Cubix – The animated series
Cubix: Robots for Everyone is a South Korean animated television series created by Cinepix. He acquired the rights to an English-language dub of the series in 2001 shortly after the show's debut in August, holding them until their move to Saban Brands (a subsidiary of Saban Capital Group) in June 2012. Following the closure of Saban Brands on 2 July 2018, Hasbro is presumed to own the copyright to the English dub. In the United States it aired on Kids' WB from August 11, 2001 to May 10, 2003.
Cubix was created by the Korean company called Cinepix and licensed by 4Kids Entertainment in North America, and aired for two seasons on Kids' WB!, from August 11, 2001 to May 10, 2003. In May 2001, 4Kids teamed up with a major fast-food restaurant to promote the show. The promotion ran for five weeks across the country. The series had toys in children's meals in Burger King and retail stores, and Trendmasters had the license of the series' toys. The show was also the basis of three video games: Showdown, Clash 'n' Bash and Race 'n' Robots.
The plot of Cubix takes place in the futuristic year of 2044 and is the story of a young boy named Connor with a deep passion for robots. His father Graham, who doesn't like robots, has never been truly supportive of his efforts. That is, until they move to Bubble Town, a city with “as many robots as humans,” and the headquarters of RobixCorp. The reason for RobixCorp's global success is the Emotion Processing Unit (EPU), which allows a robot to develop its own unique personality, just like a human. Now that Connor's dream has finally come true, he finds himself with a big problem: everyone in Bubble Town owns a robot, except him.
Shortly after arriving, he meets his neighbor Abby, who sends her flying pet robot, Dondon, to spy on him. Graham, not being so happy about a robot spying on him, tries to capture Dondon. During his escape, he collides with Connor, causing him to fall. A worried Abby, along with Connor, jumps on her flying scooter, racing towards the only place in town that can accommodate her friend. Here, Connor meets Hela, who runs a repair shop called The Botties' Pit. However, to become an employee, she must repair a robot in less than 24 hours. Of all the robots he could have chosen, Connor chooses Cubix, a unique test model called the “Robot Unfixable.” All the Botties tried to repair it, especially Hela, who could never throw it away. Cubix is the only remaining memory of his father, Professor Nemo, who invented the EPU. Unfortunately, he disappeared after an experiment with a highly volatile substance known as Solex.
However, Connor passes the exam, earning a place in the club. That wasn't the only surprise Cubix had in store, with the incredible design he can transform into practically anything. Together with their new friends, Connor and Cubix face Dr. K to get the kidnapped robot back. This series follows the adventures and discoveries of the group, as they unravel Dr. K's conspiracy and the disappearance of Professor Nemo.
Solex was discovered after an alien spaceship crash-landed outside RobixCorp, shortly before Prof. Nemo's disappearance. It has two forms: the glowing electric blue liquid form prone to random energy fluctuations, and the second, more stable crystallized form used in most robots. The story suggests that it has a psychic nature as it reacts to sentient thoughts and emotions, even of robot EPUs. Solex in both liquid and crystallized forms is capable of producing immense potency. Its “radioactive” glow (in crystallized form) is similar to isolated pure radium. Solex in the first season In the first episode, Dr. K collects Solex from the infected robots to use in his final plan with the help of an alien hiding in the guise of Raska. It is suspected that Solex was originally discovered by Prof. Nemo, but fearing misuse of his power, he separated the liquid Solex into small doses, placing them in random robots. Liquid Solex, however, produces unexpected effects in robots; this is called Solex infection. At the beginning of the first season, the Botties were unaware of Dr. K's reasons for pursuing robots, but they eventually learned of the Solex's existence and soon began competing with Dr. K in the search, intercepting the latest robot to possess it before he could extract it. Dr. K's plans were delayed when Kan-It accidentally absorbed half of the Solex he collected, which ended up in the possession of the Botties. Needing more, K launched an attack on the Botties Pit to get the Solex into their hands, only for them to escape, while he revealed that he possessed the crystallized Solex. Changing tactics, Dr. K and the Alien devised a plan to deactivate Cubix and take some of his Solex crystals. By adding it to what he possessed, Dr. K was able to power a massive EPU he created, which he then used to transform his headquarters into the Kulminator. Ultimately, Cubix sacrificed himself to defeat the Kulminator and destroy the Solex in both. Cubix would then be resurrected from the last remnants of Solex (gaining the ability to speak for himself in the process), ending the Solex threat forever.
The titular Cubix is a unique robot built before Professor Nemo's disappearance, which is found deactivated with no visible damage, but no way to reactivate it. He is introduced as part of Connor's initiation ceremony as the robot he chooses to repair. However, he is unable to get Cubix to work until Dr. K appears to retrieve the Solex from a robot. Connor revives Cubix, just as the building they are in begins to collapse. His body is made up of a number of cubes, giving him a versatile modular function – by rearranging himself and using different gadgets within the cubes, he can transform into an airplane, a car, a helicopter and much more. He can even fly, without needing to transform into a vehicle. Hidden in each cube there is…
Director: Joonbum Heo
Author: Cinepix
Production studio: Cinepix, Daewon Media, 4Kids Entertainment
Number of episodes: 26
Country: South Korea
Genre: Adventure, Action, Comedy Science Fiction
Duration: 30 minutes per episode
TV Network: SBS, KBS 2TV
Release date: August 11, 2001
Other facts: The series follows the adventures of a young robot enthusiast named Connor, who meets Cubix, a one-of-a-kind robot. The plot takes place in the year 2044 in a city with a huge presence of robots, and follows the team's discoveries as they attempt to foil a conspiracy and uncover the disappearance of Professor Nemo. The series also introduces the concept of a substance called Solex, which can give robots extraordinary powers.
Source: wikipedia.com
