Premiering tonight on Adult Swim (Cartoon Network’s weird older brother) is Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland‘s Rick & Morty.  The half-hour animated series is about a “sociopathic scientist who drags his unintelligent grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe.”  The show features the voices of Roiland, Chris Parnell,Spencer Grammer, and Sarah Chalke.

Last week I landed an extended video interview with Harmon and Roiland.  They talked about making the pilot, the evolution of the show in future episodes, network input, how the two of them share responsibilities, their writing process, the show’s use of sci-fi and how it helps to develop their stories, staying away from satire, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block of programming has always pushed the envelop when it comes to comedic content.  Bizarre and abstract don’t even begin to explain series like Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Aqua Teen Hunger Force or Squidbillies.  But what all of these shows have in common is both newness (either a new take on an old cartoon, like Harvey, or an entirely new concept, like Aqua Teen) and charm.  Squidbillies is full of vulgar and violent humor, but it’s grounded by the singularity of a character like Early, with his horrible homespun wisdom, as well as the show’s biting satire.  All this to say that when it comes to the new half hour comedy Rick and Morty, well … hit the jump for more.

Returning as shorts during Cartoon Network’s DC Nation, fans had already gotten a taste of Teen Titans Go! Featuring the same cast of characters and voice actors from the Teen Titans show that aired several years ago, the shorts focused on the comedy and chibi elements that permeated the original series.  Featuring steady laughs and solid character design, the shorts were well received, so it was little surprise when Cartoon Network announced a full half hour show.  At the DC Nation panel and press day for Comic Con International this year, fans and press got a chance to learn more about the upcoming series.

In a short video interview, Executive Producers Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic talked briefly about the new show.  The duo talked the differences between Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!, the similarities between the new show and MAD, as well as what fans were already saying about the show based on the shorts and a handful of promotional images.  Check out the full interview after the jump.

Once Batman: Brave and the Bold left the air, fans knew it was only a matter of time before the Dark Knight returned to Cartoon Network.  When the new show Beware the Batman was announced and a promotional image appeared fans began the usual chatter.  The initial image featured a grim Batman, a gun toting Alfred, as well as two villains from Grant Morrison’s energetic and borderline insane Black Glove storyline: Professor Pyg and Mister Toad.  While fan reaction was mixed, the buzz was already starting to pick up steam when Cartoon Network brought DC Nation to a panel and press day for Comic Con 2012 this year.

Though Beware the Batman is still a ways off from premiering, Executive Producers Glen Murakami and Mitch Watson had plenty to say about the new show.  In a brief video interview the duo talked about the difference between creating comedy and drama, getting to the essence of character, handing off their previous creations to new creators, and what an entirely new (to TV) Rogues Gallery will reveal about Batman himself.  Check out the video after the jump.

In anticipation of their 20th birthday celebration later this year, Cartoon Network is starting the party in San Diego this July at Comic-Con 2012.  Their special guests will include panels for Regular Show, Adventure Time, Star Wars: Clone Wars and the animated series based on DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon titled, Dragons: Riders of Berk. For those of you who aren’t able to attend the con, Cartoon Network will also be hosting the “Big Fan Weekend” on July 14th and 15th where they will show first looks and sneak peeks at upcoming shows.  There are plenty more shows where that came from, so be sure to hit the jump to check out who else will be gracing the halls of the San Diego Convention Center this July 12th through 15th. 

Darth Maul kicked some Jedi ass when we last saw him on the animated series Clone Wars and now he’s continuing his comeback looking even more intimidating in the new trailer for the fifth season of the series which seems to outdo the prequel films in many ways. In addition to the return of one of the saga’s most favorite, and poorly utilized villains, Mandalorian terrorist Pre Vizsla (voiced by Jon Favreau) is back looking for some vengeance of his own after Count Dooku decided to cut the killer loose after he failed to assassinate Obi-Wan Kenobi’s old love interest Duchess Satine. Armed with his kick-ass Darksaber, Vizsla isn’t going to go down without a fight. Honestly, this trailer might be the best thing from the Star Wars universe in a long time. Watch it after the jump!

The future of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s weird older brother, just got a little bit clearer, as the cable network has announced a bevy of new pilots that will compete for a schedule spot in 2012-2013. The most prominent of the bunch are an untitled animated continuation of the pot-fueled adventures of Harold & Kumar and Rick & Morty, a comedy from Community creator, Dan Harmon. The former is being scripted by franchise writers (and directors of Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay) Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg and will see stars John Cho and Kal Penn giving voice to animated versions of themselves. Rick & Morty, meanwhile, follows the adventures of an inventor and his dimwitted grandson. Hit the jump for more.

Seth Green and his crew behind Robot Chicken have already skewered the Star Wars universe several times over with entire specials dedicated to mocking George Lucas and the classic sci-fi saga. Now the stop-motion animated comedy series has their sights set on DC Comics as Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim will present a Robot Chicken special featuring Seth Green as Batman, Robin and Aquaman, Paul Reubens as The Riddler, Neil Patrick Harris as Two-Face, Alfred Molina as Lex Luthor, Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern, Megan Fox as Lois Lane, and Breckin Meyer as Superman. More after the jump!

