Cartoon Networks Line-Up (09-10)

Highlights of Cartoon Network's new content strategy to launch across the 2009-2010 season include the following:

COMEDY AND ACTION-ADVENTURE ANIMATED SERIES

-- Adventure Time with Finn and Jake: Finn, the human boy with the awesome hat, and Jake, the wise dog, are close friends and partners in strange adventures in the land of Ooo. The 30-minute series is from Cartoon Network Studios, created by Pendleton Ward and executive produced by Fred Siebert and Derek Drymon.

-- Stoked: Six teenaged groms (young surfers) come together for 12 weeks over summer to work and surf at the world renowned Surfer's Paradise Resort on the legendary Sunset Island, home of the most epic surf break in the country. From Cake Distribution and Fresh Animation, Stoked is created by Jennifer Pertsch and Tom McGillis (Total Drama Island).

-- Total Drama Action: Showcasing all the elements of favorite reality TV shows--romances and friendships; scheming and sabotage; death-defying stunts and stomach curdling challenges within larger-than-life elimination competition--Total Drama Action succeeds Cartoon Network's #1 show of 2008, Total Drama Island, from Cake Distribution and Fresh Animation. Fourteen contestants face thrilling challenges on an abandoned film studio back-lot, all inspired by the movies.

-- Ben 10: Evolutions (working title): An all-new animated series follows 16-year-old Ben Tennyson as his secret identity has been revealed to the world and he's now an international mega-star super hero, loved by kids the world over but distrusted by many adults. Armed with a mysterious new Omnitrix, Ben will see action in places he's never been. From Cartoon Network Studios, Glen Murakami (Teen Titans) serves as supervising producer and Dwayne McDuffie serves as story editor.

-- Sym-Bionic Titan: From creator Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack) comes an exciting hybrid of high school drama and giant robot battles. Sym-Bionic Titan follows the adventures of three beings from the planet Galaluna who crash-land on Earth while attempting to escape their war-torn world.

-- Generator Rex: Infected by microscopic molecular-altering nanites, 15-year-old Rex has the ability to grow incredible machines out of his body. Recruited by an organization called Providence, Rex travels the world investigating a host of biological mutations that were created by the same nanites that give Rex his powers. Generator Rex is from Man of Action, creators of Ben 10. John Fang of Cartoon Network Studios serves as supervising director.

-- Scooby-Doo - Mystery, Inc.: A sleepy little village, Crystal Cove, boasts a long history of ghost sightings, poltergeists, demon possession, phantoms and other paranormal occurrences. The renowned sleuthing team of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo arrive to prove all of this simply isn't real--but they don't realize the locals don't welcome their help. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

ALTERNATIVE LIVE-ACTION SERIES

-- The Othersiders: This thrilling reality adventure series follows five friends on real missions to explore mysterious, potentially haunted locations in search of evidence that will confirm or deny the existence of paranormal activity.

-- Survive This: An exciting reality series challenges teenagers ages 14 to 17 to push their limits, overcome fears and develop lifelong survival skills. Hosted by Les Stroud (Survivorman), each episode aims to test endurance, wit and self-determination.

-- Destroy Build Destroy: In a huge construction zone, two teams become demolition experts with the guidance and assistance of experts in the field, using wrecking balls, human destroyers and real explosions. Each week brings a new challenge to build from the debris, with strategy, wits and teamwork deciding which team's creation out-performs the other--and whose hard work goes up in smoke.

-- Head Rush (working title): Kids participate as game show contestants playing for cash while riding thrill-inducing amusement park rides.

-- Dude, What Would Happen: This series stars three adventurous teens who ask and answer imaginative questions such as, "Dude, what would happen if you attached 350 helium balloons to a sumo wrestler?" A series so over-the-top, you just might learn something.

-- Bobb'e Says: Starring Bobb'e J. Thompson (30 Rock, Human Giant), Bobb'e Says is a fast-paced, viral video clip show where other people's painful mistakes become tools for Bobb'e as he dispenses sage wisdom to an unsuspecting public.

