There is no stopping the Tennysons!
At 15 years, ‘Ben 10’, from the creative group known as Man Action, is Cartoon Network’s longest-running franchise, involving animated reboots and films, a live-action movie, comic books and a very successful line of merchandise. A true legacy, and it’s time for a whole new generation to fall in love with the sci-fi/superhero franchise through a new movie, ‘Ben 10 vs The Universe: The Movie’, coming to cinemas in the UAE this weekend.
“I think at the end of the day, the show is just fun. It’s got a lot of heart. It is about family… Ben is nothing without his family. And that really speaks to a lot of people. But, also, it’s about defeating aliens and having fun while doing it,” said supervising producer Will Patrick in an exclusive interview with Gulf News over the phone from
In ‘Ben 10 vs The Universe: The Movie’, a pesky meteor is making its way towards Earth. Thankfully, a new feature in the Omnitrix (Ben Tennyson’s cool watch that allows him to turn into various alien forms) allows him to fly to space to avert the danger. But of course, the meteor is not the flaming pile of rocks that Ben was expecting, and this is where the movie really kicks off.
When asked if the pandemic had any effect on the production, Patrick said, “Yes and no. We had basically wrapped up recording by the time the happened. But most of the editing happened when we were all at home. But you know, we got through it. It wasn’t too bad compared to maybe some other productions.”
Ahead of the film’s release in the UAE on October 15, here’s everything you need to know about ‘Ben 10 vs The Universe: The Movie’.
Vilgax is the Big Bad Evil Guy and Ben’s going to space
The octopus-faced, galactic warlord known as Vilgax has been Ben’s archenemy forever, but Ben (voiced by the famous Tara Strong) now gets mistaken for the villain in space, and must stand trial while Vilgax terrorises Earth. Asked about why Vilgax makes such a good villain for the franchise, Patrick said, “Ben is terrified of tentacles and Vilgax is made entirely of tentacles! [Laughs.] So it kind of gets to his deepest fears. But on a larger scale, Vilgax is a supervillain warlord who has taken over many planets and Earth is just next in line. And you know, Ben is just a 10-year-old with this special watch [that gives him powers]. So yeah… Plus, we might find out a little more about Vilgax’s backstory.”
The stakes are higher than ever
The latest iteration of the ‘Ben 10’ animated series on Cartoon Network, which kicked off in 2016, is a lighter and snappier version of the original, really leaning into its sense of adventure and humour. But the new movie definitely takes a more serious tone, says Patrick. “Ben’s going out into space. And he gets separated from his family, which like I said earlier is his strength. So he’s really stepping out of his comfort zone in a big way and he’s working in an environment that he’s not used to. And you know, he’s facing Vilgax again. So it’s pretty high stakes,” says Patrick.
Azmuth, from the original series, returns for the movie
A Galvan Prime native, Azmuth (voiced by David Kaye) is the creator of the Omnitrix, the watch-like device that gives Ben his alien powers. The character’s DNA also allows Ben to transform into the tiny-but-formidable alien form Gray Matter. “I like grumpy Azmuth, who doesn’t really care for Ben too much at first. Azmuth is one of my favourite characters from the original series, so he was very personal to me,” Patrick said about the character in a separate interview with SyFy Wire.
Kevin Levin gets his moment to shine
Ben’s rival Kevin Levin (voiced by Greg Cipes), who also invented the Antitrix, has been a fan-favourite character for years; and in ‘Ben 10 vs The Universe: The Movie’, the character gets his chance to protect Earth while Ben deals with more interstellar troubles. Teaming up with him are Ben’s cousin Gwen (Montse Hernandez), Grandpa Max (Kaye) and Max’s buddy Phil (John DiMaggio).
Get to see some spanking-new armour on Ben’s popular alien forms
While Ben himself gets the cool new Omni-Naut armour that allows him to blast off into space, his alien versions like Humungosaur, Heatblast and Shock Rock also get spanking new armour that gives them upgraded powers.
This is not the end of the road for Ben and his family
“The summer’s not over, so there’ll be more adventures to be had, of course. That’s about all I can say for now,” Patrick said, not revealing further details.
Don’t miss it!
‘Ben 10 vs The Universe: The Movie’ is releasing in UAE cinemas on October 15.
