Ben 10
Genre
Created byMan of Action
Based onBen 10
by Man of Action
Voices of
Theme music composerAndy Sturmer
ComposerKevin Manthei
Country of originUnited States
Australia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes166 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerShareena Carlson (S1-3)
Running time11 minutes
22–55 minutes (specials)
Production companyCartoon Network Studios
Original release
NetworkCartoon Network
ReleaseOctober 1, 2016 (2016-10-01) –
April 11, 2021 (2021-04-11)
Related

Ben 10 is an animated television series created by Man of Action for Cartoon Network. It is a reboot of the Cartoon Network series of the same name also created by Man of Action. The series is served as a parallel world.[1] The series premiered in Australia, New Zealand and Asia-Pacific on October 1, 2016, and premiered in the United States on April 10, 2017, before concluding on April 11, 2021, after four seasons, a film, and three specials, the latter featuring a crossover with Generator Rex and previous Ben 10 television series continuity, via the concept of the multiverse.[2]

A film based on the series, Ben 10 Versus the Universe: The Movie, was announced on February 19, 2020, and was aired on October 10, 2020.[3]

Plot

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Building on the highly successful franchise about kid hero Ben Tennyson, Ben 10 introduces a re-imagined Ben, his cousin Gwen, and Grandpa Max, as they travel the country during summer vacation. When Ben finds the Omnitrix, a mysterious watch that transforms him into 10 different aliens, a world of extraterrestrial superpowers opens up to him. The series is produced by Cartoon Network Studios and created and executive produced by Man of Action Entertainment (Big Hero 6, Generator Rex and the original four Ben 10 shows in their shared continuity), with John Fang (Mixels, Generator Rex) on board as supervising producer.

Premise

Ten-year-old Ben Tennyson has spent his summer vacation traveling across the country with his cousin Gwen and Grandpa Max, in an RV nicknamed the Rustbucket. However, after coming across a strange high-tech watch known as the Omnitrix, which enables him to transform into 10 alien heroes, he finds himself in the position of a superhero. At each place his family stops, Ben goes from trying to find a source of entertainment to doing battle against supervillains such as the mad scientist Dr. Animo, the dark sorcerer Hex, the psychotic clown Zombozo, the technology-loathing Steam Smythe, the emotionless Weatherheads, amongst other threats both big and small. Despite having lots to learn, he hones his hero skills with Gwen and Max's help.

Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
140October 1, 2016 (2016-10-01)May 27, 2017 (2017-05-27)
240October 3, 2017 (2017-10-03)October 26, 2018 (2018-10-26)
352January 26, 2019 (2019-01-26)November 30, 2019 (2019-11-30)
434December 13, 2019 (2019-12-13)September 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)

Characters

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Main

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Supporting

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Omnitrix Aliens

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Villains

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Antitrix aliens

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Unlike the Omnitrix aliens they are modeled after, the Antitrix aliens are all voiced by Greg Cipes and sound just like their user Kevin. Meanwhile, Alien V and Anti-Vilgax are voiced by Yuri Lowenthal and sound just like their user Vilgax.

Voice cast

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Main

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Additional voices

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Production

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Cartoon Network announced on June 8, 2015, that Ben 10 was to be relaunched with a new revival television series.[2][4] In June 2016, the network began to release information about the show.[5] Its sneak peek was released at the 2016 SDCC on July 21, 2016. The series had its world premiere on October 1, 2016, in Australia.[1] In March 2017 at the Cartoon Network's 2017 Upfront, it was announced that the series would premiere in the United States on April 10, 2017, and that it would be possible to watch episodes of the series on the Cartoon Network app ahead of its television premiere.[6][7]

Building on the franchise about the kid hero Ben Tennyson, Ben 10 introduces a re-imagined Ben (in his 10-year-old form), his cousin Gwen, and Grandpa Max, as they travel the country during summer vacation. When Ben finds the Omnitrix, a mysterious watch that transforms him into 10 different aliens, a world of extraterrestrial superpowers opens up to him.[1] Produced by Cartoon Network Studios, the series is created and executively produced by Man of Action, with John Fang on board as supervising producer but also as executive producer.[2] It is animated by Sunmin Image Pictures and Mua Film.

On May 22, 2017, the series was renewed for a second season[8][9] which premiered on February 19, 2018. On March 8, 2018, the series was renewed for a third season[10] which premiered on February 23, 2019. On January 10, 2019, the series was renewed for a fourth season,[11] which premiered on January 19, 2020.

On February 17, 2021, it was announced there would be three 44-minute specials.[12]

Ratings

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Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, in the United States, the series has been viewed by 41 million viewers across multiple platforms.[13]

In the EMEA, the series has reached more than 27 million viewers.[14] It reached 1.2 million viewers and 9% of boys on CITV in the UK. It was watched by half of the boys in South Africa, Romania, Spain and Portugal, more than 30% of boys in Hungary, Poland, and Sweden, and has also received high ratings in France and Italy.[15][16]

Other media

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Home media

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Ben 10 (2016) home video releases
Season Volume no. Title Episodes Total running time
(minutes)
Disc(s) Release date
Region 1 Region 4
1 2016–17 The Complete First Season 40 440 3 December 13, 2017[17]
1 Villain Time 20 (1–20) 220 1 February 13, 2018[18]
2 Omni-Tricked 20 (21–40) September 18, 2018[19]
2 2017–18 3 Out to Launch 18 (41–58) 198 February 12, 2019[20]
The Complete Second Season 40 440 3 February 20, 2019[21][22]
Ben 10 Versus the Universe: The Movie 6 120 1 October 27, 2020[citation needed]

