The Terrible Thunderlizards

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The Terrible Thunderlizards
Genre Animated series
Created by Savage Steve Holland
Bill Kopp
Developed by Savage Studios Ltd.
Fox Kids
Nelvana
Starring Bill Kopp
Savage Steve Holland
Jason Priestly
Charlie Adler
Curtis Armstrong
Country of origin Canada
No. of episodes 36 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive
producer(s)		 Savage Steve Holland
Running time 11 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel YTV
Picture format SDTV
Original run November 20, 1993 – September 5, 1997
External links
TV.com summary

The Terrible Thunderlizards is an Canadian animated series that aired in Canada on YTV and in the United States as part of the Fox Kids programming block. It ran from November 20, 1993 to September 5, 1997. The series was spun off from Eek! The Cat. The show was forced to tag along with Eek! The Cat a week after the first two episodes of the series aired. In 1994, The Terrible Thunderlizards had its own show once again, only for an episode. Later that year, The Terrible Thunderlizards was canceled as a series, but had returned as a supporting segment on Eek! The Cat, which had to change the show name to Eek! Stravaganza. Like Eek!, this series was also a Nelvana and Fox Kids company production in association with Savage Studios Ltd.

The series chronicled the misadventures of a trio of dinosaur mercenaries released from incarceration and charged with the task of eliminating two primitive human beings. However, despite their superior size and firepower and the obliviousness of their targets, the mercenaries always fail with comic results. [1] Dee Snider, from the band Twisted Sister composed the show's theme song.

Contents

[edit] Characters

[edit] Doc Tari

Doc Tari (human codename doctor), is the leader of the team. He is based on a Parasaurolophus only with a hole in the center that contains many gadgets, including a buzz-saw. The team's most focused member; but is every bit as unfocused as Kutter and Squat when not chasing the humans or performing missions. He talks in a voice similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger in his film Commando. His catchphrase is "we move!" Voiced by Savage Steve Holland, the co-creator.

[edit] Kutter

Day Z. Kutter (human codename daisycutter) is the second in command of the team. He is based on a Styracosaurus, although he was mis-addressed as a Triceratops. As his name suggests, he is good with knives, being the master of the knife fight, and wears a skull T-shirt. Kutter is not as smart as Doc, but not as stupid as Squat. Voiced by Bill Kopp, also the co-creator.

[edit] Squat

Bo Diddly Squat is the third member of the team. He is based on a Diplodocus. He is the cliché "dim-witted clumsy screw-up" (ala Curly Howard). His voice and mannerisms are similar to Bill Paxton's character from the film Aliens. Squat is often used as the volunteer to assess dangerous situations. Voiced by Jason Priestly and later by Corey Feldman in the fifth season of Eek! Stravaganza.

[edit] General Galapagos

General Galapagos is the boss of the Thunderlizards. He is a bad-tempered Tyranosaurid who oversees the missions of the Terrible Thunderlizards to hunt down the humans. They never have any luck at accomplishing their mission, which often angers him. He was the one who foresaw that, given the trio's overall performance, their race is doomed. He also has a wife and son. Voiced by Kurtwood Smith.

[edit] Mr. T-Rex

Mr. T-Rex is Galapagos's best soldier. He is a Tyrannosaurus who is based on (and voiced by) Mr. T. T-Rex is clearly a parody of Mr. T's characters Clubber Lang from Rocky III & B. A. Baracus from The A-Team, even saying "I pity the fool" and calling the Thunderlizards "fools" or "suckas." His anger frequently gets him into trouble resulting in the Thunderlizards having to save him. His two recruits are Nate the Dragon, a Velociraptor that uses a Bo staff and is clearly based on Bruce Lee, and El Gordo, a Spanish-like Ceratosaurus with the ability to use camouflage by putting any type of plant on his body.

[edit] Bill & Scooter

Bill & Scooter are the two humans - Homo Sapiens - the Thunderlizards have to eliminate so they will never evolve into the humans we are today.

Bill (voiced by Charlie Adler) is Scooter's whiny, ill-tempered partner in the invention game. He gets to test drive the newest devices often with ill, chaotic and disastrous consequences. When he's intact from a failed experiment, Bill must watch out for a dangerous species of Jungle Slug who likes to eat him. Throughout the series, he is known for his catchphrase "When does the hurting stop?".

Scooter (voiced by Curtis Armstrong) is a jolly, overly enthusiastic caveman, who loves to invent such things as a square wheel, baseball (actually "beesball" because they use a beehive as the ball), and the pogo stick.

[edit] The Thugasaurs

The Thugasaurs are a race of undead dinosaurs that live in the X-Zone on the outskirts of Jurassic City (a frequent target of the Thugosaurs) and are the main villains of the Thunderlizards. Thugo (voiced by Brad Garret) is the diabolical leader of a group of black-hooded skeleton-like Thugasaurs. His vanity insists he always look good, so Thugo often spends more time trying to improve his appearance than accomplishing his evil plans - plans that would mean the end of the Living Dinosaurs. He also likes watching drama TV shows. Biff is Thugo's wimpy, flower-loving, second-in-command. He's really too dainty to be part of a villainous organization like The Thugasaurs. The notable appearances that differentiate the army from Biff & Thugo are Biff has a long snout with bucky teeth & also wears a mask while Thugo has an alternate skull-shape with sharp teeth-like bones & a rounder face. All other Thugosaurs resemble both of the villains.

[edit] Cast

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Terrible Thunderlizards. TV Acres. Retrieved on 2007-04-01.