Infinity Train Taken off HBOMax The announcement on Wednesday of Infinity Train, OKKO, Summer Camp Island, The Fungies and many other shows being taken off of HBOMax was a shock to all of us. Not just to fans, but to the creators and artists that made the shows as well. I had no idea it was coming, neither did any other show creator I’ve talked with, nor any of their representatives.
My heart goes out to you and all the other people who worked on these pulled shows. Though it’s likely temporary, the people who worked incredibly hard on these projects aren’t getting paid and many fans are currently unable to officially support the show. This whole corporate stunt is a bunch of BS
Thank you for your words and for taking time to talk to the fans about all this. Infinity Train was really important for the animation community since day one, I remember how much excitement had around the show when it was greenlit. To be honest this was all so terrible that now I hope IT can find a better home somewhere else and you can keep producing this amazing show. All the best to you and all the crew. Hugs from Brazil.
Man Owen, I hope that you guys are able to keep the Infinity Train rolling. It's my favourite show of all time, and I was in the middle of binging it with my whole family when it got axed by HBOMax (literally finished Book 2 a couple days ago, just started on Book 3). It hurts to see the show getting purged from everywhere so suddenly and so quickly, but if I know this fanbase (and I like to think that I do), then I have NO doubt that you and the other "Engineers" will get the Train up and running again in the near future.
Also, I'd like to leave you with an excerpt from my fan-created continuation of Book 2. I hope it encourages you.
"Life is a train, and we’re the passengers. We look out the window, and all we can see are the wheels, the landscape, a little bit of the tracks, and a few of the cars in front of us We can’t see what lies ahead… where we’re really going… what we might crash into. We just have to focus on what we can see. Whether we know the destination or not, we have to ride. We have to ride, and live, and walk through the cars as we go, fighting all the way to the engine, where we’ll finally be able to see the end."
I'm glad to hear you have work currently, even if you can't say what it is. There's a bunch of supportive things I could say, but I think other people have already said them better than I could. This was a great and insightful read, thanks for this post and a great show!
However, I do think that "I don’t believe you should pirate something just because you don’t have money" is a bad take (but not unreasonably). Someone who pirates a show because they can't afford it is not a lost sale; they never had money to give to the creator in the first place. Access to culture shouldn't be limited only to people with money.
I pirated a lot when I was younger (including pirating the first 2.5 seasons of I. Train), but that pirated media made a HUGE impact on me. I formed a deep emotional connection with the media I pirated, maybe even deeper than with any media I didn't pirate. Now that I am in a much better financial position, I've spent an unreasonable amount of money on media and merchandise by the creators of the media I pirated. I bought an HBO MAX sub and watched I.T. books 1-4 over and over again because I couldn't get enough of them. I even kept paying for my inactive account for months after, just to show support.
I do want to repeat that I don't think your take is unreasonable. I'd entirely understand if my comment did nothing to change your opinion. I'm just a sleep deprived college student ranting online at 2am.
The second paragraph is longer, but I want to be clear that the first paragraph is the most important one. I really wish you and the whole crew luck in the future!
Disappointed to hear that even show creators are in the dark. Here's hoping that if they plan on making it a permanent expunging they let the rights revert back to the creators, but I have my doubts. I might be "too old for cartoons", but I love them anyway and thought Infinity Train was great (particularly season one).
I love your work, it helped me get trought a lot of bad stuff, I was completly devastated when I heard the news about Inifnity Train being taken off HBO. I hate how these Suit-n'-Tie Assholes are able to basically delete a show from (legal) existence just to scrap a few more pennies from their barrel, and even more when you consider how these Subscriptions programs are bad for consumers, since they can change and erase stuff without we even being abe to have a say on it. Hope you're well!
So 1st, I just want to share that I feel awful for everything that's happening right now to You, Julia Pott, Ian JQ, J. G. Quintel and Other Creators and their Creative having theie content remove off HBO Max and Other platforms. I'm In full Agreement with you that this actions made by the new higher-ups of Warner Bros. Discovery is very unprofessional.
