Fantomcat
| Fantomcat | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre |
Adventure Animation Children's |
| Created by | Andy Roper |
| Developed by | Anglia Television |
| Written by |
Roger Stennett Jimmy Hibbert Keith Smith Maggie Fox Sue Ryding Stefan Redfern Rob Rackstraw Peter Richard Reeves Lorelei King |
| Directed by |
Ben Turner Andy Roper |
| Starring |
Robert Powell Lorelei King Rob Rackstraw Jimmy Hibbert |
| Composer(s) | Phil Bush |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Brian Cosgrove Mark Hall |
| Producer(s) |
Ben Turner Andy Roper |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Production company(s) | Cosgrove Hall Films |
| Distributor | ITV Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Audio format | Dolby Surround |
| Original release | 7 September 1995 – 18 December 1996 |
Fantomcat is a British animated series produced by Cosgrove Hall Films. It was first broadcast in 1995, and was animated after Avenger Penguins in 1994, by Alfonso Productions, a Spanish animation studio. It aired largely on Children's ITV. The series also had a run on Pop from 2003 to 2005. Overseas, it aired on TV3 in New Zealand, on Network 2 in Ireland, on Premiere 12 in Singapore, on Dubai 33 in the Emirates, on MetroVision in Malaysia, on Channel 2 and ABS-CBN in Philippines, on M-Net in South Africa and on Network Ten in Australia. It was produced and directed by Ben Turner.
Influences
The main character of Fantomcat was influenced heavily by Zorro, Errol Flynn, Fantômas and the series itself was influenced by Batman: The Animated Series and the time-lost approach of both Adam Adamant Lives! and Gargoyles.
Details
Fantomcat centres on the character Phillipe L'Entrique Elan de Chanel, Count Givenchy and Duke of Fantom, a.k.a. Fantomcat, a masked swashbuckling hero who thrived on the stormy evening of 31 December 1699 in mortal combat with his nemesis Baron Von Skeltar, a sword-wielding caped Skeletoid alchemist. But Von Skeltar was not alone in Castle Fantom, as he had brought with him two of his henchmen. During the battle, Phillipe was treacherously cast into a painting within the halls of his home, Castle Fantom, by Von Skeltar's henchmen with the Crystal of Malevolence, a stone so powerful that it can change worlds. As his clock struck midnight, he became trapped in the painting for three centuries while Von Skeltar stole his Ring of the Fantoms and his sword, Touché. As time passed, the area around Castle Fantom became a bustling metropolis called Metrocity, a city submerged in crime rings led by the fiendish arachnid Marmagora. Eventually, at midnight on 31 December 1999, Fantomcat is freed from the painting by the members of the Wildcat Detective Agency when they take a wrong turning into the castle while chasing two explosive-wielding reptiles.
On 1 January 2000 Fantomcat joins the Wildcat Detective Agency in their battle against Marmagora and her henchmen, who have used another Crystal of Malevolence to summon Baron Von Skeltar into the modern day and join her as her partner in a new world order. Fantomcat and the Wildcat Detective Agency defeat Baron Von Skeltar and Marmagora's henchmen, and blow up Baron Von Skeltar with the two Crystals of Malevolence. Although the Baron has been defeated, Marmagora is still hanging around, and the battle will continue another day.
Characters
- Phillipe L'Entrique Elan de Chanel, Count Givenchy and Duke of Fantom (voiced by Robert Powell) - The main protagonist of the series. A masked, swashbuckling, polite and fearless hero who joins the Wildcat Detective Agency after his release and is nicknamed Fantomcat. Fantomcat is naturally completely oblivious to the modern world and its various new technologies, which can hinder him and the detective team if not careful. Fantomcat has a sword called Touché which can respond to his beck and call, has been with him all his nine lives, and was made from the same metal that his great grandfather's sword was made from. He can also turn invisible with the help of his Ring of the Fantoms, a ring a thousand years old whose powers have helped Fantomcat's family oppose evil down the ages. With this ring, he can act like a "Phantom" when needed.
