‘Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal’ Wins Emmy For Outstanding Animated Program
by Tito W. James
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal won the 2021 Emmy award for “Outstanding Animated Program.” The episode, titled “Plague of Madness” and storyboarded by David Krentz, made a huge impact on audiences and critics alike. The adult animated series follows a caveman and a dinosaur, Spear and Fang, trying to survive in a harsh primordial world. Since it’s debut in 2019, Primal has been applauded for Tartakovsky’s signature non-verbal storytelling, Joel Valentine’s superb sound design, Tyler Bates’s evocative score, and Scott Wills’s atmospheric background design. The animation, produced by Studio La Cachette, adds a gritty, heavy linework aesthetic reminiscent of the 1970s’ transgressive animation trend. As we continue into the Great Adult Animation Boom, Primal will no doubt be seen by future artistic scholars as proof that animation is a medium not a genre.
Congratulations Genndy Tartakovsky and the entire Primal creative team!
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal is now streaming on HBO Max.