| Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Starla & the Jewel Riders |
| Genre | Fantasy, adventure |
| Format | Animated series |
| Created by | Robert Mandell |
| Written by | Robert Mandell Robin Young Christopher Rowley James Luceno Katherine Lawrence Linda Shayne |
| Directed by | Robert Mandell |
| Starring | Corinne Orr Kerry Butler Jean Louisa Kelly Debra Allison Laura Dean Henry Mandell John Beach Voiceguy Bob Kaliban |
| Composer(s) | Jeff Pescetto Louis Fagenson |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Allen J. Bohbot Joseph Cohen Robert Mandell Ralph Sorrentino |
| Producer(s) | Winnie Chaffee Eleanor Kearney |
| Running time | 24 (30) minutes |
| Production company(s) | Enchanted Castle Productions Golden Films |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | First-run syndication (1995-1996) |
| Original run | September 10, 1995 – December 12, 1996 |
Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders (also known as Starla & the Jewel Riders, and listed as such on BKN's official site[1]) is a 1995 children's fantasy animated television series inspired by the Arthurian myths, produced by Bohbot Productions (now BKN) with association with Hong Ying Animation and internationally syndicated by Bohbot Entertainment.
The series had two seasons of thirteen episodes each, first broadcast in its native United States in 1995-1996 (the export versions have slight changes, including a different name of the main character). The third season has been reportedly planned for the fall 1998 season,[2] but apparently it was then cancelled. The cartoon, however, worked as the basis for the contemporary fantasy series of Avalon: Web of Magic books since 2001.[3] Jewel Riders shares many similarities with the magical girl sub-genre of anime and the preceding American animated TV series such as She-Ra: Princess of Power and Wildfire, and was in many ways similar to The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (the both shows had the same creator, Robert Mandell).[4] While it is less well known than its predecessors, it got a fan following and (along with Disney's Gargoyles) contains some of the earliest signs of a "quest"-genre American animated series.
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The show's action is set in what is traditionally King Arthur's resting place in the legend, the island of Avalon, here portrayed as a fairy tale utopia that keeps its magical energies in check with the aid of the royal Crown Jewels. The plot follows the quest of Avalon's young princess to secure a series of enchanted gemstone jewels and restore harmony in magic while battling the forces of darkness. There is a special emphasis on the "power of friendship", which enables the titular Jewel Riders, the three adolescent defenders of Avalon, to overcome their adversaries. In the American version the title character shares her name with Arthur's wife Guinevere; the other Arthurian characters in the show include Merlin, Morgan le Fay (Morgana),[5] and the episodical appearance of Lady of the Lake. The series appears to be taking place in the present time, as it is said over a thousand years passed since Merlin's victory over Morgana and there are some modern-day references.
The story is set up during the two-part pilot episode "Jewel Quest". The Grand Wizard Merlin mentors young Princess of Avalon, Gwenevere (Starla outside the United States, voiced by Kerry Butler) and her friends Tamara and Fallon for the day that they will inevitably find an animal "Special Friend" to share the power of their own themed Enchanted Jewels with them. Gwen is yet to be given the power of the royal Sun Stone in the sacred Friendship Ceremony, while Fallon already has the power of the Moon Stone and Tamara's jewel is the Heart Stone. Their Jewels, besides their own different powers, are allowing them to communicate with their Special Friends - magic animals who each share a similar gemstone as part of their neck collars. The teenage Gwen needs first to find for herself such an animal, and thus to fulfill her destiny and become the new leader of the Jewel Riders - champions of goodness and magical guardians of the castle of New Camelot, who uphold the laws of Avalon and defend its people for generations. However, Lady Kale (Corinne Orr), Queen Anya's jealous sister who was once denied the Sun Stone (and thus also the throne) by Merlin and became an outlaw sorceress, is plotting her revenge to conquer Avalon and use its magic for evil. Using the sinister powers of her newly found Dark Stone, Kale sends Merlin into the hidden realm of Wild Magic and attempts to steal the Crown Jewels in order to make herself an undisputed ruler of the kingdom. But little she knows Merlin has not been destroyed, and in the last moment he makes all seven Crown Jewels return to the lands from where they came. The Crown Jewels that Kale needs to rule also kept away from her for a time being, but in doing so they were scattered wide across Avalon - and with the Crown Jewels gone from Merlin's Jewel Box, the Wild Magic is no longer stable. Finding them all is also the only way to rescue Merlin, and so the titular Jewel Quest begins. Gwen also succeeds in finding her Special Friend, which turns out to be a brave winged unicorn named Sunstar (rescued by her from Kale).
