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X-Men: The Animated Series

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This is about the 1990s TV cartoon. For the newer X-Men animated series, see X-Men: Evolution or Wolverine and the X-Men (TV series). For other uses see the X-Men (disambiguation) page.
X-Men: The Animated Series
File:X-men-animated-series-intro.jpg
GenreSuperhero fiction
Action/Adventure
Based onX-Men by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee
Developed byEric Lewald
Sidney Iwanter
Mark Edens
Voices ofCedric Smith
Norm Spencer
Catherine Disher
Iona Morris (1992–93)
Alison Sealy-Smith (1993–97)
Lenore Zann
Chris Potter (1992–96)
Tony Daniels (1997)
Cathal J. Dodd
Alyson Court
George Buza
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes76 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersLarry Houston
Will Meugniot
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesMarvel Entertainment Group
Saban Entertainment
Marvel Studios (1997)
Graz Entertainment
Original release
NetworkFox Kids[1]
ReleaseOctober 31, 1992 –
September 20, 1997

X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup.[2] X-Men was Marvel Comics' second attempt at an animated X-Men TV series after the pilot X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men was not picked up.

Background

In 1991, Margaret Loesch became head of Fox Children's Network.[3] Having championed the Pryde of the X-Men pilot in 1989, she was quick to set up an order for 13 episodes of X-Men.[4] Saban Entertainment was contracted to produce the show and hired a small studio Graz Entertainment to produce the episodes as it did not have sufficient staff at the time to handle production in house. Graz employed the creative staff, wrote and designed each episode, drew the storyboards and hired the voice actors. South Korean studio AKOM was hired to animate the episodes. X-Men was originally to premiere over the Labor Day weekend in September; due to production delays, it was pushed to the end of October. When the animation team AKOM turned in the first episode, it contained hundreds of animation errors, which AKOM refused to fix. Because of time constraints, the episode was aired in an unfinished form.[4] The second episode was turned in just before deadline, with 50 scenes missing and only a single day reserved for editing.[4] The "Night of the Sentinels" two-part episode originally aired as a "sneak preview" on October 31.[5]

Because of the production delays and animation errors in these two episodes, Fox threatened to sever AKOM's contracts.[4] When Fox re-aired the pilot in early 1993, the errors were corrected.[6] The series earned top ratings throughout its first season,[4] and was renewed for a second season of 13 episodes.

After the box office success of the live-action X-Men film in the summer of 2000, Fox began airing reruns of the cartoon on weekday afternoons. At first, only episodes that primarily featured content in the movie were broadcast. Later, the series was aired in proper order, but it was pulled from the air in early 2001. Soon after, ABC Family and Toon Disney began airing reruns, due to Disney's buyout of all Saban Entertainment programs. X-Men was taken off the air again after Toon Disney was discontinued and Disney XD took over its programming.

Synopsis

Main article: List of X-Men (TV series) episodes

The show features X-Men similar in look and line-up to the early 1990s X-Men drawn by Jim Lee (specifically, Cyclops' Blue Team, established in the early issues of X-Men: Legacy), composed of Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, Jean Grey, Professor X, as well as an original character, Morph (an adaptation of previous X-Men member Changeling).[7]

Although the majority of series' stories are original, a number of storylines and events from the comics are loosely adapted in the series, such as "The Dark Phoenix Saga", "Days of Future Past", the "Phalanx Covenant", and the "Legacy Virus". The third episode, "Enter Magneto", features a confrontation at a missile base: this is largely based on the X-Men's first battle with Magneto, as told in their 1963 debut The X-Men #1. The season four episodes "Sanctuary, Parts I & II", which involve Magneto creating an orbiting haven for mutants, were influenced by several storylines from the comics, chiefly the first three issues of X-Men: Legacy and the "Fatal Attractions" crossover. A time-line similar to that in Age of Apocalypse is shown in the episode "One Man's Worth". The entire saga of the Phoenix is retold and adapted in the third season, subdivided into the five-part "Phoenix Saga", in which Jean acquires the power of the Phoenix and the battle for the M'Kraan Crystal occurs, and the "Dark Phoenix Saga", showcasing the battle with the Hellfire Club, the Phoenix Force's transformation into Dark Phoenix, and the battle to decide her fate.

