. Support the creators, writers and animators as best as you can and make demands for physical media to preserve this amazing show.
Infinity train has still got so much more potential. I refuse to believe that this show is gone for good. It has to come back eventually and blossom even more.
I found this show in its early phases. Like, I watched the pilot WAY before it became a show. And, among other people, were one of the people who pushed Cartoon Network, especially on twitter, to its very limits to greenlight this show. As well as being a part of many petitions to start the show and keep running. Now, that doesn't really mean much because there were a lot more people out there who were also a part of this move to get the show going, but it does mean i was there from the beginning. And when the show finally started on cartoon network and the episodes started playing on TV, it felt like a dream come true! And although it was short-lived, i still loved and watched every season many times over. This series is one of the most complex, most interesting, most amazing cartoon shows out there these days, and has really set the standards high for animated shows. I know this series will eventually continue one day, either by HBO or by Netflix or some other streaming service. I was really hoping Netflix would pick it up but they never did... Edit: it just got so much worse 💀
Same. Been a fan since the pilot and I basically downloaded Twitter just to support the show when it got canceled. Hoping and praying for a continuation some day.
Small point but while Simon was canonically confirmed to have NPD, i don't see the bipolar and schizophrenia. His impulsivity and emotional outbursts don't seem like mania, and while he is pretty delusional, he doesn't experience hallucinations. The delusions seem like more of the byproduct of his NPD; viewing anything that disagrees with his viewpoint as false. I've watched a lot of cartoons with deeper themes and serious tones but i don't think I've watched any where the human behaviour and relationships are so realistic, like in this show. The characters in Infinity Train aren't purely good or bad, they are bad people who do good things and good people who can behave badly. The way that they portray anger and emotional conflicts are so so realistic that i got goosebumps throughout watching the show. Kudos to the animators, voice actors and script writers for getting everything so accurate.
I was a bit confused where schizophrenia came from in the video. BPD I could maybe see, but with schizophrenia I don't recall Simon experiencing any hallucinations like you said. It does make sense though NPD is what Owen Dennis was going for. I also kind of thought Simon could be autistic, which is commonly expressed by other fans as well. A lot of controversial takes stem from the headcanon Simon has ASD, like if it was fair for him to be represented as a villain from the perspective that he is autistic and struggles heavily with mixed signals and inconsistency. I just thought that was interesting how his character was received in many different ways when it comes to his possible neurodivergence.
@@privernd Oh yes, i could definitely see autistic traits, especially how he took everything Grace said at complete face value. But yes, NPD seems to be the most obvious one here.
20:46 "childhood is built to grow out of" I don't know why, but that really struck me. We will grow out of childhood, but we'll never grow out of ourselves. We'll just grow with ourselves.
It’s just really sad how nowadays, animation is just seen something that is inferior to live action and only worthy for kids to enjoy. Especially when you have shows like Infinity Train, The Owl House, Final Space, Primal, and Dead End: Paranormal Park, and movies like Mitchells vs the Machines, Flee, Encanto, Klaus, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse that are trying their best to show that animation can push the limits and expectations more so than with live action, but it is always being put down by network executives or just completely ignored by the general public (especially those from Hollywood). I always prefer animation than live action because you are not limited to create or express your imagination and if you think about, a lot of these big budget blockbusters like Marvel, Star Wars, Jurassic World, DC, and Fast and Furious, and some popular shows like Stranger Things, The Boys, Game of Thrones, Squid Game, and all the Disney plus marvel shows heavily rely or require animation to make the atmosphere of their settings look realistic as possible.
Nice video. My least favorite thing about IT is that I dont really like any other animated show anymore because none of them have characters that feel this grounded. That's more of a me problem though.
As a random on internet who had the same problem, I can recommend you The Owl House (particularly the last season on air rn, hoping s3 too, the first one you can see has the issue of being episodic as companies expect, but it's fun to watch if you want). It's sad this serie is cancelled too, but it has some character development moments impressive for what I expected being literally the next serie I watched after Infinity Train and believed at the time that I'll never see anything like it again, if you want ro give it a try
@@keysmash2359 Seconded. Owl House does get a tiny more of that energy and whimsy to it, but I consider it’s characters even more consistent and compelling as realistic depictions of people
Watching this mere hours after they removed Infinity Train from HBO Max is heartbreaking. Corporate bigwigs disregarding animation for tax write-offs in favor of bland, generic reality tv is one of the biggest mistakes a media company could make in the modern day, especially with shows with as much heart and creativity as Infinity Train.
I resent and object to the idea that Kids without adult supervision will "devolve into chaos". One, in Lord of the Flies it takes months for shit to start going down, and that only happens because of Paranoia and the already learned bad traits of _some_ of the kids. Two, in the case of Infinty Train, they were literally just following the rules and examples of the "adults" in their life, Simon and Grace, who were both highly damaged induviduals with false ideas and who constantly manipulated the kids to their benefit. It wad literally a cult, and there's plenty of adults in cults irl. Three, there's literally a case of a bunch of schoolboys getting stranded for months, and they didn't devolve into chaos but instead formed a lifelong friendship. In conclusion, humans, kids especially, are social creatures and will almost always form groups and work together. The problem arises when these groups have flawed idealogical foundations or when powerhungry leaders start well, leading lol. P.S.: I really wish people would stop holding up The Lord of the Flies as this "masterwork on human psychology" and claim that kids are horrible and chaotic and need "order" to "civilize" them. A very colonialist notion one might say.
My first introduction to Infinity train was the clip of Simon (?) killing the Gorilla, and the aftermath of Hazel’s realization and reaction alongside the other Apex Leader. I cried so badly and I felt an emotional connection between these 4, after watching a 5 minute clip. Congrats to the animators, writers, and directors. They managed to make any clips of this show into a masterpiece, capable of pulling anyone into having an emotional connection with these characters and caring for these people. Truly a beautiful show on all aspects.
Infinity train is definitely one of my main inspirations for my writing, i love how its perfectly balanced, and where it isnt is where it THRIVES and its admirable.
