Spider-Man (1994 TV series)

Spider-Man
Genre Superhero
Action/Adventure
Science fiction
Created by Stan Lee
Steve Ditko
(characters)
Developed by Marvel Films Animation
Supervising Producer
Bob Richardson
Supervising Director
Bob Richardson
Producer
John Semper
Head Writer
John Semper
Theme music composer Joe Perry
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 65[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Running time 21 minutes
Production company(s) Marvel Entertainment Group
Marvel Films Animation
Distributor New World Communications
(1994-1997)
Saban Entertainment
(1997-2001)
BVS Entertainment
(2001-present)
Broadcast
Original channel Fox
Original run November 19, 1994 – January 31, 1998
Chronology
Preceded by Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
Followed by Spider-Man Unlimited

Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series based on the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man.[2] The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998, and ran reruns on the Jetix block on Toon Disney. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and the production company was Marvel Films Animation.[3] The instrumental theme song for the series (including the lyrics) was performed by Joe Perry of Aerosmith.

Synopsis

The series focuses on Spider-Man and his alter ego Peter Parker during his college years at Empire State University. As the story begins, Peter has already gained his superpowers and is a part-time freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle. The show features most of Spider-Man's classic villains, including the Kingpin, the Green Goblin, the Lizard, the Shocker, Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, the Scorpion, Rhino, the Vulture, the Chameleon, and Venom. Over the course of the series the single Peter contends with the romantic love interests of Mary Jane Watson, Felicia Hardy and her alter ego, the Black Cat. The show also features appearances from various other Marvel superheroes including the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, Blade, Doctor Strange, the Punisher, and Captain America.

Production overview

While Marvel's X-Men animated series was being produced by Saban, Spider-Man was produced by the newly formed Marvel Films Animation; it was the only series that in-house studio produced, but was animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha with Korean studios.[4] The series is the second longest-running Marvel show created, after X-Men, as well as the longest-running series based on Spider-Man. The series was also known for its high level of censorship, with Spider-Man almost never throwing a punch and laser guns instead of real ones. It is currently owned and distributed by The Walt Disney Company, which acquired all Fox Kids-related properties from News Corporation and Saban International in 2001.

Animation

Concept art for Spider-Man in the series.

To reproduce New York City's style, background illustrators undertook a large amount of visual research by using photo archives from above New York, particularly rooftops. Maps were consulted for references and buildings were faithfully reproduced.

It has been reported that the animation cels depicting Manhattan's Pan Am Building were scrapped after being complete because the California-based art staff learned the Midtown landmark had been given a new sign more than a year earlier.

The animation staff were directed to populate the city with cars and crowds on the street level. Semper believed that was one of the limitations of earlier Spider-Man animated projects.

Originally, Marvel Films planned to make the backgrounds completely CGI while Spider-Man 'webslinged' around New York, yet due to budget constraints were forced to use traditional cel based animation while occasionally using CGI backgrounds. As well, reuse of animation became more common as the series progressed, which also included reuse of animation involving a character speaking (these scenes were sometimes slowed down in order to better match the actor's voice to the animation).

Characters

Recurring voice cast

Venom as seen in the series.

Guest voice cast

Reception

Spider-Man was one of the most popular TV series on Fox Kids, ranking with the programming block's other hit shows such as X-Men, Power Rangers and Batman: The Animated Series. Its ultimate cancellation after 65 episodes was not due to ratings trouble, but due to disagreements between executive producer Avi Arad and network head Margaret Loesch.

Even after the series ended, it still had an impact on the entertainment industry, boosting sales of myriad Spider-Man merchandise and popularity. The show was named the 84th best animated series by IGN.[5]

Merchandising

First series of the show's toy line.

Three comics based on the series were produced:

A number of video games based on the series were also produced:

Electronic versions of classic Spider-Man comics were released by Marvel that included narration by Christopher Daniel Barnes and featured animation and theme music from this series. Spider-Man novels inspired by selected episodes were also released. A wide variety of themed merchandise (lunch boxes, cereals, clothing, etc.) was produced. McDonald's produced a themed line of Happy Meal toys for the show. However, this paled in comparison to the extensive official toy line that ran over eight series, and included a staggering amount of play sets and vehicles and actually lasted longer than the television series itself.

Release availability

Despite the fact that the show ended in 1998, the success of the live-action Spider-Man films have sparked more interest in new fans, allowing the series to air in reruns due to its new owners: The Walt Disney Company.

As of February 2012, Marvel.com has uploaded every episode for streaming purposes, and they have been up since 2009.[11]

The entire series is no longer available for instant streaming on Canadian Netflix. It is available as part of Amazon Prime Instant Video.

VHS and DVD releases

Region 1

During the series' run, some episodes were released on VHS. These were from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

In the late 1990s, another selection of VHS compilations were released by Marvel Films/New World Entertainment (these tapes were distributed in Canada by Telegenic Entertainment). These releases featured episodes edited into 70-80 minute movies based on the particular story arc.

To date, the only VHS and DVD releases of the series in the U.S. have been several volume sets from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment that feature 4-5 episodes each.

Title Release Date
Spider-Man: The Ultimate Villain Showdown[12] 30 April 2002
Episodes:
  • The Sins of the Fathers Chapter II: Make a Wish
  • The Sins of the Fathers Chapter III: Attack of the Octobot
  • The Sins of the Fathers Chapter IV: Enter the Green Goblin
  • The Sins of the Fathers Chapter V: The Rocket Racer

Features[13]

  • 1967 Classic Episode: "The Origins Of Spider-Man"
Spider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin[14] 29 October 2002
Episodes:
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter XII: The Spot
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter XIII: Goblin War!
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter XIV: The Turning Point
  • Partners in Danger: Chapter I: Guilty

Features[15]

  • Partners in Danger: Chapter VIII: The Return of the Green Goblin (WARNING: This is missing its background music in the VHS Version.)
  • 1967 Classic Episode: "The Terrible Triumph of Doctor Octopus/Magic Malice"
Daredevil vs. Spider-Man[16] 11 February 2003
Episodes:
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter VI: Framed
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter VII: The Man Without Fear
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter VIII: The Ultimate Slayer
  • The Sins of the Father: Chapter IX: Tombstone

Features[17]

  • Classic 1966 Bonus Episode: "King Pinned" - Featuring Kingpin
  • Fantastic Four Bonus Episode, "And a Blind Man Shall Lead Them" - Featuring Daredevil (DVD Version Only)
The Ultimate Spider-Man Collection[18] 2 November 2003
DVD Sets:
  • Spider-Man: The Ultimate Villain Showdown
  • Spider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin
  • Daredevil vs. Spider-Man
Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock[19] 29 June 2004
Episodes:
  • Doctor Octopus: Armed And Dangerous
  • Partners in Danger: Chapter II: The Cat
  • Partners in Danger: Chapter III: The Black Cat
  • Partners in Danger: Chapter V: Partners

Features[17]

  • A classic 1967 bonus episode: The Power Of Dr. Octopus/Sub-Zero For Spidey
Spider-Man: The Venom Saga[20] 7 June 2005
DVD Sets:
  • The Alien Costume, Part One
  • The Alien Costume, Part Two
  • The Alien Costume, Part Three
  • The Sins of the Fathers, Chapter X: Venom Returns
  • The Sins of the Fathers, Chapter XI: Carnage

Region 2

In the UK, Sweden, and Germany, Clear Vision Ltd. has released all five seasons on DVD as of October 19, 2009.