Once the bond of the Crown Jewels is broken, the Wild Magic flows out of control, causing destructive outbreaks until they are all brought together again. Retrieving them is also the only way the Jewel Riders can recover Merlin from his prison inside the Wild Magic. Avalon's fate now rests with the Jewel Riders, the latest incarnation of which consists of the princess and her two best friends. Each of them has her own Enchanted Jewel, which enables them to wear Jewel Armor and travel safely through the dangerous dimension of Wild Magic and reach various locations. Along the way, the protagonists must contend with selfish efforts of the ruthless Lady Kale, who intends to instead connect ("tune") the magic of Crown Jewels to herself and gain enough power to bring down her sister's rule and become the new queen of Avalon. The girls are often assisted by a young male trio of brave wolf-riding Knights of Avalon, known as the Pack, who all use the power of the Forest Stones. Using the magic of the Enchanted Jewels and their friendship, those adventurous teens team up to reclaim the jewels that can protect the kingdom from danger.
For the first thirteen episodes, the primary storyline is the Jewel Riders' quest of finding and securing the Crown Jewels before Kale can use their powers to destroy Merlin and take over the kingdom. The Crown Jewels include Jewel of the North Woods found in the forest of Ravenwood, Jewel of the magical Dreamfields, Rainbow Jewel found inside the Rainbow Falls in the hills, Burning Ice Jewel found in the Tower of Glog at the Wizard's Peak in the snow-covered mountains, Desert Star Jewel of the Great Desert recovered from the magical realm of Faeryland, Misty Rose Jewel found in the Misty Moors, and the Jewel of the Jungle found in the hidden lair of the ancient Enchantress Morgana. During the two-part dramatic finale of the first season Kale actually manages to seize control of Avalon and all of its magic, but she is tricked by Merlin to be defeated by the power of Crown Jewels. The girls discover that in accomplishing their quest, they have now entuned the Crown Jewels to their own personal jewels - but in doing so, they also squander any chance of rescuing Merlin for the time being, leaving the series as yet unresolved.
In the second season, instead of Crown Jewels, Gwenevere (in this season voiced by Jean Louisa Kelly) and the Jewel Riders seek out another cache of magical gems, the ancient Wizard Jewels, with an extra adversary to deal with. Having been banished into the limbo of Wild Magic herself, Kale is drawn towards a floating palace, where she meets Morgana - one of the legendary Grand Wizards and the creator of the Dark Stone. A millennium ago, Morgana led a failed conspiracy conceived many by her and the other Grand Wizards against Merlin, but she has been vanquished and since then she remains trapped by the Wild Magic. When Morgana realizes that the Dark Stone has now become entuned to Kale and she cannot control it, they decide to join forces against Merlin (however, secretly, the both of them plan to rid of each other too) and thus Kale is able to get out. Meanwhile, the Jewel Riders realize that the powers of the Crown Jewels have given them a set of new "Level Two" magical armor and powers seven times more powerful than before. They have now at their disposal far greater magic than they ever dreamed possible, which they have initially difficulty controlling. The girls must now learn how to use these enhanced powers and continue their quest to bring Merlin home and protect Avalon. Soon, they come face-to-face with the mighty Morgana and realize that they are facing with a formidable new enemy.
The seven Wizard Jewels are the Garden Jewel (shaped like a flower), the Unicorn Jewel (shaped like an unicorn's horn), the Jewel of the Sea (shaped like a seashell), the Time Stone (shaped like a hourglass), the Jewel of Arden (shaped like a leaf), the Fortune Jewel (shaped like a top), and the Dark Stone itself. The Riders are now trying to capture the jewels before they may fall into the hands of Morgana, who wants to use their power to complete her conquest of Avalon. During one her adventures, Gwen meets a mysterious young man called Ian (a werewolf who eventually saves the day during the final battle) and falls in love with him, and Tamara finds a magical animal for herself, who turns out to be an unicorn named Shadowsong. In the series' two-part dramatic conclusion, the Riders and their friends together manage to create The One Jewel (Merlin’s Wizard Jewel and the red orb on his staff), using it to again defeat Kale (this time turning her into a stone statue), and then to win over Morgana in a test of skills and wits, sending her back to the Wild Magic. In the end, Merlin is finally freed and the balance of magic to Avalon is restored for as long as it can be before evil arises again.
The teenage Jewels Riders trio consist of Gwenevere / Starla (whose Special Friend is the pegasus Sunstar), Fallon (riding on the unicorn Moondance) and Tamara (who in the second season she gets the unicorn Shadowsong). Each of their Jewels has different magical abilities and their own colors and corresponding gemstones with various powers, also allowing them to communicate with their animals. The Pack (or Knights of Avalon as they are also referred to) consist of Gwen's wannabe boyfriend Drake (who is their leader), Josh and Max (the two have rather minor roles), who guard the Crystal Palace and sometimes aid the Jewel Riders. The series' main villainess is initially Lady Kale, Gwen's wicked aunt (aided by her evil dragon Grimm and a duo of "Dweasels"), but in the second season the prime enemy is Morgana with Kale at her side. The princess and her friends are also always aided by the Merlin's talking owl named Archie.
| Number | Title | Writer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jewel Quest, Part I | Robert Mandell |
| 2 | Jewel Quest, Part II | Robert Mandell |
| 3 | Travel Trees Don’t Dance | Christopher Rowley and Robin Young |
| 4 | Song of the Rainbow | Mary Stanton and Robin Young |
| 5 | Wizard’s Peak | James Luceno and Robin Young |
| 6 | For Whom the Bell Trolls | Marianne Meyer and Robin Young |
| 7 | The Faery Princess | Linda Shayne and Robin Young |
| 8 | Badlands | Katherine Lawrence and Robin Young |
| 9 | Home Sweet Heart Stone | Robin Young |
| 10 | Love Struck | James Mattson |
| 11 | Dreamfields | Robin Young |
| 12 | Revenge of the Dark Stone | Robin Young and Christopher Rowley |
| 13 | Full Circle | Robin Young and Christopher Rowley |
| 14 | Morgana | Robert Mandell |
| 15 | Shadowsong | Robin Young |
| 16 | Fashion Fever | Robin Young and Christopher Rowley |
| 17 | Vale of the Unicorns | Katherine Lawrence |
| 18 | Prince of the Forest | Robin Young |
| 19 | The Wizard of Gardenia | James Luceno |
| 20 | The Jewel of the Sea | Linda Shayne |
| 21 | Trouble in Elftown | Laraine Arkow and Marlowe Weisman |
| 22 | The Wishing Jewel | Laura Munro |
| 23 | Mystery Island | Robin Young |
| 24 | The Fortune Jewel | Robin Young |
| 25 | Spirit of Avalon / Lady of the Lake | Robert Mandell and Christopher Rowley |
| 26 | The One Jewel / Last Dance | Robert Mandell and Christopher Rowley |
The show was originally commissioned by Hasbro through reverse toyetic to accompany their line of toys (albeit only in the form of vague outline and the creators developed the plot and the characters).[6] According to The Buffalo News, "the production team intended for the Jewel Riders to serve as positive role models for girls".[7]
