Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars
Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars (also known as Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Menace in Canada) is a French-American animated series created by Sunbow Productions, Abrams/Gentile Entertainment, Continuity Comics and the French company IDDH, co-produced by Marvel Productions and distributed by Hasbro's subsidiary Claster Television.[1] It was based on the cult comic Bucky O'Hare,[2] and animated by AKOM.[3]
| Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developed by | Roger Slifer |
| Directed by | Karen Peterson |
| Starring | Jason Michas Shane Meier Long John Baldry Terry Klassen Scott McNeil Dale Wilson Margot Pinvidic Garry Chalk |
| Country of origin | United States France |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Distributor | Claster Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | first-run syndication (U.S.) |
| Original release | September 8 – December 1, 1991 |
It debuted in 1991 in the United States, and 1992 in the UK on the BBC.[4]
Differences from the comics
Most of the ideas from the comic book were used for the cartoon, with several major differences: The parallel universe the story takes place in is named the "Aniverse" (a pun on the fact the show is animated), Willy DuWitt can travel freely between Earth and the Aniverse instead of being stranded there, Bruce is transported into another dimension instead of killed, the Toad Empire are willingly following KOMPLEX instead of brainwashed, Deadeye has a Southern accent instead of a Scottish accent, the nigh-omnipotent mouse is nowhere to be seen, and Jenny reveals her psionic powers to Willy DuWitt. The cartoon explored more of the aniverse and followed a loose unifying arc, with Bucky's home planet of Warren being captured by the toads in the season premiere and rescued in the finale (which was co-written by Neal Adams).
Characters
Bucky and his crew are members of the S.P.A.C.E. organization, which stands for Sentient Protoplasm Against Colonial Encroachment.
- Bucky O'Hare –- a green hare, captains a S.P.A.C.E. frigate named The Righteous Indignation. Voiced by Jason Michas. His crew consists of:
- Jenny –– first mate and pilot, a cat from the planet Aldebaran (not to be confused with the star in the real life universe of the same name) with mysterious magical and psionic powers common to the females of her species. They include telepathy, astral projection, energy blasts, and healing. Because of the sacred precepts of Alderbaran, she keeps these powers secret from the other members of the crew, with the exception of Willy, for whom she has overt romantic affections. Voiced by Margot Pinvidic.[5] [6]
- Bruce –– Bruiser's brother, a Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon who served as the Righteous Indignation's engineer. He vanished into another dimension when the ship's photon accelerator malfunctioned during battle. Voiced by Dale Wilson.
- Willy DuWitt –– engineer, a pre-teen human from San Francisco who enters the Aniverse via a portal between the ship's photon accelerator and his own accelerator at home. He replaced Bruce, the former engineer, who was killed (or in the franchise's terms, had "attained oneness with the Aniverse"). Later, Willy became stranded in the Aniverse when his parents turned off the photon accelerator back in his room. Bucky and his crew decide to keep Willy a secret from the S.P.A.C.E organization and the Toads. Voiced by Shane Meier.
- Dead-Eye Duck –– gunner, a four-armed former space pirate duck from Kanopis III. He is missing an eye, and is impatient and violent, preferring to let his four laser pistols do the talking for him. Unlike the comics where he has a Scottish accent, he has a Southern accent. Voiced by Scott McNeil.
- AFC Blinky –– an advanced AFC ("Android" First Class). Has only one eye. Uses the phrase "Calamity and Woe!" to identify problem situations for Bucky and his crew-mates. Voiced by Sam Vincent.
The members of the Toad Empire introduced are as follows:
- KOMPLEX –– the undisputed ruler of the Toad Empire. This computer program was designed to run the consumerist toad culture but instead took it over and militarized it. Its name, in toad language, is an anagram for 'Feed me'. Voiced by Long John Baldry.
- Toad Air Marshall –– one of KOMPLEX's foremost commanders, with a uniform adorned with medals and a face covered in warts. Voiced by Jay Brazeau.
- Toad Borg –– a large, purple cyborg second-in-command under KOMPLEX. Voiced by Richard Newman.
- Storm Toads –– the mindless toad soldiers who serve as the primary attack force for the Empire.
Characters only in the animated series
Almost all the characters listed above are both from the comic book and the cartoon. Most of the new ones that were introduced are listed below.
- Bruiser – Bruce's brother, a Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon who joins Bucky's team as space marine on the Righteous Indignation. He, like all berserker baboons, scares the toads out of their wits and loves to beat them up. He is dimwitted but well-meaning, and has great respect for Willy. Voiced by Dale Wilson.
- Commander Dogstar – Bucky's ally, captain of The Indefatigable, another frigate fighting against the toads. Voiced by Garry Chalk.
- Mimi LaFloo – A fox (so to speak) originally a captive of the toads, Mimi is rescued by Bucky and goes on to command her own mammal frigate, The Screaming Mimi. (eps. 4 and 10) Voiced by Margot Pinvidic.
- Frix and Frax – the Air Marshal's two bumbling subordinates. Voiced by Terry Klassen and Scott McNeil respectively.
- Al Negator – a sleazasaur (bipedal crocodile) spy and mercenary frequently hired by the Air Marshal. He dresses and speaks in a manner consistent to the cajun people. Voiced by Garry Chalk.