I guess small spoilers for a draft drawing for Book 6, that Owen Dennis himself, released. Something I found so interesting about the potential Book 6 character was that his number was high enough to loop around the wrist at least twice. Only 3 charecters (that we were shown) (Grace, Simon, and Amelia) have got their number higher than that. With those characters and their respective books, we mainly thought, “Dang that’s a high number. I wonder what bad crimes they committed to get it that high.” with the rest of the show revealing or at least implying the reason. Numbers up to your lower arm or neck already sets up the charecter in a bad light from episode 1, but just 2 number bands up the arm felt more natural, almost like he got worse over time, while still being enough character progression over 10 episodes.
Instead of moving it to HBOMax and then abruptly cutting it after the 4th book, CN should've just moved Infinity Train to Adult Swim (which is owned by the same parent company, so it's an not impossible task) where creators have a lot more freedom if higher-ups were so worried about "nOt HavInG a ChIlD EnTrY PoInt." To me, IT is not a kids show. It's a family show for all ages. I hate when animated movies and shows (Those from Disney as an example) are automatically labeled as for kids even though they have valuable lessons (and sometimes darker themes) that everyone could learn regardless of age. I'm an adult, and I've never grown out of loving animation, family friendly or otherwise. Sure, there's some great live action stuff out there, but not a whole lot of it piques my interest in the same way.
I think for a lot of people Season 2 hits the hardest because Lake was the most relatable from her introduction onwards and had the advantage of being introduced in the first season. Grace is very dislikable at first and we have to get to know why she is the way she is, and Min and Ryan had absolutely no prior introduction. I feel like Amelia's season would hit harder than any previous season because we've known her since the first season. Of course studio executives never watch the shows they abruptly cancel.
For me it was Tulip. I have so many things in common with her it was a bit scary. I know what's it like to convince yourself that everything is your fault; the idolization of memories because it's more pleasant to believe that things used to be fine, rather than realizing that things were never really fine; the exaggeration of bad memories because your brain simply can't fathom that something this devastating to you was something as anticlimactic as a calm conversation on one random afternoon. But I can see how trans and non-binary people can relate more easily to MT, it's simply wasn't a type of straggle I had to go through
@@kylmiii Not even HBO Max. The show was still being headed by Cartoon Network’s execs even after the move, and was still being held to their restrictive standards.
@@kylmiii HBO didn’t cancel it, it was CN. CN tends to cancel tons of things that gain success. Once they cancelled a live action show that was actually getting popular (during that time when they tried their hand at live action), because it was mostly attracting older people and girls. The second a program deviates from the demographic of young boys, they cancel it. I hope Owen can get the rights back from CN, and CN dies. It’s been doing nothing but riding on the success of its past, when they actually cared, and destroying good shows in the process.
I really wish this show was able to get the conclusion it deserved. Book 4 isn't bad, but it definitely wasn't written as a final season and it shows. Seeing the show get deleted off of HBO Max and not get a proper physical release (you can still buy Book 1-4 digitally) is a total disservice and emblematic of how the Warner Discovery merger is damaging to the art form of animation.
Thank you for exploring how Lakes journey can be seen as a trans narrative. When I first saw Book 2 as it aired, I really connected with her arc and struggles of wanting to be independent and seen as what she wanted to be and I wasn't sure why. About a year later when I rewatched Books 1 and 2 to prepare for my first watch of Book 3, I finally understood why. Around late 2019 - early 2020, I started to really think about my gender identity and how I fit into this world. As such, Lake was an important character in helping me shape who I am. I saw a lot of myself in her and it's part of the reason Book 2 is still my favorite of the currently released four to this day. I'm out and proud as gender-fluid (he/they) now and can't thank Infinity Train enough for being so integral to helping me find myself.
I a absolutely certain season 4 was never advertised as the final one. You could made the argument that each season was said to be the last, but at the 4th one, it no longer really count. Especially as Owen had early on mentioned he wanted 8 seasons.
I like how he originally wanted it to be a film series but was then turned into a show 10 episodes, each being 10 minutes gave 100 minutes (or 1 hour and 40 minutes), which is the average length of a film
this show made me cry like a baby, several time (especially in the last 2 seasons) cartoon network majorly missed out with the sudden cancellation :( I'll never forgive them for this, i was so cutious to see how Amelia's story would end
Min-Gi: "It's Gi! Hard G." This video was simply brilliant. Book 3 and the buildup to it in Books 1 and 2 certified Infinity Train as one of my special interests, and in the medium of animation, it is my deepest wish that this series one day returns to finish what it started.
I'm watching this video essay after the news about Infinity Train getting removed from HBO max and I'm still devastated by the news because the show wasn't brought to it's fullest potential
This was incredibly well written, in my opinion. I find it extremely upsetting how some people **cough you know who im talking about cough** refuse to properly acknowledge that animation is a versatile and amazing medium. With the right skills and enough devotion, we get stunning stories and amazing visuals. Of course, you could get this with live-action. Everything Everywhere: All At Once is the first example I can think of. However, animation just isn’t seen and recognized properly. So much potential is wasted because of the idea “animation is for kids” that it gets frustrating. The rant took awhile, but honestly I hope more people see your video. Comments make the algorithm happy, right? Infinity Train is simply spectacular and your character analysis was great!
infinity train isn't just the best thing Cartoon network has made in the past decade it is easily one of the best things cartoon network has ever made if its not in the top 10, its 11th .....
@@studioarentain3960 i can't find anything but I've seen a lot of people saying the creator made a tweet about it but he deleted it (which could just be a big rumor)
nine minutes in and such a small detail. but i actually cried because you say "lets see what they've been up to" to refer to lake and my nonbinary heart is actually melting Thank you
*People who've seen Infinity Train:* "Wow, this might be the darkest kids show ever." *People who've seen Sym-Bionic Titan:* "Oh, we're numb to murder over here."