Jewel Riders were aired outside the U.S. in Bulgaria (as Принцеса Старла и сияйните ездачи), Canada on YTV, in Estonia on TV 1 (as Printsess Starla), in France on France 3 (as Princesse Starla et les Joyaux magiques), in Germany on ORF 1 and RTL 2 (as Starla und die Kristallretter), in Italy on Italia 1 (as Starla e le sette gemme del mistero), in Romania on TVR1 (as Printesa Starla), in Norway (as Prinsesse Starla og Juvelridderne), in Philippines on GMA Network (as Starla at ang mga Jewel Riders), in Poland on RTL 7 (as Starla i Jeźdźcy), in Portugal on SIC and Canal Panda (as Starla e as Jóias Encantadas), in Russia (as Принцесса Старла и повелители камней), in Serbia (as Старла и небески јахачи), in Spain, under the titles of La princesa Starla (TVE1) and Starla i les amazones de les joies (Catalonian language TV3), in Sweden on Canal+, FilmNet and TV 3 (as Starla och juvelriddarna), and in United Kingdom on GMTV in early 1990s and re-run on Pop Girl in 2009 (both under the Starla... title).
There were four VHS releases in America by Family Home Entertainment, covering only part of the first season and consisting of Jewel Quest (which contained "Jewel Quest Part 1" and "Jewel Quest Part 2"), Wizard's Peak ("Wizard's Peak" and "Travel Trees Can't Dance"), For Whom the Bell Trolls ("For Whom the Bell Trolls" and "The Faery Princess"), and Full Circle ("Revenge of the Dark Stone" and "Full Circle").
In Europe there were British (in 1999 by Carlton Visual Entertainment) and French (in 2000 by Warner Home Video) VHS releases that contained also episodes from the second season of the show.
Digiview Entertainment has reserved the right to release the show onto DVD in 2006. They announced plans to released the first two volumes in late 2006, and to release subsequent volumes over the course of the next year. The first and as of 2009[update] the only DVD released by Digiview was Wizard's Peak, containing the first five episodes of the show and available in the Wal-Mart stores. Though it says "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders" on the cover, the actual show on the DVD is the international version (Starla & the Jewel Riders), which uses Gwenevere's European name Starla (both in the theme song, and in the main dialogue). In addition in the case of both the cover, and the show itself, the European-style fonts are used in the logo. The disc also appears to be region-free.
The complete first season was released on DVD in 2008 in France (dubbing) and the whole series was released in Serbia (voice-over translation) the same year.
In 2008-2009 the series has been available to be watched for free in a streaming media form on the Lycos Cinema service (later Kidlet). In 2009 the show was also made freely available for users of the Internet service SyncTV (available online from the browser for the American users and downloadable for watching for the others). While it is titled as Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, it is actually the Starla version.[8] As of December 2011, the Starla version is also available for streaming through Netflix.[9]
The Hasbro toy line had three series of action figures for the girls of ages 4 and up:[10]
There were also other merchandise items for the series, such as collectable trading cards released by the Upper Deck Company in 1996.[11]
The book King Arthur in America said about the show: "with its strong female heroine, [it] is interesting in part because it is designed primarily for girls".[12] According to Arthurian Literature, "the series appeals to young girls and teaches them the values of friendship".[13] In 2009, the website Topless Robot placed Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders as 5th on the list of "The 10 Most Ridiculous Adaptations of Arthurian Legend".[14] In 2010, a Ms. magazine blogger tongue-in-cheek called the series "so sexist and racist" for having "the powerful female figure demonized as evil and the main character blond and blue-eyed".[15]
In 2001, children's book author Rachel Roberts wrote her own book series loosely based on the show and borrowing ideas and names (such as episode titles), as well as lyrics from some of the songs used in Jewel Riders.[3] The series consists of twelve novels, as well as the three-volume graphic novel adaptation, Avalon: The Warlock Diaries.[16]
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