Sym-Bionic Titan is an American animated action science fiction television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Bryan Andrews, and Paul Rudish for Cartoon Network. The series focuses on a trio made up of the alien princess Ilana, the strict, but 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 The United States, all 20 episodes were available for purchase on iTunes and the Windows Store. 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 offSym-Bionic Titan for financial reasons. The series was later re-released on Netflix in 2019.
Overview
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". The series follows the lives of Lance, Ilana and Octus, 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. The three main characters include Ilana, princess of the royal family; Lance, a dark-hearted but capable soldier; and Octus, a bio-cybernetic robot, all of whom 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 kill the sole heir of Galaluna. When called into battle, the Galalunans are outfitted with individual armor that provides more than ample protection. 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.
Production
Series co-creator Genndy Tartakovsky, known for creating Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack, drew inspiration from many sources. He grew up with mecha anime series from the 1970s and 1980s like Speed Racer, Macross 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 such as Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, as well as 1980s pop culture, but the relationship between the two teenage leads was also inspired by Pazu & Sheeta, the two leads in Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky. An episode of Samurai Jack with a similar plot, "Jack and the Flying Prince and Princess", may have also provided inspiration. Tara Strong voiced the princess in said episode as well. Tartakovsky 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." Despite airing on Cartoon Network, Tartakovsky said that he "doesn't consider Sym-Bionic Titan a kids show".
Episodes
Cancellation
On March 29, 2011, it was reported that Sym-Bionic Titan has been canceled due to being unable to acquire a toy license. On September 22, 2014, it was revealed on Adult Swim's Tumblr that both Beware the Batman and Sym-Bionic Titan were written off by the network. In a 2018 interview with Syfy, Tartakovsky revealed that he and his crew had written 10 more episodes before the show was cancelled.
The entire series was released on DVD in Australia from Madman Entertainment on April 6, 2016, five years after the show's cancellation. On December 15, 2019, the show was made available for streaming on Netflix. Although Sym-Bionic Titan has never been released to DVD or Blu-Ray in The United States, all 20 episodes are also available for purchase on iTunes and the Microsoft Store in SD.
On February 9, 2017, Tartakovsky mentioned during an interview about the revival of his Samurai Jack TV show on Adult Swim, he also said that he could return to Cartoon Network and bring Sym-Bionic Titan back on Cartoon Network to end the story of season one and resolve its cliffhanger in the style of Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim. Ilana and Octus made cameo appearances in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "Crossover Nexus", which first aired on October 8, 2018. Tara Strong reprised her role as Ilana.
