The Strike That Changed Animation
The impetus to research and write this story started with stumbling upon Genndy Tartakovksy’s Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) hidden deep inside Disney+ and wondering what made the show so gobsmackingly brilliant.
However, it is my contention that Genndy Tartakovsky’s interpretive riff on the Star Wars concept deserves to be considered in the same league as Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Michelangelo’s David, or Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
As I dug deeper into the history of Tartakovksy’s life and work, I wondered if his visual sensibility was influenced by an early childhood in Russia and Italy where highly innovative modern art movements (like Constructivism and Futurism, respectively) have arisen.
Tartakovsky would go on to build one of the most respected careers in animation. From shorts, TV shows to feature films with multiple sequels, from 2-D to 3-D — he is a recognised master of the industry. It is agreed, however, that the highlights of his credits so far are his debut madcap sci-fi sibling war Dexter’s Laboratory (1996–1998), the eye-poppingly gorgeous Samurai Jack (2001–2004), the steampunk-time-travel-magic blend Unicorn: Warriors Eternal (2023) (in which I sense notes of Osamu Tezuka and Albert Uderzo), and the blood-soaked moody and evocative caveman drama, Primal (2019 to date). To this, one can add Batman: The Animated series (1992–1995), another major landmark…
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