Spider-Man (1994 TV series)

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Spider-Man
Smanimatedtitle.png
Genre Superhero
Action/Adventure
Format Animated series
Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Developed by Fox Studios
Voices of Christopher Daniel Barnes
Jennifer Hale
Edward Asner
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 65[1] (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)

Stan Lee
Avi Arad

Supervising Producer Bob Richardson

Supervising Director Bob Richardson
Running time 21 minutes
Production company(s) Marvel Entertainment Group
Marvel Films Animation
Distributor New World Communications (1994-1997)
Saban Entertainment (1997-2001)
BVS Entertainment (2001-present)
Broadcast
Original channel FOX (Fox Kids)
Original run November 19, 1994 (1994-11-19) – January 31, 1998 (1998-01-31)
Chronology
Preceded by Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
Followed by Spider-Man Unlimited

Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man.[2] The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films Animation.[3] The instrumental theme song for the series (including the lyrics) was performed by Joe Perry of Aerosmith. Reruns can currently be seen in various countries on Jetix, now known as Disney XD, as well as the instant streaming section of Netflix.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

The series focuses on Spider-Man and his alter-ego Peter Parker during his college years at Empire State University. As the story begins, Peter has already gained his superpowers and is a part-time freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle. The show features most of Spider-Man's classic villains, including the Kingpin, the Green Goblin, the Lizard, the Scorpion, Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, Shocker, the Rhino, the Vulture, the Chameleon, and Venom. Over the course of the series the single Peter contends with the romantic love interests of Mary Jane Watson, Felicia Hardy and her alter ego, the Black Cat. The series also features numerous crossovers by other Marvel Comics characters, including the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, Blade, the Punisher, and Captain America. The show also has an ongoing gag about a gargoyle nicknamed "Bruce" (in reference to a friend of producer/story editor John Semper); Spider-Man frequently goes to "Bruce" about his problems and confides in him.

[edit] Production overview

While Marvel's X-Men: The Animated Series was being produced by Saban, Spider-Man was produced by the newly formed Marvel Films Animation; it was the only series that in-house studio produced, but was animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha with Korean studios.[4] The series is the second longest-running Marvel show created, after X-Men, as well as the longest-running series based on Spider-Man. It is currently owned and distributed by The Walt Disney Company, which acquired all Fox Kids-related properties from News Corporation and Saban International in 2001.

[edit] Animation

Concept art for Spider-Man.

To reproduce New York City's style, background illustrators undertook a large amount of visual research by using photo archives from above New York, particularly rooftops. Maps were consulted for references and buildings were faithfully reproduced.

It has been reported that the animation cells depicting Manhattan's Pan Am Building were scrapped after being complete because the California-based art staff learned the Midtown landmark had been given a new sign more than a year earlier.

The animation staff were directed to populate the city with cars and crowds on the street level. Semper believed that was one of the limitations of earlier Spider-Man animated projects.

Originally, Marvel Films planned to make the backgrounds completely CGI while Spider-Man 'webslinged' around New York, yet due to budget constraints were forced to use traditional cel based animation while occasionally using CGI backgrounds. As well, reuse of animation became more common as the series progressed, which also included reuse of animation involving a character speaking (these scenes were sometimes slowed down in order to better match the actor's voice to the animation).

[edit] Characters

Main article: Characters in Spider-Man (1994 TV series)

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Spider-Man (1994 TV series) episodes

[edit] Cast

[edit] Recurring cast

Venom as seen in the series.

[edit] Guest cast

[edit] Reception

Spider-Man: The Animated Series was one of the most popular shows on Fox Kids, ranking with other hits such as Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series. Its ultimate cancellation after five seasons was not due to ratings trouble, but due to disagreements between executive producer Avi Arad and network head Margaret Loesch.

Even after the series ended, it still had an impact on the entertainment industry, boosting sales of myriads of Spider-Man merchandise and popularity. The show was named the 84th best animated series by IGN.[5]


[edit] Merchandising

First series of the show's toy line.