The series deals with social issues, including divorce ("Proteus"), Christianity ("Nightcrawler" & "Bloodlines"), the Holocaust ("Enter Magneto," "Deadly Reunions", "Days of Future Past", and "The Phalanx Covenant"), and AIDS hysteria ("Time Fugitives"), and feelings of Loneliness ("No Mutant Is an Island"). Television was satirized in the episodes "Mojovision" and "Longshot".

X-Men crossed over with the animated series Spider-Man, when Spider-Man seeks out the X-Men's help to stave off his progressing mutation. In the abbreviated form of the Secret Wars storyline, the Beyonder and Madame Web selected Spider-Man to lead a team of heroes including Storm against a group of villains. An earlier draft of "Secret Wars" involved all of the X-Men, but transporting the voice cast to Los Angeles where production for the Spider-Man animated series was based from Canada had been too costly in previous crossovers, so the episode was re-written to include only Storm, whose actress, Iona Morris, lived in Los Angeles.[8][9] Hulk and She-Hulk were excluded from the episodes because the The Incredible Hulk animated series featuring the characters was airing on rival network UPN.[8][9]

The first season of the show brought the X-Men into conflict with human conspirators building mutant-exterminating Sentinel robots, Magneto and his attempts to instigate a human-mutant war, and the powerful mutant Apocalypse's plans to eradicate the weak, both human and mutant alike. Other storylines including X-Men member Morph's death at the hands of Sentinels, Beast's incarceration, and an assassination attempt on US senator Kelly by Apocalypse's minions to turn human sentiment against the mutants. The second season sees Cyclops and Jean get married and become the targets of Mister Sinister, who hopes to use the genetically perfect combination of their DNA to create an army of obedient mutants. Morph returns, having been rescued by Sinister and brainwashed into forcing the X-Men apart. The season also features the growing rift between humans and mutants, spearheaded by the Friends of Humanity, an anti-mutant group who lead the persecution of all mutants. Apocalypse also returns, developing a deadly plague to be blamed on mutants, fueling mutant hatred.

The third season focuses on the cosmic force, the Phoenix, which merges with Jean Grey and eventually turns her into the malevolent and powerful Dark Phoenix. The season also introduced the Shi'ar Empire who want to stop the Dark Phoenix, including Lilandra and Gladiator. Other storylines include the introduction of Wolverine's former lover turned mercenary, Lady Deathstrike, former X-Men member Iceman, and the villainous Shadow King.

Voice cast

See also: List of X-Men (TV series) characters

Principal cast

Additional voices

Minor characters

Other versions

Main article: List of X-Men (TV series) video releases

The original opening sequence featured the X-Men demonstrating their mutant abilities to a now very distinctive instrumental theme (written by Ron Wasserman). This intro is used throughout the first four seasons. A modified version is eventually introduced in season five, episode one ("Phalanx Covenant, Part One"). In this new intro, the beginning of the theme is slightly changed. When UPN began airing repeats on Sunday mornings an alternate credits sequence was used: a high-quality Japanese-animated version of the original opening.[citation needed]

X-Men originally aired on TV Tokyo from 1994 through 1995. For the TV Tokyo dub of the series, the intro was replaced with a new, Japanese-animated sequence as well as a new theme called "Rising" (ライジング), by the band Ambience (アンビエンス). Starting with episode 42, a second new intro was used, featuring the song "Dakishimetai Dare Yori Mo" (抱きしめたい誰よりも…). The end credits sequence was also changed: it featured shots of American X-Men comic books set to the song "Back to You" (バック･トウ･ユー), also by Ambience.

The TV Tokyo dub was directed by Yoshikazu Iwanami and featured scripts rewritten to include a more humorous, self-satirical tone as well as an emphasis on comical adlibbing (a hallmark of Iwanami's dubbing style). Episodes were edited for time so that new segments could be added to the end which promoted the X-Men: Children of the Atom video game from Capcom. The dub actors would pretend to play the game as their characters and make humorous asides and remarks. X-Men was dubbed a second time in the early 2000s for broadcast on Toon Disney (Japan). This dub was more faithful to the original English scripts and episodes were not cut for time. The Toon Disney version used the original American intro and end credits rather than the unique ones created for the TV Tokyo version.

Reception

The show was both acclaimed and commercially successful. Along with Batman: The Animated Series, the series success helped launch numerous comic book shows in the 1990s.

