Infinity Train
Infinity Train is a animated television series created by Owen Dennis. The show first appeared as a pilot in 2016, which gained a lot of popularity. Season 1 (titled as Book 1) was released on August 5th, 2019, while Season 2 (Also titled as Book 2) was released on January 6th, 2020. Cartoon Network moved Season 3 (Also titled as Book 3) to HBO Max on August 13th, 2020. The fourth and final season (titled as Book 4) was released on April 15, 2021.
Plot
Book 1 (The Perennial Child)
Book 1 focuses on Tulip Olsen, a girl who was upset about her parent's recent divorce, appearing on a strange train that looks as if the train lasted forever with the train cars having very peculiar and bizarre features. She becomes friends with a robot named One-One, and a cute Corgi named Atticus (king of the Corgis). She becomes determined to find out what happens when the number on her right hand goes to 0, find who the conductor is, and how to get off the train.
Book 2 (Cracked Reflection)
Book 2 takes place 2 months after the events of Book 1, focusing on Mirror Tulip (Or MT for short), in one of the episodes from Book 1 Tulip freed her own reflection in the Chrome Car, who becomes a fugitive that's on the run from The Reflection Police for not choosing to be Tulip's reflection anymore. She meets a passenger named Jesse and a deer with unusual powers. MT decides to help Jesse get off the train and Jesse wants to help MT escape the train into the outside world in return.
Book 3 (Cult of the Conductor)
During one of Apex’s routine scavenging missions Grace and Simon find themselves separated from their group, and they realize that they’ll have to rely on one another if they want a shot at actually surviving the train’s dangerous cars. Deadset as they are on clinging to Apex’s way of life, when they end up meeting Hazel, an optimistic young girl traversing the train with her gorilla friend Tuba, it isn’t long before Grace and Simon begin to realize that there might just be another way to survive and thrive on the Infinity Train that doesn’t revolve around getting over on others.
Book 4 (Duet)
Set years before Book 1, Min-Gi and Ryan are childhood best friends who dream of performing in a band and traveling across Canada, together. After a sudden falling out splits them apart, both find themselves aboard the mysterious Infinity Train. Lost and confused, they meet Kez, a free-spirited concierge bell, who accompanies them on their journey. As tensions rise and old wounds come to light, both Min-Gi and Ryan must decide if they can work together or else risk losing themselves forever aboard the Infinity Train.
Why It Rocks
- The idea about a train that lasts forever is very creative and interesting. Most of the cars can be creative too. Like "The Map Car".
- It handles serious topics such as divorce, grieving the death of a loved one and finding your own identity, very well.
- Big amount of well-written characters. No matter if they're heroes, villains or recurring characters. Most of them have unique personalities.
- The main characters from each book share a memorable dynamic. For example in book 1 the main characters were a girl who learns to redeem herself named Tulip, a robot with double-personality named One-One and a heroic dog named Atticus.
- The villains are very good and have reasonable motivations for their actions. For example: Amelia overthrew One-One (The previous and now the current Conductor on the Infinity Train) and took the position of being the Conductor because she wanted to recreate her deceased husband.
- If you compare the art style from the Pilot to the art style from this show, you can tell that a lot has improved.
- Atticus, One-One, Alan Dracula, Hazel and Kaz are adorable.
- It has a well-built continuity and every happening from the show has it's defined date. For example. Tulip was picked up by the Infinity Train on November 22th and she was there for 5 months and she went to the video game design camp one year after the day she went to the train.
- Book 2 introduces to us more human passengers, including a society of them called The Apex that took over a Mall Car who would manipulate any passengers they find, they would also try to stay on the train forever by doing mean-spirited things which would lead to the number on their hands rising, and would antagonize anything that isn't a passenger, including One-One (The Conductor). It also shows us what happens to a passenger after they board the train
- Well done voice acting. Like Ashley Johnson as Tulip, MT and The Steward.
- Excellent hand-drawn animation.
- Some sad moments such as Atticus turning into a Ghom by Amelia.
- Book 1 has many clever hints and clues of who the conductor really is.
- Lots of Easter eggs that are hidden.
- Book 3 has the character Grace receiving one off the best character redemption on TV.
- According to Owen, the Cartoon Network executives gave him freedom to make his show. Because that, this show did things aren't usually allowed on Cartoon Network nowadays such as the show being story driven and having mature themes, darkness, sad scenes, black jokes and pretty detailed backgrounds. Even each book becomes darker, which makes this show have the same feel as a Cartoon Network show from 2000s and early 2010s.
- Unlike the previous books, despite this series isn't a musical, there are songs by Ryan and Mingi in Book 4.
- Including the ending song, 3 Words: Train to Nowhere.
Bad Qualities
- The show has some very dark moments specially for a Cartoon Network show (yes just as dark as the fifth season of Samurai Jack), this sadly led to the cancellation of the show after 4 seasons, as well as the show getting banned in some countries.
- The Ghoms and the Steward can be too frightening for younger viewers.
- If the frightening characters were enough. This show also comes with on-screen deaths.
- Book 2 has both of the main antagonists die on-screen.
- Agent Mace's death can also be too frightening and nightmare-inducing for younger viewers since MT straight up kills him by kicking him into one of the trains wheels shredding him to death while screaming on-screen. It's considered to be self-defense though since Agent Mace tried killing her moments before the former's death.
- Agent Sieve is blown up by Alan Dracula's lazer after MT throws grass on Sieve and toward Alan.
- In book 3 Simon has been dusted by a ghom. Even his skeleton is seen on-screen.
- Book 2 has both of the main antagonists die on-screen.
- Some unlikable characters such as The Cat (sometimes), the passengers from the Mall Car, and Ryan.
- Grace and Simon while good characters, they didn't started well because in their debut they had almost the same personalities.
- Likewise, Mirror Tulip (Lake) can be unlikable at the beginning as she is shown to be selfish towards her reflection.
- Almost every main character never appear again. But this makes sense because the show is supposed to be anthology.
- Some plot points to never be resolved due to the show's cancellation in early 2021, such as how One-One gained a double identity or what happened to Hazel at the end of season 3.
- The infamous scene in Book 4 when Ryan was stripped in front of everyone is might be a bit perverted, creepy, cringy and embarrassing.
- False Advertisement: few posters are a little misleading.
- Book 1 has Tulip, One-One and Atticus in the Jungle car, but that car never appears until season 3.
- Book 4 has Steward on it as if it's a main character but it barely appears.
- The show has been removed from HBO in 18 August 2022, with the only way to see it now is through piracy, even Owen Dennis (creator of the show) recommended you pirate it to watch it.
Reception
Infinity Train received widespread critical acclaim from audiences and critics alike and is cited as one of the best Cartoon Network original shows ever made. The show currently has a 8.5/10 on IMDb and an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, as the show was cancelled, it soon declined in popularity and ended on a cliffhanger, which was a disappointment.
Episodes With Their Own Pages
- The Ball Pit Car
- The Engine