Mummies Alive!
Mummies Alive! is a Canadian-American animated series from DIC Productions L.P. and Northern Lights Entertainment. It originally aired for one season in 1997.[2] The show was part of a general trend of "mummymania" in 1990s pop culture.[3]
| Mummies Alive! | |
|---|---|
 Mummies Alive! title card | |
| Genre | |
| Written by | Mark Edens Eric Lewald Julia Lewald |
| Directed by | Seth Kearsley |
| Voices of | Bill Switzer Dale Wilson Scott McNeil Graeme Kingston Cree Summer Gerard Plunkett |
| Theme music composer | Ron Wasserman (credited as RAW) |
| Composer(s) | John Campbell Ron Wasserman |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 42 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Heyward Ivan Reitman Michael Maliani Robby London Daniel Goldberg Joe Medjuck Janice Sonski |
| Producer(s) | Seth Kearsley |
| Editor(s) | Mike DePatie Gail McIntyre |
| Running time | 22 min |
| Production company(s) | DIC Productions, L.P. Northern Lights Entertainment |
| Distributor | Claster Television (United States) Buena Vista International Television[1] (international) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Picture format | NTSC |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 15 – November 25, 1997 |
Plot
In ancient Egypt, an evil sorcerer named Scarab kills the pharaoh's son, Prince Rapses, to become immortal. Entombed alive for his crime (Rapses' body was also never found), Scarab revives in the modern world and begins his search for Rapses' reincarnation, a San Francisco-dwelling boy named Presley Carnovan, to retrieve the spirit of Rapses so he can become immortal.[4] Rapses' (Presley's) bodyguards, Ja-Kal, Rath, Armon, and Nefer-Tina, along with Rapses' cat, Kahti, awake from the dead to protect him from Scarab. They use the power of Ra to transform into powerful guardians.
Each of the mummies is aligned with the power of an Egyptian god. Ja-Kal uses the spirit of falcon, Rath uses the spirit of snake, Armon uses the spirit of ram, and Nefer-Tina uses the spirit of cat. They are able to call upon it for magical armor and powers to fight superhuman evildoers. Although, once their strength is exhausted, they must rest in their sarcophagi to regain the ability. In order to access these powers, the mummies call out the phrase "With the Strength of Ra!", which triggers their transformation. The mummies also have the power to make a horrifying face, usually used to scare away nosy bystanders.
In addition to Scarab, the mummies often had to contend with gods and spirits from Egyptian myth summoned to the modern world, including Anubis, Set, Geb, Apep, Bast, Sekhmet, Bes, and many others, usually as part of one of Scarab's schemes that went out of his control.
Characters
Main
Humans
- Presley Carnovan – voiced by Bill Switzer[5]: A 12-year-old boy who has the spirit of prince Rapses XII (an ancient pharaoh) who is based on Ramses (prince Rapses reincarnated as Presley Carnovan). He soon discovers this when the Mummies introduce themselves as his guardians. He lives in San Francisco with his mother. He is reluctant to accept his role as Rapses, but on at least two occasions where he had the chance to be freed of his role, when Rapses's father (apparently) came through the Western Gate and when the original Rapses was drawn into the present, he expressed reluctance at losing his status as "pharaoh" because it would have also meant him losing the mummies.
- Prince Rapses: He was the heir to the Egyptian throne 3500 years ago. He was protected by the Mummies (before they were Mummies) but was killed when he was Presley's age by Scarab This story is told in Sleep Walk Like an Egyptian. His spirit now lies within Presley, and is drawn out by Scarab in several episodes. Rapses himself comes to the present in The Prince and the Presley, when Scarab steals a time travel scroll to draw him to the present in the hopes that he would be easier to capture than the present Presley. Rapses returns to the past at the end of the episode.
- Amanda Carnovan – voiced by Louise Vallance: Presley's mother. She works at the City Museum. In Ghouls' Gold, Armon refers to her as "the wise Amanda" when recalling advice she gave Presley. She has insecure feelings that Presley misses being with his father, who is away on business, and tries to bond with her son often, such as taking him out camping, trying to fulfil the role of a father and a mother.
Mummies
- Ja-Kal – voiced by Dale Wilson[5]: The leader of the Mummies, in his transformed state, his armor resembles a falcon and it also allows him to fly. His weapon are his razor sharp talons/claws and a bow that can shoot out flaming arrows. In ancient Egypt, Ja-Kal was a hunter who had a wife named Tia and a newborn son named Padjet; he died without knowing what happened to his family. He worries the most of Presley's safety, often acting as a father-figure to him. He commonly uses hunting terms to talk to others and explain situations. Ja-Kal commonly cares for other people's needs first and himself second. In "Family Feud: Part 2 – New Mummy in Town", it was revealed that he had a brother, named Arakh, who was a notorious bandit.
- Rath – voiced by Scott McNeil[5]: The most intelligent of the Mummies (but also the most arrogant) and also the only one able to cast spells. When he transforms, a green snake which turns into a golden cobra wraps around him and serves as his armor. His weapon of choice is a sword that can transform into a snake, but he is also able to perform magical incantations. He also designed and built the Mummies' vehicles. In the past, he served as the young Prince's tutor. He claims to know about science, but his definition is such things as turning a staff into a serpent, although he has learned to adapt some spells to the present (such as a spell that summoned underground snakes to bind his enemies in the past, but now summons electric cables in the present) though they are enemies, Scarab does respect him for his spellcasting skills.
