Robot Chicken co-creators Tom Root and Matthew Senreich take their hand at the piloted-ships-that-turn-into-a-giant-robot structure with Titan Maximum. The new stop-motion animated show aires on Adult Swim, part of Cartoon Network's late-night programing.
The first 34 seconds of the series premieroffers a traditional Voltron-esque feel, but only in a stop-motion format. But in second 35, the Adult Swim personality shines through like sunrays off Archimedes’ ancient death ray. Commander Palmer, “surly second-in-command” Lt. Gibbs, “spunky girl next door” Jodi Yanarella, “tabloid harlot” Sasha Caylo and “loveable goofball” “Spud” Cunningham make up Titan Force Five, the ultimate defenders of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. After eliminating all threats, Titan’s defense department shut down the program. After going their separate ways, Titan Force Five must regroup, with a few lineup changes, to stop the newest threat to the galaxy.
Titan Maximum as Strong, and Funny, as any Adult Swim Show
For any fan of Adult Swim’s original programming, particularly Robot Chicken, Titan Maximum is a must see. Though the pilot follows a predictable story, no one is tuning in to be dazzled by the show’s revolutionary storylines, they are watching for the ha-ha’s. The comedy comes hard, fast and often. Hardly a second goes by without a joke, sight gag, ridiculous scenario or profane-laden tirade. The action sequences, though unimpressive visually, play into the show’s style because they, too, are used as comedic fodder, often satirizing traditional space-adventure television shows. One of the best examples is when Titan Maximum is fighting a lava monster and the finishing blow is replayed about 30 times at different speeds and angles.
Different Side of Robot Chicken Crew, Sort Of
Aside from the laugh-out-loud hilarity of the show, it also took some cool chances that made it more than just a simple cartoon comedy. The most impressive is in the way director Chris McKay gives the background for the characters and catches them all up to speed after being separated for so long. The same two minutes are shown four times, but through the perspective of four different characters. The stories finally link together and advance the story forward, not really needing much exposition after that.
The most surprising aspect of the show, however, was the style of music used. It was reminiscent of the early 90’s Batman animated series, it added depth and urgency to a scene without ever accidentally being heavy handed. There is one example of the music getting a bit too ridiculous, but it is used to heighten the scene and it works wonderfully.
Much of the talent behind Titan Maximum—Root, Senreich, McKay, Rachel Leigh Cook, Dan Milano, Breckin Meyer and Seth Green—have worked together before. All of them, except for Cook, have contributed to both the acting and technical side of Robot Chicken.
Titan Maximum airs Sundays at 11:30 p.m. EST on Cartoon Network. Though the pilot, which can still be viewed on the Adult Swim website, was a full 30 minutes, each subsequent episode will only be 15 minutes long.