If i was able to if i were a entertainment buinessman, I would acquire the full rights to Infinity Train, Summer Camp Island, OK K.O Let's Be Heroes and Close Enough out from WBD. Give You, Julie, Ian and J.Q full ownership of your masters and Provide you a deal of 4 more seasons to finshed out your personal concept of doing 8 Seasons of this show, something WBD failed to provide you.
This whole situation reminded me vividly of a Situation back in 2007 when Cartoon Network removed their acquried French Animated Serise "Code Lyoko" off the air right in the middle of it's final season, which made me dislike the network until 2013 when Steven Universe Change my outlook on the network and had me better respect for theb newer animated shows from the network incuding Adventure Time, We Bare Bears, Regular Show, Over The Garden Wall, Craig Of The Creek and Infinity Train. These Shows i given the acclamin title of "Code Lyoko Level Quailty Serise", which is a show that defently pushes boudaries when it comes to animation, story and theme. Infinity Train is 100% a Code Lyoko Level Quailty serise.
Now, I must admit that i did pirate the show and it was due to money issues with me, now i want to clarfiy my decision to pirate was an action of last resort, I don't enjoy piracy and because of Streaming i hardly do, but I love this show very much, and i want to collect and preserve everything, plus i know a part of payment would go to you but a part also goes to WBD and they already take $10 of my money to pay for HBO MAX (Which i am debating on keeping or not) so they don't deserve more of my money. so again i didn't enjoy having to make this choice. it was decision of last resort.
I want to end by saying, I'm sorry to You, Julie, Ian, J.G and others who are having to deal with this mess. I was expecting to this to be like the current Crunchyroll and Funimation merger, this would a slow intergraction of Discovery content to HBO MAX, sadly the new CEO had other plan in mind.
I AM PRAYING VERY EXTREAMLY, That this situation will be fix and someone at WBD with better explain this situation. Infinity Train is a Code Lyoko Level Quailty serise. We and many others in the Code Lyoko Fandom are very much fans and are sperding the word about Infinity Train. Your show deserved to be better respected, animation in general in Hollywood and by Corporations deserve to be Better Respected.
Thank you for the update. I saw this shit storm happen this morning and couldn’t believe it. It’s bad enough they canned the show but to just pull it is awful.
I wasn’t a fan of Summer Camp Island but to also pull that after they just made that movie? Nothing here seems to make sense and it’s a weird but also comforting feeling that no one else seems to know either. What is there to gain here?
Infinity Train is the most unique series to grace screens in a long time, and being an amateur animator myself I realize how much work went into making the show as inventive and brilliant as it is. WB is simply criminal and I sincerely hope that you and the crew who brought this amazing project to life pull through Discovery's tyranny, cementing Infinity Train's legacy as one of the greatest animated shows ever in the process.
Owen, I'm so sorry. I was instantly hooked onto Infinity Train when I saw the pilot and fell in love instantly the moment I saw the first episode. I was so gutted and am still bitter about it being cancelled after Book 4. I hope it can find a new home and get the love and proper conclusion it deserves.
I'm just glad it's still available to stream *somewhere*, at least for now. For what it's worth, it's still streaming on Stan in Australia. Gotta love VPNs 😎
I'm so sorry Owen. The more I hear about this merger, the more disgusting it seems. Here's hoping your prediction holds true and animators refuse to work for WB ever again. I only hope that the wondrous fantastical world you created has a home again soon.
Thank you Owen for taking your time to do that. It's very appreciated and it gives us a better idea of what to honestly expect.
Infinity Train is such an amazing, intelligent, well-made, sensitive show. You and the crew that worked on it deserve to be treated way better than this and I hope Discovery will make it available again somehow. It was the only way to watch the show here in Brazil officially, so I'm very sad by this removal.
I've been writing a lot about this merger in my newsletter and on my web site. And from what I've been told, some of these moves aren't specifically related to residuals. It has to do with what is called a "profit life expectancy." Every show or movie has an estimate for how much revenue it will make over its primary lifetime. A company like #WBD can pull shows out of circulation and take a credit for the money it would have made if it had continued to be available. It's a weird, complex set of rules. But companies have done this in the past. Just not on this level.
For what it is worth. Know that what you made is one of the best things Cartoon Network has ever produced.
They can never take that away from you.