- Armon – voiced by Graeme Kingston[5]: Armon is huge and eats very often. He is very strong even when he has not transformed. He is missing his right arm and when he transforms he obtains a golden arm that is used as his weapon. His armor resembles a ram. In Ghouls' Gold, it was explained that Armon lost his real arm fighting in the Pharaoh's army, the pharaoh then gave him his golden arm. While not fighting, Armon spends most of his time eating or watching "the magic box" TV that Presley gave them. In the past, Armon was Rapses' teacher of combat.
- Nefer-Tina – voiced by Cree Summer[5]: She is the only female of the Mummies. She is an expert with her whip, has great agility and is extremely proficient at driving the Hot-Ra - the Mummies' dragster-like vehicle. When she transforms her armor is like a cat. Back in ancient Egypt, she had to hide the fact that she was a girl with a head piece or she would not have been allowed to drive chariots. She was known to everyone as Nefer. Only prince Rapses knew her true identity during that period of time. Ja-Kal and the other members were shocked to find out the truth about Nefer-Tina. Armon then comments "No wonder he never went swimming in the Nile with us". Out of the group, she is the only one who is absolutely willing to try anything modern such as driving a car and constantly learns under Presley. She also travels the modern world in disguise to try new things. Nefer-Tina's name was based on queen Nefertiti.
- Scarab – voiced by Gerard Plunkett[5]: The Pharaoh's adviser, who later sucked the life force from prince Rapses for youth and immortality, however, the effects were not permanent and started to wear off after a few centuries, now with prince Rapses reincarnated as Presley Carnovan, he will stop at nothing to steal the prince's life force again, when Scarab transforms, his body is covered in golden and purple armor, resembling that of a scarab beetle and possessing the power of flight, he also possesses a magical talking snake named Heka that acts as his magical staff from time to time, much to her dismay, his powers include shooting energy blasts from his hands, the creation of Shabti and extensive knowledge in summoning creatures from the afterlife in ancient Egypt. However, he has also seen to have a good grasp of modern technology, as seen most keenly in Sleight of Hand, where he used technology while competing against the mummies in a mystical contest to try to become Presley's "guardian" himself (Although Ja-Kal and Presley were able to expose the deception at the last minute).
- Harris Stone: The identity Scarab takes when he needs to be in public. Harris Stone is known as a wealthy individual. As a major benefactor for the Museum, he gives a speech in Who's Who that is one to remember. Even though he is trying to kill Rapses, Scarab feels responsible for the Egyptian artifacts of the museum and feels a degree of sadness when they are damaged. He is also quick to offer money to people who oppose his point of view. Scarab killed the real Harris Stone when he discovered his crypt and inadvertedly freed him, and took over his identity.
- Heka – voiced by Pauline Newstone[5]: The Snake Familiar and sometimes Staff of Scarab. She acts as his loyal companion and advisory, who often makes snide, sarcastic remarks and witty observations. She also has the ability to spit fire.
Others
Ancient Egyptians
- Amenhotep: Prince Rapses' father, the Pharaoh and ruler of all of Egypt. He was a good Pharaoh and was very respected by all his people. He appears in Scarab and Presley's dreams in Pack to the Future. In Reunion, Scarab makes the Mummies believe that Amenhotep has returned. In Family Feud I – Brother's Keeper, Amenhotep appears in some of Ja-Kal's recollections.
- Ammut (Devourer of Souls): Scarab's dog-like pet. He has the head of a crocodile, the body of a lion and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. Presley describes him in Pack to the Future as "That's the ugliest dog I've ever seen." Ammut was not summoned by Scarab but simply tagged along with the Pack, and then stuck around -he usually messes up anything Scarab tells him to do. Ammut has good parts in Pack to the Future and Who's Who. In Egyptian Mythology, Ammut is female.
- Apep – voiced by Jason Gray-Stanford: Serpent of the Desert. An anthropomorphic cobra-like creature with an ability to change shape into a young human man. Rapses' grandfather drove Apep out of Egypt and into the desert 3500 years ago. Apep is after revenge and wants Rapses to pay for what his grandfather did to him and when Scarab summons him and his gang, they take on the shapes of a motorbiker gang. However, upon meeting and fighting Nefer-Tina, he falls in love with her and decides to disobey Scarab. Apep appears in Desert Chic and Pepped With Good Intention.
- Arakh: Arakh is Ja-Kal's evil brother and was known as the "Scorpion of the Desert". He can transform into his Scorpion armor. His story is told in the three "Family Feud" episodes.
- Bastet: Cat Goddess of ancient Egypt and the patron goddess of Nefer-Tina, brought to the present in Paws. She demands to be worshiped by the people.
- Bes: Master of Chance and Trickery. He is a small mischievous green dwarf who enjoys playing games on people. He especially enjoys flipping a coin to decide on outcomes quite similar to Batman's Two-Face. Bes appears in Who's Who and Tree O'Clock Rock.