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
Complete Season 1 13 June 22, 2009[21]
Complete Season 2 14 August 3, 2009[22]
Complete Season 3 14 August 17, 2009[23]
Complete Season 4 11 September 15, 2009[24]
Complete Season 5 13 October 19, 2009[25]
The Complete Collection 65 November 7, 2011[26]

Other releases

Bootleg DVDs of the show have become popular among fans due to a lack of official DVD releases. The bootlegs feature all of the episodes but some of them have low video quality and watermarks. This is likely to change as the entire series becomes available in the UK. The series is currently the 16th most wanted unreleased DVD at TVShowsOnDVD.com.[27]

Awards

Writer / Producer John Semper Jr. won an Annie Award in 1995 for Best Individual Achievement for Writing in the Field of Animation for the episode "Day of the Chameleon". Spider-Man was also nominated for one 1996 Image Award for Outstanding Animated/Live-Action/Dramatic Youth or Children's Series/Special.[28]

Sequel

A show called Spider-Man Unlimited was released on October 2, 1999, and is believed by many fans to be a loose sequel to Spider-Man: The Animated Series. The show features its own story which differs from the comics, but does show aspects which were never revealed during the series finale of Spider-Man, such as Mary Jane returning to her original dimension after Green Goblin sends her to another.

Spiritual successor

On November 1, 2014 at the Comikaze Expo, where the show's 20th anniversary was celebrated, John Semper Jr. revealed that much of the cast and crew of Spider-Man The Animated Series, himself included, had agreed to reunite for a new crowdfunded series entitled "War of the Rocket Men".[29][30][31][32]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Spider-Man on TV". IGN. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
  2. ↑ "Top 10 Comic to TV Adaptations". IGN. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  3. ↑ "John Semper on "Spider-Man": 10th Anniversary Interview". Marvel Animation Age. toonzone.net. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  4. ↑ Cawley, John. "Marvel Films Animation 1993-1997". Home of John Cawley. John Cawley. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "84, Spider-Man". IGN. 2009-01-23. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
  6. ↑ "Spider-Man Adventures". The Big Comic Book Database. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  7. ↑ "Kellogg’s Fruit Loops (Spider-Man Adventures Reprints)". spiderfan.org. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  8. ↑ "The Adventures of Spider-Man". spiderfan.org. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  9. ↑ "Spectacular Spider-Man (UK Magazine) : #1-#25". spiderfan.org. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  10. ↑ "Marvel Adventures (Spidey’s Appearances)". spiderfan.org. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  11. ↑ "Stream episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series right here! | Marvel.com News". Marvel.com. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  12. ↑ "Ultimate Villain Showdown DVD". usask.ca. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  13. ↑ "The Ultimate Villain Showdown at dvdempire". dvdempire.com. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  14. ↑ "Return of the Green Goblin DVD". usask.ca. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  15. ↑ "The Return of the Green Goblin at dvdempire". dvdempire.com. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
  16. ↑ "Daredevil vs Spider-Man DVD". usask.ca. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Daredevil vs Spider-Man at dvdempire". dvdempire.com. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  18. ↑ "Ultimate Spider-Man Collection DVD". dvdempire.com. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  19. ↑ "Spider-Man vs Doc Ock DVD". usask.ca. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  20. ↑ "The Venom Saga DVD". ultimatedisney.com. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  21. ↑ "New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 1, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  22. ↑ "New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 2, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  23. ↑ "New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 3, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  24. ↑ "New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 4, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  25. ↑ http://www.clearvision.co.uk/product.cfm?prod_id=MAR1023
  26. ↑ http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=705308&affiliate=td&lpgrp=network&tduid=68c9434f78171f4f364dfe4311c85ec4
  27. ↑ "Spider-Man on DVD, Release Info, News at". Tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  28. ↑ "IMDb: Spider-Man Awards". Retrieved 2007-05-23.
  29. ↑ "'Spider-Man: The Animated Series' Cast Reunites and Reveals New Project". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-11-01.
  30. ↑
  31. ↑
  32. ↑

References

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Spider-Man: The Animated Series

External links