"Adventure Time" is an animated short film created by Pendleton Ward, as well as the pilot to the Cartoon Network series of the same name. The short follows the adventures of Pen (voiced by Zack Shada), a human boy, and his best friend Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio), a dog with magical powers to change shape and grow and shrink at will. In this episode, Pen and Jake have to rescue Princess Bubblegum (voiced by Paige Moss) from the antagonistic Ice King (voiced by John Kassir).
"Adventure Time" first aired on Nicktoons on January 11, 2007, and later was showed in Fred Seibert's Random! Cartoons series showcase on December 7, 2008, subsequently leading to the creation of the animated series. It was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject. The short and the later-produced television series share elements, but the two differ slightly in setting, conception and continuity, especially in regard to the post-apocalyptic setting, which is only featured in the television series.
Plot
The short focused on a boy named Pen (later renamed Finn in the television series) and a dog named Jake as they learn from the Rainicorn that the Ice King has kidnapped Princess Bubblegum, in the hope of marrying her. Declaring that it's "Adventure Time", Pen and Jake set off to the Ice King's mountain lair. Pen and the Ice King fight while Jake remains outside flirting with Lady Rainicorn, ignoring the battle. Just when Pen seems to be gaining the upper hand, the Ice King uses his "frozen lightning bolts" to freeze Pen in a block of ice. For unexplained reasons, this transports Pen's mind back in time, and to Mars, where he has a short motivational conversation with Abraham Lincoln. After being told to believe in himself, Pen's mind is returned to the present, where he breaks out of the ice, just in time to see the Ice King fly away with Princess Bubblegum. Chasing after him using Jake's extendable legs, Pen rescues the princess from the Ice King's grasp. Jake pushes the magical crown off the Ice King's head, thereby removing the King's source of power. The Ice King then plummets off screen, yelling a long list of complex threats of things he will do when he returns. The story closes with Princess Bubblegum giving Pen a kiss; he enjoys it, but is also greatly embarrassed by the act. He attempts to leave, but Jake claims that they have nowhere else to go and that there are no adventures that need them. However, some nearby ninjas are stealing an old man's diamonds, and they both run off in pursuit.
Characters
Pen (voiced by Zack Shada) – An enthusiastic twelve-year-old boy with a strong sense of justice, and one of the two main protagonists of the short. According to Ward, he is "a little boy" who is "just hanging out". For the television series, he was renamed to Finn; the character would also go on to be voiced by Zack's younger brother Jeremy Shada. Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio) – Pen's best friend, an anthropomorphic dog with shapeshifting abilities and the other protagonist of the short. Jake is Pen's "pal", according to Ward. DiMaggio would voice the character in both the short and the later series. Princess Bubblegum (voiced by Paige Moss) – Princess Bubblegum is the damsel in distress of the short who is kidnapped by the Ice King so he can marry her. Voiced by Moss in the short, Bubblegum would later be voiced by Hynden Walch in the series. Rainicorn (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) – A unicorn-like creature with rainbow fur who serves as Princess Bubblegum's steed. Throughout the short, she helps Pen and Jake save her owner from the Ice King. Rainicorn would later be renamed "Lady Rainicorn" for the series, and would be voiced by Korean storyboard artist Niki Yang, rather than Dee Bradley Baker. Ice King (voiced by John Kassir) – A powerful wizard who lives in an icy domain, serving as the main antagonist of the short; Ward later called him a "nutbar" in an interview. Kassir voiced the character in the short, but Tom Kenny would later voice the Ice King in the series.
Production
"Adventure Time" was created by Pendleton Ward. The short's style was influenced by his time at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). "Adventure Time" was Ward's first job in animation after he graduated from CalArts. Ward had been contacted by Eric Homan, the vice president of Development at Frederator Studios, after Homan saw one of Wards films at a CalArts animation screening called "The Producer's Show". Homan told Ward that he should consider pitching an idea to Frederator. Ward spent around two weeks storyboarding the outline for "Adventure Time", a process that he later called "exciting" because he was "jumping into it not knowing whether [he] would sink or swim."