- Enchantra: Rath's student of magic 3500 years ago. She was the best student he ever had, and she became more powerful than Rath. Rath was falling in love with her, but had to stop teaching Chontra when the pharaoh ordered him to teach Prince Rapses. For that, Chontra became vengeful and wants to make Rath pay. She gets her first chance in Good Bye Mr. Cheops. She tries again in Tempting Offer and Eye of the Beholder.
- The Eye of Darkness: Horrific monster trapped in a mirror. No one knows his origin. Every 3500 years, when the planets align, he seeks the soul of a Pharaoh so he can exchange himself with the spirit to free himself from the mirror. The Pharaoh's soul would then be lost until the planets realign in 3500 more years (A fact that allowed the Mummies to deduce that Scarab was not involved in its release as Scarab would want Presley's soul for himself). Once unleashed, no power on earth would be able to stop him. Only the one who sets the spell in motion can stop him. The Eye of Darkness makes its appearance in The Face in the Mirror.
- Geb: Spirit of the Earth – a huge rock giant that makes earthquakes when he walks. He is a rather unintelligent giant that attacks anyone who disturbs him. Geb is first featured in The Gift of Geb. Geb also has a major part in Monster Truck Mania. It is revealed that he is married to Net, goddess of the sky, in Married to the Geb.
- Ka: A headless and bodiless guy with just two arms who is a spirit that lives inside Scarab and comes out of his mouth. For an example, see Body Slam. In ancient Egyptian religion, the Ka is the spirit of a man's soul and is represented by the symbol of two upright arms.
- Kahti: The sacred cat, sometimes called the sacred kitty. Kahti can transform into a bigger, more-powerful, lynx-sized cat. She was Prince Rapses' pet 3500 years ago, and occasionally serves as Presley's more "immediate" guardian by staying near him when he is not with the other Mummies, her small size allowing her to escape being noticed.
- Kenna: Friend of Nefer-Tina 3500 years ago. Enchantra appears as Kenna in Eye of the Beholder.
- Kimas: Arakh's son and Ja-Kal's nephew. He might not truly be considered a bad guy, but does side with Scarab and cause the Mummies a lot of grief before he determines where his true allegiances lie. He also can transform into Scorpion armor like his father. Kimas appears in the second and third "Family Feud" episodes.
- Net (Spirit of the Sky): A cloudlike being who can produce rain and lightning and can turn into a tornado. Geb and Net might be called your typical married couple. They have a little spat in Married to the Geb. In mythology, Net is spelled as "Nut", however, she and Geb are spouses and siblings of each other.
- Nuhn (Spirit of the Primeval Waters): A powerful water-spirit occasionally summoned by Scarab for various schemes. He is self-important, irreverent, and has a morbid, yet slapstick sense of humor. Nuhn appears in High Nuhn and Water, Water, Everywhere.
- Sekhmet: Ancient goddess of sickness and health. She has destroyed whole civilizations with her evil temper. Unlike in actual Egyptian depiction where she is a lion-headed goddess, she has the head of a vulture in this version. Nobody was ever able to defeat her. Sekhmet appears in The Curse of the Sekhmet when Scarab summons her to cure his cold - enraged at being summoned for such a trifle, she sets out to destroy the city and Scarab and Rath have to team up to banish her.
- Set and Anubis – voiced by Scott McNeil (Set) and Blu Mankuma (Anubis): Set is a bulldog-headed spirit who is leader of the "Trackers of Souls". He calls himself "Dog of the Desert, Master of Evil, Lord of Thunder". Anubis, the not-so-competent jackal (wild dog) spirit of the underworld, tags along with Set. Anubis has a scepter that causes "the sleep of forgetting". They appear in Pack to the Future, The Face In The Mirror, Dog Bites Mummy, and Family Feud I – Brother's Keeper. They are often summoned by Scarab, but occasionally did turn on him when they did not like to be ordered around. Unlike in real Egyptian mythology, where Anubis is a mostly neutral and clever god, he is one of the villains and is rather dim-witted, often being outsmarted by Presley. In Egyptian Mythology, Set doesn't have the head of a dog.
- Shabti: Golem-like armies of men made of clay controlled by Scarab. They are very easy to defeat as they break into pieced when toppled, however usually there are quite many of them. They also shatter easily when hit and dissolve in water. They most often look like Egyptians, but can be dressed up as anything, such as construction workers or policemen. Sometimes, if they are broken in half, both halves can still function independently.
- Talos (Man of Bronze): Brought to life by Scarab. In natural form he is 100 feet tall, but can reduce his size. In Body Slam, he reduces himself to about 10 feet tall and 500 pounds for the Tournament. Then in Miscast, he is recreated by Rath. He comes back looking for a mate in Object of His Affections. Talos is from Greek mythology. The human anklebone is called the "Talus".
- Tia: Ja-Kal's wife 3500 years ago. They had a small baby son named Padjet. In Sleep Walk Like an Egyptian, we see the scene of the last time Ja-Kal sees Tia and Padjet. Tia gives Ja-Kal an imprint of his son's hand. This hand print is now a sad memory for Ja-Kal of the family he once had. At the end of Sleep Walk Like an Egyptian, Presley asks Ja-Kal, "What happened to your family?" Ja-Kal responds sadly with, "I don't know." Presley then says, "It was Rapses fault – my fault! I don't know how, but some day I'll make it up to you. I promise!" Ja-Kal thinks about Tia and Padjet in Eye of the Beholder and Chontra appears as Tia.
