Samurai Jack: “Less can be more”

We live in a time when you think that more equals better, when in reality, you can do more with less.

In 2001, a series premiered on Cartoon Network screens that did the opposite, playing with the concept of minimalism, this series is Samurai Jack, which tells the story of a young prince from a feudal kingdom of Japan, whose empire has been destroyed by a fallen demon from the heavens named Aku, who challenges a duel and when he is about to defeat, the demon opens a portal to the future and sends the samurai there.

The series was created by the animator Genndy Tartakovsky, who is also the creator of Dexter’s Laboratory, The Mini Series "Star Wars: Clone Wars", Sym-Bionic Titan, and Primal.

In Samurai Jack, the technical aspect is similar to a painting, Tartakovsky wanted for the show a minimalist style inspired by the Disney movies of the 50s, this added to a cinematography that was not common for a cartoon of the 2000s, manipulating the screen to attract the viewer’s gaze to specific points.

Alice In Wonderland (1951)

  

While everyone today tries to experiment with vivid color palettes, Samurai Jack had already done so in his day, seeking to convey more things with the most feared color: white, a color that is often avoided because of how complicated it is to handle by its psychology and feeling of emptiness. In addition, the series takes its time by marking its rhythm based on silence, thus achieving the construction of the action and the characters.