Wild C.A.T.s
| WildC.A.T.s | |
|---|---|
 Cover to the DVD release of WildC.A.T.s | |
| Also known as | "WildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams" |
| Genre | Animation |
| Created by |
Jim Lee Brandon Choi |
| Developed by | David Wise |
| Written by |
David Wise Brooks Wachtel Rich Fogel Mark Seidenberg |
| Voices of |
Dennis Akayama Paul Mota Roscoe Handford Janet-Laine Green |
| Country of origin |
United States Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Jim Lee Michael Hirsh Toper Taylor |
| Producer(s) | Hasmi Giakoumis |
| Production company(s) |
WildStorm Productions Nelvana Limited |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | October 1, 1994 – January 21, 1995 |
WildC.A.T.s is a half-hour animated television series based on the comics series of the same name. It aired on CBS for one season between October 1, 1994 to January 21, 1995. The series was produced by WildStorm Productions in association with Nelvana Limited. DC Comics now own the rights to the characters, due to their purchase of WildStorm in 1999.
Overview
WildC.A.T.s is about the universal war between two prehistoric alien races. One of the races is the heroic Kherubim while the other is the evil Daemonites.[1]
Production
It ran for thirteen episodes with a family-friendly storyline. WildC.A.T.s, along with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Skeleton Warriors, was grouped into the "Action Zone" showcase that used a wraparound animated fly-though pre-credit sequence to bookend the three very different programs. The series was canceled around the same time that the "Action Zone" concept was officially retired (although TMNT retained the "Action Zone" credit sequence until the end of its run two years later).
The group was composed of all the original WildC.A.T.s. The major villain was Helspont, and the Troika and the Coda were featured as supporting characters. Mr. Majestic also made appearances, though not as a member of the group.
WildC.A.T.s featured a rock soundtrack, and a theme song performed by Sheree Jeacocke and Gerry Mosby.
Differences between the comics and television series
The main differences of the series and the comic books were:
- Jacob Marlowe, the Kherubim Lord Emp, was now an ordinary human.
- Warblade discovers his powers when he becomes part of the group, in the first episode. Because of this, he is the group's rookie, a position occupied by Voodoo in the comic book.
- Void is an android and a Kherubim artificial intelligence.
- Majestic is an antagonist, obsessed with finding the Orb and destroying the Daemonites.
- Max Cash, Grifter's comic universe younger brother, is the older brother, and the leader of an International Operations special unit called the Black Razors.
- Pike, who in the comics is a human/Kherubim hybrid working for the Daemonites, is a Daemonite himself in the TV series.
- Voodoo is a psychic with telekinetic as well as telepathic abilities; in addition, because the series was marketed toward children, her comic-book profession of exotic dancing is never mentioned (and is not wearing her first costume from the comics).
- Maul does not have a human form; his Titanthrope form is permanent. In addition, he becomes more enraged as he grows in size, as opposed to losing intelligence.
- Zealot and Grifter become a couple by the series' end.
- Spartan was a Kherubim rebuilt as a cyborg instead of being an android.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dark Blade Falling" | Bob Smith | David Wise | October 1, 1994 |
| 2 | "Heart of Steel" | Bob Smith | David Wise | October 8, 1994 |
| 3 | "Cry of the Coda" | Bob Smith | Brooks Wachtel | October 15, 1994 |
| 4 | "The Evil Within" | Bob Smith | Len Uhley | October 29, 1994 |
| 5 | "The Big Takedown" | Bob Smith | Bob Forward & David Wise | November 12, 1994 |
| 6 | "Lives in the Balance" | Bob Smith | Rich Fogel & Mark Seidenberg | November 19, 1994 |
| 7 | "Soul of a Giant" | Bob Smith | Bob Forward & Sean Catherine Derek | November 26, 1994 |
| 8 | "Betrayed" | Bob Smith | Bob Forward & Brooks Wachtel | December 3, 1994 |
| 9 | "Black Razor's Edge" | Bob Smith | Bob Forward | December 10, 1994 |
| 10 | "And Then There Were None" | Bob Smith | Bob Forward | December 17, 1994 |
| 11 | "M.V.P." | Bob Smith | Bob Forward | June 3, 1995 |
| 12 | "Endgame, Part 1" | Bob Smith | Rich Fogel & Mark Seidenberg | June 10, 1995 |
| 13 | "Endgame, Part 2" | Bob Smith | Bob Forward | June 17, 1995 |
Cast
- Dennis Akayama as Dockwell
- Paul Mota as Maul
- Roscoe Handford as Zealot
- Janet-Laine Green as Void
- Ruth Marshall as Voodoo
- Sean McCann as Marlowe
- Dean McDermott as Warblade
- Colin O'Meara as Grifter
- Rod Wilson as Spartan, Majestic
- Maurice Dean Wint as Helspont
- Addison Bell as Slag
- Colin Fox as Pike
- David Hemblen as Commander
- Dan Hennessey as H.A.R.M.
- Lorne Kennedy as Karillion
- Jim Millington as Zachary Forbes
- Kristina Nicholl as Artemis
- Dave Nichols as Attica
- Bob Zidel as Professor Stone
Marketing tie-ins
A video game based on the TV series was published by Playmates Interactive Entertainment in 1995 for Super NES, with Spartan, Warblade and Maul as the only playable characters.
Also, Playmates Toys released a toyline based on the TV series. The characters featured in the toyline were Grifter, Helspont, Maul, Max Cash (as a Black Razor), Mister Majestic, Pike, Slag, Spartan, Void, Voodoo, Warblade, Zealot and a generic Daemonite.
Home video
Four VHS tapes with two episodes each were released in the 1990s. Funimation released the complete series on DVD in July 19, 2005.[2][3] It is now out of print, but a digital copy of the series is available through Amazon Video at Amazon.com, and the iTunes store.
References
- ↑ "10 Worst Comic Book Animated Series of All Time". Newsarama. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
- ↑ "Jim Lee's Wild C.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams DVD news: Full Announcement: Extras, Art, More!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ "Jim Lee's Wild C.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams DVD news: Complete '94 Cartoon Series Heads To DVD This Summer". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
External links
- Wild C.A.T.s on IMDb
- WildC.A.T.s at TV.com