Modern humans
- Agent Phillips: Works as a Regional Subdirector for the Department of Federal Investigation. He analyzes Rath in We've Got One.
- Bix Bingsley: A clumsy, nerdy sales clerk who sells clothes but is allergic to wool. Nonetheless, he gets a kiss from Nefer-Tina in True Believer.
- Bob: Rotund police officer, and Joe Pendleton's partner.
- Cynthia Lu: Walter's older sister. Presley has a crush on her, but she is a couple of years older than Presley and likes Benjamin who is in college. Cynthia usually cannot even remember Presley's name and calls him "Preston" or "Wesley".
- Charlie the Janitor: The janitor at the City Museum. Murdoch is his dog. Charlie is an old navy man. He is really proud of the times when he met Mike Conners (Mannix) in '62. "That was when me and Larry met Kojak." Charlie appears in Honey, I Shrunk the Mummies.
- Elaine Setter: She is a student in Presley's grade. She likes Presley, but often has a tough time getting his attention.
- Joe Pendleton: Joe is a police officer, and the Regional Treasurer of the Third Annual Paranormal Alien Visitors Psychic Convention and Brat-Bust. He finally meets his first "space alien" in A Dark and Shrieky Night when Ja-Kal humors him by making it sound like he is from outer space. Joe and Bob both get deeply involved with the "aliens" in We've Got One. They also appear briefly in many other episodes. Joe is featured in the final episode Show Me the Mummy!.
- Milton Huxley: Presley's science teacher. Known as Mr. Huxley to his students, and considered to be a "science geek", he is someone who never has fun. He also believes there is an explanation for everything. He has starring roles in Good Bye Mr. Cheops and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Huxley. He also appears in Sleep Walk Like an Egyptian, The Gift of Geb, The Curse of the Sekhmet, Missing Ja-Kal and Eye of the Beholder.
- Mr. Hepplewhite: Amanda Carnovan's boss and the director of the Museum. He makes appearances in Ra, Ra, Ra, Ra, Sleep Walk Like an Egyptian, and Pack to the Future.
- Mr. Ludie: Owns the Java Spot cafe. Presley's mother spends some time with him in Tempting Offer.
- Paul Carnovan: Presley's father who lives in Memphis (presumably Presley's parents are divorced). His dad claims to be an archeologist, but his true activities are somewhat suspect. He visits Presley in My Dad the Hero.
- Professor Henry Bogglesworth: An expert but extremely bad and boring lecturer who discovered the scroll that can open the gates of time. His lecture takes place at the beginning of The Prince and the Presley.
- The General: Head of Federal Investigation and is Agent Phillips' boss.
- Theo, Rosey, Wilcox, and Max: Four homeless street people who befriend Rath when he loses his memory in Dead Man Walking.
- Tiny Turner: The school bully. He and his punk friend Chuck like to rough up the other kids. Tiny and Chuck appear in The Egyp-Tsu Kid and briefly in Dog Bites Mummy and Kid Scarab.
- Walter Lu: Cynthia's brother and Presley's friend who is in 7th grade with him.
Production
Originally, Mummies Alive! was geared towards an older audience, but during production, it became predominantly a children's show. The series ran for one season of 42 episodes; the last two episodes link together to end the show, as it appears episodes 38–40 were the finale of the first season. A second season was planned, but due to low ratings, it was canceled.
Eric and Julia Lewald, writers/producers for Mummies Alive!, were also head writers for the third season of the Gargoyles animated series. The programs share common plot elements, including a group of warriors from the past that awaken in the present to fight a wealthy, immortality-obsessed enemy; their initial difficulties in adapting to the modern world; the use of mythological figures in numerous episodes; and a recurring femme fatale antagonist. These similarities made Mummies Alive! vulnerable to criticism describing it as little more than a Gargoyles clone.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ra, Ra, Ra, Ra" | Mark Edens (story) Dean Stefan (teleplay) | September 15, 1997 | |
| The first episode explains how everything came to be. The mummies also find out that Nefer-Tina is a woman. | ||||
| 2 | "Sleep Walk Like an Egyptian" | Mark Edens (story) Brooks Wachtel (teleplay) | September 16, 1997 | |
| Scarab spits out a "living nightmare" scorpion. He gets his shadow to deliver it onto Presley. Presley falls into a dreamlike state, coming into contact through said dream with Prince Rapses 3500 years ago. | ||||
| 3 | "Pack to the Future" | Mark Edens (story) Matthew Edens (teleplay) | September 17, 1997 | |
| Presley's mom takes Presley camping at Yosemite. Scarab calls for "the Trackers of Souls", made up of Set, Anubis, a bulldog, and a wolf, to track down Presley for him. Ammut tags along with them. | ||||
| 4 | "The Gift of Geb" | Mark Edens (story) Len Uhley (teleplay) | September 18, 1997 | |
| Scarab summons Geb, the Spirit of the Earth to draw Presley out. Geb demands to know who wakened him, and Scarab says it was Presley. The Mummies meet Geb in the San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island. | ||||
| 5 | "Desert Chic" | Mark Edens Julia Lewald Eric Lewald | September 22, 1997 | |