- Great Grandfather L'Entrique Elan de Chanel (voiced by Robert Powell) - Fantomcat's great grandfather, who was killed by Nemesis during their first and final encounter. Like Fantomcat's father, he appeared to Fantomcat in the form of a ghost.
- Father L'Entrique Elan de Chanel (voiced by Robert Powell) - Fantomcat's father, who is now deceased. He often appears in the form of a ghost whenever Fantomcat has lost a battle or lost one of his nine lives.
- Tabitha "Tabs" Wildcat (voiced by Lorelei King) - A stern female detective and leader of the Wildcat Detective Agency, who has a crush on Fantomcat. Her younger sister is Ginger Wildcat, the head of the New York Police Department who also has a crush on Fantomcat. She is known as Penelope "Penny" Wildcat in some foreign dubs.
- MacDuff the Mouse (voiced by Rob Rackstraw) - A timid member of the Detective Team, who hates holes. His real name is Claude, as revealed when he first started going out with Leandra.
- Bunty the Mouse (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert) - MacDuff's older brother, who is an inept inventor.
- Leandra the Mouse (voiced by Lorelei King) - MacDuff's girlfriend, who is unaware of his life as a detective thwarting Marmagora.
- Lindbergh the Pigeon (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert) - A member of the Detective Team who talks in garbled, blubbering language, hates heights and therefore will not fly.
- Police Chief Axel Schmiere (voiced by Rob Rackstraw) - The chief of the Metrocity Police Department, who enjoys eating hamburgers and is scared of Fantomcat.
- Hiram "Big" Bucks (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert) - Metrocity's biggest billionaire, who owns every industrial business in the city.
- The Mayor (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert) - The mayor of Metrocity, who is rather geeky and cowardly, and often works alongside Hiram "Big" Bucks.
- Marmagora (voiced by Lorelei King) - The primary antagonist of the series. A hideous giant widow spider intent on dominating Metrocity and leader of the evil forces below the city. She has a pet carnivorous plant called Gloria, who takes three weeks to digest her food, and she often feeds her henchman Vile the Bluebottle to her whenever he messes up.
- Vile the Bluebottle (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert) - A fly. Marmagora's right-hand man, who does not help her much but only follows her instructions and agrees with everything she says - however, he sometimes has feelings against Marmagora. He normally wields a gun or a sword, and like all flies, can fly.
- Vinnie the Vole (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert) - One of Marmagora's henchmen, who is always ready to help. Unlike Vile, Vinnie is actually quite smart, but he always gets shunned by Vile.
- The Crab Twins (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert and Rob Rackstraw) - Two of Marmagora's second division boys, called Jack and Arthur. They normally wield crowbars and baseball bats, and often target rich people. They are also very good swimmers.
- Baron Von Skeltar (voiced by Rob Rackstraw) - A sword-wielding caped Skeletoid alchemist who imprisoned Fantomcat for 300 years and was summoned to the present day by Marmagora to finish his heinous conquest. He was formerly a bison scientist, but after experimenting alchemy on himself, he became a Skeletoid set upon the path of evil. He was thought dead after being defeated by Fantomcat in the first episode, but he survived and is now waiting for his revenge on him.
- The Monitor (voiced by Rob Rackstraw) - An intergalactic space villain who talks like Shere Khan and destroys planets with a giant laser on his asteroid spaceship. He was thought dead after being sucked out into space in his first appearance, but he survived as he can breathe in space and is now waiting for his revenge on Fantomcat.
- Lurk (voided by Jimmy Hibbert) - One of the Monitor's henchman, who is a rhino with a spiked helmet covering his face. He once disguised himself as the owner of the space hotel that Fantomcat and the Wildcat Detective Agency visited.
