Ben 10 (2005 TV series)
A boy discovers a watch that turns him into aliens.
Ben 10 is an American animated series created by the writer collective Man of Action for Cartoon Network. It follows ten-year-old Ben Tennyson, who discovers a watch-like alien device called the Omnitrix that allows him to transform into various alien creatures. The series premiered on Cartoon Network as a sneak peek on December 27, 2005, and officially debuted on January 13, 2006, winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action-adventure
- Science fantasy
- Superhero
- Creator
- Man of Action
- Director
- Scooter Tidwell
- Alex Soto
- Sebastian O. Montes III
- Theme music
- Andy Sturmer
- Opening theme
- "Ben 10", performed by Moxy
- End theme
- "Ben 10" (instrumental)
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The series centers on ten-year-old Ben Tennyson traveling across the United States during summer vacation with his cousin Gwen and grandfather Max. On their first night camping in Max's RV, the Rustbucket, Ben discovers an alien pod containing the Omnitrix, a prototype that attaches to his wrist and grants him the ability to transform into various alien lifeforms with distinct powers. As Ben adjusts to his abilities, he learns the responsibilities of being a hero while the trio encounters extraterrestrial villains and supernatural threats during their road trip.
Characters
Benjamin 'Ben' Kirby Tennyson, with Tara Strong providing his voice, is a boy who is self-assured and sometimes not fully mature. He likes being the center of attention and cracks jokes even when things get serious. Even though he acts on impulse, he has a kind heart, stays true to his friends and family, and is driven by a real wish to aid others. The Omnitrix, a watch-like device, locks onto his left wrist and lets him change into ten or more different aliens, each with superhuman abilities, which he uses to battle villains. He looks out fiercely for his relatives and will put himself in danger to protect anyone in trouble. He is clever, can adapt quickly, and has a photographic memory, often using fast thinking when his first plans fail. His signature lines are 'It's Hero Time!' and 'Goin' Hero!'. Gwendolyn 'Gwen' Tennyson, voiced by Meagan Smith, is Ben's cousin. She is nice, smart, good with computers, and knows some martial arts. She is self-reliant and likes things neat, sometimes to an extreme, but she can also be playful and a bit sneaky, just like Ben. Her main talent is a hidden ability for magic, which first appears when she uses Hex's staff—a tool only a true magic master can handle—to beat Charmcaster. Later, she gets Charmcaster's spellbook and starts to get better at magic. Magister Maxwell 'Max' Tennyson, voiced by Paul Eiding, is the grandfather of Ben and Gwen. He takes them on a road trip across the country for summer break. In the episode 'Truth,' he tells them he used to be part of a secret space group called the Plumbers, dealing with alien incidents. His past gives him know-how, training, and gear for fighting aliens, plus a weird taste in food that his grandchildren do not like. In 'The Visitor,' an old alien friend named Xylene says that Max was the one who was supposed to get the Prototype Omnitrix.
Production
Ben 10 came from the minds of Man of Action, a collective of four comic book writers: Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle. They spent about three years developing the core idea before Cartoon Network decided to turn it into a series. Dave Johnson handled the visual design for the first two seasons. In the early 2000s, Cartoon Network Studios brought Man of Action in to pitch an action cartoon. The group presented twenty different one-minute ideas in just twenty minutes. The eighth concept was selected: a boy named Ben 10 who could shift between ten different forms. That pitch happened in 2002. During pre-production, the show went by several possible titles, including Force 10 and Ben to the Tenth. The earliest version of the pitch had Ben Tennyson using a gadget called the "Megawhat" to turn into alternate versions of himself from across the multiverse. At that point, the working title was Ben10, before the final name Ben 10 was settled on. Early in development, the team decided that one of the Omnitrix's aliens would secretly be a villain. After creating Ghostfreak, they added dialogue in the first season to hint at this twist. Originally, the alien Cannonbolt was meant to be part of the starting ten, but he was swapped out for Ghostfreak. The first alien tested in animation was Four Arms, which became the favorite of Man of Action. Unused designs for Upchuck were later recycled in the episode "Ben 10,000" as the aliens Spitter and Articguana, and as the villain Sploot. Steven E. Gordon worked on an early version of the show. His concept art shows Ben as a red-headed boy, an Omnitrix that looked more like a regular watch, and early alien names like StrongGuy, Inferno, RazorJaws, Dragonfly, Plantguy, and Digger. Those early alien designs were more human and superhero-like, similar to the comic Dial H for Hero. Animation for the series was contributed by Sunmin Image Pictures, Dong Woo Animation, and Lotto Animation, Inc.
Films, sequels, and spin-offs
Between 2007 and 2008, two Ben 10 films came out. The first, Secret of the Omnitrix, has the Omnitrix accidentally set to blow up, forcing Ben to find its creator to stop it. A trailer for it was shown with Billy & Mandy: Wrath of the Spider Queen, and it first aired on August 10, 2007. Michael Ouweleen compared the villain Vilgax to Darth Vader but without any sense of humor. A different cut of the movie, swapping in the alien Eye Guy for Heatblast, aired on September 1, 2007, and a third version with XLR8 aired on October 20, 2007. During the launch of Alien Force, it was said that Secret of the Omnitrix was meant to be the chronological ending of Ben 10, even though it aired long before the final episode, which was not considered canon. A CGI film, Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens, hit Asia on March 11, 2012, and the US on March 23, 2012, following a 10-year-old Ben returning to school after summer. The first live-action film, Ben 10: Race Against Time, has Ben, Gwen, and Grandpa Max heading back to Bellwood to try being normal, only to face the alien Eon, who has a strange link to the Omnitrix. Ben 10: Alien Force, a sequel set five years later with a darker tone, ran from April 18, 2008 to March 26, 2010. A video game based on it came out for Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 2, and PSP. Another sequel, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, started on April 23, 2010, picking up three to four weeks after Alien Force ended. The first Ben 10 video game, Protector of Earth, was released in fall 2007.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Ben 10 (2005 TV series) are there?
Ben 10 has 49 episodes across 4 seasons.
When did Ben 10 (2005 TV series) end?
Ben 10 last aired on 15 April 2008.
More in Television Series by Cartoon Network Studios
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced