Infinity Train facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Infinity Train
Genre	Adventure Science fantasy Mystery Drama
Created by	Owen Dennis
Story by	Owen Dennis Alex Horab Lindsay Katai Justin Michael Madeline Queripel (main) Cole Sanchez (episode 1–5, 7–10)
Directed by	Madeline Queripel (supervising) Jill Daniels (art; Books 1–2) Alen Esmaelian (art; Book 3)
Voices of	Ashley Johnson Jeremy Crutchley Owen Dennis Ernie Hudson Kate Mulgrew Lena Headey Robbie Daymond Bradley Whitford Ben Mendelsohn Kirby Howell-Baptiste Kyle McCarley Isabella Abiera Diane Delano Johnny Young Sekai Murashige Minty Lewis
Theme music composer	Chrome Canyon Owen Dennis (co-composer, episode 1 only)
Composer(s)	Chrome Canyon
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	30 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Owen Dennis Jennifer Pelphrey Tramm Wigzell Brian A. Miller Rob Sorcher
Producer(s)	Keith Mack
Running time	11 minutes
Production company(s)	Cartoon Network Studios
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution (Books 1–2) WarnerMedia Direct (Book 3–present)
Release
Original network	Cartoon Network (Books 1–2) HBO Max (Book 3–present)
Picture format	1080i ( HDTV) 480i (4:3 SDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Surround
First shown in	November 1, 2016 (2016-11-01) (Pilot)
Original release	August 5, 2019 (2019-08-05) – present

Infinity Train is an American animated television series created by Owen Dennis, previously a writer and storyboard artist on Regular Show. The pilot for the series was released by Cartoon Network on November 1, 2016, before being picked-up for a full miniseries due to positive reception, which premiered on Cartoon Network on August 5, 2019. After the conclusion of the first season, Cartoon Network announced that the series would continue as an anthology series. The second season debuted on Cartoon Network on January 6, 2020. The third season began airing on HBO Max on August 13, 2020, with ten episodes airing across three weeks.

The series is set on a gigantic, mysterious and seemingly endless train traveling through a barren landscape, whose cars contain a variety of bizarre, fantastical and impossible environments. Passengers on the train complete challenges as they proceed from car to car which help them resolve their psychological trauma and emotional issues. Every season of Infinity Train (referred to as a "Book", each with its own separate subtitle) follows its own storyline and set of characters, although they are all set in the same universe and some characters appear across different seasons. Each new season has featured a minor character from the preceding season as one of its main characters.

All three seasons of Infinity Train have received critical acclaim for their complex themes and characters, writing, uniqueness, visual animation style, and voice acting. In August 2020, Dennis stated that, although he wanted to continue the series, most of the crew had been laid off and that the series was at risk of not being renewed, Dennis suggested that HBO Max might be concerned that the series' stories and themes were too dark and unappealing to children. However, a fourth and final season was announced on February 17, 2021.

Synopsis

The series is set on a seemingly endless train traveling through a barren landscape; the cars of the train contain a variety of bizarre and fantastical environments. The passengers on the train are people it picks up who have unresolved emotional issues or trauma. As they travel through the train's cars, their adventures inside them give them the opportunity to confront and resolve their emotional problems, represented by a glowing number on their hand that goes down as they confront these issues. Once they resolve their issues and their number reaches zero, a portal opens and they are able to leave the train and return home.

The first season focuses on Tulip Olsen, a girl struggling with her parents' recent divorce. She is accompanied by a small, confused robot named "One-One", and Atticus, the ruler of a kingdom of talking corgis. She eventually uncovers many of the train's secrets and confronts Amelia, a passenger who, instead of resolving her trauma from her husband's death, has usurped the role of Conductor from One-One and tried to take control of the train. Before leaving the train, Tulip persuades Amelia to try to adapt to the changes in her life.

In one first-season episode, Tulip frees her own reflection from the mirror world, and the two part ways. The second season focuses on the emancipated Mirror Tulip ("MT"), now on the run from enforcers attempting to execute her as punishment for abandoning her role as Tulip's reflection. She teams up with Jesse, a new train passenger, as well as Alan Dracula, a silent deer with a variety of powers. She helps Jesse leave the train by helping him learn to stand up for himself, and he returns to the train to help her escape to the outside world as well.