| Apep, the Serpent of the Desert, and his four sidekicks (a Turtle, a Crocodile, a Scarab, and a Scorpion) reform themselves to look like the members of a biker gang known as the "Desert Prince". Known as Pep in the lead biker's body, Apep and Nefer-Tina who knew each other 3500 years ago admire each other's driving ability and they start to fall in love. | ||||
| 6 | "High Nuhn" | Mark Edens Steve Cuden | September 23, 1997 | |
| Scarab calls upon Nuhn, the Spirit of the Waters, and says he will free the spirit if he can bring Presley to him. | ||||
| 7 | "Dead Man Walking" | Cary Bates | September 24, 1997 | |
| Rath smashes into a wall and loses his memory. Rath cannot remember his name, but calls himself Ace after some thugs call him that. Four homeless street people (Theo, Rosey, Wilcox, and Max) find him and give him clothes and take him in. Meanwhile, Scarab is using a life-force absorption gate to add to his life span. Every year of life it takes out of its victim increases Scarab's life by an hour. | ||||
| 8 | "Good Bye Mr. Cheops" | Mark Edens | September 25, 1997 | |
| The Mummies fight off Scarab at his Beefy Burger trap, and in the process destroy Presley's science project, a shortwave radio. Rath repairs the radio, adding an obelisk that makes it much more powerful. When Mr. Huxley turns it on, he gets thrown through the Western Gate while Chontra, Rath's former student from 3500 years ago, is brought to the school. | ||||
| 9 | "Body Slam" | Mark Edens (story) Matthew Edens (teleplay) | September 29, 1997 | |
| Scarab plants an amulet on Armon that drains his power. Armon starts getting weaker without realizing that it is being caused by the amulet. When Presley throws Armon during an Egyp-Tsu lesson, Armon is upset. He needs to prove to himself that he is still a great fighter, so he enters "The World's Toughest Gladiator Contest". | ||||
| 10 | "Paws" | Cary Bates | September 30, 1997 | |
| Presley's mom gives a tour of an exhibit honoring Bastet, the Cat Goddess. When Nefer-Tina is near it, she accidentally triggers some signal to Bastet and brings the goddess to the present. Nefer-Tina turns into a cat and all the cats in the city including the lions and tigers at the zoo come under Bastet's power. | ||||
| 11 | "The Curse of Sekhmet" | Steven Melching Langdon Clarke | October 1, 1997 | |
| Scarab has a bad cold and calls upon Sekhmet, the goddess of sickness and health, to get rid of it. Sekhmet goes on a destroying kick. She brings about a bunch of plagues. First heat, next locusts, and then in Presley's science class, he, Elaine, Mr. Huxley, and the rest of the class look out the window to see it raining frogs. | ||||
| 12 | "Dog Bites Mummy" | Mark Edens | October 2, 1997 | |
| The 7th grader Elaine wants to be a famous reporter. She thinks Presley might be connected to the Mummies. Meanwhile Set and Anubis are still after revenge on the Mummies. They capture Elaine to lure the Mummies to them. | ||||
| 13 | "Reunion" | Larry Swerdlove Gary Stuart Kaplan | October 6, 1997 | |
| It is Father's Day. Scarab uses a Griffin to help make the Mummies believe that Pharaoh Amenhotep, the father of Prince Rapses, has returned to be reunited with his reborn son. The spirit of Prince Rapses inside Presley comes out for the first time in this show. It turns out that Amenhotep was just Scarab in disguise. | ||||
| 14 | "The Prince and the Presley" | Ted A. Pedersen Francis Moss | October 7, 1997 | |
| Scarab steals a scroll that can open the gates of time. He is able to bring the real Prince Rapses from the past to the present. In so doing, the spirit leaves Presley. Rapses and Presley meet and look like twins. Scarab tries to get Rapses but the two boys and the Mummies fight him off. | ||||
| 15 | "The Egyp-Tsu Kid" | Gary Greenfield | October 8, 1997 | |
| A carnival comes to town. Scarab and Heka host a freak show tent. Meanwhile, Tiny Turner who is the school bully and his punk friend Chuck clobber Presley. The Mummies decide Presley needs self-defense training, and Armon teaches him Egyp-Tsu moves. | ||||
| 16 | "The Face in the Mirror" | Larry Parr | October 9, 1997 | |
| Set and Anubis appear on the day of an alignment of the planets, which only takes place once every 3500 years. They bring forth the Eye Of Darkness who takes over Presley's body. When finally defeated by the Mummies, the Eye Of Darkness pulls Set and Anubis back with him. | ||||
| 17 | "Miscast" | Adam Gilad | October 13, 1997 | |
| Scarab has his Shabti trying to recast Talos at the City Junk Yard, but the Mummies destroy that operation. Rath takes some of the magical material, and back at the Sphinx creates his own 12 inch tall Talos. It obeys their every command. Presley sneaks away with the miniature Talos, and uses it to clean his room for him. Talos gets hit on the head and remembers who he is. He breaks out of Presley's house and starts absorbing metal from everywhere and growing. | ||||
| 18 | "Sleight of Hand" | Richard Mueller | October 14, 1997 | |
| Scarab dares the Mummies to face him in the Challenge of the Maze. This is an ancient challenge where the winner gets the right to be the Pharaoh's protector. The Mummies faced a lot of these challenges in the past and had never lost. No magic is allowed, but Scarab uses the "magic of technology" to aid him. | ||||
| 19 | "Missing Ja-Kal" | Bruce Reid Schaefer | October 15, 1997 | |