Three comics based on the series were produced:

  • Spider-Man Adventures (December 1994 to February 1996)[6] Spider-Man Adventures #1-4 was later reprinted in Kellogg's Froot Loops Mini-Comics #1-4.[7]
  • Adventures of Spider-Man: (April 1996 to March 1997) This featured new stories based on the series.[8] Adventures of Spider-Man was later reprinted in Spectacular Spider-Man (UK Magazine) #11-21 from August 1996 to May 1997.[9]
  • Marvel Adventures[10]

A number of video games based on the series were also produced:

Electronic versions of classic Spider-Man comics were released by Marvel that included narration by Spider-Man's voice actor Christopher Daniel Barnes and featured animation and theme music from this series. Spider-Man novels inspired by selected episodes were also released. A wide variety of themed merchandise (lunch boxes, cereals, clothing, etc.) was produced. McDonald's produced a themed line of Happy Meal toys for the show. However, this paled in comparison to the extensive official toy line that ran over eight series, and included a staggering amount of play sets and vehicles and actually lasted longer than the television series itself.

[edit] Release availability

Despite the fact that the show ended more than a decade ago, the success of the live-action Spider-Man films have sparked more interest in new fans, allowing the series to air in reruns due to its new owners: Disney. Notably, the episodes aired in their chronological order, not Fox's original air dates. Unfortunately, as with revivals of similar shows, several scenes are cut out.

As of February 2012, Marvel.com has uploaded every episode for streaming purposes, and they have been up since 2009.[11]

The entire series is currently available for instant streaming on Netflix.

[edit] VHS and DVD releases

Region 1

To date, the only DVD releases of the series in the U.S. have been several volume sets from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment that feature 4-5 episodes each.

Title Release Date
Spider-Man: The Ultimate Villain Showdown[12] 30 April 2002
Episodes:
  • The Sins of the Fathers Chapter II: Make a Wish
  • The Sins of the Fathers Chapter III: Attack of the Octobot
  • The Sins of the Fathers Chapter IV: Enter the Green Goblin
  • The Sins of the Fathers Chapter V: The Rocket Racer

Features[13]

  • 1967 Classic Episode: "The Origins Of Spider-Man"
Spider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin[14] 29 October 2002
Episodes:
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter XII: The Spot
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter XIII: Goblin War!
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter XIV: The Turning Point
  • Partners in Danger: Chapter I: Guilty

Features[15]

  • Partners in Danger: Chapter VIII: The Return of the Green Goblin (WARNING: This is missing its background music)
  • 1967 Classic Episode: "The Terrible Triumph of Doctor Octopus/Magic Malice"
Daredevil vs. Spider-Man[16] 11 February 2003
Episodes:
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter VI: Framed
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter VII: The Man Without Fear
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter VIII: The Ultimate Slayer
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter IX: Tombstone

Features[17]

  • Classic 1966 Bonus Episode: "King Pinned" - Featuring Kingpin
  • Fantastic Four Bonus Episode, "And a Blind Man Shall Lead Them" - Featuring Daredevil
The Ultimate Spider-Man Collection[18] 2 November 2003
DVD Sets:
  • Spider-Man: The Ultimate Villain Showdown
  • Spider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin
  • Daredevil vs. Spider-Man
Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock[19] 29 June 2004
Episodes:
  • Doctor Octopus: Armed And Dangerous
  • Partners in Danger: Chapter II: The Cat
  • Partners in Danger: Chapter III: The Black Cat
  • Partners in Danger: Chapter V: Partners

Features[17]

  • A classic 1967 bonus episode: The Power Of Dr. Octopus/Sub-Zero For Spidey (only available on the DVD edition)
Spider-Man: The Venom Saga[20] 7 June 2005
Episodes:
  • The Alien Costume, Part One
  • The Alien Costume, Part Two
  • The Alien Costume, Part Three
  • The Sins of the Fathers, Chapter X: Venom Returns
  • The Sins of the Fathers, Chapter XI: Carnage

Region 2

In the UK and Germany, Clear Vision Ltd. has released the all five seasons on DVD as of October 19, 2009.

