Infinity Train’s Pilot Confirms That Characters Can Die
by Tito W. James
Infinity Train is an exciting show in that it is deviating from the kid-friendly sit-com genre and diving deep into high-concept long form narrative storytelling. After seeing an episode in advance, I can confirm that Infinity Train will have life and death stakes for its characters.
Death is typically avoided in all animated programs airing on family- friendly networks. Character deaths are quite rare but always serve a story purpose. By choosing to have serious peril for its main character, Infinity Train differentiates itself from other cartoon shows. It’s the type of show that was created to appeal to teens and older audiences.
Heavy stakes aside, I found the first episode impressive in a grounded portrayal of a young person. Too often, teenagers are depicted as one-dimensional stereotypes several decades out of date. Tulip, an adolescent girl who loves programing and is struggling with her parents’ divorce, was instantly believable and relatable.
As it stands, Infinity Train is one of the boldest new animated offerings on television. I hope that its inevitable success will urge networks to invest in narrative-driven animated programing for teens and adults.
Infinity Train will air on Cartoon Network Monday August 5th.