My heart goes out to you and all the other people who worked on these pulled shows. Though it’s likely temporary, the people who worked incredibly hard on these projects aren’t getting paid and many fans are currently unable to officially support the show. This whole corporate stunt is a bunch of BS
Thank you for your words and for taking time to talk to the fans about all this. Infinity Train was really important for the animation community since day one, I remember how much excitement had around the show when it was greenlit. To be honest this was all so terrible that now I hope IT can find a better home somewhere else and you can keep producing this amazing show. All the best to you and all the crew. Hugs from Brazil.
Man Owen, I hope that you guys are able to keep the Infinity Train rolling. It's my favourite show of all time, and I was in the middle of binging it with my whole family when it got axed by HBOMax (literally finished Book 2 a couple days ago, just started on Book 3). It hurts to see the show getting purged from everywhere so suddenly and so quickly, but if I know this fanbase (and I like to think that I do), then I have NO doubt that you and the other "Engineers" will get the Train up and running again in the near future.
Also, I'd like to leave you with an excerpt from my fan-created continuation of Book 2. I hope it encourages you.
"Life is a train, and we’re the passengers. We look out the window, and all we can see are the wheels, the landscape, a little bit of the tracks, and a few of the cars in front of us We can’t see what lies ahead… where we’re really going… what we might crash into. We just have to focus on what we can see. Whether we know the destination or not, we have to ride. We have to ride, and live, and walk through the cars as we go, fighting all the way to the engine, where we’ll finally be able to see the end."
I'm glad to hear you have work currently, even if you can't say what it is. There's a bunch of supportive things I could say, but I think other people have already said them better than I could. This was a great and insightful read, thanks for this post and a great show!
However, I do think that "I don’t believe you should pirate something just because you don’t have money" is a bad take (but not unreasonably). Someone who pirates a show because they can't afford it is not a lost sale; they never had money to give to the creator in the first place. Access to culture shouldn't be limited only to people with money.
I pirated a lot when I was younger (including pirating the first 2.5 seasons of I. Train), but that pirated media made a HUGE impact on me. I formed a deep emotional connection with the media I pirated, maybe even deeper than with any media I didn't pirate. Now that I am in a much better financial position, I've spent an unreasonable amount of money on media and merchandise by the creators of the media I pirated. I bought an HBO MAX sub and watched I.T. books 1-4 over and over again because I couldn't get enough of them. I even kept paying for my inactive account for months after, just to show support.
I do want to repeat that I don't think your take is unreasonable. I'd entirely understand if my comment did nothing to change your opinion. I'm just a sleep deprived college student ranting online at 2am.
The second paragraph is longer, but I want to be clear that the first paragraph is the most important one. I really wish you and the whole crew luck in the future!
Disappointed to hear that even show creators are in the dark. Here's hoping that if they plan on making it a permanent expunging they let the rights revert back to the creators, but I have my doubts. I might be "too old for cartoons", but I love them anyway and thought Infinity Train was great (particularly season one).
I love your work, it helped me get trought a lot of bad stuff, I was completly devastated when I heard the news about Inifnity Train being taken off HBO. I hate how these Suit-n'-Tie Assholes are able to basically delete a show from (legal) existence just to scrap a few more pennies from their barrel, and even more when you consider how these Subscriptions programs are bad for consumers, since they can change and erase stuff without we even being abe to have a say on it. Hope you're well!
So 1st, I just want to share that I feel awful for everything that's happening right now to You, Julia Pott, Ian JQ, J. G. Quintel and Other Creators and their Creative having theie content remove off HBO Max and Other platforms. I'm In full Agreement with you that this actions made by the new higher-ups of Warner Bros. Discovery is very unprofessional.
If i was able to if i were a entertainment buinessman, I would acquire the full rights to Infinity Train, Summer Camp Island, OK K.O Let's Be Heroes and Close Enough out from WBD. Give You, Julie, Ian and J.Q full ownership of your masters and Provide you a deal of 4 more seasons to finshed out your personal concept of doing 8 Seasons of this show, something WBD failed to provide you.