LIVE-ACTION AND ANIMATED ORIGINAL MOVIES

-- Ben 10: Alien Swarm: Director Alex Winter and writer John Turman (Hulk '03, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) team for an all-new, live-action movie based on the hit animated series Ben 10: Alien Force, set to premiere in fall 2009. Ben 10: Alien Swarm follows teenage hero Ben Tennyson (Ryan Kelley) as he breaks ranks from the Plumbers, a secret organization that battles alien forces, to help Elena (Alyssa Diaz), a mysterious young woman, uncover an alien threat to our world. Additional cast members include Barry Corbin (No Country for Old Men) as Grandpa Max, Galadriel Stineman as Gwen and Nathan Keyes as Kevin.

-- Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins: Discover the never-before-told story of how a mismatched quartet of teenagers first came together before becoming known as the Mystery Inc. gang. Freddy (Robbie Amell), the school athlete; Velma (Hayley Kiyoko), the science fair-winning brainiac; Daphne (Kate Melton), the drama beauty; Shaggy (Nick Palatas), the misfit; and Shaggy's newly adopted dog, Scooby Doo, are forced to band together to clear their names. Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins, a Cartoon Network co-production with Warner Premiere and directed by Brian Levant (Snow Dogs, The Flintstones), is slated to premiere in fall 2009.

-- Firebreather: Cartoon Network's first original all-CG animation adventure presents Duncan Rosenblatt, a rather typical, awkward high school kid, except that his dad is a fire-breathing dragon and he is destined to protect the earth. Created and co-executive-produced by Phil Hester (The Wretch), Firebreather is executive-produced by Julia Pistor (Lemony Snicket) and co-executive-produced by Andy Kuhn (Freedom Ring)--Jim Kreig (Ben 10: Alien Force) joins as writer. Peter Chung (Aeon Flux) is attached to direct.

-- Tiger's Apprentice: The best-selling young adult book by Lawrence Yep will be brought to life in a live-action movie. Tom Lee, a teenager suddenly orphaned, is put under the protection of Mr. Hu, a mystical tiger who can take human form. Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) is attached to serve as executive producer/director, Oscar(R: 32.37, 3.16, 10.82%)-nominated screenwriter David Magee (Finding Neverland) adapted the book and Jane Startz (Tuck Everlasting, Indian in the Cupboard) serves as executive producer.

SCRIPTED LIVE-ACTION PILOTS

-- Unnatural History (working title): An action-packed blend of science, western culture, eastern philosophy and martial arts, Unnatural History is an urban adventure series centered around Henry Griffin, a teenager with exceptional skills acquired through years of globe-trotting with his anthropologist parents. But Henry faces his biggest challenge of all when he moves back to America to attend a high school stranger than any place he's ever lived before. Created and written by Mike Werb (Face/Off, The Mask); the pilot will be produced in association with Warner Horizon Television Inc.

-- Prepped (working title): A rebellious teen wakes up one morning to find himself trapped at a mysterious prep school that offers no escape. He forms a secret group to discover what they're being trained for and how to escape. The pilot is executive-produced and written by Paul Dini (Lost, Batman Beyond).

RETURNING ANIMATED SERIES

-- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The #1 series with boys 6-11 returns to Cartoon Network in fall 2009 for a second season. The hit CG-animated series from creator George Lucas and Lucasfilm Animation takes viewers to the front lines of an intergalactic struggle between good and evil with favorite characters such as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala, along with brand new heroes like Anakin's padawan learner, Ahsoka.

-- Chowder: In Marzipan City, the Mung Daal Catering Company cooks up the most oddly delicious food where aspiring young chef-in-training Chowder falls into all sorts of fantastic mis-adventures. The series is from creator C. H. Greenblatt at Cartoon Network Studios.

