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This article is about the television series. For the robot, see Sym-Bionic Titan (mech).

Sym-Bionic Titan is an American animated action science fiction television series created by Genndy TartakovskyBryan Andrews, and Paul Radish for Cartoon Network. The series focuses on a trio made up of the alien princess Ilana, the rebellious soldier Lance, and the robot Octus; the three are able to combine to create the titular Sym-Bionic Titan.

A preview of the series was first shown at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International, and further details were revealed at Cartoon Network's 2010 Upfront. The series premiered on September 17, 2010, and ended on April 9, 2011. Cartoon Network initially ordered 20 episodes; Tartakovsky had hoped to expand on that, but the series was not renewed for another season, as the show "did not have any toys connected to it".

While Sym-Bionic Titan has never been released to DVD in America, all 20 episodes were available for purchase on iTunes and the Windows Store in SD. Since December 2019, the series has also appeared on Netflix as well in HD. DVDs were produced for Austria and South East Asia regions. On October 7, 2012, reruns of the series began airing on Adult Swim's Toonami block along with the 2011 television series of ThunderCats.

As of 2015, Cartoon Network has written off Sym-Bionic Titan for financial reasons.

Overview[]

Poster1

Sym-Bionic Titan promotional poster

Billed as "an exciting hybrid of high school drama and giant robot battles", Sym-Bionic Titan features "the adventures of three beings from the planet Galaluna who crash-land on Earth while attempting to escape their war-torn world".[1] The series follows the lives of Lance (voiced by Kevin Thoms), Ilana (Tara Strong) and Octus (Brian Posehn), two alien teens and a robot in the form of humanoids who arrive on Earth, an "identical" planet to Galaluna, while fleeing an evil general who has taken over their home planet with the help of monstrous creatures called Mutraddi.[1]

The three main characters include Ilana, princess of the royal family; Lance, a rebellious but capable soldier; and Octus, a bio-cybernetic robot, all of whom must now blend into everyday life in Sherman, Illinois.[1] Posing as high school students, Lance and Octus work to conceal Princess Ilana from General Modula (Don Leslie) and his hideous space mutants sent to kill the sole heir of Galaluna.[1]

When called into battle, the Galalunans are outfitted with individual armor that provides more than ample protection.[1] It is when the gravest of danger appears that Octus activates the sym-bionic defense program and he, Ilana, and Lance unite "Heart, Body and Mind" and come together to form the spectacular cyber-giant Sym-Bionic Titan.[1]

Production[]

Symbionic Promo 01

Early promotional art

Symbionic Promo 02

Early promotional art

Series co-creator Genndy Tartakovsky drew inspiration from many sources. He grew up with mecha anime series from the 1970s and 1980s like Speed RacerMacross and Voltron and states: "For whatever reason, I have always loved the idea of kids driving giant robots." His biggest influence were John Hughes movies like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, but the relationship between the two teenage leads was also inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky.

An episode of Samurai Jack with a similar plot, "Jack and the Flying Prince and Princess" (having two aliens and a robot fleeing to seek help for their planet), may have also provided inspiration. Tara Strong voiced the princess in said episode as well.

He came up with Octus and the high-school setting first and then later together with co-creators Paul Rudish and Bryan Andrews added Ilana and Lance as protagonists. The creators of the show took a long time to develop the female lead, Princess Ilana. "A positive strong female character is something I've always wanted to create", Tartakovsky said.

Tartakovsky called Sym-Bionic Titan "the most challenging project I have ever done."

Characters[]

Main Characters[]

The Sym-Bionic Titan[]

The Sym-Bionic Titan (referred to as "Titan" by humans) itself is the combined form of Lance's Manus armor, Ilana's Corus armor, and Octus's body, the result of the sym-bionic defense program that Octus possesses. Its interior structure is the combined Manus and Corus armors and its transparent exterior armor is Octus's outer shell. It is capable of flight and can fabricate weapons and defenses in response to the pilots' thoughts. The Titan is controlled by Ilana and Lance's thoughts, with Octus focusing on more technical matters such as weapon fabrication. Octus implies in the series premiere that there are hidden subroutines in his programming, that even he doesn't know about, which will presumably allow the Sym-Bionic Titan to access even more powers in the future.

Villains[]

Mutraddi[]

The Mutraddis are monsters used by General Modula in his plot to conquer Galaluna and kill the princess. Their homeworld is a damaged planet called Mutradd. So far, only a few Mutraddis are known to be able to speak. Among the featured Mutraddis are:

Earthlings[]

Other[]

Episodes[]

Main article: List of Sym-Bionic Titan episodes

Merchandise[]

Sym-Bionic Titan saw a limit amount of physical merchandise released, however, some regions saw more then others.

Home Media[]

While United States and other regions saw limited home media releases, Australia and South East Asia saw a few. The entire series was released on DVD in Australia from Madman Entertainment on April 6, 2016.

Art[]

Clothes[]

Website[]

During the 2010 premier and several years after the promotional website for Sym-Bionic Titan host numerous articles, videos, and images of the show.[1] Sometime after the 2015, when the show was written off, the promotional site is no longer accessible.

About[]

Sym-Bionic Titan Promo Website 01

Promotional website About page

Before the release of the show it provided fans with information on what the show was about, the characters, and the main story through line.