- Nemesis (voiced by Rob Rackstraw) - A demon warrior created by a powerful sorcerer in order to wipe out Fantomcat's great grandfather and ravage the land. He was defeated, but at the cost of Fantomcat's great grandfather's life. He is again summoned by Marmagora in the form of a Sodium-filled giant robot, and is again defeated with a water cannon. He is once again fought by MacDuff when Fantomcat ends up in a radiation accident. He can be summoned with the incantation "Galiostro acapelto maponos asmodeos azazel!"
Episode list
Series 1
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Hero Returns" | 7 September 1995 |
| While chasing two explosive-wielding reptiles, the Wildcat Detective Agency is launched into Castle Fantom where Tabs accidentally frees Fantomcat from a portrait. He briefs them of his imprisonment and joins the team in their pursuit for Marmagora, who has summoned Baron Von Skeltar to join her. Fantomcat strikes him down once and for all. This episode was written by Keith Smith, storyboarded by Wayne Thomas and Andy Janes, and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 2 | "The Preying Mantis" | 14 September 1995 |
| Marmagora has recruited The Monk to deal with Fantomcat. Meanwhile the Wildcat Detective Agency thwart a raid on a rich French fox by the Crab Twins. The next day, Monk kidnaps Tabs to lure Fantomcat to a trap at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Metro Park, but with the aid of his Ring of the Fantoms, Fantomcat defeats The Monk. This episode was written by Keith Smith, storyboarded by Keith Scoble and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 3 | "The Swords of the Scorpion" | 21 September 1995 |
| A warrior called Scorpio thwarts Metrocity's crimes. This is just to make Fantomcat look like a fool, give up swordplay and take up knitting, but the Wildcat Detective Agency catch wind of Marmagora's plot to raid the Metrocity Gold Reserve, so Fantomcat emerges from his defeat to beat Scorpio and prevent an atomic explosion that will cause a total eclipse of Metrocity. This episode was written by Stefan Redfern and Rob Rackstraw, storyboarded by Richardo Manchucha, Eduardo Valero and Francisco Alainmos, and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 4 | "The Aeroship" | 28 September 1995 |
| Marmagora hijacks Hiram "Big" Bucks' Aeroship, the Big One, to use as the perfect getaway vehicle for raids on the Metrocity Central Bank. The Wildcat Detective Agency board the Aeroship and in an ensuing fight, Vile causes the Aeroship to self-destruct, but the Wildcat Detective Agency are able to thwart Marmagora's heist. This episode was written by Sue Ryding and Maggie Fox, storyboarded by Richardo Manchucha, Eduardo Valero and Francisco Alainmos and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 5 | "The Asteroid Adventure" | 5 October 1995 |
| Tabs is abducted by the Monitor, and is taken to his asteroid base in outer space. His interest is for Fantomcat to find a crystal shard by following cryptic clues. After finding it at the Metrocity Museum, Fantomcat infiltrates the asteroid base, disrupts Monitor's plan and rescues Tabs. This episode was written by Keith Smith and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 6 | "The Mind Leech" | 12 October 1995 |
| Professor Oliphant of the Institute of Advanced Particle Analysis gets taken by Marmagora's giant beetles to reveal his secrets of transporting living matter with a mechanical mind leech. Fantomcat follows Tabs and Lindbergh's trail, but while attempting to cross a rocky bridge, he ends up plummeting down the cavern below it and is almost killed. After a revival by the spirit of his father, he rescues his friends and the Professor from their captors. This episode was written by Jimmy Hibbert and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 7 | "Lady Gobbling’s Gems" | 26 October 1995 |
| At Lady Gobbling's castle ball, Hedouini the Hypnotist and Vinnie the Vole put the party guests in a trance to steal their jewellery for Marmagora. Fantomcat gets caught by them, but he escapes, counters Marmagora and retrieves the stolen jewellery. This episode was written by Sue Ryding and Maggie Fox, storyboarded by Keith Scoble and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 8 | "Great Balls of Fire" | 2 November 1995 |