The third season centers on Grace and Simon, the leaders of a gang of rogue passengers who vandalize the train and attack its denizens to keep their numbers high. Traveling with a young girl named Hazel and her gorilla friend Tuba makes Grace more sympathetic to the train's denizens. After Simon kills Tuba, it is revealed that Hazel herself is one of Amelia's creations, and Grace realizes what she thought she knew about the train is wrong. Simon, however, refuses to change his beliefs, and after fighting off his attempt to usurp control, Grace begins facing up to and mending her mistakes.

The fourth season will center on Ryan and Min-Gi, two best friends from Canada who want to become famous musicians.

Episodes

List of Infinity Train episodes

Shorts

From October 18, 2019, a series of ten shorts titled "The Train Documentaries" was uploaded onto the Cartoon Network app and YouTube channel. Each short focuses on One-One showcasing a different car on the train, including "The Green Car", "The Tiny Wizard Car", and "The Kaiju Car".

Cast and characters

Overview

Main characters

Book 1 – The Perennial Child

• Tulip Olsen (voiced by Ashley Johnson) – A 13-year-old girl struggling with her parents' divorce who finds herself trapped on the train when trying to get to a game-design camp. She is analytical, down-to-earth, and determined to get off the train.
  • Naomi Hansen and Lily Sanfelippo voice younger versions of Tulip, respectively at age 5 and from age 6 to 8.
• One-One – A spherical robot consisting of two separate hemisphere-shaped robots. In Book 1, One-One accompanies Tulip on her journey, and eventually learns that it is the rightful Conductor of the train. At the end of Book 1, One-One resumes its duties as Conductor, overseeing the operations of the train and passengers.
  • Glad-One (Jeremy Crutchley) – The exuberant and optimistic part of One-One.
  • Sad-One (Owen Dennis) – The morose and pessimistic part of One-One.
• Atticus (Ernie Hudson) – A talking Corgi and the king of Corginia, one of the train cars. He accompanies Tulip on her journey.

Book 2 – Cracked Reflection

• "MT" (Ashley Johnson) – Tulip's reflection, freed from the mirror world by Tulip in an episode of Book 1. At the start of Book 2, she has been living on the train as a fugitive from the reflection police. She accompanies Jesse on his journey through the train while struggling with her sense of identity as an independent person, rather than Tulip's reflection or a construct of the train. Upon leaving the train at the end of Book 2, she names herself Lake.
• Jesse Cosay (Robbie Daymond) – A passenger who becomes MT's friend and helps her escape the train. He is easygoing and friendly, but has a hard time resisting peer pressure; his experience on the train teaches him how to stand up for his friends.
• Alan Dracula – A magical white-tailed deer, a denizen of the train who accompanies MT and Jesse.

Book 3 – Cult of the Conductor

• Grace Monroe (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) – The young adult leader of the Apex, a gang of passengers who aim to raise their numbers to remain on the train indefinitely, and believe One-One to be an impostor who usurped the role of Conductor. After appearing as a secondary antagonist in Book 2, Grace returns as one of the main protagonists of Book 3, in which she gradually begins to see the error of her ways and decides to try to fix her mistakes.
  • Brooke Singleton voices Grace as a child
• Simon Laurent (Kyle McCarley) - Grace's second-in-command and best friend, who first appear alongside her in Book 2. Although the two are very close, they gradually drift apart during Book 3, due to Simon's sociopathic and murderous behavior and his unwillingness to acknowledge his mistakes and learn from them.
  • Samuel Faraci voices Simon as a child
• Hazel (Isabella Abiera) - A 6-year-old girl who travels the train. Although she has a number on her hand, it does not glow; unknown to her, she is actually a denizen of the train created by Amelia's experiments.
• Tuba (Diane Delano) - Hazel's gorilla friend and protector, a denizen of the train.

Book 4 – Duet

• Min-Gi Park (Johnny Young) - A young adult of Korean descent. He is Ryan's best friend and aspires to become a famous musician.
• Ryan Akagi (Sekai Murashige) - A young adult of Japanese descent. He is Min's best friend and aspires to become a famous musician.
• Kez (Minty Lewis) - A sentient concierge bell, a denizen of the train who accompanies Ryan and Min.