@@roseentertainmentyt not anymore people are reselling it for 400+ dollars. Now there's the option of putting on an eyepatch which is literally encouraged lol
there are times when i'm happy that animated shows (especially those with more cartoony art styles) are finally being treated more seriously instead of "just for kids", but then there are cases like these that just make me frustrated again like how the hell are we back at square one.
I'd say lake isn't a Denison but a passenger, because we see them as tulips refletion in the real world at the beginning of season 1, and the lack of them in the real world at the end of season 1. The reason why they can't get a number at first isn't because they're a Denison, it's because they don't have a tape because they didn't go þrough the normal way, they "came in þrough the back door or window" so to say. Being unable to go þrough the portal the first time is more likely a "security" þing so passengers don't get off the train before they're supposed to.
Your comparison to labrynth and never ending story is surprisingly apt. I can imagine a Jim hensen style season of infinity train being absolutely amazing. I really wish we could get something like that now.
I gave this series another shot after half listening to this video. I tried to get invested in the characters before, but I couldn't stand Tulip, one one was just gimmicky and Atticus was "the cute dog". And I'm so glad I did. I can't express how much this series means to me. How it broke me and put me back together. I loved it. I'm so sad to think about the possibility of never seeing this characters again. I want to see Grace return to her home and meet her family. I want to see more of Samantha. And probably most importantly, I want to see the end of Hazel's and Amelia stories. It really feels like losing a friend, a lot of friends. I hope we get the continuation we need.
This show deserved so much better. So many people have tried to make petitions and start the hashing trend for this show to continue and have more episodes and seasons. Because of HBO Max's horrible decision and mistakes they've made. HBO Max have became such ignorant twats! They canceled some of their good animated shows and having new shitty drama reality shows that are very cringy and stupid. Just because if what the Oscar's said that "animation is for kids" and I find that such bullshit!
Great video, man! I love how you covered the show from Books 1 to 4, and of course we're not giving up on this show. By now, I have already purchased the physical DVDs of Books 1 & 2 and Books 3 & 4 digitally off UA-cam to show my support. Although I may not be doing more such as watching them on HBO Max, I want to show that stories like Infinity Train are still beloved and have interest for a continuation. As you said, it may be a matter of time if or when the show returns. There's also the fact that Owen Dennis may release the script/plans for Books 5-8 if all hope is seriously lost. With that said, I will always support this show no matter what people say about its cancelation or how long it takes. To me, Infinity Train is inspiration. An inspiration of becoming a better person. #InfinityTrain
I’m currently binging this show again, and wow. It’s completely blown me away on a second watch. I miss it so much, there were so many cool plot points, so many great characters, and I loved it. So mad CN canceled this. Update: what is this show? I can’t remember it. It’s almost like it doesn’t exist anymore. Right? This show doesn’t exist anymore. RIGHT?! No. Fuck this. This show was a masterpiece, and now that WBD wants to discard any existence of this show is fucked up. Why? This show is excellent. And we won’t forget about it. You hear me?! We WON’T forget about it! LONG LIVE INFINITY TRAIN!!
I prayy they bring Infinity Train back one day 🙏 it's a beautiful show that had so much potential. I just can't believe they didn't give them a chance to finish it at all. They toned the dark themes down for season 4 (season 3 wassss pretty fucked up) but it still wasn't good enough for CN. Fuck them and HBO for trying to erase it's existence.
I think a lot of modern kids cartoons are afraid to delve into issues in a serious way. It's like many adults, with age, forget just how smart kids are and just how much they have to learn.
This video has been floating around my recommended for a while now so I finally decided to give it a watch. I love, love, LOVE Infinity Train so I should be giving any and all videos talking about it as much attention and time as I can because maybe, just _maybe,_ giving this one little thing just that liiiiiiiittle extra push, that ever so tiny bit of support might bring me a couple MICROSECONDS closer to Infinity Train ever coming back, and might I say... I don't give out likes to videos often, I only hand them out to videos that I truly feel have earned it. Your video has earned my like, kind sir. Well done. I miss this show down to the marrow in my bones, I've had a couple good cries over it. But when the day finally arrives that those gigantic wheels on those gigantic cars start turning again just know that I'll be there. We all will be. And I know you will be too. Thank you for making this.
Love this show so much. Discovery needs to fix this mishap and put back all of the great shows back on HBOMax/Cartoon Network. Infinity Train, Summer Camp Island, Ok-KO, Close Enough etc. Fantastic discussion
I see infinity train as an allegory for a residential treatment facility; where troubled youth are sent to work out their troubles / character flaws in a strange inescapable setting surrounded by strange new people and tasked with seemingly meaningless lessons and puzzles. I’m speaking from experience here. Infinity Train encapsulates that experience well; down to the number system, the yearning desire to return home and personalities of the characters / people you meet in the facility. People like Tulip and Simon exist in places like that, one completes the program and gets to go home, one gets sent to jail for starting a riot and assaulting someone (yes that actually happened in the facility I was in). Infinity train is thus one of the most specifically reliable shows to me because of this. I even wound up in treatment as a teen because of similar character traits to Ryan from book 4, thus, I especially relate to that character in particular.
I loved your content looking forward to more, its really a shame that though animations bring so much to the world, they cant really see that sometimes its more than a kids show, and are labeled to the categories of animation not having a chance to be compared to tv shows which some animations are better than a lot of tv shows, the least we can do is support the animators and hope one day this underrated world of art will be taken more seriously.
Is there a yea here I can I still watch this. I recall watching the pilot and 5 episodes of the show but told myself I’ll watch it later only to forget about and only redes covering it too late. I forgot how amazing and interesting this show is.
Amazing video! I really liked the analysis and connection to Lord of the Flies (read the book when I was younger and I don’t think I ever really “got it” when I had first read it, so gaining more insight on the story, its history and context, and its impact on media was a nice inclusion) I also really appreciate you having the time stamps for the different parts of the video as well as including a transcript!
how badly I'd love for there to be more infinity train... I only started watching the show after the final season was released but I loved it so much I watched it again with my sibling, and then again with my best friend. It's seriously one of the best shows I've come across and it sucks that people think they can just cancel shows like these.
