Whola's Animation Studio Practice: Samurai Jack (Genndy Tartakovsky)

Art from comic book adaptation.

An animated series that started in 2001 and ended in 2004 on an unfortunate cliffhanger, Samurai Jack was an action/adventure animated series created by Genndy Tartakovsky (Known alongside Lauren Faust, Craig McCracken and Rob Rezentti for working on some of Cartoon Network's best cartoons back in the 90s), and was one of the few animated series at the time that displayed a wide variety of genres in its episodes, such as Chanbara, Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, Western, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, etc.

The series follows the journey of titular character Samurai Jack, who is teleported by the evil wizard Aku into a dystopian future ruled by the latter. From then on, he seeks to defeat the demonic wizard as well as find a way back home, while also attempting to survive a strange new world filled with technologically advanced inhabitants as well as supernatural beings, thankfully though he is able to hold his own pretty well...

Genndy Tartakovsky is a Soviet-born animator, director and producer who moved to the US at a very young age. He is best known for working on 2 Stupid Dogs, Tiny Toon Adventures, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and many more. Having studied Animation at the California Institute of the Arts (AKA the Disney university) with his friend Rob Renzentti (Another favorite of mine), it is there that he directed and animated two student films, one which would later on become the basis for Dexter's Laboratory. He later on got a job in Spain, working on Batman: The Animated Series and The Critic, while quickly beginning to gain work experience from then on in that area.

While Samurai Jack was another cel-shaded animation like most cartoons at the time, it was perhaps one of the first mainstream American animations that utilized lineless characters, allowing them to blend in better with the backgrounds and making them seem more part of that world. It is also notable for its gorgeous backgrounds that are abstract in style, while also bearing reminiscent to ukiyo-e paintings in terms of brush strokes and textures. Another memorable aspect about the series is how comic book-like screen framing is used throughout, from widescreen shots to split screen action captures, these shots being used to establish a better mood or change in pace with the storyline.

This series has been a huge inspiration to me over the years, it's style was unique, the designs were beautiful in their abstract simplicity, there was a huge variety of inspirations, influences and homages to many comics, mangas, animes, TV shows and movies (Such as The Lone Wold and Cub, 300, Ronin, Kung Fu, etc.), and I absolutely adored the colorful mixture of different genres (Especially when certain episodes would take on their own style).