Printed media

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In October 2017, Panini UK partnered with Cartoon Network and launched a magazine for the series with an original 8-page comic strip every month written by Jason Quinn with art by Russ Leach.[23]

Toys and merchandise

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In June 2015, a toy line for the series was announced to be released in the fall of 2017 by Playmates Toys.[24] It was released in the United States at Toys R Us in June 2017 and in all other retailers in August.[25]

In July 2017, toys were released by Playmates Toys, with Flair distributing them in the UK and Giochi Preziosi Group releasing them everywhere else in the EMEA.[14] Cartoon Network has partnered with various licensing partners across the EMEA to release merchandise ranging from apparel to accessories to publishing.[26]

Video games

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A video game based on the series was released worldwide on November 10, 2017 (for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One). It was published by Outright Games and distributed by Bandai Namco Entertainment in the EMEA. In the game, players must help Ben defeat three of his greatest enemies: Zombozo, Queen Bee, and the Weatherheads.[27] On March 3, 2020, it was announced that a second game was in development and was released on October 9, 2020.[28] It was called Ben 10: Power Trip.

Ben 10 Challenge

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Ben 10 Challenge is a live-action game show produced by the Spanish production company La Competencia Productions in Madrid for Turner EMEA. It follows two teams of people who compete in challenges and get tested on their Ben 10 knowledge. Versions were created for France, Germany, Italy, the Middle East, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and the UK, with the Spanish version also airing in Portugal dubbed.[29] The English version premiered in the UK and Ireland on October 13, 2017, and in Africa on December 23, 2017.[30][31]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Cartoon Network Australia October 2016 Highlights". RegularCapital. 2016-09-09. Archived from the original on 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  2. ^ a b c Stienberg, Brian (2015-06-08). "Cartoon Network to Revive 'Ben 10'". Variety. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  3. ^ ""Ben 10 vs. The Universe" Blasts Off Globally This Fall on Cartoon Network". The Futon Critic. February 19, 2020.
  4. ^ "Cartoon Network Announces All-New Television Series for the Global Phenomenon Ben 10!" (Press release). Turner Broadcasting System. 2015-06-08.
  5. ^ "Cartoon Network's Ben 10 Reboot Plans Revealed". Newsrama. 2016-06-21.
  6. ^ "Cartoon Network's All-New "Ben 10" Premieres April 10, 2017; Sneak Peek on the CN App". toonzone.net. Newsrama. 2017-03-22. Archived from the original on 2017-10-31. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  7. ^ "Cartoon Network Gives Fans Something New Every Day, Everywhere". 2017-03-30. Archived from the original on 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  8. ^ Petski, Denise (22 May 2017). "'Ben 10' Renewed For Season 2 By Cartoon Network". Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  9. ^ "'Ben 10' Gets Second Season at Cartoon Network". The Hollywood Reporter. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  10. ^ Hayes, Dade (8 March 2018). "Cartoon Network Rolls Out Largest-Ever Slate, Deepens Creative Bench". Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  11. ^ "BEN 10 SEASON 4 ANNOUNCED". 10 January 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  12. ^ Marie Zorrilla, Mónica (February 17, 2021). "HBO Max Renews 'Tiny Toons Looniversity' and 'Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai,' WarnerMedia Expands Kids and Family Slate". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  13. ^ Whyte, Alexandria (May 23, 2017). "Cartoon Network renews Ben 10 for season two". Kidscreen.
  14. ^ a b Foster, Margaret (May 19, 2017). "Ben 10 goes free-to-air in the UK". Kidscreen. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  15. ^ Hutchins, Robert (July 12, 2017). "Powerpuff Girls and Ben 10 celebrate record viewing figures across EMEA". Licensing.biz. Archived from the original on 2017-11-08.
  16. ^ "Cartoon Network draws strong approval from Euro free-to-air franchises". Rapid TV News. July 12, 2017. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  17. ^ "Ben 10 (2016) Season 1 - DVD". Archived from the original on 2018-08-31.
  18. ^ "Ben 10 (2016): Volume 1 – Villain Time". Amazon.com. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. February 13, 2018.
  19. ^ "Ben 10 (2016): Volume 2 – Omni-Tricked". Amazon.com. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. September 18, 2018.
  20. ^ "Ben 10 (2016): Volume 3 – Out to Launch". Amazon.com. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. February 12, 2019.
  21. ^ "Madman B2B »".
  22. ^ "Madman Entertainment".
  23. ^ "Panini launches Ben 10 magazine and My Little Pony sticker collection". Toyworld. October 5, 2017.
  24. ^ "Cartoon Network Names Playmates Toys Global Partner for All-New Ben 10 | Playmates Toys, Inc". Playmatestoys.com. 2015-06-09. Archived from the original on 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  25. ^ Foster, Elizabeth (June 7, 2017). "New Ben 10 line makes first stop at Toys "R" Us". Kidscreen.
  26. ^ Foster, Elizabeth (October 4, 2017). "Cartoon Network taps EMEA licensees for Ben 10". Kidscreen.
  27. ^ "Set your watches for Ben 10 launching globally on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC Digital". Bandai Namco. September 12, 2017.
  28. ^ "Cartoon Network and Outright Games announce brand-new Ben 10 video game, launching fall 2020". March 3, 2020.
  29. ^ Foster, Elizabeth (June 8, 2017). "Turner EMEA orders Ben 10 game show". Kidscreen.
  30. ^ "Ben 10 Challenge New Show Premieres On Cartoon Network UK This Friday 13th October". RegularCapital. October 11, 2017.
  31. ^ "Cartoon Network Africa And Boomerang Africa December 2017 Highlights: All Times CAT". RegularCapital. October 30, 2017.
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