In its prime, X-Men garnered very high ratings for a Saturday morning cartoon, and like Batman: The Animated Series, it received wide critical praise for its portrayal of many different storylines from the comics.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

In 2009, IGN ranked X-Men as the 13th greatest animated show of all time in their Top 100 list, the third-highest standing for a comic book-adapted show on the list.[23] The show also ranks in at 152 on IMDB's Highest Rated TV Shows with At Least 5,000 Votes [24]

Spin-offs

X-Men Adventures

X-Men Adventures
X-Men Adventures vol. 1 #1 (Nov 1992).
Art by Steve Lightle.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
ScheduleMonthly
FormatOngoing
Publication dateNovember 1992–March 1997
No. of issues53
Main character(s)X-Men

X-Men Adventures was a comic book spin-off of the animated series. Beginning in November 1992, it adapted the first three seasons of the show; in April 1996, it became Adventures of the X-Men, which contained original stories set within the same continuity.[25] The comic book lasted until March 1997, shortly after the show's cancellation by the Fox Network.

Volume 5 of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Hardcovers lists the X-Men cartoon as part of the Marvel multiverse, inhabiting Earth-92131. Also, the plague infested future that Bishop tried to prevent in Season 2 is listed as Earth-13393 while Cable's release of the immediate cure of the plague is listed as Earth-121893.

Bibliography

  • X-Men Adventures vol. 1 (1992–94) (15 issues)[26]
  • X-Men Adventures vol. 2 (1994–95) (13 issues)[27]
  • X-Men Adventures vol. 3 (1995–96) (13 issues)[28]
  • Adventures of the X-Men (1996–97) (12 issues)[29]

[30]

Video games

X-Men '92

The comic book series X-Men '92, one of the many tie-in titles for Marvel's 2015 Secret Wars event and later a continuous series in All-New, All-Different Marvel, is based on the TV series, starring members of the show's reality.[33]

References

  1. ^ Cerone, Daniel (1993-02-20). "X-Men vs. the Gang of Three". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  2. ^ "Top 10 Comic to TV Adaptations". IGN. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  3. ^ "Kids vet Margaret Loesch to run Hasbro-Discovery cable network". Los Angeles Times. July 16, 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e Mangels, Andy (August 1993). "Scorching the Screen". Wizard: X-Men Turn Thirty. pp. 70–73.
  5. ^ Mangels, Andy (January 1993). "Hollywood Heroes". Wizard (17). Wizard Entertainment: 32.
  6. ^ "DRG4's Exclusive X-Men Cartoon Pilot Differences". drp4.wariocompany.com. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  7. ^ Mangels, Andy. "FOX Snares X-Men". drg4.wariocompany.com. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ a b "Interview with John Semper". drp4.wariocompany.com. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  9. ^ a b "Secret Wars, Part 1: Arrival". drp4.wariocompany.com. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  10. ^ "Marvel Animation Age". Marvel.toonzone.net. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
  11. ^ "X-Men - Volume 1 DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  12. ^ "X-Men - Volume 2 DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  13. ^ "X-Men Volume Four DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  14. ^ "X-Men - Volume 5 DVD Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  15. ^ "X-Men, Volume 1". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  16. ^ "X-Men, Volume 2". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  17. ^ "X-Men, Volume 3". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  18. ^ "X-Men, Volume 4". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  19. ^ "X-Men - Marvel Comic Book Collection Volume 1 Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
  20. ^ "X-Men - Marvel Comic Book Collection Volume 3 Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
  21. ^ "X-Men - Marvel Comic Book Collection Volume 4 Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  22. ^ "X-Men - Marvel Comic Book Collection Volume 5 Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  23. ^ "IGN - 13. X-Men". Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  24. ^ "IMDb: Highest Rated TV Series With At Least 5,000 Votes". IMDb.
  25. ^ "The 1990s: Claremont's exit, mega-crossovers". Retrieved 2007-01-26.
  26. ^ "X-Men Adventures Comics checklist Volume 1". comics-db.com. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  27. ^ "X-Men Adventures Comics checklist Volume 2". comics-db.com. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  28. ^ "X-Men Adventures Comics checklist Volume 3". comics-db.com. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  29. ^ "Adventures of the X-Men Comics checklist". comics-db.com. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
  30. ^ "Marvel Teases X-Men '92's Return". Comic Book. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  31. ^ "X-Men: Children of the Atom". member.cox.net. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
  32. ^ "Hot at the Arcades". GamePro. No. 67. IDG. February 1995. p. 20.
  33. ^ Jesse Schedeen (13 March 2015). "X-Men: The Animated Series Lives On in X-Men '92". IGN.
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