Who better to turn to, he thought, than director Akira Kurosawa (''Seven Samurai''), another of his personal favorites? ''He knew exactly what he was doing, and all the samurai stuff feels really sincere and cool,'' says Tartakovsky. In crafting the eye-popping landscapes that frame Jack's journey, Tartakovsky says he channeled the grandeur of David Lean: ''The environment was always a character in his films -- like the desert in ''Lawrence of Arabia'' and Russia in ''Doctor Zhivago.''
''Jack'''s big-screen aesthetic has led to not one, but two feature-film projects, including a live-action version from the producer/director team of Jay Stern and Brett Ratner (''Rush Hour''). ''I have the good fortune to have a 5-year-old son with impeccable taste,'' says Stern. ''We sat there during the premiere mesmerized, and from that point on it was must-see TV.'' By the show's second airing, Stern and Ratner were knocking on Cartoon's door to secure the film for New Line Cinema. Both the live-action adventure and an animated, Cartoon Network-produced ''Jack'' feature are being prepped for a 2004 release.
Tartakovsky, who recently completed a treatment for the live-action project, hopes to replicate the heart-racing popcorn-flick spectacle of ''Star Wars'' and ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'': ''I would really like to stay true to the show and just have a lot of great action, a simple story, and beautiful artwork.''
While the inevitable ''Jack'' merchandising onslaught won't begin until the series starts airing nightly this summer, Lazzo is encouraged by sales of limited-edition figures Cartoon has offered on its website. The net has sold over 24,000 toys since August, and complete sets fetch three-figure bids on online auctioneer eBay. ''It's building,'' says Lazzo, ''and we love where it's going.'' Which, in Jack's world, could be anywhere.
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