| Scarab decides to try to get rid of Ja-Kal. By doing so, he figures the Mummies without their leader will fall into disarray. Scarab uses a ceramic falcon idol to attack Ja-Kal's animal sign. Scarab's plan starts to work when Ja-Kal takes off and "the three stooges" fight for leadership. | ||||
| 20 | "Ghouls' Gold" | Mark Edens (story) Ted A. Pedersen and Francis Moss (teleplay) | October 16, 1997 | |
| Scarab has gone broke trying to fight the Mummies. So he brings out a bunch of spirits of dead goldminers from the graveyard to acquire gold for him, but they are uncontrollable and go after all the gold that they can find for themselves. They steal the Hot-Ra that is made of gold and will not be satisfied "until they have taken it all". They take Presley's amulet, his mom's ring, and gold from everywhere around the city. The Mummies lure the ghosts to the cemetery with Armon's golden arm, but they rip it right off Armon and steal it. | ||||
| 21 | "Tempting Offer" | David Schneider Drew Daywalt | October 20, 1997 | |
| Chontra returns. She makes a deal with Scarab to bring Presley to him in exchange for some of the eternal life in the Prince's spirit. Chontra transforms into a young girl, calling herself Cheryl, and makes sure that Presley becomes interested in her. This is not to Elaine's liking. Meanwhile, the Mummies spend most of the show acting as service people so they can watch over Presley's mother. | ||||
| 22 | "Loss of Face" | Mark Edens (story) Matthew Edens (teleplay) | October 21, 1997 | |
| Scarab makes a potion to make him look young and handsome. The potion accidentally ends up on Nefer-Tina, and turns her look beautiful and live skinned. "Wow, she looks 3000 years younger", Armon says. Nefer-Tina goes to a nightclub. Everyone is amazed by her beauty. A girl from the Fad modeling agency is there, and almost overnight Nefer-Tina becomes a fashion marvel. | ||||
| 23 | "Kid Scarab" | Steven Melching Langdon Clarke | October 22, 1997 | |
| Scarab turns himself into a kid with a purple backpack and a purple baseball hat that he wears backwards. Heka hides in his backpack. Meanwhile, the Mummies are acting as chaperones for a Community Center field trip to tour the Acme Bakery. Scarab casts a spell on the dough and it turns into an oversized dough-boy. | ||||
| 24 | "Married to the Geb" | Mark Edens (story) Larry Swerdlove and Gary Stuart Kaplan (teleplay) | October 23, 1997 | |
| A strange series of earthquakes take place, emanating from the Twin Peaks Park. The Mummies and Presley go there and find it is Geb, the Spirit of the Earth, who is saddened because he and his wife Net, the Spirit of the Sky, are in the midst of a very bad husband-wife fight. The Mummies try to help get them together again. Ja-Kal suggests he gives Net a bird as a present, Nefer-Tina tells him to give her a flower, Rath suggests words of poetry, and Armon sculpts Geb's body to try to make him irresistible. | ||||
| 25 | "Water, Water, Everywhere" | Mark Edens (story) Matthew Edens (teleplay) | October 27, 1997 | |
| ... and not a drop to drink (unless they pay me)" says Scarab. Scarab summons Nuhn who starts drying up the city's water supply. With the city out of water, Scarab is able to sell water at $100 a bottle and bring in lots of cash. The Mummies put Kahti in one of the bottles to lead them to Scarab. | ||||
| 26 | "A Dark and Shrieky Night" | Paul Harrison | October 28, 1997 | |
| The show begins with the Mummies in battle with Scarab and his Shabti. After the battle, they find themselves far away from their Sphinx needing to re-energize. Without any power left to transform, they have to cross town on foot and have many interesting close-encounters with various city people. This episode is notable in that Presley does not make an appearance. | ||||
| 27 | "Pepped with Good Intention" | Mark Edens (story) Richard Merwin (teleplay) | October 29, 1997 | |
| Nefer-Tina wishes on a star for someone to love her. Somehow that wish brings Apep back through the Western Gate. He is in the same human form known as Pep as he was in Desert Chic, and again wants Nefer-Tina to be his queen. Nefer-Tina still has her affection for Apep, but says she is sworn to protect Rapses. Apep then delivers Presley to Scarab, with the hope of double-crossing Scarab in order to please Nefer-Tina. | ||||
| 28 | "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Huxley" | Mark Edens (story) Stephanie Mathison (teleplay) | October 30, 1997 | |
| Presley and the Mummies are at school to get the stone obelisk that brought Chontra in Good Bye Mr. Cheops. Presley gets stopped by Mr. Huxley, who tries out this "science project" and gets changed into "Milton the Magnificent". He gets laser powers and a whole new personality. Ja-Kal accidentally gets zapped by the obelisk and becomes "Jeky the Great". | ||||
| 29 | "Monster Truck Mania" | Sindy McKay | November 3, 1997 | |
| The Monster Truck Rally of the Century is taking place, and Bubba Baxter, Presley's race-truck driver friend has entered. Geb is taking a mud bath nearby, and when the trucks are splashed with it they come to life and run wild. A second splash returns them to normal. | ||||
| 30 | "Eye of the Beholder" | Matthew Edens | November 4, 1997 | |