-- The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack: Raised by Bubbie the talking whale in the bubbling splendor of the sea, young Flapjack rescues an old pirate, Captain K'nuckles, whose tall tales tangle up and consume Flapjack with an unquenchable desire for adventure. Creator Thurop Van Ormon produces the series at Cartoon Network Studios.

-- The Secret Saturdays: In this comedy-action series created by Jay Stephens, Doc, Drew and Zak Saturday are a family of world-saving adventure scientists called The Secret Saturdays who are part of a network of scientists who protect the world against all the underlying evil. The Secret Saturdays is produced by Porchlight Entertainment.

-- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: From Warner Bros. Animation comes the latest interpretation of the classic Batman franchise. Our Caped Crusader is teamed up with heroes from across the DC Universe--Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, Aquaman and countless others--to deliver nonstop action and adventure with a touch of comic relief.

Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in more than 97 million U.S. homes and 166 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s ad-supported cable service now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic animated entertainment for kids and families. Nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (ET, PT), Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for young adults 18-34.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5925606&lang=en

SOURCE: Cartoon Network

Episode 24

A DNAlien mining operation uncovers an alien spacecraft, from which a large, alien child is released. She wanders around the nearby town collecting random items, eventually attracting the attention of Ben, Gwen, and Kevin. After a short battle, they realize that the alien is a child. She perceives Gwen as an Anodite and hangs on her every word. Needing to return the child to her parents, the team follows her back to her ship. After defeating the DNAliens, the team wakes the child's parents, who depart the planet after Ben explains that they've been in stasis for fifty years. 

Episode 23

The prince of the arachna-chimps, Simian, needs help in retrieving a crystal which is the symbol of the monarchy on his planet. The crystal is being kept in a base on the moon. Ben offers his help, but Kevin and Gwen are skeptical. In the midst of the battle, Ben discovers that Simian has been lying, and that the crystal is actually powering an intergalactic communications station. By stealing, it, Simian will prevent Earth from calling for help against the Highbreed invasion. Ben tricks Simian into stealing a worthless acid dispenser instead, resulting in Simian having a very unpleasant encounter with the Highbreed that employed him.

Episode 25 & 26

Ben : 10 Alien Force - World of the Worlds Part 1 & 2


Part One

Paradox and Azmuth arrive on Earth to warn Ben that the Highbreed are conquering planets and their fleet is heading towards Earth. Now Ben, Gwen, and Kevin must gather whatever allies they can get to counter the threat.






Part Two

Ben seeks out the Highbreed leaders to put an end to the attack once and for all.

Production Starts

Production has commenced on BEN 10: ALIEN SWARM, a new live-action movie based on the hit animated series BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE that will premiere on Cartoon Network in fall 2009. The live-action movie will have principal photography in Atlanta, Georgia.

Alex Winter returns to direct and exec produce the latest installment in the BEN 10 franchise from a script penned by screenwriter John Turman (FANTASTIC FOUR 2: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER and THE HULK). Winter directed Cartoon Network's first BEN 10 live-action movie, BEN 10: RACE AGAINST TIME, which scored more than 13 million viewers during its Thanksgiving weekend premiere in 2007.

BEN 10: ALIEN SWARM follows teenage hero Ben Tennyson as he breaks ranks from the Plumbers (a secret organization that battles alien forces) to help Elena, a mysterious young woman, uncover an alien threat to our world. Joining him on his adventures are Gwen and Kevin, super-powered heroes in their own right, who must trust each other's instincts to help save the day.

Ryan Kelley stars in the coveted role of 15-year-old Ben Tennyson, who, armed with the OMNITRIX, can transform into 10 different aliens. Barry Corbin, who stars as Grandpa Max, draws upon his past experiences with the paranormal to help guide and protect Ben and Gwen. Galadriel Stineman is Gwen, Ben's super-powered cousin and voice of reason. Newcomer Nathan Keyes plays Kevin Levin, who has joined Ben's team for the good of the universe but still seems to have a scheming side. Alyssa Diaz plays Elena, a long-time friend of Ben. Elena's search for her father leads the group into an adventure to stop an alien threat from destroying the world.

