Cartoons of the 80s
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- StarsBob McFaddenLarry KenneyEarl HammondA team of humanoid cats fight evil in their adopted home world.
- StarsJohn ErwinAlan OppenheimerLinda GaryThe most powerful man in the universe, He-Man, goes against the evil forces of Skeletor to save the planet Eternia and to protect the secrets of Castle Grayskull.
- StarsHenry DarrowJulio MedinaDon DiamondThe further adventures of the masked hero of Spanish California.Filmation's Zorro followed Tarzan. A decent version, if somehwat repetitive. The swordplay looks good, even if it is the same sequence of moves. There is a Spanish lesson with each episode.
- StarsMaylo McCaslinBarry GordonDawn JefforyThe adventures of a high school for superheroes while the Marvel Family fights evil with the power given to them by the wizard, Shazam.A mix of 2 cartoons, Hero High and Shazam. Hero High was meant to be an Archie show, but Filmation couldn't secure the rights, so they altered the characters. These are played for laughs. Shazam was an excellent adaptation of Captain Marvel, with the classic villains and the whole Marvel Family (even Freckles).
- CreatorSteve GerberStarsHenry CordenRobert RidgelyNellie BellflowerThundarr the Barbarian and his companions Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel wander a devastated future Earth and fight evil wherever they find it.Exciting series featuring a post-apocalyptic world, with wizards and barbarians. Steals a bit from Planet of the Apes but has excellent design work from Jack Kirby and Gil Kane, plus scripts from Steve Gerber.
- StarsBob McFaddenLarry KenneyEarl HammondA team of humanoid cats fight evil in their adopted home world.Excellent syndicated cartoon, featuring a band of refugees who find themselves at odds with a group of mutants. Suitably epic, with good moral lessons and stylish animation. A cut above a lot of the 80s cartoons.
- StarsJackson BeckChristopher CollinsMichael BellAn elite special missions force fights against the terrorist forces of Cobra.I must confess that I am not a fan of this, but it was hugely popular. I always felt it was rather stiff and unrealistic and that the steps to avoid violence did more damage to kids than showing them the consequences of violence, like in Jonny Quest. With that said, it has some pretty good plots and plenty of action and the basic premise is well conceived, even if it was just a retooled SHIELD vs HYDRA (or UNCLE vs THRUSH). Some of the moral lessons at the end were really reaching.
- CreatorHenry OrensteinStarsFrank WelkerPeter CullenCorey BurtonTwo opposing factions of transforming alien robots engage in a battle that has the fate of Earth in the balance.Again, not a fan, mostly from a technical standpoint, but it was another that was hugely popular. Kids seemed to enjoy it.
- StarsJohn ErwinAlan OppenheimerLinda GaryThe most powerful man in the universe, He-Man, goes against the evil forces of Skeletor to save the planet Eternia and to protect the secrets of Castle Grayskull.Decent, if repetitive adventure series, based on the toy line. Filmation always used a lot of stock footage to hold down costs, so one episode tended to look like another. Lou Scheimer's Orko voice was beyond annoying, much like his Bat-Mite.
- CreatorRon FriedmanStarsNorman BernardCarol BilgerSamantha ParisA family of machine-enhanced human beings, each possessing unique powers after being augmented with bionic technology, battles evil. Together, the family form a superhero team called the Bionic Six.I only saw a couple of episodes, but the animation by Tokyo Movie Shinsa and the Alex Toth designs were great.
- StarsBob McFaddenEarl HammondLarry KenneyA team of cyborgs protects Limbo from Mon Star and his gang.It bore a passing resemblance to Thundercats but it was pretty good.
- CreatorCarl MacekStarsSteve KramerTom WynerRobert AxelrodAn alien spaceship crash lands on Earth and the technology and secrets she bears lead Earth into three destructive interplanetary wars.Unites 3 different Japanese series into one great epic. Plenty of action and a bit of romance. One of the key components of the anime boom.
- StarsPeter CullenMichael BellJack AngelThis series focuses on five lion robots and their pilots as they fight the evil forces of King Zarkon and Prince Lotor.Another adaptation of a Japanese show and the other key component of the anime boom. Paved the way for the live action Power Rangers in America.
- CreatorGardner FoxStarsDanny DarkCasey KasemOlan SouleThe greatest of the DC Comics superheroes work together to uphold the good with the help of some young proteges.This one is a bit up and down, but makes good use of Darkseid and features an episode which tells Batman's origin quite effectively. Cyborg, from the Teen Titans, was added for diversity and seems a bit out of place. Nice episode with the Royal Flush Gang.
- CreatorSteve GerberStarsHenry CordenRobert RidgelyNellie BellflowerThundarr the Barbarian and his companions Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel wander a devastated future Earth and fight evil wherever they find it.This was 1980, but it counts in my book. Wildly imaginative show, set in a future devestated Earth. Designs came from Jack Kirby (creator of most of Marvel Comics' biggies) and stories from Steve Gerber (Howard the Duck comic). This blew away every other adventure show on Saturday morning.
- StarsGeorge DiCenzoLinda GaryPatrick PinneyAn astronaut, stranded on a primitive planet in a distant universe, fights against the tyranny of the Overlord.Another early 80s cartoon, so sue me. Not quite at the level of Thundaar, but pretty good. Typical stiff Filmation animation, though. The story was hampered by not having a "destination" in mind for the plot.
- CreatorPeyoStarsDon MessickDanny GoldmanLucille BlissThe Smurfs are tiny blue creatures that live in mushroom houses in a peaceful forest. They repeatedly try to outwit Gargamel, an evil sorcerer, his apprentice, Scruple, and his mangy cat, Azrael.This debuted at the start of the 80s and at the end of my Saturday morning days. Based on the popular Belgian comic, Les Schtroumpfs, it features the adventures of the little blue guys (and girl) and their enemy Gargamel. Fine for little kids, bit it was pretty annoying if you were older. That song is the ultimate earwig. This pretty much told me it was time to sleep in on Saturdays.
- StarsHenry DarrowJulio MedinaDon DiamondThe further adventures of the masked hero of Spanish California.Another from Filmation. It featured generally good stories with some decent action, again aided by rotoscoping. Keeping with the educational nature of Filmation's shows, it had Spanish lessons at the end. Henry Darrow was the voice of Zorro and would later play an aging Zorro on ABC's Zorro and Son.
- StarsWilliam ConradIvan NaranjoFrank WelkerIn the American Wild West, The Lone Ranger, with the help of his partner, Tonto, defends the rights of farmers and townspeople against outlaws and desperados.Revamp of Tarzan and the Super 7 (and Tarzan and Batman), adding a new Lone Ranger cartoon, full of historic figures. Not quite as stylish as the 1966 cartoon, but featured William Conrad (Cannon, Jake & the Fatman, Bulwinkle narrator)as the Ranger.
- StarsMaylo McCaslinBarry GordonDawn JefforyThe adventures of a high school for superheroes while the Marvel Family fights evil with the power given to them by the wizard, Shazam.Intended as an Archie superhero show, Archie Comics said no; so, Filmation just changed the names and slightly altered the designs. Featured live-action host segments between cartoons. This was typical stuff, except for the Shazam cartoon. This version, unlike the live series, made great use of the Marvel Family and the villains and supporting characters. It was successful in capturing the whimsical nature of the comics.
- StarsHenry WinklerRon HowardDon MostArthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli, Richie Cunningham, and Ralph Malph find themselves lost in time with their new friend, Cupcake, an alien from the future.Yeah, they tried to milk Happy Days on Saturday morning. Might have worked if it had been done earlier. This was pretty bad.