I watched so many episodes of Batman: The Animated Series so many times as a kid.  But I lost touch with the cartoon caped crusader around the time Batman Beyond premiered.  Now may be a good time to reconnect, since Cartoon Network is introducing the new series Beware the Batman in 2013 to replace Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which signed off the air last year.  Beware the Batman will have some fun with the traditional mythology.  Robin is more or less replaced by the lady samurai Katana.  Alfred will take on a more active role as an ex-secret agent.  And they’re going to the deep bench for the villains, like Anarky, Professor Pyg, Mister Toad, King Kraken, and Magpie.

To get a better sense of what’s in store, hit the jump to watch the new teaser trailer.

DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon was one of my favorite films of 2010, and now the studio is set to unveil a television series based on the film called Dragons. The show has been in the works for a while now, but it’s finally set to air this fall on Cartoon Network and the first trailers for Dragons have gone online. The trailers are actually interspersed with a bit of footage from the movie, but the TV scenes are pretty evident when they pop up (ie. TV animation ≠ film animation). Executive producer Tim Johnson previously talked a bit about their direction for the show early last year:

“We’re actually going a little darker, a little more dramatic, much like the film.  The goal was not to change it or lighten it for a TV series.  The goal is to stay true to it in a TV series and that was actually fairly changing.”

The trailers don’t exactly look “dark,” but it’s nice to hear that they’re not completely switching up the genre for the TV iteration. How to Train Your Dragon 2 is still on the way, but we have to wait until June 2014 for its release. Until then, we’ve got the impending series to tide us over. Hit the jump to watch the trailers.

While you may not be familiar with the name “Aardman Animations,” you’re most certainly familiar with their work. The studio is responsible for films like Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, and Arthur Christmas, as well as the upcoming The Pirates! Band of Misfits. Their films are teeming with their definitive oddball sense of humor, and they’ve translated that goofiness into a fantastic series of shorts for Cartoon Network’s DC Nation block of programming.

A look at what they have in store for some of our favorite superheroes is now online, and it’s hilariously adorable. The studio takes on Superman, Batman, Catwoman, and Joker in this short, but all the claymation characters are voiced by children. British children. Hit the jump for a jolt of happiness.

This weekend, New York Comic-Con attendees got a first look at the trailer for the upcoming animated feature Justice League: Doom as well as the opening scene from Green Lantern: The Animated Series.  I like that Doom is bringing back almost all the voice actors from Justice League, but the trailer is mostly just action scenes and corny one-liners.  Also, I didn’t realize the new Legion of Doom is six people, which is kind of dinky when compared to the twenty or thirty featured in Justice League Unlimited.  Green Lantern looks more interesting since right from the get-go we’re introduced to members of the Red Lantern Corps.  It may be a bit confusing to those who don’t know the character beyond this summer’s disappointing blockbuster, but I assume there will be some kind of exposition in the hour-long premiere.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and the opening scene.  Justice League Doom is due out on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD in early 2012.  Green Lantern: The Animated Series premieres November 11th at 7/6c on Cartoon Network.

While DC may not always knock the ball out of the park with their feature film offerings, it’s fairly safe to say that their Animated Television projects have been almost universally hailed as excellent.  With the Green Lantern Corps getting the spotlight this summer in a feature film, video game, and direct to home entertainment animated film, DC looks to once again storm TV screens with a new 3D CGI series Green Lantern: The Animated Series destined for Cartoon Network.  Comic Con alumnus and DC Animated architect Bruce Timm was joined by series producers Jim Krieg and Giancarlo Volpe in the press room and we were able to talk to all of them.  Watch our video interviews after the jump.

If you’re a fan of the property, chances are you already know that the ThunderCats will be returning to television courtesy of Cartoon Network. Although the series doesn’t debut until a week from today (Friday, July 29^th), the network screened the debut episode at Comic-Con in Room 6A. For my thoughts on the screening and the ensuing panel, hit the jump. [Warning: Spoilers may lie ahead]

Captain Planet was a cartoon from the mid-90s that conjures up great nostalgia for those who watched it and pledged never to pollute ever again.  That’s why the Earth is as clean as it is right now: because of a cartoon where teenagers summoned a flying blue man to beat up polluters.  Now we’ve received a press release announcing that producer Don Murphy (Transformers: Dark of the Moon) and Cartoon Network are developing a live-action Captain Planet movie.

For those unfamiliar with the series, five teenagers across the globe, called “Planeteers”, received special rings that bestowed superpowers and together the rings could summon Captain Planet.  Individually, four of the rings could summon useful elements: Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. The fifth ring was “Heart” aka “We Ran out of Ancient Elements”.  The Heart kid had the power to make people care and to speak with animals.  Maybe his power needs to be readjusted for the film.  However, he also had a pet monkey, so they have to keep that.  Hit the jump for the press release.