The animated BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE series premiered in April 2008 and was the most-watched original series premiere in Cartoon Network history among kids 6-11. Ben 10: Alien Force continues the BEN 10 saga five years later when 15-year-old Ben Tennyson chooses once again to put on the OMNITRIX and discovers that it has reconfigured his DNA and can now transform him into 10 brand new aliens. Along with his super-powered cousin Gwen Tennyson and his equally powerful former enemy Kevin Levin, Ben joins forces with other young heroes to save the galaxy and his Grandpa Max.

Yuri Lowenthal Talks About Ben 10: Alien Force

Hear what the star of Ben 10: Alien Force has to say about Omnitrix aliens, his favorite lines, and following up the original Ben 10 animated series.

Every day at work, Yuri Lowenthal gets to activate his alien wristwatch and fight evil as the mischievous Spidermonkey, high-flying Jetray, or gigantic Humongousaur.

Well, sort of. As a voice actor, Yuri gets to play Ben Tennyson, the fifteen-year-old hero of Ben 10: Alien Force who can transform into different aliens by using his extraterrestrial Omnitrix device. With the help of his cousin Gwen and teammate Kevin, Ben battles the Highbreed, a race of fanatic aliens who want to destroy the Earth.

Yuri recently appeared at the 2009 Phoenix Comicon where he participated in several panels including a January 23 Ben 10 panel in which he answered questions about the show from his fans. The following is an edited version of his responses.

On following voice actress Tara Strong who provided a younger Ben’s voice in the original animated series Ben 10.

I’ve done other shows where I play both a younger version and an older version of a character. But in this case, I’m playing an older version of another actor. Who’s a woman. And I knew Tara's work and had worked with her on other shows like Legion of Superheroes before. So when I went in to audition, I didn’t try to sound like her but made sure that what was at the core of her voice – Ben’s spirit, his essence – came out of my voice.

And hopefully because I was also concentrating on what made Ben “Ben” – that came through and helped me get the role.

His favorite things to say on Ben 10: Alien Force

You can’t beat, “It’s hero time!” That’s one of the coolest hero call-outs I’ve ever got to say!

But my favorite things to say as Ben aren’t the fighting lines or the dramatic stuff, but the banter between me and Kevin and Gwen when we’re just dealing with relationship stuff – when I’ll be making fun of Kevin because he’s in love with Gwen and making fun of Gwen because she’s in love with Kevin.

One of the hardest things for me though is not getting to say all the creature transformations! Because I always get geared up and I’m all like, “Okay, it’s time for –” And then [voice actor] Dee [Bradley Baker] steps in and says, “HUMONGOUSAUR!!” And it’s like – I wanted to say that!

His favorite Ben 10 alien

That’s tough. But I think I’ll have to go with Spidermonkey. Because he’s a spider and he’s a monkey! That’s kind of cool!

On whether or not Ben will turn into Alien X again

Well I can’t give away specific points. Alien X is the most powerful of Ben’s incarnations. But it’s also very difficult for him to then change back or to get the halves of Alien X to agree on anything. So I think what they would have to do is come up with another story where that kind of conflict would be interesting again without going over the same story we saw last time. I hope they do – I think Alien X is really cool.

On which one of the animated characters he plays would win in a fight – Sasuke (from the Japanese anime Naruto) or Ben (from Alien Force)

Oh man. "Who would win in a fight” questions are always tough. I think for a while they would be pretty evenly matched. But I also think that Ben might be a little too nice. I think Sasuke has a little more ruthlessness. And even if Sasuke did lose, he would never give up. He would only be defeated if Ben would turn into something so huge that he would just crush him!

In addition to his voice acting work, Yuri Lowenthal is also an accomplished on-camera actor, writer, producer, and novelist. Learn more about his career by visiting his website!

And read more about Yuri at Inside the Voice Actor's Studio.