| Mr. Huxley and his class (including Presley) are touring the Fisherman's Wharf. Chontra terrifies them with spirits and leaves a cat statue that the Mummies take back to their Sphinx. Chontra uses the statue as a gateway to get to the Sphinx. Her goal is revenge on Rath, so she distracts the other Mummies by changing into people in their thoughts. Ja-Kal thinks back to his wife Tia and their baby son, and Chontra becomes Tia. For Armon, she changes into his mother and brings him food. She then becomes Nefer-Tina's friend Kenna, who never knew she was a girl. | ||||
| 31 | "Tree O'Clock Rock" | Mark Edens (story) Len Wein (teleplay) | November 5, 1997 | |
| Scarab believes the Tree of Life can make him younger again, so he hires Bes to get the Tree for him. Bes uses magic and a tree moving machine to move the Tree of Life, but never said anything about promising to deliver the Tree to Scarab. With the Tree of Life removed, every living thing gets old. | ||||
| 32 | "Object of His Affections" | Eric Lewald Richard Merwin | November 6, 1997 | |
| Talos is back, and he is in love with San Francisco's famous Statue of Victory so he takes the statue. Scarab offers to bring his "girlfriend" to life if Talos would bring Prince Rapses (Presley) to him. So Talos goes after Presley. The Mummies cannot stop him, and let him take Presley back to find Scarab. Nefer-Tina then hides and while pretending to be the voice of the statue, convinces Talos that Scarab has lied to him. | ||||
| 33 | "The Bird-Mummy of Alcatraz" | Matthew Edens | November 10, 1997 | |
| Presley and the Mummies go on a tour of Alcatraz. Armon takes a side trip to the dining hall and the Mummies and Presley lose the group. Scarab uses Shabti to make the tour guide believe everyone is back on the tour boat, and the boat leaves. Ja-Kal becomes separated from the others and Scarab locks him in a prison cell. | ||||
| 34 | "Honey, I Shrunk the Mummies" | Steven Melching Langdon Clarke | November 11, 1997 | |
| Rath is trying an incantation to invoke the power of a Talisman (a bug-like amulet). Rath translated the incantation incorrectly into: "By the spirit that guides us all, make me as the beetle strong" and it does not work. When Armon reads it, he says it correctly where the last word is "small" and not "strong". Instantly all four Mummies shrink to the size of cockroaches. In their quest to reverse the spell, Ja-Kal gets swatted by Presley; Nefer-Tina almost gets swallowed by Presley; and Armon gets stepped on by him. Kahti tries to eat the Mummies and swats Nefer-Tina and Armon. | ||||
| 35 | "True Believer" | Adam Gilad | November 12, 1997 | |
| The Mummies buy clothes to better blend in with the people. Ja-Kal and Armon look great in their suits. Rath looks "common" in his muscle shirt (number 6) and red baseball hat he is wearing backwards. Nefer-Tina gets a red cape at the Naxx store. Her nerdy sales clerk, Bix Bingsley, becomes infatuated with Nefer-Tina and asks her out, in which Nefer-Tina is flattered by this. Outside the Shabti attack and the sales clerk gets injured so the Mummies take him to the hospital. | ||||
| 36 | "Who's Who" | Mark Edens (story) Jeff Kwitny (teleplay) | November 13, 1997 | |
| A Chinese fire-breathing dragon comes to life causing Joe and Bob's policecar go up in flames. It is the handiwork of Bes. Bes changes identities: First Ja-Kal with Nefer-Tina, then Armon with Rath, and then Scarab with Ammut (right when Scarab as Mr. Harris Stone is making a speech where he starts barking and howling like a dog). Heka's reaction to Scarab in Ammut's body is priceless. Next Presley is exchanged with Kahti, and finally in the middle of battle, Armon who is in Rath's body exchanges bodies with Heka. | ||||
| 37 | "My Dad the Hero" | Seth Kearsley | November 17, 1997 | |
| Presley's father arrives unexpectedly for the weekend. Presley is delighted to see him. However Presley's father is not the most honorable man. He secretly picks up a rock and gives it to Presley calling it a magic rock to ward off evil spirits. He takes Presley to the amusement park and cheats to help Presley ring the bell. He continuously lies about the great expeditions and battles he's been involved in. But worst of all, he steals the museum's Crown of Ramses the Great, to sell to Scarab. | ||||
| 38 | "Family Feud: Part 1 – Brother's Keeper" | Mark Edens (story) Steve Cuden (teleplay) | November 18, 1997 | |
| A new exhibit is featured at the museum. Two mummy cases are included, and the Mummies note that one is labeled "Kimas" and the other "Scorpion". When Ja-Kal opens a case, Set and Anubis attack him. They were stealing the mummies and the sarcophoguses for Scarab. They escape, and head back to Scarab's lair. | ||||
| 39 | "Family Feud: Part 2 – New Mummy in Town" | Mark Edens (story) Len Uhley (teleplay) | November 19, 1997 | |
| Scarab now calls forth Kimas' spirit. Heka tells Kimas about the modern world and he takes a skateboard and goes out to explore. Nefer-Tina and Armon see Kimas in trouble, but he easily handles the bunch of goons attacking him. Not knowing who he is, Nefer-Tina and Armon take Kimas first, to Beefy Burger, and then to a dance hall. Scarab and his Shabti attack, and Nefer-Tina and Armon learn that Kimas is a mummy and teach him to transform. | ||||
| 40 | "Family Feud: Part 3 – The Heart's Arrow" | Mark Edens (story) Ted A. Pedersen and Francis Moss (teleplay) | November 20, 1997 | |
