Adventure Time (originally titledAdventure Time with Finn & Jake[2]) is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward forCartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada), a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake(voiced by John DiMaggio), a dog with magical powers to change shape and grow and shrink at will. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo. Along the way, they interact with the other main characters of the show:Princess Bubblegum (voiced by Hynden Walch), The Ice King (voiced by Tom Kenny), and Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson).
The series is based on a short produced for Nicktoons and Frederator Studios' animation incubator seriesRandom! Cartoons. After the short became a viral hit on the internet, Cartoon Network picked it up for a full-length series that previewed on March 11, 2010, and officially premiered on April 5, 2010. The series, which is heavily inspired by the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons as well as video games, is produced via hand-drawn animation. Episodes are created through the process ofstoryboarding, and a single episode takes roughly eight to nine months to complete, although whole episodes are worked on at the same time. TheAdventure Time cast records their lines together in group recordings as opposed to different recording sessions with each voice actor, and the series also regularly employs guest actors and actresses for minor and recurring characters.
Each Adventure Time episode is about eleven minutes in length; pairs of episodes are often telecast in order to fill a half-hour program time slot. The series has completed four seasons, and is currently in the middle of its fifth, which debuted on November 12, 2012; it has also aired 142 episodes. Ever since its debut, Adventure Time has been a ratings success for Cartoon Network. As of March 2013, the show is viewed by approximately 2 to 3 million viewers per week. The show has received positive reviews from critics and has developed a strong following among teenagers and adults, many of whom are attracted due to the series' animation, stories and characters.Adventure Time has also been nominated for eight Annie Awards, fivePrimetime Emmy Awards with one win, two Critics' Choice Television Awards, and a Sundance Film Festival Award, among others. In 2013, the series won a Motion Picture Sound Editors Award, and its comic book spin-off won anEisner Award and two Harvey Awards. In addition, the series has also produced various clothing and merchandise, video games, comic books, and DVD compilations.