| Comet Caractacus flies over the Earth, and deep beneath Castle Fantom arises the Mina Tiger, which confronts Fantomcat and tries to kill him in a battle. Fantomcat manages to get the Mina Tiger destroyed by a bolt of lightning. This episode was written by Roger Stennett, storyboarded by Dagda Studios S.A. and Neil Graham and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 9 | "The Chameleons of Death" | 9 November 1995 |
| After the Dark Particle stolen from the Institure of Advanced Particle Analysis and needed to power Marmagora's new Spectro-Vac blows up because of a missing fuse, Marmagora sends the Chameleon Bros. to steal Fantomcat's ring, costing the life of one of them. The Detective Team track Marmagora's goons, prevent the Spectro-Vac from its test phase and Fantomcat finishes off the other Chameleon. This episode was written by Stefen Redfern and Rob Rackstraw, storyboarded by John Martin and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 10 | "The Crystal of Nemesis" | 16 November 1995 |
| Marmagora steals the ancient Crystal of Nemesis from the Metrocity Museum, which may spell Fantomcat's end at the hand of the demon warrior Nemesis in the form of a Sodium-filled giant robot. The Wildcat Detective Agency help Fantomcat to destroy Nemesis once and for all with a water cannon. This episode was written by Jimmy Hibbert, storyboarded by Dagda Studios S.A. and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 11 | "The Eye of Harakti" | 23 November 1995 |
| At the Blue Sphinx Club, Marmagora calls upon the services of Rahr, an evil Egyptian with a stone sphere called "The Eye of Harakti", which can destroy anything at midnight. With it, Marmagora tries to destroy a truck belonging to Hiram "Big" Bucks and carrying a supply of gold bars. This episode was written by Peter Richard Reeves, storyboarded by Dagda Studios S.A. and John Doyle and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 12 | "Where the Heart Is" | 30 November 1995 |
| While on a skiing holiday, Fantomcat starts feeling homesick and wants to return to his own time. However, Baron Von Skeltar, disguised as a Yeti, is hiding on the ski slopes wanting revenge on both Fantomcat and Marmagora. After defeating Baron Von Skeltar again, Fantomcat decides that his true home is with his friends in the 21st century. This episode was written by Keith Smith, storyboarded by John Martin and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
| 13 | "The Web of Doom" | 7 December 1995 |
| Marmagora is at large once again, covering the city with a giant web. Tabs and Lindbergh have to navigate their way across the city to shut down the machine generating it, whilst Fantomcat and MacDuff are equally occupied fighting Marmagora's spiderbots which are robbing the city of its money. This episode was storyboarded by Wayne Thomas and Andy Janes, written by Roger Stennett and directed by Ben Turner. | ||
Series 2
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Once Upon a Time Machine" | 25 September 1996 |
| Fantomcat and MacDuff have an accident with a virtual computer programme at the Metrocity Science Museum. They must complete a 'quest', replaying an event from 1696 in order to get home. But first, Fantomcat needs to think back 305 years and remember what he did. This episode was written by Roger Stennett and directed by Andy Roper. It was also storyboarded by Keith Scoble. | ||
| 2 | "The Manhattan Incident" | 2 October 1996 |
| Ginger, the chief of the New York Police Department (and Tabs' sister), enlists Tabs' help in catching Dr. Butyrik, a scientist with a literal Jekyll and Hyde complex. This episode was written by Roger Stennett, storyboarded by Keith Scoble and directed by Andy Roper. | ||
| 3 | "Cinema Purradiso" | 9 October 1996 |
| Don Ratso and his gang of rats try and bribe Signor Moustriana, the owner of the Cinema Purradiso, into selling the cinema to them, as there's a nice supply of oil right underneath the cinema. Fantomcat battles them and has them arrested. This episode was written by Lorelei King and directed by Andy Roper. It was also storyboarded by Carlos Valera and Kepa De Orbe. | ||
