Breaking rules—and dinosaur bones—with Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal

As animator Genndy Tartakovsky’s follow-up to Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack was a surprisingly mature and action-packed turn for Cartoon Network. But the ambitious series quickly found a loyal following, an audience that grew with the series and returned thirteen years later for its dark final season. With his latest, Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal on Adult Swim, many of Samurai Jack’s signature elements are pushed to the extreme to thrilling effect: lush animation, bone-crunching action, and breathless—and wordless—set pieces. Primal is a pulpy, prehistoric tale of survival, following the uneasy alliance between a caveman and a dinosaur fighting to see the next day. We recently sat down with Tartakovsky to talk about his new series’ inception, the challenges of storytelling without dialogue, and the limitless potential of animation uninhibited. Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal premieres on Adult Swim on Monday, October 7, and runs for five consecutive nights through October 11.