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
Complete Season 1 13 June 22, 2009[21]
Complete Season 2 14 August 3, 2009[22]
Complete Season 3 14 August 17, 2009[23]
Complete Season 4 11 September 15, 2009[24]
Complete Season 5 13 October 19, 2009[25]
The Complete Collection 65 November 7, 2011[26]

Other releases

  • A Canadian DVD containing four episodes from the "Mutant Agenda" episodes. (Please note that there is no special features or audio/subtitle selections)
  • A VCD release by Magnavision Home Video.
  • A boxed set of all the DVDs released in Poland, simply entitled "Spider-Man: 5 DVD Set". The front of the box features the same graphics as "The Ultimate Villain Showdown".
  • Several two-episode DVDs released by Marvel in 2002 prior to the acquisition by Disney.
  • The entire first season is available on Xbox Live and iTunes through Disney XD.
  • The entire series has recently[when?] been available on Netflix.

Bootleg DVDs of the show have become popular among fans due to a lack of official DVD releases. The bootlegs feature all of the episodes but some of them have low video quality and watermarks. This is likely to change as the entire series becomes available in the UK. Spider-Man: The Animated Series is currently the 16th most wanted unreleased DVD at TVShowsOnDVD.com.[27]

[edit] Awards

Writer / Producer John Semper Jr. won an Annie Award in 1995 for Best Individual Achievement for Writing in the Field of Animation for the episode "Day of the Chameleon". Spider-Man was also nominated for one 1996 Image Award for Outstanding Animated/Live-Action/Dramatic Youth or Children's Series/Special.[28]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ "Spider-Man on TV". IGN. http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/785/785521p4.html. Retrieved 2010-09-09. 
  2. ^ "Top 10 Comic to TV Adaptations". IGN. http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/798/798709p1.html. Retrieved 2010-08-15. 
  3. ^ "John Semper on "Spider-Man": 10th Anniversary Interview". Marvel Animation Age. toonzone.net. http://marvel.toonzone.net/spideytas/semperinterview4.htm. Retrieved 5 May 2011. 
  4. ^ Cawley, John. "Marvel Films Animation 1993-1997". Home of John Cawley. John Cawley. http://www.cataroo.com/020104.html. Retrieved 5 May 2011. 
  5. ^ "84, Spider-Man". IGN. 2009-01-23. http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/84.html. Retrieved 2009-01-24. 
  6. ^ "Spider-Man Adventures". The Big Comic Book Database. http://www.comics-db.com/Marvel_Comics/S/Spider-Man/Spider-Man_Adventures/index.html. Retrieved 2008-01-30. 
  7. ^ "Kellogg’s Fruit Loops (Spide-Man Adventures Reprints)". spiderfan.org. http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/title/froot_loops.html. Retrieved 2008-02-05. 
  8. ^ "The Adventures of Spider-Man". spiderfan.org. http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/title/spiderman_adventures_v2.html. Retrieved 2008-02-05. 
  9. ^ "Spectacular Spider-Man (UK Magazine) : #1-#25". spiderfan.org. http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/title/spiderman_spectacular_uk.html#11. Retrieved 2008-02-05. 
  10. ^ "Marvel Adventures (Spidey’s Appearances)". spiderfan.org. http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/title/marvel_adventures.html. Retrieved 2008-02-05. 
  11. ^ "Stream episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series right here! | Marvel.com News". Marvel.com. http://marvel.com/news/moviestories.11344.watch_spider-man_~op~1994~ep~_ep~dot~_29_now~excl~. Retrieved 2010-09-20. 
  12. ^ "Ultimate Villain Showdown DVD". usask.ca. http://homepage.usask.ca/~jjs142/spidermanultimate.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-25. 
  13. ^ "The Ultimate Villain Showdown at dvdempire". dvdempire.com. http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?userid=99365560997980&item_id=48032. Retrieved 2007-04-04. 
  14. ^ "Return of the Green Goblin DVD". usask.ca. http://homepage.usask.ca/~jjs142/spidermangreengoblin.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-25. 
  15. ^ "The Return of the Green Goblin at dvdempire". dvdempire.com. http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?userid=99365651982715&item_id=447078&searchID=4302334. Retrieved 2007-05-05. 
  16. ^ "Daredevil vs Spider-Man DVD". usask.ca. http://homepage.usask.ca/~jjs142/daredevilvsspiderman.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-25. 
  17. ^ a b "Daredevil vs Spider-Man at dvdempire". dvdempire.com. http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?userid=99365560997980&item_id=459375&searchID=51053. Retrieved 2007-04-04. 
  18. ^ "Ultimate Spider-Man Collection DVD". dvdempire.com. http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?userid=99365560997980&item_id=546164&searchID=51053. Retrieved 2007-04-04. 
  19. ^ "Spider-Man vs Doc Ock DVD". usask.ca. http://homepage.usask.ca/~jjs142/spidermanvsock.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-25. 
  20. ^ "The Venom Saga DVD". ultimatedisney.com. http://www.ultimatedisney.com/spider-man-venomsaga.html. Retrieved 2007-03-25. 
  21. ^ "New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 1, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0027ISIZC. Retrieved 2010-09-20. 
  22. ^ "New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 2, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002BF42VK. Retrieved 2010-09-20. 
  23. ^ "New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 3, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002EIMQTY. Retrieved 2010-09-20. 
  24. ^ "New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 4, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002HSKUTY. Retrieved 2010-09-20. 
  25. ^ http://www.clearvision.co.uk/product.cfm?prod_id=MAR1023
  26. ^ http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=705308&affiliate=td&lpgrp=network&tduid=68c9434f78171f4f364dfe4311c85ec4
  27. ^ "Spider-Man on DVD, Release Info, News at". Tvshowsondvd.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/showinfo.cfm?showID=3930&CFID=19303607&CFTOKEN=63477329. Retrieved 2010-09-20. 
  28. ^ "IMDb: Spider-Man Awards". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112175/awards. Retrieved 2007-05-23. 