Quote1Sym-Bionic Titan follows the lives of Ilana, Lance and Octus, three alien teens that crash-land on Earth while attempting to escape an evil General who has taken over their home planet, Galaluna. Ilana, princess of Galaluna, Lance, a rebellious but capable soldier, and Octus, a bio-cybernetic robot, must now blend into everyday life in Sherman, Illinois. Posing as high school students, Lance and Octus work to conceal Princess Ilana from General Modula and his hideous space mutants sent to harm the sole royal heir of Galaluna.
This motley trio makes a real effort to navigate high school life, all while saving the planet and themselves from an onslaught of inter-galactic attacks. In their everyday forms, Ilana and Lance act as brother and sister, while Octus portrays dual roles of father at home and their friend Newton at school.
When called into battle, our Galalunians are outfitted with individual armor that provides more than ample protection. It’s when the gravest of danger appears that Octus activates the sym-bionic defense program and Ilana, Lance and Octus come together to form the spectacular cyber-giant Sym-Bionic Titan. It is in this form that they battle the most evil of beasts.Quote2
―Promotional About Information[1]

Bios[]

Sym-Bionic Titan Promo Website 03

Promotional website Bios

Quote1Genndy Tartakovsky is the creator/director for the new original animated series Sym-Bionic Titan, coming to Cartoon Network in September 2010. Sym-Bionic Titan is the third animated series that Tartakovsky has created in partnership with Cartoon Network, which includes critically acclaimed series Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack.
ASIFA-Hollywood honored Tartakovsky as a recipient of the Winsor McCay award in 2006. Named in honor of animator Winsor McCay, best known as a prolific artist and pioneer in the art of comic strips and animation, the Winsor McCay Award stands as one of the highest honors given to an individual in the animation industry in recognition for career contributions to the art of animation.
Tartakovsky started Orphanage Animation Studios in 2005, where he directed 3 commercial spots for the Nicoderm campaign and was instrumental in conceptualizing and storyboarding the final action sequence on Iron Man 2. In 2003 Tartakovsky was hand-selected by legendary producer/director George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. to create Star Wars: Clone Wars, a one-of-a-kind 20-episode “micro-series” that continues the saga where the live-action feature film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones left off. His new cartoon creation—the first-ever animated property involving the leading Star Wars characters covers the beginning of the Clone Wars, an epic civil war that pits the old Republic against a vast Separatist movement led by the forces of evil.  The series has won three Emmy® awards: two for "Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More)" (in 2004 and 2005) and another for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation".
As his follow-up project to the massive success of Dexter's Laboratory, Tartakovsky created the critically acclaimed animated series Samurai Jack in 2001. The series originated from his desire to create the best action-adventure cartoon ever. With Samurai Jack, Tartakovsky created an animated action television show that is cinematic in scope and that incorporates action, humor and intricate artistry. Samurai Jack was named the Emmy® Award-winner for Outstanding Animated Program in 2004. Dexter's Laboratory, Tartakovsky’s first professional cartoon creation, has received four Emmy® nominations and an Annie Award.
Named one of Variety's "50 To Watch" as a future leader in the entertainment industry, Genndy Tartakovsky served as producer creator/writer/director of Dexter's Laboratory and co-creator of "Dial M For Monkey" and "Justice Friends." Tartakovsky has been called "one of the industry's rising stars" by People and was tapped as one of the most creative people in entertainment when he was named to Entertainment Weekly's "It List" in 1999. Tartakovsky also served as a producer and director on Cartoon Network's Emmy®-award winning series The Powerpuff Girls and as animation director for The Powerpuff Girls: The Movie.
Tartakovsky was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, until his family moved to Chicago when he was seven years of age. After high school, Tartakovsky studied film at Chicago's Columbia College before moving to Los Angeles to study animation at Cal Arts. At Cal Arts he wrote, directed, produced and animated two student films. One of his student films, which was selected for the Cal Arts Producers Show, was the basis for Dexter’s Laboratory.Quote2
―Promotional Bios Information[1]

Gallery[]

https://web.archive.org/web/20110202180640oe_/http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/PR/cn_pass.swf https://web.archive.org/web/20141021020204if_/http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/PR/titan/SkinUnderPlaySeekMute.swf https://web.archive.org//web/20140623035927oe_/http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/PR/titan/symbionic.swf

Credits[]

While a numerous of individuals, studios, and contractual works assisted in the creation of Sym-Bionic Titan the initial credits release from the promotional site high-lighted key staff.[1] Individual pages would provided further details on which individuals work on the show.

Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Bryan Andrews, Paul Rudish

Voices (Key Characters):
Lance- Kevin Thoms
Ilana- Tara Strong
Octus- Brian Posehn
King & General Steel- John DiMaggio 
General Modula- Don Leslie
Solomon- Tim Russ

Producer - Shareena Carlson

Directed by - Genndy Tartakovsky

Storyboard Supervisor - Bryan Andrews

Head Writer - Darrick Bachman

Art Direction by Scott Wills

Background Art Direction - Joseph Holt

Storyboard artists - Sung Jin Ahn, David Bullock, Ricardo Delgado, Andy Suriano, Henry Yu

Main Title Theme by - Tyler Bates

Music by Tyler Bates

Supervising Editor - Paul Douglas

Dialogue Editor - Jim Hearn

Post Production Supervisor - Tony Tedford

Story Editor - Amy Wolfram

Overseas Production Facility - Rough Draft Studios, Inc. Seoul Korea

For Cartoon Network Studios:
Executive Producers - Brian A. Miller, Jennifer Pelphrey

For Cartoon Network:
Executive Producers - Tramm Wigzell, Rob Swartz, Rob Sorcher

Current Series Executive - Brian E. S. Jones

Executive Producer - Genndy Tartakovsky

Trivia[]

  • Jay Stephens, the creator of The Secret Saturdays, has said that Cartoon Network planned for there to be a shared universe between all of their action cartoons at the time: Ben 10, Generator Rex, The Secret Saturdays and Sym-Bionic Titan.[2]
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