Aug 23, 2022

'Infinity Train' creator says Warner Bros. Discovery's 'unprofessional, disrespectful ....... Warner Bros. Discovery's "slimy" tactics.

Owen Dennis, creator and showrunner of "Infinity Train," has written an honest, sometimes heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful 2,500-word essay about his feelings and what he knows about the show's removal from HBO Max in a Substack Submissions.

The removal of "Infinity Train" and the dozens of other shows removed from HBO Max came as a shock to Dennis, as it did to everyone else. As he explained in his post, "Neither I, nor the other show creators I spoke with, nor their agents knew it was coming."

According to Dennis, everything related to or mentioning the show was removed from HBO Max and Cartoon Network, their Twitter accounts, Youtube accounts, and all music streaming services. The show is still available (as of this writing) on iTunes, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Google Play. It is important to point out that he does not know how long it will be available on any of these services, and there is no guarantee that those who have purchased the digital version will be able to watch it indefinitely. He said that he has been assured by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) that the show will not be removed from any paid season/episode service, regardless of the value of the recent guarantee. 5]

He said that neither he nor anyone close to him knows why the show was removed from HBO Max. After admitting that he had received assurances from WBD that the show was not being used for the tax credit loophole that many associate with Batgirl and Scooby!

After admitting he did not know why the show was removed from HBO Max from WBD, he said he received assurances from WBD that the show was not being used for a tax credit loophole that many associate with Batgirl and Scooby: Holiday Hunt

"Is this true and will it continue?" he asks. 'I don't know either, but the end date for the tax credit is the beginning of September, so that might give you an idea.'

When discussing the future availability of the program, Dennis says that aside from unreliable assurances from WBD that the program will remain available for digital purchase, he is working with management to come up with a more accessible future for Infinity Train.

Regarding his own feelings about what is happening at WBD, Dennis says, "It sucks ...... I think the Discovery way is incredibly unprofessional, disrespectful, and just downright slimy. I think most people who make something feel that way. Throughout the industry, talent is angry, agents are angry, lawyers and managers are angry, even the execs at these companies are angry. I'm a person in animation and entertainment who brings up these stories and says, 'What the hell are you doing?'

And why would anyone want to work with them again, he asks. 'You spend years building something, you spend nights and weekends doing their terrible notes, you lose sleep, you don't get to see your family.

This is certainly not Dennis' only opinion, especially among those who worked on programs that are now inaccessible because of WBD.

Dennis' full post can be found on his Substack, including instructions on what fans can (or cannot) do to keep the program alive.

Finally, Dennis concludes:

I've also been very moved to see the wonderful, heartfelt things people have said about "Infinity Train" online. Many of my friends and I, as well as former crew members of "Infinity Train," have been sharing with each other images, texts, and emails we have received about the show. Thank you so much. I'll keep trying to get more made somehow.