Top 10 Worst Things About the Ben 10 Reboot
The 2016 Ben 10 reboot is just another poor reboot of an awesome Cartoon Network show. It is one of the worst Cartoon Network shows of this year, and here's why.I never wanted a reboot. I wanted to see Ben grow up. He was my childhood cartoon hero, and I always loved how I first saw him as a kid, then as a teen - heck, I even saw him as a man.
Forget that. I want to see Ben grow up. If kids want Ben 10, then maybe just bring back the Ben 10 we know and love.
Let's face it, it's tiring to see even a fictional character you love stay the same. It makes you feel like you're being left out. You get to grow old. They don't because they're cartoons. But the Ben 10 series before brought us happiness and a sense of closeness to a beloved character.
Also, I think that breakup with Julie in Omniverse is crap. Did Ben not even try to get to her? They could've at least shown more detail. They really had chemistry, and Julie's been with Ben longer than anyone else from what I can remember. I feel like throwing all that away was a big waste.
I hope they could give their relationship another chance. How about it? Ben goes single for a very long time to show how much he has grown into a man independent from romantic relationships until he meets Julie once more.
I'm just thinking out loud here. But hey, Old Ben 10 and Benlie for the win.
Why do so many Cartoon Network Originals nowadays use almost the exact same art style? The trend started with Adventure Time in 2010, and now every CN Original show features the same art style: noodle legs and arms, jellybean teeth, and thick outlines. Heck, when I first saw a promo for We Bare Bears, I thought it was Adventure Time.
Ben 10 (2016) has shinier hair, and the skin isn't just one flat color. But if you make the characters less detailed, they look exactly like characters from other modern CN shows. I also think the art style is babyish. It looks like it could be from a Nick Jr. show.
The backgrounds also look very unfinished. In scenes with crowds, the crowds look like multicolored circles rather than actual people. It's true.
I like the original theme song because of how memorable and iconic it was. "It started when an alien device did what it did..." It was so catchy, it had cool sci-fi effects, and I think it's one of the greatest cartoon theme songs of all time.
In the 2016 theme song, all it does is count off Ben's aliens while repeatedly screaming "Ben 10!" over and over. How are today's kids supposed to know why Ben can turn into aliens? In the original 2005 theme song, it explains how the Omnitrix got onto Ben's wrist and that it allows him to turn into different aliens. The reboot's theme song doesn't explain any of that.
I usually don't have a problem with silly TV shows, but the fact that this is yet another Cartoon Network reboot that focuses more on comedy than action does nothing more than add insult to injury. The 2005 Ben 10 had great action and cool aliens. The Ben 10 reboot is now 3% action and 97% comedy, like TTG and PPG 2016.
Exactly! And that makes it similar to the Omniverse shows. Therefore, I like Alien Force and Ultimate Alien better because they're more serious and mature. Besides, comedy no longer interests me, while action does and always will.
No way. It's worse than boring - it's childish!
The original Ben 10 was on a different level in all aspects. But now this reboot sucks, sucks, sucks.
From what I've heard, there have actually been poor toy reviews, as if the negative reception of the show itself wasn't already bad enough. While I have nothing against merchandise, as I do occasionally like to get some based on franchises I enjoy, such as anime series I've watched and video games like Pokémon, merchandise doesn't make a good show.
To think Sym-Bionic Titan got screwed by the network all because it couldn't get a toy merchandise line. Bah, Christina Miller is no different from Stuart Snyder from this perspective, as she seems to care more about making money with merchandise than creating good shows. The only exception seems to be OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, since she's both investing in the animated TV series and the video game series based on this new franchise.
Other than that, she's got a long way to go if she wants to earn the praise of Cartoon Network's old fans. Miller aside, Ben 10 (2016) only exists as an example of the worst of the Miller era these days.
I know people hate Gwen in the 2005 series for being rude to Ben, but here's the thing: Gwen was specifically designed to be a foil to Ben because of how dumb Ben can be sometimes. But in the reboot, Gwen became nice - too nice. She only exists in the show to be a follower and to agree with everything Ben says.
I think that the term "Gwen agreeing with everything Ben says" means that she will agree with the useless statements he makes, including his personality.
The Newcomers
In the original 2005 series, Grandpa Max was my favorite character because of how cool he was. He was an interesting, alien-vanquishing hero. He was skilled in combat and had an odd taste in food. He was also there to break up the arguments between Ben and Gwen.
Now, he is completely useless. The show would actually still be the same if he wasn't in it. Just like Ben and Gwen, they completely destroyed his character. Destroyed it, like in the other Cartoon Network reboots.
Grandpa Max not being voiced by Paul Eiding is just wrong. He is Max, and that is what we need. I like you, David Kaye, but please do other work.
Yeah, he does kinda look like he did in that episode, Don't Drink the Water, I think it's called.
The difference between TTG and Ben 10 is that TTG got good ratings, and that's why it gets marathoned. Meanwhile, Ben 10 didn't even become a huge hit with audiences, and CN still marathons it anyway. Heck, if you turn on Cartoon Network right now, there is a likely chance that Ben 10 is showing.
Why would you take inspiration from two of Cartoon Network's most reviled programs in recent years?
For starters, the Ben 10 reboot puts more emphasis on comedy than action like the other two shows. Like PPG 2016, they changed the voice actors for no reason, and it tries too hard to be hip. All three of them have lazy animation and sell tons of toys. Plus, the Ben 10 reboot is 11 minutes instead of 22 minutes, just like the other shows.
Tara Strong still voices Ben, but all of the other voice actors have been replaced. They didn't even call the original voice actors to reprise their roles. What in the world? It's clear that this is following in the footsteps of the PPG reboot since they changed the voice actors in that show too. At least in TTG, they got the original voice actors back.
Rath should have been voiced by John DiMaggio!
It's just not the same without his iconic shirt from the first one.
Why didn't they use the original 10 aliens? They removed Wildmutt, Ripjaws, and Ghostfreak, and replaced them with Cannonbolt, Wildvine, and a new alien called Overflow, which is basically a ripoff of Water Hazard. And the worst? They redesigned Stinkfly and made him look human - I mean, come on!
Ben used to be a little bit mature by saving dozens of people when he was 10, taking down bad guys, and when he was 15 - 16, he matured up like an adult. When the reboot started, there he goes down the drain.
One significant point that fellow YouTuber Athemoracy made in his Ben 10 (2016) video was that the reboot doesn't do anything to explain Ben's origins to newer viewers.
Only older viewers who are familiar with the Ben 10 franchise would know about them, and even they would likely be turned off by the reboot's shoddy production values and lackluster episode plots. For newer viewers, since they know nothing of Ben's origins, it's essentially creating an audience-alienating premise and not really providing them with anything informative about the franchise's lore.
What this ultimately does is solidify Ben 10 (2016) as a corporate cash grab, a pathetic reboot of a beloved first installment in a beloved franchise, in a desperate attempt to sell toys and garner ratings. Oh, and it's another one of Christina Miller's biggest blunders during her presidency at Cartoon Network.
Just like PPG 2016, the new Ben 10 clearly has the "It's just a kids' show" vibe and was clearly made by old white executives in suits who are trying too hard to be hip with the kids.