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Ben 10
File:Ben10showlogo.JPGBen 10 logo
Created by	Duncan Rouleau Joe Casey Joe Kelly Steven T. Seagle
Voices of	Tara Strong Dee Bradley Baker Fred Tatasciore Jim Ward Meagan Smith Paul Eiding Richard McGonagle Richard Steven Horvitz Steven Jay Blum
Theme music composer	Andy Sturmer
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	42 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Sam Register Mark Burton
Running time	22 minutes approx.
Original release
Network	Cartoon Network
Release	December 27, 2005 – Present

Ben 10 is an American animated television series created by "Man of Action" (a group consisting of Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle), and produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The pilot episode aired on 2005-12-27, as part of a sneak peek of Cartoon Network's new Saturday morning lineup. The second episode was shown as a special on Cartoon Network's Fridays on 2006-01-13, on which the first and second episodes were shown back-to-back. The theme song for the show was written by Andy Sturmer and sung by Moxy. The style is reminiscent of Jack Kirby, particularly the alien and technology designs and use of Kirby dots.

Plot

The show revolves around Ben Tennyson, his cousin Gwen, and his grandfather Max. During the start of their summer camping trip, Ben is nearly hit by an alien pod that fell from space and crashed next to him. When he examines it, he finds a mysterious, watch-like device, called the Omnitrix, stored inside. The device attaches to his wrist and gives him the ability to transform into a variety of alien lifeforms, each with their own unique powers, quite similar to DC's "Dial H for Hero" comic. Although Ben realizes that he has a responsibility to help others with these new abilities at his disposal, he is not above a little superpowered mischief now and then.

In the first season, the plot mainly focuses on the villain Vilgax, an evil alien warlord who wants to use the Omnitrix to conquer the galaxy. Having been injured at the start of the season, he sends various drones to get the Omnitrix until he is healed. After he was fully healed, he attempts to retrieve it himself, only to be stopped by Ben, Gwen and Max. Furthermore, it is hinted throughout the season that Max knows more about aliens than he lets on, culminating in the revelation that he and Vilgax had fought in the past.

The second season has a considerably looser plot, mostly following a "villain of the week" format. The few plot-centric episodes focus on Kevin, a super-powered teen with the power to absorb different types of energies, who meets Ben in the first season. Having inadvertently allowed Kevin to absorb the Omnitrix's ability during their first meeting, Kevin serves as an antithesis to Ben. A sociopath, Kevin eventually morphs into a hideous mish-mash of Ben's original ten forms and blames Ben for it. Vilgax also returns in the finale, having teamed up with Kevin in the hopes of succeeding where he failed originally. Again, he fails, and both he and Kevin are trapped in an alternate dimension, the Null Void. Another important event during this season is the destruction of Ghostfreak, one of Ben's original ten forms. Having escaped from the Omnitrix, he planned to possess Ben and use the power of the Omnitrix to begin his own legacy of conquest. However, he was defeated and destroyed by Ben.

The third season has a similar yet darker plot layout. Its few plot-centric episodes focus around aliens styled on traditional horror monsters that Ben acquires as new forms through their contact with the Omnitrix. Purple-colored lightning, caused by a teleportation device created by the Frankenstein-esque alien Doctor Vicktor, heralds their appearance. Vicktor, in turn, is loyal to Ghostfreak who was resurrected later in the third season. He plotted to shroud the earth in darkness with the use of a corrodium beam projected from a space station and expanded across the earth using a transmitter in New Mexico, thus allowing him to be at full power and rule over the planet. His attempt, however, was thwarted by Ben; he dies once more from direct exposure to the sun, but not before his DNA was restored to the Omnitrix.

Characters

Ben 10 has a wide array of characters and villains, both alien and human. Each has been the focus of one episode or another. Often, enemies will be main villains for the episode.

Omnitrix / Alien Forms

The Omnitrix is a watch-like alien device. When the button on the side is pressed, the face pops up and shows a silhouette of an alien. The face can then be twisted to select different aliens. By settling on a specific alien and pushing the face back down, the Omnitrix transforms the bearer into the alien they selected. However, the Omnitrix malfunctions frequently, transforming the bearer into an alien that was not the one selected on many occasions.

DVD releases

Movies

Two Ben 10 movies are planned to be released at different times during 2007. The first is a regular animated feature called Secret of the Omnitrix, in which Ben accidentally sets the Omnitrix to self-destruct and must track down its creator to stop it. A trailer of the movie was released with the movie Billy & Mandy: Wrath of the Spider Queen, and will air August 10, 2007. Michael Ouweleen described the film's villain as "like Darth Vader without the sense of humor."

The second is a live-action adaptation of the series called Ben 10 and the Hands of Armageddon. There are no specific details given about the plot. It is scheduled to premiere on Cartoon Network in autumn of 2007. The film will be directed by Alex Winter. Winter stated at the 2007 upfront presentation that he wants "this thing to look like X-Men," an epic adventure that will be "more cinematic than cartoony" and appeal to all ages. Production on the film is expected to finish in October. CG effects and characters have been confirmed, though Winter promises the film will feature "no Jar Jar."

Hero Generation

Cartoon Network has announced that a sequel series of the show with the pending title of Ben 10: Hero Generation that will premiere before spring 2008. The new series will focus on a slightly older Ben and Gwen, who serve as mentors to a younger generation of heroes with powers similar to Ben's Omnitrix-based ones. Though aimed at the same demographic, the series will reportedly address more mature issues than its predecessor.

Protector of Earth

This is the first Ben 10 video game that will be released in 2007.

Voice actors

References

1. "Moxy Music". Retrieved 2007-05-20.
2. "And Then There Were 10". Ben 10. Season 1. Episode 1. 2005-12-27. Cartoon Network. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began=, |ended=, and |city= (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
3. "Secrets". Ben 10. Season 1. Episode 13. 2006-03-25. Cartoon Network. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began=, |ended=, and |city= (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
4. "Back with a Vengeance". Ben 10. Season 2. Episode 13. 2006-10-09. Cartoon Network. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began=, |ended=, and |city= (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
5. "Be Afraid of the Dark". Ben 10. Season 3. Episode 38. 2007-04-14. Cartoon Network. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began=, |ended=, and |city= (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
6. Cartoon Network Upfront — Multi-platform Events
7. ^ Toon Zone article covering Cartoon Network Upfront in New York
8. Animation Insider article covering various Cartoon Network Upfront events
9. "CN Upfront: "Ben 10: Hero Generation" Announced". Retrieved 2007-05-20.

External links

• Official UK website
• Super Cartoon Network

• Ben 10
• 2005 television program debuts
• 2000s American television series
• Animated television series
• Cartoon Network shows
• Shapeshifting in fiction
• Science fiction television series