Animated television has reached a higher standard of quality over the last couple of years. Shows like “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, “Gravity Falls” and “Steven Universe” are gaining the respect the medium so necessarily deserves. These shows not only tell original stories with complex characters and mature, clever writing but they do so with the use of animation, enabling them to be as grand, epic and imaginitive as needed. In 2019, “Infinity Train” was brought to our screens and has since then spawned two more seasons, one of which is currently being aired now. Here is why it’s the best show you’re not watching.

Created by Owen Dennis, “Infinity Train” is an animated anthology series which revolves around this mysterious train and the many passengers that get stuck on it. Each season we follow a new protagonist who has to find their way out of the train however their are a number of obstacles that prevent them from doing so. Each passenger gets a glowing number on their hand which either decreases or increases based on their actions. The other problem is that there are an endless amount of train cars, hence the title. If in any inexplicable way, this amazing premise has not intrigued you, the show has much more going for it.

Regardless of themes and maturity, animation is a medium which constantly gets overlooked because it’s thought of as only children’s entertainment. As we know by now, there is a variety of animated content aimed at different audiences. “Infinity Train” is a show which can be consumed by any age. There is something to be enjoyed by both younger and older audiences. Younger viewers will get a kick out of the bright, gorgeous visuals and fast-paced storytelling while the older viewers will appreciate the mature themes and how dark the show is willing to get to truly work. Each passenger goes through something they would rather forget whether that be their parent’s divorce or even the death of their partner. The show tackles a lot of tough topics like divorce, loss, abandonment and validating one’s existence. It portrays these themes maturely and never panders to the younger audience. It treats these subjects as they are, difficult, intimidating and at times, even terrifying. It doesn’t offer an immediate solution to those events but it does show the characters working their way through these challenging times and coming out a better person, for the most part.

Aside from it’s mature themes, the show is also incredibly dark when it wants to be. This train is not a joke, no one is safe. Being part of the relatively small but strong fandom, we freaked out several times when the show would include such dark scenes. This show kills like no other and it’s shocking and ballsy. It’s also not a one-time thing, this happens pretty often actually. That being said, Infinity Train’s use of dark imagery isn’t the only thing which makes it a dark show. I talked about this on my Book 1 review on Animation Addiction. There is a specific scene which stands out to me. Basically it’s two parents telling their daughter that they’re getting a divorce. I felt like I was watching a scene from my own life play on screen. It captures the world-crumbling feeling of that situation perfectly. Even with the other themes that I don’t necessarily relate to like abandonment and feeling like you don’t have an identity, the show writes it’s characters as real as possible. Infinity Train allows it’s characters to experience real-life situations just be.

Another advantage of using animation is that you can get the perfect look to match the story and the music, this show is no different. When it comes to the unique character designs and hauntingly beautiful backgrounds, Infinity Train creates an atmosphere you can’t dare not stepping into. The incredible musical score by Chrome Canyon is honestly one of the best scores I’ve ever heard for an animated show. The epic, synthy theme intertwined with this mysterious premise is truly an alluring combination. The way the train itself is incorporated into the score is genius. The train itself is easily one of the most brilliant and iconic sci-fi vehicles in all of entertainment for me. It’s up there with the DeLorean. The worlds created in each car of the train are always a visual treat. The creatures that inhabit the train and the world outside of the train add a layer of depth to this world. I cannot praise the creative world-building of this show enough. All of this being said, there really isn’t any reason for you not to watch Infinity Train.

In fact, if this interested you in any way, supporting the show might actually give it a chance of continuing. The fact that we got three incredible seasons from this show is honestly miraculous. The show even though originally planned to debut on HBO Max, debuted on Cartoon Network for it’s first two seasons then moved over to HBO Max once it launched. Ever since the move, access to the show has been quite limited and so has the talk about it and if we want more seasons from this wonderful show, we need to support it. The third season has premiered it’s final two episodes today so if you can binge it all on HBO Max and tweet about it using the hashtag #InfinityTrainHBOMax, it would help the show out a lot. We need HBO Max to know that we care about this show and that we want more so help spread the word and get people to board the Infinity Train!

The logo leads straight to it’s HBO Max page!