Talk:The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

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[edit] DVD release

Is there gonna be a DVD release of this show? Angie Y. 02:00, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

Probably not. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.206.69.158 (talk) 01:48, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Archived portions

Archiving the old development history here while I write the new.

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest had a notably troubled development process. The program began production in 1992, but faced many setbacks and spent three years in “development hell”. The original production team was therefore fired, and two new teams of producers were brought in. John Eng and Cosmo Anzilotti worked with the leftover models from the previous team, which featured an edgier, anime inspiration, so as to get the show on the air by 1996. Meanwhile, Davis Doi and Larry Houston decided to redesign the characters closer to the 1964 Jonny Quest originals. The two versions of the series were originally meant to have been launched separately, but, after the Time Warner-Turner merger, the Doi/Houston episodes were broadcast as the second season of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest instead of on their own.

The Eng/Anzilotti version of the show (the one present in all merchandising related to the show) is referred to as the “Season One” version, while the Doi/Houston episodes are referred to as the “Season Two” version. However, all fifty-two episodes (twenty-six of each version) were all aired during the 1996-1997 television season, and, while most of the Season One episodes aired first, episodes from the two versions were intermixed as the show went on.

An added element in the “Season One” episodes was the concept of cyberspace. Dr. Quest developed a virtual reality system called “QuestWorld”, which was usually depicted using three-dimensional computer animation. The rest of the program was created using traditional animation.

Recurring villains in the “Season One” episodes include hacker Jeremiah Surd and prophetic madman Ezekiel Rage. In keeping with the original 1964 feel, the main recurring villains in the “Season Two” episodes are Dr. Zin, the Quest team’s traditional archenemy, and his two daughters. The "Season Two" team made a point of killing off the recurring villains from "Season One". Fifty-two episodes of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest were eventually produced, and the show is currently in syndication.

[edit] Notes for peer reviewers / FAC critics

I really threw the book at this one, using several sources and search methods to find tons of printed material on the show. Still, I have some notes:

  1. First are publications I'm aware of but haven't been able to look at and assimilate into the article. I've otherwise found an entire range of critical commentary and analysis, and one article even summarizes TV Guide's initial reactions. I believe that 95% of qualitative information concerning the show has been represented here. The stuff I don't have is listed below. Interlibrary loan will eventually knock off half this list.
  1. Second are Lance Falk's commentaries and sources. Falk was a writer for season two and talked about the show with people on AOL's Quest messageboard. Two of his interviews were done through professional magazines, but there's a small handful of citations for e-mails he sent out. His notes in the e-mails are corroborated by his magazine interviews for Animation Planet and Animation Artist, and I do not believe he would have any reason to mislead or deceive. I ask that these few commentary references be allowed to stand as they offer a unique look behind the scenes.
  2. Third is the writer's bible. Photocopies of it (minus the design sheets) have been circulating on Ebay for some time now, and they are authentic. This is another "iffy" source in terms of professionalism, but it is invaluable to the article for describing the plot and first season set-up without millions of "citation needed"s. While one could infer all that data from watching the first and second seasons, the writer's bible tersely and clearly puts it on paper, allowing for several useful quotations. The document was written by Lawrence (season one) but edited by Leopold (season two); still, one versed in the show can tell what he rewrote (like the "heartrate stop" used by Hadji in Zanzibar allegedly being boring), and which parts are unchanged (the call to use real-world mythical sources). When in doubt over the author, I've played it safe.
  3. Fourth are the Francois Lord e-mails. He worked on QuestWorld and e-mailed someone on the AOL community to clarify working conditions at Buzz F/X. Again, an "unprofessional" source with "invaluable" perspective on the show.

Other than that, I've tried to maintain NPOV concerning the first and second seasons. The first is noted as injuring the show through troubled development but hosting an interesting premise; the second is noted as returning to the series to its classic roots, but encountering criticisms and moving the show away from the first season's realism. Other criticisms are made for each season, and I think there's a good balance going. Thanks for reviewing. Zeality 05:31, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

  • Mental note: 3-7, 10-14 March 1997 on 7:30 slot