This is why I love Infinity Train! It's full of great interesting stuff! But it also sucks that HBO Max is planning to remove Infinity Train from their site. I hope it doesn't get removed since this show deserves more respect!
You said it well! Very few shows that are cartoon are taken seriously like Bojack horseman and final space but I firmly believe that in due time cartoons will not just be for kids but also for adults
I really do hope that someday Infinity Train gets another go. I was one of the people who watched the pilot when it first dropped, and got up early to watch it on tv when they aired it that morning, just because if there was any shot one extra viewer in the ratings would mean we got the show, I wanted to try and throw my hat into the ring. Animation is always treated so... weirdly, I guess. Because the general populace doesn't see it as a medium, but as a genre. But that's not the case, as anyone with more than a passing an interest in the field, whether as a creator or as a consumer, could tell you - It's like trying to say that all movies have to follow the same patterns simply because they're all movies, or all books, or all games, or what have you. It's frankly unfair to both the creators and the viewers to hold every animated series or film to the same standard and expectations, not of quality, but of intention, when the same doesn't hold for nearly any other medium out there. It stifles the potential of all the works produced in the medium, which only loops back on itself. Animation has to be for kids, creators fight until they're given the chance to try to make something more mature, executives pull the plug on those more mature works, thus the more mature work "fails", and that must mean animation has to be for kids. It's terribly frustrating.
infinity train helped me go on with so much i can't believe it's over 😭 the only show that make me felt the same was amphibia. the characters feel guilt and they realize during the show and how they can overcome their past and problems and go on. i love these cartoons so much and i'm never going to forget them 😥
Man, this is sad I finished the show about a month ago and now there is nothing new to watch. I agree there needs to be more animation geared towards older audiences
More like companies should stop labeling kids as incompetent idiots that can't handle the deeper meanings to things. Not everything aimed towards them has to be dumbed down to Cocomelon levels of mind-numbing for them to enjoy.
@@dannyfoxboi It's mainly due to society getting more and more sensitive by the minute. Of course it ain't a bad thing, but people are so stupidly sensitive now that they will get offended by a fursuit.
Season 4 i think only missed the mark because it felt like there was a truth that wasn't being said. Previous seasons hit the mark in completely unpacking their characters, while Ryan and Min -- it felt like there was unresolved romantic feelings that never got touched on. By it merely being a friendship, it seemed to not deal with the core communication issue between them of not expressing their feelings with each other and the communication a relationship requires. The linked numbers is one that expresses a deeper relationship, but their relationship never went as deep as it could.
There’s official art by storyboard artists that come off as really shippy which makes me think they wanted to make Ryan and Min explicitly gay but couldn’t. Not to mention Owen Dennis implying in a post that execs made him cut scenes for being “too gay”. I personally headcanon they get together after getting off the train cause y’know, they’ll figure things out as they go as Min said.
Take it from someone who has actually written an ENTIRE fanfic verse of pokemon characters entering the Train and this is a train that won't be stopping anytime soon.
Unfortunate timing with the news of HBO and CN going scorched earth on Infinity Train. Support the creators, writers and animators as best as you can and make demands for physical media to preserve this amazing show.
It is devastating news, but we will not let it slide easily
Oh definitely! And just wondering if we ask the curators for a physical release do u think we can get the series to finish too?
I was about to say "This aged well ☠️
It legitimately horrible
at this point Im just hoping WB loses so much money that they sell it to another company that actually wants it to succeed.
Infinity train has still got so much more potential. I refuse to believe that this show is gone for good. It has to come back eventually and blossom even more.
Hopegully it does buf HBO max is erasing it from its catalogue and CN is now erasing all mentions of it on its website and social medias :/
@@WadaWander I know, I have no idea what they are doing anymore. They just all decided to be as braindead as possible.
@@WadaWanderyar har fiddle dee dee do what you want cuz a pirate is free
You are a pirate
Naw It's gone. But You can always just Pirate It from someone else
@@bash2polybius Yeah but hopefully not forever.
I found this show in its early phases. Like, I watched the pilot WAY before it became a show. And, among other people, were one of the people who pushed Cartoon Network, especially on twitter, to its very limits to greenlight this show. As well as being a part of many petitions to start the show and keep running. Now, that doesn't really mean much because there were a lot more people out there who were also a part of this move to get the show going, but it does mean i was there from the beginning. And when the show finally started on cartoon network and the episodes started playing on TV, it felt like a dream come true! And although it was short-lived, i still loved and watched every season many times over. This series is one of the most complex, most interesting, most amazing cartoon shows out there these days, and has really set the standards high for animated shows. I know this series will eventually continue one day, either by HBO or by Netflix or some other streaming service. I was really hoping Netflix would pick it up but they never did...
Edit: it just got so much worse 💀
Same. Been a fan since the pilot and I basically downloaded Twitter just to support the show when it got canceled. Hoping and praying for a continuation some day.
Well said! I am also one of the supporters and watched the pilot episode years ago and really liked it!
I don’t think Netflix can since it’s owned by HBO max.
@@notbindi i think i almost had a legit panic attack last night. I'm not doing very good since that happened...
@@Lolo_225 technically its owned by Cartoon Network, but still.
Small point but while Simon was canonically confirmed to have NPD, i don't see the bipolar and schizophrenia. His impulsivity and emotional outbursts don't seem like mania, and while he is pretty delusional, he doesn't experience hallucinations. The delusions seem like more of the byproduct of his NPD; viewing anything that disagrees with his viewpoint as false.
I've watched a lot of cartoons with deeper themes and serious tones but i don't think I've watched any where the human behaviour and relationships are so realistic, like in this show. The characters in Infinity Train aren't purely good or bad, they are bad people who do good things and good people who can behave badly. The way that they portray anger and emotional conflicts are so so realistic that i got goosebumps throughout watching the show. Kudos to the animators, voice actors and script writers for getting everything so accurate.
