Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Cartoon Network reboots Ben 10; reboot series starting 10 October with Ben 10 back as a 10-year old boy - a decade after the hit show first started.
After starting Ben 10 in 2006, then growing him up in subsequent series and even doing movies and live-action films with the aged character, the Cartoon Network (DStv 301) is spinning the Omnitrix back 10 years to a time when Ben 10 was, well 10.
On 10 October (then 10th of the 10th month, get it?) Cartoon Network is rolling out the new-old, back-to-10 Ben 10 with the rebooted new Ben 10 series.
On 10 October Ben 10 will start on the Cartoon Network in South Africa and Africa, starting at 17:05 - months before it will be broadcast in America from April 2017.
The newly rebooted Ben 10 is a complete reinvention for a new generation of kids, with new episodes of the original character.
In the decade since it started, the hugely successful show that won 3 Emmys has spawned its own social moniker where a "Ben 10" has come to refer to a relationship between a woman with a much younger man.
While the world has moved on and seen things like the interactive Pokemon GO, it's the imaginative Ben 10 world where the character transforms into various alien creatures to save the universe that still captures the imagination of young viewers.
"Our African audience last saw 10-year old Ben Tennyson on 2006 and we decided to transition him back to the age of a goofy, unconventional kid-hero to target a brand-new audience," says Tramm Wigzell, the vice president for multi-platform at Cartoon Network.
"Ben will still transform into his signature mature aliens and fight all the villains that once plagued the city, but this time around he is more modern and relatable with younger fans, but also familiar to our die-hard fans.
"Ben is a character that grew with his audience, making him one of the most relatable cartoon heroes ever to feature on the channel and now we are rewinding the clock to captivate the next, new generation of Ben 10 viewers," says Tramm Wigzell.
"We are really excited - kids will meet a more modern, relatable 10-year old Ben. The show has always been about an average kid that finds himself in extraordinary circumstances - boy, girl, no matter your age, or cultural background, Ben 10 us relatable because anyone and everyone can be a hero in their own right."
"We think Ben's character is timeless and so it felt like the right time to bring him back. Our African audience can now look forward to a brand-new show,with all new scripts and a brand-new look and feel, in order to build a brand-new generation of Ben 10 fans," says Tramm Wigzell.
The new Ben 10 will see a reimagined Ben Tennyson, his cousin Gwen and Grandpa Max as they travel through America during their summer vacation.
When Ben finds the Omnitrix - a mysterious watch that transforms him into 10 different friendly aliens, an world of extra-terrestrial superpowers opens up to him.
The new Ben 10 is produced by Cartoon Network Studios.