| Ja-Kal contemplates about Kimas, about his own son, and about his duty. Rath realizes that if they destroy Arakh's scorpion charm, then Arakh's scorpion suit will be sent back through the Western Gate forever, taking Arakh with it. But Arakh had lost the scorpion charm at the museum exhibit, and the exhibit was being taken away in a truck. The Mummies catch up to the truck just as Scarab in his helicopter also reaches it. The helicopter takes the exhibit crashing back to Scarab's lair due to Heka's inexpert flying. Arakh finds his charm. The Mummies meet with Kimas at Beefy Burger. Kimas leads Ja-Kal into a trap at Fort Point, but finds out that his own father was the one lying. Kimas defends Ja-Kal from Arakh and destroys the charm sending himself and Arakh back through the Western Gate. | ||||
| 41 | "We've Got One" | Steven Melching Langdon Clarke | November 24, 1997 | |
| While the Mummies are fighting Scarab, Rath crashes into Bob the policeman, and they are both knocked unconscious. Together, they get taken to the hospital. Joe is excited, thinking Rath is a genuine space alien, but he is soon pushed aside by Federal Investigator Phillips who takes over. Phillips analyzes Rath with the intent of turning him over to "the General" so that he can get "promoted out of this backroom deskjob to where the real action is". When "the General" finally arrives, Phillips' efforts are to be rewarded with a transfer to Antarctica. | ||||
| 42 | "Show Me the Mummy" | Eric Lewald | November 25, 1997 | |
| The final episode. Joe has become intent on finding out who and what these Mummies are. He hosts a KKIM radio broadcast asking to hear from those who have had run-ins with the Mummies. This episode features many clips from previous episodes. | ||||
Broadcast
North America
Mummies Alive! originally aired on syndicated television stations in the United States (mostly on UPN and Fox affiliates), being distributed through Hasbro's Claster Television. The following year, the series aired on the BKN block until 2000.
in September 2004, the series alongside Sonic Underground was added to the syndicated DIC Kids Network block, where both shows would air during the weekends as part of an hour of non-E/I material.
The series previously aired every Sunday on Cookie Jar Toons on This TV.
Home video releases
In 1998, a VHS entitled Mummies Alive! – The Legend Begins was released by Buena Vista Home Video under their DIC Toon-Time Video label. This VHS consisted of the Family Feud 3 part story arc in a feature-length format.
A VHS and DVD titled simply "Mummies Alive!" was released on August 28, 2001, by Lions Gate Home Entertainment and Trimark Home Video, containing the first 4 episodes, also in a feature-length format. The DVD version also included the episode "Body Slam" as a bonus, as well as an interview with Andy Heyward and Ivan Reitman about the series.[6]
On October 7, 2003, Sterling Entertainment released the VHS/DVD Mummies Alive: The Beginning, consisting of the first three episodes once again, with the fourth one as a DVD-exclusive episode. NCircle Entertainment re-released the DVD in 2007.
In 2017, three volumes of double DVDs were released in Germany, with 14 episodes on each volume. The complete 42 episode series is available as of March 24, 2017, the release date of the third and final volume. The DVDs are region 2 with German, and English audio as well.
Reception
Harlene Ellin of the Chicago Tribune panned the compilation movie The Legend Begins. "The saga jumps between past and present without warning, giving the story a disjointed feel. And while the animated adventure goes for laughs at times, the jokes generally fall flat." She was also critical of the series' animation. "All the characters move as if they have rigor mortis. Mouths flap open and shut when delivering dialogue, giving the film a primitive look."[7]
Merchandise
To coincide with the animated series, DIC signed deals with various companies to make merchandise for the series.[1]
Hasbro produced a series of Mummies Alive! 5" tall action figures and vehicles in 1997. There were regular and "fright face" varieties of the main mummies. Nefer-Tina and Presley got toys as well, but they are later releases and harder to find. A final wave of toys would have contained a Night Hunter Ja-Kal and Armon, as well as Cobra Strike Pep but only a few of these figures were released in some parts of Europe.
References
- http://www.lkessler.com/mumlondon.shtml
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 410. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- Cardin, Matt (2014). Mummies Around the World: An Encyclopedia of Mummies in History, Religion, and Popular Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 273. ISBN 9781610694209. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 569–570. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- "Mummies Alive!". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- "Mummies Alive - The Legend Begins". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- Ellin, Harlene (1998-05-28). "`MUMMIES ALIVE!' IS REALLY ANYTHING BUT". Retrieved 2019-07-12.
External links
- Mummies Alive! at TV.com
- Mummies Alive! on IMDb
- Mummies Alive! – The Legend Begins at Rotten Tomatoes
- Mummies Alive! Homepage at lkessler.com
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