I was a bit confused where schizophrenia came from in the video. BPD I could maybe see, but with schizophrenia I don't recall Simon experiencing any hallucinations like you said. It does make sense though NPD is what Owen Dennis was going for.
I also kind of thought Simon could be autistic, which is commonly expressed by other fans as well. A lot of controversial takes stem from the headcanon Simon has ASD, like if it was fair for him to be represented as a villain from the perspective that he is autistic and struggles heavily with mixed signals and inconsistency. I just thought that was interesting how his character was received in many different ways when it comes to his possible neurodivergence.
@@privernd Oh yes, i could definitely see autistic traits, especially how he took everything Grace said at complete face value. But yes, NPD seems to be the most obvious one here.
I want nothing more than seasons 5-8 for Infinity Train.
20:46 "childhood is built to grow out of" I don't know why, but that really struck me. We will grow out of childhood, but we'll never grow out of ourselves. We'll just grow with ourselves.
It’s just really sad how nowadays, animation is just seen something that is inferior to live action and only worthy for kids to enjoy. Especially when you have shows like Infinity Train, The Owl House, Final Space, Primal, and Dead End: Paranormal Park, and movies like Mitchells vs the Machines, Flee, Encanto, Klaus, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse that are trying their best to show that animation can push the limits and expectations more so than with live action, but it is always being put down by network executives or just completely ignored by the general public (especially those from Hollywood).
I always prefer animation than live action because you are not limited to create or express your imagination and if you think about, a lot of these big budget blockbusters like Marvel, Star Wars, Jurassic World, DC, and Fast and Furious, and some popular shows like Stranger Things, The Boys, Game of Thrones, Squid Game, and all the Disney plus marvel shows heavily rely or require animation to make the atmosphere of their settings look realistic as possible.
@@efekeskin655 No
Nice video. My least favorite thing about IT is that I dont really like any other animated show anymore because none of them have characters that feel this grounded. That's more of a me problem though.
I agree tho, I wish more animated shows were this good
As a random on internet who had the same problem, I can recommend you The Owl House (particularly the last season on air rn, hoping s3 too, the first one you can see has the issue of being episodic as companies expect, but it's fun to watch if you want). It's sad this serie is cancelled too, but it has some character development moments impressive for what I expected being literally the next serie I watched after Infinity Train and believed at the time that I'll never see anything like it again, if you want ro give it a try
I recommend Avatar TLA, phenomenal show with amazing characters and worldbuilding
Give Arcane a try.
@@keysmash2359 Seconded. Owl House does get a tiny more of that energy and whimsy to it, but I consider it’s characters even more consistent and compelling as realistic depictions of people
Watching this mere hours after they removed Infinity Train from HBO Max is heartbreaking. Corporate bigwigs disregarding animation for tax write-offs in favor of bland, generic reality tv is one of the biggest mistakes a media company could make in the modern day, especially with shows with as much heart and creativity as Infinity Train.
I resent and object to the idea that Kids without adult supervision will "devolve into chaos".
One, in Lord of the Flies it takes months for shit to start going down, and that only happens because of Paranoia and the already learned bad traits of _some_ of the kids.
Two, in the case of Infinty Train, they were literally just following the rules and examples of the "adults" in their life, Simon and Grace, who were both highly damaged induviduals with false ideas and who constantly manipulated the kids to their benefit. It wad literally a cult, and there's plenty of adults in cults irl.
Three, there's literally a case of a bunch of schoolboys getting stranded for months, and they didn't devolve into chaos but instead formed a lifelong friendship.
In conclusion, humans, kids especially, are social creatures and will almost always form groups and work together. The problem arises when these groups have flawed idealogical foundations or when powerhungry leaders start well, leading lol.
P.S.: I really wish people would stop holding up The Lord of the Flies as this "masterwork on human psychology" and claim that kids are horrible and chaotic and need "order" to "civilize" them. A very colonialist notion one might say.
My first introduction to Infinity train was the clip of Simon (?) killing the Gorilla, and the aftermath of Hazel’s realization and reaction alongside the other Apex Leader. I cried so badly and I felt an emotional connection between these 4, after watching a 5 minute clip. Congrats to the animators, writers, and directors. They managed to make any clips of this show into a masterpiece, capable of pulling anyone into having an emotional connection with these characters and caring for these people. Truly a beautiful show on all aspects.
ua-cam.com/video/QOsJgFqUlws/v-deo.html this was the clip in question.
Infinity train is definitely one of my main inspirations for my writing, i love how its perfectly balanced, and where it isnt is where it THRIVES and its admirable.
I think you jinxed us
I guess small spoilers for a draft drawing for Book 6, that Owen Dennis himself, released.
Something I found so interesting about the potential Book 6 character was that his number was high enough to loop around the wrist at least twice. Only 3 charecters (that we were shown) (Grace, Simon, and Amelia) have got their number higher than that. With those characters and their respective books, we mainly thought, “Dang that’s a high number. I wonder what bad crimes they committed to get it that high.” with the rest of the show revealing or at least implying the reason. Numbers up to your lower arm or neck already sets up the charecter in a bad light from episode 1, but just 2 number bands up the arm felt more natural, almost like he got worse over time, while still being enough character progression over 10 episodes.
Infinity Train is leaving HBO Max this month. That effectively erases it from the world, which is honestly criminal 😭
It feels so twisted having this show be removed from streaming right as Bee and Puppycat was about to finally be released on a streaming service.
Coming here to morn the lost of Infinity Train. Best CN Anthology series.
Instead of moving it to HBOMax and then abruptly cutting it after the 4th book, CN should've just moved Infinity Train to Adult Swim (which is owned by the same parent company, so it's an not impossible task) where creators have a lot more freedom if higher-ups were so worried about "nOt HavInG a ChIlD EnTrY PoInt."