Episode list
| Nº | Title | Written by | Original air date | PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "War of the Warts (Part 1)" | Christy Marx | September 8, 1991 | 101 |
| Bucky O'Hare and the Righteous Indignation crew learn that the Toad Empire has taken over his homeworld Warren, and must travel there to investigate. Meanwhile, an Earth boy named Willy DeWitt enters Bucky's universe using an experimental device. | ||||
| 2 | "A Fistful of Simoleans (Part 2)" | Christy Marx | September 15, 1991 | 102 |
| Willy join Bucky's crew to Planet Warren where they find information relating to the world's recent climate change. The cause is revealed to be a new weapon called the Climate Converter. Meanwhile, a spy is hired by the Toad Empire to gain access through the Aniverse capital, Planet Genus. | ||||
| 3 | "The Good, the Bad and the Warty (Part 3)" | Christy Marx | September 22, 1991 | 103 |
| It's a race against time as the Righteous Indignation crew infiltrate a Toad Mothership to retrieve Planet Genus's access codes. The only things standing in their way are gun-for-hire Al Negator and the deadly Toadborg. | ||||
| 4 | "Home, Swampy Home" | Christy Marx | September 29, 1991 | 104 |
| After getting himself captured and then rescued by the Toads, Bucky plans to infiltrate a slave colony that is currently building a new Climate Converter. | ||||
| 5 | "On the Blink" | George Arthur Bloom | October 6, 1991 | 105 |
| The Toad Empire has taken control of a koala homeworld and has installed a defense system that prevents any mammalian access. It's up to the android Blinky to sneak onto the planet and shut it down. | ||||
| 6 | "Kreation Konspiracy" | Martin Pasko | October 13, 1991 | 106 |
| Rumor has it that a powerful device is located in a barren planet and Bucky's crew must intercept it before the Toads do. Meanwhile, Blinky is kidnapped by three elder toads, who may have a connection with the Empire's leader, KOMPLEX. | ||||
| 7 | "The Komplex Caper" | Doug Moench | October 20, 1991 | 107 |
| KOMPLEX uses the power of Toad TV to control the mammalian population. Bucky must travel to the Toad Homeworld to shut down the transmission and, with any luck, KOMPLEX himself... | ||||
| 8 | "The Search for Bruce" | Rick Merwin | October 27, 1991 | 108 |
| Brusier's brother, the former R.I. engineer Bruce, has returned in a spectral form but definitely alive. Meanwhile, the Toad Empire creates a new invention to teleport squads to anywhere in the Aniverse. | ||||
| 9 | "Corsair Canards" | Christy Marx | November 3, 1991 | 109 |
| A treaty between the UAC Security Council and Dead-Eye's former pirate mates is about to be finalized. But a small group of pirates' recent plunders is on the verge of endangering the treaty's process. | ||||
| 10 | "The Artificers of Aldebaran" | Christy Marx, Bridget McKenna | November 10, 1991 | 110 |
| Jenny's pupil, Princess Felicia, is abducted by Toadborg and it's up to her and Willy to save her. The source of power that the cybernetic villain is after may spell doom for Jenny's homeworld, Planet Aldebaran, and possibly the entire Aniverse. | ||||
| 11 | "The Warriors" | George Arthur Bloom | November 17, 1991 | 111 |
| The Toad Air Marshal is kicked out of his army after his most recent failure at the hands of Bucky O'Hare. To regain his status, he joins a samurai lizard, who is plotting to take over a nearby planet. The place: Kanopis III, Dead-Eye's homeworld. | ||||
| 12 | "Bye Bye Berserker Baboon" | Roger Slifer | November 24, 1991 | 112 |
| The Toads invade the homeworld of Bruiser and his fellow Beetlegeusian Baboons, using special goggles to prevent their fear of their most terrifying foes. Bucky and crew fight back and soon encounter the empire's secret weapon: the unstoppable Terror Toad. | ||||
| 13 | "The Taking of Pilot Jenny" | Neal Adams, Peter Stone | December 1, 1991 | 113 |
| Jenny has been captured by the toads. Toadborg is ordering a trade for a recently relinquished Climate Converter, unaware of Bucky's true objective. | ||||
Home media releases
Family Home Entertainment released seven out of thirteen episodes of the show on three VHS cassettes in North America. In the United Kingdom, BBC Video released twelve out of the thirteen episodes across six VHS tapes, then Metrodome Entertainment released all thirteen episodes on a Region 2 DVD set, as well as a single volume DVD, which both are now out of print.
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References
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 97. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- Kogan, Rick (5 January 1992). "Getting into Bucky O'Hare". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- "Bucky O'Hare - Closing Theme". AKOM Production Co. at :29, IDDH at :33, Marvel Productions is at :37-:40 Sunbow at :56.
- Phil De Semlyen; Ali Plumb; Helen O'hara; James Dyer (2015-10-09). "Classic Kids' TV Shows That Still Rock Our World, Feature | Movies - Empire". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-03-31. Retrieved 2017-09-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-07-03. Retrieved 2017-10-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links
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