This whole situation reminded me vividly of a Situation back in 2007 when Cartoon Network removed their acquried French Animated Serise "Code Lyoko" off the air right in the middle of it's final season, which made me dislike the network until 2013 when Steven Universe Change my outlook on the network and had me better respect for theb newer animated shows from the network incuding Adventure Time, We Bare Bears, Regular Show, Over The Garden Wall, Craig Of The Creek and Infinity Train. These Shows i given the acclamin title of "Code Lyoko Level Quailty Serise", which is a show that defently pushes boudaries when it comes to animation, story and theme. Infinity Train is 100% a Code Lyoko Level Quailty serise.
Now, I must admit that i did pirate the show and it was due to money issues with me, now i want to clarfiy my decision to pirate was an action of last resort, I don't enjoy piracy and because of Streaming i hardly do, but I love this show very much, and i want to collect and preserve everything, plus i know a part of payment would go to you but a part also goes to WBD and they already take $10 of my money to pay for HBO MAX (Which i am debating on keeping or not) so they don't deserve more of my money. so again i didn't enjoy having to make this choice. it was decision of last resort.
I want to end by saying, I'm sorry to You, Julie, Ian, J.G and others who are having to deal with this mess. I was expecting to this to be like the current Crunchyroll and Funimation merger, this would a slow intergraction of Discovery content to HBO MAX, sadly the new CEO had other plan in mind.
I AM PRAYING VERY EXTREAMLY, That this situation will be fix and someone at WBD with better explain this situation. Infinity Train is a Code Lyoko Level Quailty serise. We and many others in the Code Lyoko Fandom are very much fans and are sperding the word about Infinity Train. Your show deserved to be better respected, animation in general in Hollywood and by Corporations deserve to be Better Respected.
Hopful things will get better for everyone
Sincerly,
JT
#JusticeForInfinityTrain
#JusticeForSummerCampIsland
#JusticeForOKKOLetsBeHeroes
#JusticeForCloseEnough
Thank you for the update. I saw this shit storm happen this morning and couldn’t believe it. It’s bad enough they canned the show but to just pull it is awful.
I wasn’t a fan of Summer Camp Island but to also pull that after they just made that movie? Nothing here seems to make sense and it’s a weird but also comforting feeling that no one else seems to know either. What is there to gain here?
Infinity Train is the most unique series to grace screens in a long time, and being an amateur animator myself I realize how much work went into making the show as inventive and brilliant as it is. WB is simply criminal and I sincerely hope that you and the crew who brought this amazing project to life pull through Discovery's tyranny, cementing Infinity Train's legacy as one of the greatest animated shows ever in the process.
Owen, I'm so sorry. I was instantly hooked onto Infinity Train when I saw the pilot and fell in love instantly the moment I saw the first episode. I was so gutted and am still bitter about it being cancelled after Book 4. I hope it can find a new home and get the love and proper conclusion it deserves.
I'm just glad it's still available to stream *somewhere*, at least for now. For what it's worth, it's still streaming on Stan in Australia. Gotta love VPNs 😎
I'm so sorry Owen. The more I hear about this merger, the more disgusting it seems. Here's hoping your prediction holds true and animators refuse to work for WB ever again. I only hope that the wondrous fantastical world you created has a home again soon.
Can you do a kickstarter where we fund you buying back the rights to Infinity train and possibly your own studio to conitnue it?
Thank you Owen for taking your time to do that. It's very appreciated and it gives us a better idea of what to honestly expect.
Infinity Train is such an amazing, intelligent, well-made, sensitive show. You and the crew that worked on it deserve to be treated way better than this and I hope Discovery will make it available again somehow. It was the only way to watch the show here in Brazil officially, so I'm very sad by this removal.
I've been writing a lot about this merger in my newsletter and on my web site. And from what I've been told, some of these moves aren't specifically related to residuals. It has to do with what is called a "profit life expectancy." Every show or movie has an estimate for how much revenue it will make over its primary lifetime. A company like #WBD can pull shows out of circulation and take a credit for the money it would have made if it had continued to be available. It's a weird, complex set of rules. But companies have done this in the past. Just not on this level.
https://www.allyourscreens.com/en/component/k2/item/2555-what-we-know-about-the-warner-bros-discovery-content-erasure