To me, IT is not a kids show. It's a family show for all ages. I hate when animated movies and shows (Those from Disney as an example) are automatically labeled as for kids even though they have valuable lessons (and sometimes darker themes) that everyone could learn regardless of age. I'm an adult, and I've never grown out of loving animation, family friendly or otherwise. Sure, there's some great live action stuff out there, but not a whole lot of it piques my interest in the same way.
I think for a lot of people Season 2 hits the hardest because Lake was the most relatable from her introduction onwards and had the advantage of being introduced in the first season. Grace is very dislikable at first and we have to get to know why she is the way she is, and Min and Ryan had absolutely no prior introduction. I feel like Amelia's season would hit harder than any previous season because we've known her since the first season. Of course studio executives never watch the shows they abruptly cancel.
For me it was Tulip. I have so many things in common with her it was a bit scary. I know what's it like to convince yourself that everything is your fault; the idolization of memories because it's more pleasant to believe that things used to be fine, rather than realizing that things were never really fine; the exaggeration of bad memories because your brain simply can't fathom that something this devastating to you was something as anticlimactic as a calm conversation on one random afternoon.
But I can see how trans and non-binary people can relate more easily to MT, it's simply wasn't a type of straggle I had to go through
I just wanted one more season rounding out Amelia and Hazel!
Update: infinity train will be taken off HBO MAX this week. I guess it really is gone forever
crazy how im getting recommended this video TODAY after what what's happening with CN💀
I hope Owen Dennis makes more seasons of infinity train some day because we the fans want the show to have a good ending like samurai jack did ✌️
It's not about owen not wanting to make another season. They planned 8 seasons. Hbo max just cancelled it
@@kylmiii
Not even HBO Max. The show was still being headed by Cartoon Network’s execs even after the move, and was still being held to their restrictive standards.
@@kylmiii HBO didn’t cancel it, it was CN. CN tends to cancel tons of things that gain success. Once they cancelled a live action show that was actually getting popular (during that time when they tried their hand at live action), because it was mostly attracting older people and girls. The second a program deviates from the demographic of young boys, they cancel it.
I hope Owen can get the rights back from CN, and CN dies. It’s been doing nothing but riding on the success of its past, when they actually cared, and destroying good shows in the process.
@@ma.2089 yeah, didn't CN axe steven universe too? and that's why we got such a rushed ending?
I really wish this show was able to get the conclusion it deserved. Book 4 isn't bad, but it definitely wasn't written as a final season and it shows. Seeing the show get deleted off of HBO Max and not get a proper physical release (you can still buy Book 1-4 digitally) is a total disservice and emblematic of how the Warner Discovery merger is damaging to the art form of animation.
Thank you for exploring how Lakes journey can be seen as a trans narrative. When I first saw Book 2 as it aired, I really connected with her arc and struggles of wanting to be independent and seen as what she wanted to be and I wasn't sure why. About a year later when I rewatched Books 1 and 2 to prepare for my first watch of Book 3, I finally understood why. Around late 2019 - early 2020, I started to really think about my gender identity and how I fit into this world. As such, Lake was an important character in helping me shape who I am. I saw a lot of myself in her and it's part of the reason Book 2 is still my favorite of the currently released four to this day. I'm out and proud as gender-fluid (he/they) now and can't thank Infinity Train enough for being so integral to helping me find myself.
I a absolutely certain season 4 was never advertised as the final one. You could made the argument that each season was said to be the last, but at the 4th one, it no longer really count. Especially as Owen had early on mentioned he wanted 8 seasons.
As a Minnesotan, I can’t let this erasure stand. Everyone keeps saying Tulip is from Wisconsin, when she’s from Minnesota. Unacceptable
Coming here after the news with HBO is so sad. IT is one of the greatest shows ever and it deserves better
I like how he originally wanted it to be a film series but was then turned into a show
10 episodes, each being 10 minutes gave 100 minutes (or 1 hour and 40 minutes), which is the average length of a film
Says "I'm lazy" but also has 5 scripts on the go... This man's a workaholic everyone 😂 great vid bro
It’s getting deleted from the public eye this is so mind boggling, CN is burning to the ground rn
We won't forget
this show made me cry like a baby, several time (especially in the last 2 seasons) cartoon network majorly missed out with the sudden cancellation :( I'll never forgive them for this, i was so cutious to see how Amelia's story would end
Min-Gi: "It's Gi! Hard G."
This video was simply brilliant. Book 3 and the buildup to it in Books 1 and 2 certified Infinity Train as one of my special interests, and in the medium of animation, it is my deepest wish that this series one day returns to finish what it started.
that title aged like milk
I'm watching this video essay after the news about Infinity Train getting removed from HBO max and I'm still devastated by the news because the show wasn't brought to it's fullest potential
This was incredibly well written, in my opinion. I find it extremely upsetting how some people **cough you know who im talking about cough** refuse to properly acknowledge that animation is a versatile and amazing medium. With the right skills and enough devotion, we get stunning stories and amazing visuals. Of course, you could get this with live-action. Everything Everywhere: All At Once is the first example I can think of. However, animation just isn’t seen and recognized properly. So much potential is wasted because of the idea “animation is for kids” that it gets frustrating.
The rant took awhile, but honestly I hope more people see your video. Comments make the algorithm happy, right? Infinity Train is simply spectacular and your character analysis was great!
infinity train isn't just the best thing Cartoon network has made in the past decade it is easily one of the best things cartoon network has ever made
if its not in the top 10, its 11th .....
I love how you call MT by the Pronouns Owen wanted to give MT. MT was suppose to be non-binary, but CN didn’t allow that
Source? /Gen
Can someone confirm this? I know that Lake's journey is supposed allegory of trans journey, but does that mean that Lake is meant to be nonbinary?
@@studioarentain3960 i can't find anything but I've seen a lot of people saying the creator made a tweet about it but he deleted it (which could just be a big rumor)
@@antibrainiacs yeah he did there was a few tweets he had to delete I've only found one
@@theriverrix356 link please?
nine minutes in and such a small detail. but i actually cried because you say "lets see what they've been up to" to refer to lake and my nonbinary heart is actually melting Thank you
*People who've seen Infinity Train:* "Wow, this might be the darkest kids show ever."
