When I first began watching Infinity Train by chance this autumn, I was not expecting for the series to grab me as deeply and as quickly as it did. It is unlike any other animated series I’ve seen before, and is unique even to its own contemporaries. Taking multiple cues from various science-fiction and fantasy works (such as The Neverending Story, works by Agatha Christie, Doctor Who, and The Matrix), as well as video games such as Half-Life 2 and Myst, Infinity Train is a short but rich anthology series that left me yearning for more of this mysterious world that Owen Dennis created, and the adventures these characters embark on while traveling through the train, and growing to be better individuals. It’s my hope that if you’ve not seen Infinity Train yet that you may want to do so after reading this article, especially if you are a gamer and a lover of stories like me.

As mentioned before, Infinity Train is a short show and the entire series can easily be finished in a day or two; there are ten episodes total per season (or ‘Books’ as they’re designated), and they are only ten minutes each in duration. Yet, a lot can happen in those ten minutes, which was one of the elements that surprised me the most when I began watching for the first time. The story is set on the eponymous train, which is seemingly never-ending, and each compartment holds a different environment or challenge that passengers must overcome in order to unlock the door for the next compartment. Passengers who wind up on the train are branded a glowing number on their hand that can either go up or down depending on how complete the challenges. 

The purpose of the train and the numbers are not answered entirely by the conclusion of the first season, or even by its third season. The mystery is part of Infinity Train’s charm, and though it slowly becomes clear that there is a benevolent reason for passengers to be on the train in the first place, that reason is never revealed to them (or to us) properly unless the right truths are unveiled at the right time. That being said, most if not all the passengers are on the train because of an underlying emotional or psychological trauma, and the train is meant to be a place to help them grow as individuals and gain the strength and maturity to overcome those problems before returning back to their lives. This is never revealed to the passengers properly, though, and there are characters introduced throughout the series that have been trapped on the train for years if not decades for not knowing (or refusing) the truth.

Each season focuses on a different cast of characters and their own personal adventures on the train. The first Book follows Tulip Olsen as she runs away from home as she deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce, under the guise of trying to reach her game design camp as a way to cope with her unhappy home environment. The Infinity Train appears before her, and she mistakingly steps on it as she believes it’s the train that will take her to camp. She soon encounters One-One, a dual-personality robot that has a deeper connection with the train than either of them realizes, and Atticus, the King of Corginia – a compartment populated by nothing but corgis and their own civilization. Branded with a glowing number that seemingly goes up or down at random and with no idea of how to return home, she sets out to find the mysterious Conductor, who is in charge of the train.

Trauma and learning to overcome trauma is an important reoccurring theme in Infinity Train, one that’s repeated and shown to be as varied as the passengers on the train. In each episode, Tulip faces a unique fault of hers that stunts her personal development and must learn through her mistakes and grow as she overcomes them while on her search for the Conductor. The following two seasons likewise follows its respective protagonists’ unique personal journeys and trials as they overcome different obstacles (both internal and external). These traumas and personal struggles range from bullying, divorce, abandonment, and loss, which can make a fantastical setting hit much closer to home than I often didn’t see coming. I enjoyed seeing how Infinity Train treated these topics with maturity, and how complex these characters’ feelings were when they they were confronted with them, or chose to bury them deeper.

I also loved how rich the worlds in the train compartments were; from Atticus’ Corginia kingdom, to other colorful and stylized worlds, it’s clear that the creators of the series just ran away and had fun with what they could come up with. Some of these worlds even contain subtle references to popular culture, such as The Office, or environmental influences from video games. Within the train compartments live native beings referred to as denizens, who desire to help the passengers as they come across them, much like a helpful NPC or ally, such as Atticus and others who join the protagonists in each Book.

If you’re a fan of video games like I am, there will definitely be a lot in this show that will catch your eye and appreciate. When conceiving the idea of Infinity Train and how it’s world worked, creator Owen Dennis recalled his love of the video game Myst and the many puzzles required to unlock further areas to explore to access more of the lore of the world. It’s clear that Infinity Train takes a page from that book, as there are many puzzles and obstacles that passengers need to overcome in order to reach the next area and continue their journey.

Main character Tulip is a lover of video games herself; it’s her determination to attend the game design camp that prompts her to run away from home to begin with, and encounter the Infinity Train in the process. Her way of overcoming her obstacles is much like how a traditional video game character would complete them, by using her environment and wits about her. As a game designer, Tulip is logical by nature and tries to overcome her problems by working them out before implementing them. When that doesn’t work, she tends to shut down until she slowly works out her feelings, with her allies gently encouraging her at her side until she finds the truth she needs to proceed and move on past the obstacle.

While the other passengers may differ from Tulip in how they solve problems and their personality-traits, there are a lot of similarities in themes that viewers will nonetheless notice in their own Books. For Book 2, it’s clear from the get-go that passenger Jesse and a character that eerily looks like Tulip (who goes by the nickname MT) don’t get along. Jesse is overly friendly and curious about everything around him, while MT just wants to mind her own business and travel alone. Together, they gradually bring out the best out of each other as they become friends. Book 3 shows close friends Grace and Simon, leaders of a group of children they have dubbed the Apex, a traveling group of marauders obsessed to raising their number as high as they possibly can, and follow their own set of rules. Although they seem to be the closest of friends at the beginning of the Book and are fond of one another, it’s clear that there are cracks beginning to form, and drastic changes to their relationship that will occur.

There are other elements of Infinity Train that I want to shower on, from its gorgeous animation and variety of landscapes that the characters travel through, to the synth music that helps give the series the right otherworldly feel it needs akin to classic 1980s fantasy adventure films such as The Goonies and The Never-ending Story, to the impeccable voice cast chosen to bring these characters to life. I adored Ashley Johnson as both Tulip and MT, and despite using the same voice for both characters, she was able to make both characters stand out from one another. There are also a surprising number of well-known stars that would reoccur from time to time, such as Lena Headey of Game of Thrones fame, Ernie Hudson as Atticus, Rhys Darby as Randall (one of my personal favorite reoccurring characters), Kate Mulgrew as The Cat, and Ben Mendelsohn as Agent Mace, a Mirror agent who is tasked to hunt MT down. My jaw dropped at the quality of this cast for such a brief duration for each season, especially for Ben Mendelsohn, who I’m not certain has done voice acting for an animated series before.

There is much more I wish I could share about Infinity Train, but the show is meant to watch and digest yourself, one episode at a time. If you want to check out the series in its entirety, Infinity Train can be seen on the HBO Max streaming app. I’m truly grateful I chanced upon this series and was able to watch it from beginning to end – it’s been one of my favorite new discoveries, and after sharing it with my brother, we both agreed that it needs more attention. It’s smart and witty, deep and tragic at times, and is not afraid to pull punches. It can be uncomfortable to watch at times, but never too frightening that you have to look away. What I enjoyed the most after finishing Infinity Train, though, was that it was incredibly real and relatable. People who have had divorce in their lives can relate to Tulip. People who have given in to peer pressure can relate to Jesse. People who have felt abandoned by loved ones and lost can relate to Grace and Simon. This show is a piece of fiction and one conceived out of a great imagination, but its root ideas are real and audiences of all backgrounds can relate to. I can’t think of any other brilliant way to tell a story and share it with others.