Ben 10 (2005-8) has gone unappreciated for far too long
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Viewers have underestimated the Ben 10 franchise during its prime. It is the perfect time to tune in as Ben 10 makes another big comeback.
One of my favorite childhood memories was waking up early on Saturdays to catch the newest episode of my favorite cartoon, and there was no better channel to do that than Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network, founded by Betty Cohen in 1992, is a cable television channel that airs animated television series. These series included shows produced by Hanna-Barbera Inc., such as Looney Toons (2011-13), Tom & Jerry (2014-21), & The Flintstones (1960-66). Warner Bros. Television Studios now owns the network. Over the years, Cartoon Network has produced many popular shows such as Scooby-Doo (1969-70), PowerPuff Girls (1998-2005), Regular Show (2010-17), and so many other shows that we know and love from childhood. I, however, want to bring light to a show that deserves just as much love as the aforementioned. That show is the one, the only, Ben 10 (2005-08).
Ben 10 is a sci-fi action-adventure superhero show created by Man of Action—a film production company—in 2005. The series follows the protagonist, 10-year-old Ben Tennyson, on a summer road trip with his cousin, Gwen Tennyson, and Grandfather, Max Tennyson. After an alien watch-like device called the “Omnitrix” attaches itself to Ben’s wrist, the boy can transform himself into ten alien forms, which he then uses to fight alien and human threats to the world.
Ben 10 (also known as Ben 10 Classic) quickly became a hit on Cartoon Network, and for good reason. The show had a catchy theme song that tells the origin story of Ben, allowing new viewers to catch up and jump into almost any episode without prior knowledge. The show features fun, interesting, and loveable characters that grow and develop in satisfying and logical ways as the show progresses. There were also elements of mystery, such as what the Omnitrix was, why it was created, and whether certain villains were after the alien device.
Finally, the ten alien heroes that Ben could shift into had unique designs and different power sets, which gave them all different purposes and appropriate applications. While aliens like “Four Arms” or “Diamondhead” were better for hand-to-hand combat, aliens like “Upgrade” or “Greymatter” had other useful quirks. In addition, as the show progresses, Ben begins to unlock new aliens to be used, which adds a layer of excitement about what designs and powers they would have.
Ben 10 ran for four seasons from 2005-2008 and featured two movie specials, the animated season 4 special Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix (2007) and the live-action movie Ben 10: Race Against Time (2007). The series was so popular that it was nominated for Emmy Awards and won “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.” If I have not already made it clear, I love Ben 10; I even dressed up as him for Halloween once. The main reason I think Ben 10 is an underrated gem is because of the massive franchise it created. Three sequel series were created after the original, including Ben 10: Alien Force (2008-10), Ben 10: Ultimate Alien (2010-12), Ben 10: Omniverse (2012-14), and finally, a reboot that premiered in 2016. Thanks to the various television series, movies, specials, video games, and merchandise, Ben 10 is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, with a total revenue of over 7 billion dollars.
Currently, not much is planned for the franchise’s future, aside from an announcement in July of a comic series starring the hero set for future projects. Whatever Warner Bros. Entertainment decides to do, I will always be there to support my favorite childhood cartoon series.