According to Infinity Train creator Owen Dennis, the animated show's creative team wasn't warned before every episode was pulled from HBO Max.
"I’m told from various sources that this wasn’t supposed to happen until next week sometime so that Cartoon Network/HBOMax/etc could have time to tell all the show creators and artists what’s going on," Dennis wrote in a lengthy statement on Substack. "That’s obviously not what happened, and now this is where that disorganization has gotten us. Cartoon Network warned them not to do this as it would hurt relationships with creators and talent, but they clearly do not care what any of this looks like publicly, much less about how we feel about it."
Dennis released the statement shortly after HBO Max's mass removal of animated content from the streaming platform. For Infinity Train, the show was not only taken off HBO Max but effectively scrubbed from the internet altogether. "I had no idea it was coming, neither did any other show creator I’ve talked with, nor any of their representatives," Dennis wrote. According to the creator, while it remains unclear exactly why Infinity Train was scrubbed from HBO Max, "we do know it was a direct order from Discovery, and it’s about saving money somehow." He went on to say that "across the industry, talent is mad, agents are mad, lawyers and managers are mad, even execs at these companies are mad."
Infinity Train was one of 36 titles recently removed from HBO Max's streaming catalog, 20 of them being original titles. According to a spokesperson for Warner Bros. Discovery, this decision was a result of the plans to merge HBO Max and Discovery+. Apart from Infinity Train, other Cartoon Network titles removed from the streaming service included Dodo, Elliott From Earth, Mao Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart, Mighty Magiswords, OK K.O.! – Let’s Be Heroes, Uncle Grandpa and Victor and Valentino. While the future of Infinity Train remains unclear, Dennis recently confirmed that the show will remain available to purchase on digital platforms for the foreseeable future. However, it is unknown how long it will stay that way.
The merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery in April has resulted in several changes to the company, including layoffs, the removal of Warner Bros. titles from the streaming service and the cancelation of upcoming HBO Max exclusives like Batgirl. However, Warner Bros. Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav has revealed plans to expand HBO Max's content library overall, with a focus on increased "content" and overall "quality."
Infinity Train first premiered on Cartoon Network as a 10-episode, self-contained miniseries. The first season aired in January 2020, and was meant to be the first installment of an anthology series -- it’s one of the more unique shows to come out of Cartoon Network since Adventure Time or Steven Universe. The show ran for four seasons, before being canceled in May 2021.
Set on a train with an infinite number of cars, each with its own unique adventure, the first season features 13-year-old Tulip as the main protagonist, an aspiring game designer. She is joined by her two companions, a robot named One-One and Atticus, the king of corgis.
Source: Substack