Genndy Tartakovsky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Genndy Tartakovsky
Tartakovsky at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2018
Born	Gennady Borisovich Tartakovsky (1970-01-17) 17 January 1970 (age 55) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Nationality	Russian American
Education	California Institute of the Arts
Occupation	Animator writer producer director voice actor
Years active	1988–present
Known for	Dexter's Laboratory Samurai Jack Star Wars: Clone Wars Sym-Bionic Titan Hotel Transylvania Primal Unicorn: Warriors Eternal
Spouse(s)	Dawn David ​ (m. 2000)​
Children	3
Signature

Gennady Borisovich "Genndy" Tartakovsky (born January 17, 1970) is a famous American animator, writer, producer, and director. He was born in the Soviet Union. He is best known for creating many popular animated TV shows for Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. These shows include Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Sym-Bionic Titan, Primal, and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal.

For Sony Pictures Animation, he directed the first three Hotel Transylvania movies. He also helped write the fourth film in the series. Genndy Tartakovsky is currently working on two animated movies for adults called Fixed and Black Knight. He also played a big part in making The Powerpuff Girls. He worked on other shows like 2 Stupid Dogs and Batman: The Animated Series. Tartakovsky is known for his special animation style. It often features fast action, some scary parts, and not much talking.

Throughout his career, Tartakovsky has won many awards. These include five Emmy Awards and three Annie Awards. He has also received other honors for his amazing work.

Early Life and Education

Genndy Tartakovsky was born on January 17, 1970, in Moscow. His family was Jewish. His father was a dentist for government officials and the Soviet ice hockey team. Genndy felt his father was strict but they were close. His mother, Miriam, was an assistant principal at a school. He has an older brother, Alexander, who works with computers.

Before moving to the United States, his family lived in Italy. There, Genndy first became interested in art. He was inspired by a neighbor's daughter. He later said he was not very good at drawing at first.

When he was seven, his family moved to the United States. They were worried about how Jewish people were treated in Italy. The family first lived in Columbus, Ohio, then moved to Chicago. Genndy loved the comics he found there. His first comic was an issue of Super Friends.

School was a bit hard for him at first because he was new to the country. He went to Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago. When he was 16, his father passed away. After this, Genndy and his family moved to government-supported housing. He started working while still going to high school.

Genndy's family wanted him to be a businessman. He tried to take an advertising class but ended up in an animation class. This led him to study film at Columbia College Chicago. Later, he moved to Los Angeles to study animation at the California Institute of the Arts. There, he met his friend Rob Renzetti and also Craig McCracken. At CalArts, Genndy made two student films. One of them became the idea for Dexter's Laboratory. After two years, he got a job in Spain working on Batman: The Animated Series. While he was in Spain, his mother also passed away.

Animation Career Highlights

Starting at Hanna-Barbera

Craig McCracken got a job at Hanna-Barbera for the show 2 Stupid Dogs. He suggested they hire Rob Renzetti and Genndy Tartakovsky. This was a big moment for Genndy's career. Hanna-Barbera let Genndy, Craig, Rob, and Paul Rudish work in a small building in the studio's parking lot. There, Genndy began creating his most famous works.

Dexter's Laboratory grew from a student film he made at the California Institute of the Arts. Genndy also helped write and draw for the Dexter's Laboratory comic books. He also helped produce The Powerpuff Girls. He directed some episodes and was the animation director for The Powerpuff Girls Movie. Both Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls were nominated for Emmy Awards many times.

Samurai Jack and Star Wars

Genndy Tartakovsky created the action-adventure series Samurai Jack. It first aired in 2001. He also wrote comics for this show. Samurai Jack won him an Emmy Award in 2004.

Star Wars creator George Lucas hired Genndy to direct Star Wars: Clone Wars. This animated series took place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The series won three Emmy Awards in 2004 and 2005. Genndy was not involved in the later 2008 follow-up series.

New Projects and Feature Films

In 2005, Tartakovsky became the creative president of Orphanage Animation Studios. He was chosen to direct a sequel to The Dark Crystal in 2006, but that project did not happen. He also directed a pilot episode for Korgoth of Barbaria in 2006. It aired on Adult Swim but was not made into a full series. He also directed anti-smoking commercials.

Tartakovsky in 2012 at the AIAFF

In 2009, it was announced that Genndy would write and direct a Samurai Jack movie. However, the project was put on hold. Genndy created a new series for Cartoon Network called Sym-Bionic Titan (2010–2011). He hoped to make more seasons, but the show was not continued. In 2011, an animated introduction by Tartakovsky for the movie Priest was released online.

In 2011, Tartakovsky joined Sony Pictures Animation. He made his first full-length movie there, Hotel Transylvania (2012). In 2012, he signed a deal with Sony to create and direct his own projects. He was also set to direct an animated Popeye movie. He even showed an "animation test" in 2014. But in 2015, he announced he was no longer working on the Popeye project. He then started on an original story called Can You Imagine?, but it was also canceled.

Tartakovsky directed Hotel Transylvania 2, which came out in 2015. In 2015, Adult Swim announced that Genndy would return for a final season of Samurai Jack. He took a break from Sony Pictures Animation for this. After Samurai Jack finished in 2017, he went back to Sony. He directed Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018). After its success, two new projects were announced: an adult comedy called Fixed and an action-adventure film called Black Knight.

In 2019, Adult Swim ordered a new series from Tartakovsky called Primal. It is about a caveman and a dinosaur. It started airing on October 7, 2019.

In 2020, it was announced that his Popeye project might be brought back. Genndy later said he wasn't working on it yet and needed funding. He also helped develop the video game Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, released in 2020.

On October 28, 2020, a new series by him called Unicorn: Warriors Eternal was announced. It is about a group of teen heroes. It takes ideas from world mythology and is for all ages. It aired on Cartoon Network and HBO Max. Genndy described it as an "extension of everything that I've done from Dexter to Powerpuff to Samurai Jack."

In 2022, Tartakovsky signed a big deal with Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation. This allows him to create and produce animated shows for different platforms. He can use his own characters or characters from Warner Bros. Discovery. In 2023, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal moved to Adult Swim. Genndy also said he would not make a Dexter's Laboratory reboot. This was because the original voice actor for Dexter, Christine Cavanaugh, had passed away.

Personal Life

Genndy Tartakovsky married Dawn David in 2000. They have three children together.

Filmography

Television

Films

Short films

Other works

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Genndy Tartakovsky para niños