Ben 10 Creator Talks “Fresh Take” on Hit Cartoon Network Show

CANNES: Steven T. Seagle, a founding partner of Man of Action Entertainment, creators of the boys’ action series Ben 10, tells TV Kids Daily that the highly anticipated new iteration of the global franchise phenomenon “might freak out some longtime fans” with its new look and feel, but assures that all the core elements that viewers love are still in place.

The new Ben 10 “doesn’t ignore the things that came before it, it doesn’t contradict, but it isn’t slavishly tied to those things either,” says Seagle. “It’s a fresh take on the things we loved when we first did Ben 10.”

What has changed about the show is its format, going from 22 minutes to a new 11-minute version. “That’s very different for us from a storytelling perspective,” Seagle says. “It distills everything. It’s not like other 11-minute-format shows. It’s not a crazy comedy; it’s still Ben 10—it just happens more efficiently and quickly. It’s like getting a power-boost shot of Ben 10, opposed to a [relaxed], luxurious, vacation-style Ben 10 that we’re accustomed to.”

The look of the show has also been revamped a bit, Seagle explains. “John Fang and his team of board artists have created a completely different visual palette for the show. It looks fresh. It is very of the moment. It’s even a little shocking in how fresh it is at times! It has this very vibrant color palette. It moves very quickly. It has a very different look and feel, but a welcome one. The more I see it, the more I love it!”

He says that change can be a good thing when it comes to a brand like Ben 10, which has a decade-long track record of success in the international market. “The way that Cartoon Network has evolved the show over time—visually and storytelling-wise—has kept people on board for the decade that we’ve been doing Ben 10. It constantly evolves and changes, and the changes of this new show might freak out some of our longtime fans, but that’s part of what we do. Every couple of years it’s a different show that still has the [elements] you loved before. We’re just doing that bigger this time.”