Recurring characters

• The Cat (Kate Mulgrew) – A talking cat who is a collector and con artist. In Book 1, she is an agent for Amelia; in Book 2, she runs a carnival. Book 3 reveals that her name is Samantha, and she was Simon's companion when he first boarded the train. (Recurring Book 1 and Book 3; Guest Book 2)
• Randall (Rhys Darby) - A sentient liquid person who tries to build a business involving the distribution of the "Donut Holer" (which is just an ordinary pipe used to poke a hole through various objects) with his duplicates, that of which he creates at will, as proposed by The Cat. He helps Tulip steal One-One back from The Cat in "The Beach Car". (Recurring Book 1; Guest Book 2 and Book 3)
• Amelia Hughes (Lena Headey) – A passenger who overthrew One-One and usurped his position as the Conductor, hoping to use the train to recreate her dead husband Alrick Timmens (voiced by Matthew Rhys). In Book 3, Amelia works with One-One to make amends and undo the mistakes she made on the train. (Recurring Book 1 and Book 3)
• The Steward (voiced by Ashley Johnson) - A menacing robot that assists the Conductor. (Recurring Book 1; Cameos Book 2 and Book 3)
• Ghoms (Dee Bradley Baker) – Dog/cockroach-like creatures that inhabit the Wasteland outside the train and attempt to suck the life-force out of the living. (Recurring Book 1 and Book 3; Cameo Book 2)
• Megan Olsen (Audrey Wasilewski) – Tulip's struggling mother and Andy's ex-wife who works as a nurse. (Recurring Book 1)
• Andy Olsen (Mark Fite) – Tulip's depressed father and Megan's ex-husband. (Recurring Book 1)
• Makayla (Reagan Gomez-Preston) — Tulip's best friend before she get in the train.(Recurring Book 1)
• The Reflection Police, or "Flecs" – A pair of officers pursuing MT in order to destroy her for abandoning her responsibility as Tulip's reflection. (Guest Book 1; Recurring Book 2)
  • Agent Mace (Ben Mendelsohn) – The gruff senior partner of the team.
  • Agent Sieve (Bradley Whitford) – The more upbeat junior partner to Mace.
• Toad / Terrance (Owen Dennis) – A toad whom passengers must kick in order to exit the Toad Car. (Recurring Book 2)
• Nathan "Nate" Cosay (Justin Felbinger) – Jesse's younger brother. (Recurring Book 2)
• Lucy (voiced by Jenna Davis) – A young girl and member of the Apex. (Cameo Book 2; recurring Book 3)

Guest voices for Book One include Matthew Rhys and Ron Funches. Guest voices for Book Two include Wayne Knight, Laraine Newman, Nea Marshall Kudi, Bill Corbett, and Rhys Darby. Guest voices for Book Three include Rhys Darby, Edi Patterson, Phil LaMarr, and Alfred Molina.

Future

On August 16, 2020, Dennis reported that though the team wanted to make more episodes, production had ended for the time being with the whole crew laid off and everyone getting new jobs. Dennis noted further episodes depended on the viewership numbers on HBO Max.

Dennis said he has several more seasons planned should the series continue. When asked what stories he would like to explore in the future, Dennis said he wants to go more into the history of the train—possibly to a time when the Infinity Train existed before trains themselves. Dennis also said "We have rough ideas for themes and which characters we'd like to follow for five more seasons, up to season eight. Feels like '8' is a good place to stop because it looks like an infinity symbol."

When asked what else he would like to do with Infinity Train in the future, Dennis said "I'd love for there to be a movie that follows Amelia's story [the villain from season one]. I'd also like to do some other time periods of the train." Dennis also expressed interest in doing some Infinity Train comic books that "are in canon and could be written by or starring non-Americans."

On March 11, 2021, it was announced that Infinity Train would end with its fourth season. Dennis later clarified on Twitter he did not intend for this to be the final season and remains open to continuing the show sometime in the future if given the opportunity.

Soundtrack

On December 4, 2019, Owen Dennis tweeted out that the soundtrack of Book One was coming on December 6, 2019 on every major digital platform.

See also

In Spanish: El tren infinito para niños