*People who've seen Sym-Bionic Titan:*
"Oh, we're numb to murder over here."
I was fortunate to have watched season 1 but I was watching season 2 when it took off and I’m so sad I wasn’t able to finish it😭
It’s on dvd if you have the money
The whole series is on ITunes/Prime for the time being.
Season 2 was the best imo. Find other places if you can
@@roseentertainmentyt not anymore people are reselling it for 400+ dollars.
Now there's the option of putting on an eyepatch which is literally encouraged lol
@@ripzmad9846 when I said that there were dvds for 7.00
This video hits different with the news
there are times when i'm happy that animated shows (especially those with more cartoony art styles) are finally being treated more seriously instead of "just for kids", but then there are cases like these that just make me frustrated again like how the hell are we back at square one.
Best cartoon ever.
Alan Dracula is thee best conpanion
No one tops him 😁
This shows a modern classic.
I'd say lake isn't a Denison but a passenger, because we see them as tulips refletion in the real world at the beginning of season 1, and the lack of them in the real world at the end of season 1. The reason why they can't get a number at first isn't because they're a Denison, it's because they don't have a tape because they didn't go þrough the normal way, they "came in þrough the back door or window" so to say. Being unable to go þrough the portal the first time is more likely a "security" þing so passengers don't get off the train before they're supposed to.
This is really well written, good job!
Thanks 😁
THANK YOU there was always something about this show that felt like picking up a book from 2010
Your comparison to labrynth and never ending story is surprisingly apt.
I can imagine a Jim hensen style season of infinity train being absolutely amazing. I really wish we could get something like that now.
Now that you mention it, the art style is the only thing that kinda holds the show back imo. Feels a bit bland
I never got to watch it and now it’s gone forever :(
Pirate it
@@harl1vy how?
@@mparker123 torrents
@@mparker123 kisscartoon, wcofun, and kimcartoon
I gave this series another shot after half listening to this video. I tried to get invested in the characters before, but I couldn't stand Tulip, one one was just gimmicky and Atticus was "the cute dog". And I'm so glad I did. I can't express how much this series means to me. How it broke me and put me back together. I loved it. I'm so sad to think about the possibility of never seeing this characters again. I want to see Grace return to her home and meet her family. I want to see more of Samantha. And probably most importantly, I want to see the end of Hazel's and Amelia stories. It really feels like losing a friend, a lot of friends. I hope we get the continuation we need.
Heck yes! Me and some friends made Chicken Choice Judy shirts together
^_^
This show deserved so much better. So many people have tried to make petitions and start the hashing trend for this show to continue and have more episodes and seasons. Because of HBO Max's horrible decision and mistakes they've made. HBO Max have became such ignorant twats! They canceled some of their good animated shows and having new shitty drama reality shows that are very cringy and stupid. Just because if what the Oscar's said that "animation is for kids" and I find that such bullshit!
Kids love scary stuff. Remember how popular FNAF was? We need more scary shows.
i wish infinity train had a big enough audience to not have been canceled :(
It did. It's the content that got it cancelled unfortunately
This show literally made me cry. I want more...
...Damn you, HBO Max.
Great video, man! I love how you covered the show from Books 1 to 4, and of course we're not giving up on this show.
By now, I have already purchased the physical DVDs of Books 1 & 2 and Books 3 & 4 digitally off UA-cam to show my support. Although I may not be doing more such as watching them on HBO Max, I want to show that stories like Infinity Train are still beloved and have interest for a continuation.
As you said, it may be a matter of time if or when the show returns. There's also the fact that Owen Dennis may release the script/plans for Books 5-8 if all hope is seriously lost.
With that said, I will always support this show no matter what people say about its cancelation or how long it takes. To me, Infinity Train is inspiration. An inspiration of becoming a better person.
#InfinityTrain
I’m currently binging this show again, and wow. It’s completely blown me away on a second watch. I miss it so much, there were so many cool plot points, so many great characters, and I loved it. So mad CN canceled this.
Update: what is this show? I can’t remember it. It’s almost like it doesn’t exist anymore. Right? This show doesn’t exist anymore. RIGHT?!
No. Fuck this. This show was a masterpiece, and now that WBD wants to discard any existence of this show is fucked up. Why? This show is excellent. And we won’t forget about it. You hear me?! We WON’T forget about it!
LONG LIVE INFINITY TRAIN!!
I prayy they bring Infinity Train back one day 🙏 it's a beautiful show that had so much potential. I just can't believe they didn't give them a chance to finish it at all. They toned the dark themes down for season 4 (season 3 wassss pretty fucked up) but it still wasn't good enough for CN. Fuck them and HBO for trying to erase it's existence.
I think a lot of modern kids cartoons are afraid to delve into issues in a serious way. It's like many adults, with age, forget just how smart kids are and just how much they have to learn.
This show means so much to me especially books 2 and 4.
This video has been floating around my recommended for a while now so I finally decided to give it a watch. I love, love, LOVE Infinity Train so I should be giving any and all videos talking about it as much attention and time as I can because maybe, just _maybe,_ giving this one little thing just that liiiiiiiittle extra push, that ever so tiny bit of support might bring me a couple MICROSECONDS closer to Infinity Train ever coming back, and might I say...
I don't give out likes to videos often, I only hand them out to videos that I truly feel have earned it. Your video has earned my like, kind sir. Well done. I miss this show down to the marrow in my bones, I've had a couple good cries over it. But when the day finally arrives that those gigantic wheels on those gigantic cars start turning again just know that I'll be there. We all will be. And I know you will be too.
Thank you for making this.
#RenewInfinityTrain #FinishInfinityTrain
Love this show so much. Discovery needs to fix this mishap and put back all of the great shows back on HBOMax/Cartoon Network. Infinity Train, Summer Camp Island, Ok-KO, Close Enough etc. Fantastic discussion
Great video! Even after all this time, it still hurts what happened to Infinity Train! But I hold hope for it to come back!
The best animated shows of the 2010s are Gravity Falls, Infinity Train, and Over the Garden Wall.
I see infinity train as an allegory for a residential treatment facility; where troubled youth are sent to work out their troubles / character flaws in a strange inescapable setting surrounded by strange new people and tasked with seemingly meaningless lessons and puzzles. I’m speaking from experience here. Infinity Train encapsulates that experience well; down to the number system, the yearning desire to return home and personalities of the characters / people you meet in the facility. People like Tulip and Simon exist in places like that, one completes the program and gets to go home, one gets sent to jail for starting a riot and assaulting someone (yes that actually happened in the facility I was in). Infinity train is thus one of the most specifically reliable shows to me because of this. I even wound up in treatment as a teen because of similar character traits to Ryan from book 4, thus, I especially relate to that character in particular.
I loved your content looking forward to more, its really a shame that though animations bring so much to the world, they cant really see that sometimes its more than a kids show, and are labeled to the categories of animation not having a chance to be compared to tv shows which some animations are better than a lot of tv shows, the least we can do is support the animators and hope one day this underrated world of art will be taken more seriously.
Is there a yea here I can I still watch this. I recall watching the pilot and 5 episodes of the show but told myself I’ll watch it later only to forget about and only redes covering it too late. I forgot how amazing and interesting this show is.
I wish infinity train was coming back on 📺 someday ✌️😎👍
Amazing video! I really liked the analysis and connection to Lord of the Flies (read the book when I was younger and I don’t think I ever really “got it” when I had first read it, so gaining more insight on the story, its history and context, and its impact on media was a nice inclusion)
I also really appreciate you having the time stamps for the different parts of the video as well as including a transcript!
how badly I'd love for there to be more infinity train... I only started watching the show after the final season was released but I loved it so much I watched it again with my sibling, and then again with my best friend. It's seriously one of the best shows I've come across and it sucks that people think they can just cancel shows like these.
It'll be back. A good song never dies, and a show with that much potential gets picked up by someone. It'll be back.
This is why I love Infinity Train! It's full of great interesting stuff! But it also sucks that HBO Max is planning to remove Infinity Train from their site. I hope it doesn't get removed since this show deserves more respect!
Love this video
You said it well! Very few shows that are cartoon are taken seriously like Bojack horseman and final space but I firmly believe that in due time cartoons will not just be for kids but also for adults
The fate of this show is so sad, it deserve better. Sure, piracy exists, but a series this good should be available legally
I really do hope that someday Infinity Train gets another go. I was one of the people who watched the pilot when it first dropped, and got up early to watch it on tv when they aired it that morning, just because if there was any shot one extra viewer in the ratings would mean we got the show, I wanted to try and throw my hat into the ring. Animation is always treated so... weirdly, I guess. Because the general populace doesn't see it as a medium, but as a genre. But that's not the case, as anyone with more than a passing an interest in the field, whether as a creator or as a consumer, could tell you - It's like trying to say that all movies have to follow the same patterns simply because they're all movies, or all books, or all games, or what have you. It's frankly unfair to both the creators and the viewers to hold every animated series or film to the same standard and expectations, not of quality, but of intention, when the same doesn't hold for nearly any other medium out there. It stifles the potential of all the works produced in the medium, which only loops back on itself. Animation has to be for kids, creators fight until they're given the chance to try to make something more mature, executives pull the plug on those more mature works, thus the more mature work "fails", and that must mean animation has to be for kids. It's terribly frustrating.
Anyone else feel like this show has kind of suddenly been getting more attention recently?
Still patiently waiting... I will not give up on this show.
infinity train helped me go on with so much i can't believe it's over 😭 the only show that make me felt the same was amphibia. the characters feel guilt and they realize during the show and how they can overcome their past and problems and go on.
i love these cartoons so much and i'm never going to forget them 😥
I'm. Screaming.
Really cool video essay. Thank you for making this and giving the show a platform again!
ITS BEEN 2 YEARS OH GOD
Incredible video! Infinity train is my favorite show of all time and I’m still upset about s5 being cancelled hah
I LOVE INFINITY TRAIN SOOOOO MUCH. I literally made a cosplay of the steward because I just felt the need to do something from the show
Patiently waiting for the train wheels to start rolling again
this is beautiful, thank you for sharing!
Man, this is sad I finished the show about a month ago and now there is nothing new to watch. I agree there needs to be more animation geared towards older audiences
More like companies should stop labeling kids as incompetent idiots that can't handle the deeper meanings to things. Not everything aimed towards them has to be dumbed down to Cocomelon levels of mind-numbing for them to enjoy.
@@dannyfoxboi that's an excellent point
@@dannyfoxboi It's mainly due to society getting more and more sensitive by the minute. Of course it ain't a bad thing, but people are so stupidly sensitive now that they will get offended by a fursuit.
Season 4 i think only missed the mark because it felt like there was a truth that wasn't being said. Previous seasons hit the mark in completely unpacking their characters, while Ryan and Min -- it felt like there was unresolved romantic feelings that never got touched on. By it merely being a friendship, it seemed to not deal with the core communication issue between them of not expressing their feelings with each other and the communication a relationship requires. The linked numbers is one that expresses a deeper relationship, but their relationship never went as deep as it could.
Probably they don't know these feelings
There’s official art by storyboard artists that come off as really shippy which makes me think they wanted to make Ryan and Min explicitly gay but couldn’t. Not to mention Owen Dennis implying in a post that execs made him cut scenes for being “too gay”. I personally headcanon they get together after getting off the train cause y’know, they’ll figure things out as they go as Min said.
Fantastic work!
Bro this do go crazy
Take it from someone who has actually written an ENTIRE fanfic verse of pokemon characters entering the Train and this is a train that won't be stopping anytime soon.
The way I made a double take when I saw Courtney from dead end lol
i love that season 4 is lighter season 3 was so sad i wanted to see more of the turtle kid :(
Man i miss this show. Great video by the way!
This video is quite good!