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Ghostbusters (1986 TV series)

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This article is about an animated series produced by Filmation. It should not be confused with the 1984 Ghostbusters movie and subsequent spin-offs, including the "Real Ghostbusters" animation. For more information, see Ghostbusters (disambiguation).
Ghostbusters
The Filmation's Ghostbusters Logo
Developed byFilmation
StarringPat Fraley
Peter Cullen
Lou Scheimer
Susan Blu
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes65
Production
Running time30 minutes
Original release
Release1986 –
1988

Filmation's Ghostbusters was an animated television series created by Filmation and launched following the success of the Columbia Pictures live-action Ghostbusters movie. It ran from 1986-1988 in syndication and comprised of 65 episodes. The cartoon was based on a live-action television show from the 1970s titled The Ghost Busters. Not to be confused with the animated show The Real Ghostbusters; which was based on the 1984 movie Ghostbusters.

Summary

Jake, Eddie and Tracey the Gorilla are the Ghost Busters. Their headquarters, termed Ghost Command, is located in a haunted mansion nestled between a number of tall skyscrapers. They are supported by a number of secondary characters including Ansa-Bone, a talking skull phone; Skelevision, a talking skeleton television; Belfrey, a pink talking bat; and Ghost Buggy, their talking ghost car. They occasionally enlist the aid of Futura, a time traveller from the future, and Jessica, a local newspaper reporter.

Together, they have dedicated themselves to ridding the world of the evil wizard Prime Evil and his cast of henchmen. Prime Evil's headquarters, termed Hauntquarters, is located in The Fifth Dimension. In a typical episode, Prime Evil uses his magical powers to open up a wormhole to enable one or more of his henchmen to complete a particular scheme that serves to help him take over the world.

Famous guest-star ghosts that appeared on the show include Count Dracula and the Headless Horseman (who also appeared in an episode of The Real Ghostbusters written by Randy Lofficier).

Each episode closes with Skelevision (sometimes accompanied by Belfrey) explaining a particular lesson that can be learned from the events that went on during the episode.

While the Real Ghostbusters had the catchphrase, "Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!", each episode of Filmation's Ghost Busters also used a catchphrase: "Let's Go, Ghost Busters!".

The Real Ghostbusters controversy

The show is also known as The Original Ghost Busters because, when Columbia Pictures released the film Ghostbusters in 1984, they neglected the fact that Filmation had already produced a live-action comedy series with that same name in 1975. Filmation sued Columbia in 1985, and as part of the out-of-court settlement the cartoon based on the Columbia Pictures property had to be called The Real Ghostbusters instead of simply The Ghostbusters. Filmation had even gone as far as to attempt to work with Columbia Pictures and had completed initial design work for a cartoon to be based on the movie. Columbia changed their minds, deciding not to work with Filmation, and the proposed deal fell through. Filmation's Lou Scheimer later admitted "We should have asked for the animation rights for their (Columbia's) Ghostbusters as part of the settlement." [1] This prompted Filmation to create the cartoon based on their former live action series. The series was a ratings hit until The Real Ghostbusters began to air.

DVD Release Information

BCI Eclipse will be releasing all 65 episodes by dividing the series into two sets. Volume One (6 DVD set) will be released on Tuesday, February 27, 2007. The DVD set will feature creator interviews with producer Lou Scheimer, writer Robby London and directors Tom Tataranowicz and Tom Sito, Ghostbusters anti-drug spot, original 10 min presentation of the promo pilot, slideshow storyboard for episode 22 "Laser and Future Rock", image gallery including the original model sheets and sketches, the complete five-episode script for the origin movie collectively known as 'The Revenge of Prime Evil', and a bonus episode of the original live action The Ghost Busters series.

BCI Eclipse release schedule [1]

  • The Ghost Busters: The Animated Series Volume 1--Available.
  • The Ghost Busters: Live Action — The Complete Series (Spring 2007)
  • The Ghost Busters: The Animated Series Volume 2 (Summer 2007)

(The animated series was previously released on VHS by Celebrity Home Entertainment's "Just For Kids" imprint.)

Characters

Heroes

  • Jake Kong Jr.: Son of the original Jake Kong from The Ghost Busters. His nose twitches when ghosts are nearby. Voiced by Pat Fraley.
  • Eddie Spencer Jr.: Son of the original Eddie Spencer from The Ghost Busters. Voiced by Peter Cullen.
  • Tracey the Gorilla: The same ape from The Ghost Busters. Voiced by Lou Scheimer.
  • Futura: A mysterious woman from the future. Voiced by Susan Blu.
  • Jessica Ray: A TV Reporter. Voiced by Susan Blu.
  • Belfrey: A Bat who can emit a sonic scream.
  • Ghost Buggy aka G.B.: The Ghostbusters' Talking Car. Voiced by Neil Ross.
  • Corky: Jessica's Young Nephew. Voiced by Patric Zimmerman.
  • Ansabone: Ghost Command's Talking Skull Phone. Voiced by Joan Gerber.
  • Skelevision: Ghost Command's Talking Skeleton Television. Voiced by Brad Garrett.
  • Fuddy: The apprentice of Merlin. When a full moon is out, Jake is able to chant and call him for help by casting a magic spell, which rarely works the way it's supposed to.