[edit] References

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Spider-Man: The Animated Series

[edit] External links

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Spider-Man (1994 TV series)
Episodes
Season 5
Video games
See also
Television
Spider-Man (1967–1970) (episodes) · Spidey Super Stories (1974–1977) · The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–1979) · Spider-Man (1978–1979) · Spider-Woman (1979–1980) · Spider-Man (1981–1982) · Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981–1983) (episodes · characters) · Spider-Man (1994–1998) (episodes · characters) · Spider-Man Unlimited (1999–2001) (episodes) · Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003) · The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008–2009) (episodes · characters) · Ultimate Spider-Man (2012)
Films
Spider-Man (2002) · Spider-Man 2 (2004) · Spider-Man 3 (2007) · The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Theatre
Newspaper strip
The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–present)
Video games
Spider-Man (1982) · Questprobe Featuring Spider-Man (1984) · Doctor Doom's Revenge (1989) · The Amazing Spider-Man (1990) · The Amazing Spider-Man (1990) · The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (1990) · Spider-Man: The Video Game (1991) · The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (1992) · Return of the Sinister Six (1992) · Arcade's Revenge (1992) · Invasion of the Spider-Slayers (1993) · Maximum Carnage (1994) · Lethal Foes (1995) · Separation Anxiety (1995) · The Animated Series (1995) · Web of Fire (1996) · War of the Gems (1996) · Spider-Man (2000) · The Sinister Six (2001) · Enter Electro (2001) · Mysterio's Menace (2001) · Spider-Man (2002) · Spider-Man 2 (2004) · Ultimate Spider-Man (2005) · Battle for New York (2006) · Spider-Man 3 (2007) · Friend or Foe (2007) · Web of Shadows (2008) · Shattered Dimensions (2010) · Edge of Time (2011) · The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Theme park attractions
Animated productions based on Marvel Comics properties
Television
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Animated Features
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