The original Jake and Eddy would occasionally appear in animated form as well.

Villains

  • Prime Evil: Primary Villain, a Wizard, although he appears to be a robot. Voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.
  • Fib Face: Has Multiple Faces. Voiced by Frank Welker.
  • Fangster: A Werewolf. Voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.
  • Scared Stiff: A robotic skeleton, frequently falls apart, similar in appearance to C-3PO. Voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
  • Haunter: Looks Like a safari hunter. Often gets in trouble for calling Prime Evil "old boy."
  • Brat-a-Rat: Looks like a flying rat. Voiced by Don Francks.
  • Misteria: Looks like Bride of Frankenstein. Voiced by Linda Gary. Has power over mists.
  • Apparitia: Looks like Poison Ivy from the Batman comics. A sorceress.
  • Sir Trance-a-Lot Rides a skeletal horse, Frightmare, and wields the Trance Lance that fires beams that induce sleep. His name is a reference to Sir Lancelot.
  • Long John Scarechrome A pirate ghost. His name is a reference to Long John Silver. Voiced by Neil Ross.
  • Airhead A mummy.
  • Floatzart. A very small ghost with music-themed powers, loosely based on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
  • The Tooth Scaries. Big Tooth, Sweet Tooth, and Cavity. A fourth, Flossy, appears later. Have the power to eat anything. They eventually become good.
  • Big Evil. Prime Evil's rival. Has four arms.

Weapons

  • The Dematerializer: The Ghostbusters' main weapon, it shoots a beam that banishes ghosts to limbo, but doesn't always work (Prime Evil, for example, is too powerful to be affected). It tends to get broken, forcing the Ghostbusters find other means to achieve victory.
  • Ghost Gummer: Shoots a gob of a sticky pink substance to immobilize enemies.
  • Spectre Snare: Shoots a coiled rope to trap a ghost.
  • Bubble Blaster: Fires off a stream of soaplike bubbles that combine to form one large bubble to entrap a ghost.
  • Dematerializer Net: An energized net that is stretched across the Ghost Buggy that causes ghosts to be banished to limbo as soon as they touch it.
  • Ghost Pack: The standard equipment pack Jake and Eddie carry with their Ghostbusters Logo on it. It holds an impossible amount of devices within it. Tracy carries a larger version which includes the Transformation Chamber itself.
  • Transformation Chamber: A skeletal elevator normally located at Ghostbusters HQ, which Jake and Eddie use to change into their uniforms and equip themselves with their Ghost Packs. The elevator rises up into some kind of ghostly dimension where they are stripped down to their underwear and prepared for battle. Their 'transformation sequence' is a series of acrobatic movements along a kind of assembly-line, with trapezes, a slide, and bouncing off an old mattress to land into the Ghost Buggy. In the majority of the episodes, viewers see part or all of this process.

Episodes

  1. Witches Stew
  2. Mummy Dearest
  3. Wacky Wax Museum
  4. Statue of Liberty
  5. The Ransom Of Eddie Spenser
  6. Eddie Takes Charge
  7. Tracy, Come Back
  8. A Friend In Need
  9. No Pharaoh At All Part 3
  10. Frights Of The Round Table Part 2
  11. I'll Be A Son Of A Ghostbuster Part 1
  12. The Secret Of Mastodon Valley Part 4
  13. The Ones Who Save The Future Part 5
  14. No Snow
  15. Prime Evil's Good Deed
  16. The Haunting Of Gizmo
  17. The Headless Horseman Caper
  18. Banish That Banshee
  19. Rollerghoster
  20. He Went Brat-A-Way
  21. Looking Glass Warrior
  22. Laser And Future Rock
  23. Runaway Choo-Choo
  24. Dynamite Dinosaur
  25. GhostBunglers
  26. My Present To The Future
  27. Beastly Buggy
  28. Belfry Leads The Way
  29. Battle For Ghost Command
  30. Going Ape
  31. Cyman's Revenge
  32. GhostNappers
  33. Inside Out
  34. The Sleeping Dragon
  35. The Phantom Of The Big Apple
  36. Shades Of Dracula
  37. Outlaw In-Laws
  38. Our Buddy Fuddy
  39. Train To Doom-De-Doom-Doom
  40. The Princess And The Troll
  41. Second Chance
  42. The Great Ghost Gorilla
  43. Doggone Werewolf
  44. That's No Alien
  45. Scareplane
  46. The Ghost Of Don Quixote
  47. The White Whale
  48. Whither Why
  49. Knight Of Terror
  50. The Girl Who Cried Vampire
  51. Little Big Rat
  52. Really Roughing It
  53. The Bad Old Days
  54. The Curse Of The Diamond Of Gloom
  55. The Bind That Ties
  56. Like Father Like Son
  57. The Fourth GhostBuster
  58. Country Goblin
  59. Cold Winter's Night
  60. Father Knows Beast
  61. Back To The Past
  62. A Friend In Need
  63. The Haunted Painting
  64. Maze Caves
  65. The Way You Are

Notes

  1. ^ Michael Swanigan and Darrell McNeil (1993). Animation by Filmation. Blackbear Press.

External links

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