| 4 | "Warrior of the Skies" | 16 October 1996 |
| Tired of being called 'little one' and being talked down to, MacDuff has his brother Bunty build him an indestructible bionic suit of armour with a nuclear powered thruster pack and as a result, begins performing good deeds, making Fantomcat jealous. Meanwhile, Marmagora is planning to unleash her army of spider tanks on Metrocity, so she plans to brainwash MacFlash to make him her slave, not realising that he is MacDuff. This episode was written by Jimmy Hibbert and directed by Andy Roper. | ||
| 5 | "Tomb of the Fantoms" | 23 October 1996 |
| While pursuing the criminal Salamander, Fantomcat suffers a radiation accident and believes that he is dying, and the others help him back to Castle Fantom, where he is confronted by the ghosts of his generations of dead relatives who judge upon whether he deserves to live or not. After being told how he defeated the Nemesis robot, his relatives decide that he is, and that in order to live again he must win a battle against Nemesis. Fantomcat calls upon MacDuff, who will fight Nemesis for him. This episode was written by Jimmy Hibbert and directed by Andy Roper. | ||
| 6 | "Revenge of the Monitor" | 30 October 1996 |
| Fantomcat and his friends visit a space hotel, but they discover that the Monitor and his henchman Lurk are back, having escaped death and found Fantomcat's current location. This time, they plan to destroy the Earth with a giant laser unless Fantomcat surrenders to them. This episode was written by Peter Richard Reeves, storyboarded by Fatcity Films and directed by Andy Roper. | ||
| 7 | "The Treasure of the Belerophon" | 6 November 1996 |
| The team are taken for a trip in a submarine called the Belerophon by Hiram "Big" Bucks, who is looking for a hidden million-dollar treasure in an underwater volcano. However, Vile and the Crab Twins hijack the sub, planning to steal the treasure for Marmagora. This episode was written by Stefan Redfern, storyboarded by Keith Scoble and directed by Andy Roper. | ||
| 8 | "The Lonely Hearts Club" | 13 November 1996 |
| MacDuff starts going out with Leandra, a female Scouse mouse who responded to his Lonely Hearts ad in the Metro News. Meanwhile, Tabs gets a call from a Mr. Valentine, to locate a missing painting. Lured to Valentine's mansion with him, it turns out to be a trap by Baron Von Skeltar to kidnap her and imprison her in a painting with the Crystal of Malevolence. Fantomcat hears about this, and comes to her rescue. This episode was written by Jimmy Hibbert, storyboarded by Fatcity Films and directed by Andy Roper. | ||
| 9 | "The Mirror Monster" | 20 November 1996 |
| Marmagora creates the Mirror Monster, a tiny grey blob which can morph into any living being it chooses. The monster morphs into Fantomcat, confusing the team. The monster plans to gain their trust in order to kill the real Fantomcat and afterwards, the team. This episode was written by Roger Stennett and directed by Andy Roper. | ||
| 10 | "MacDuff, Private Eye" | 27 November 1996 |
| The actress Mary Ann Manroo calls on the Wildcat Detective Agency to spy on her manager. She suspects that her manager stole her necklace with a special amulet, which supposedly gives magical powers to its owner. However, none of the Detective Team are willing to take up the case, except for MacDuff, who sees this as an opportunity to become the greatest detective in Metro City. This episode was written by Jimmy Hibbert and directed by Andy Roper. | ||
| 11 | "The Curse of Evillia" | 4 December 1996 |
| Marmagora makes another attempt to destroy Fantomcat. This time, she hires the evil witch Evillia Spiritus, who has really bad breath. This episode was written by Stefan Redfern and directed by Andy Roper. | ||
| 12 | "The Incredible Shrinking Fantomcat" | 11 December 1996 |
| MacDuff is once again angry about his height, so he contacts his brother Bunty. He begs him to construct a machine that makes him taller. After initial hesitation, Bunty fulfills his brother's wish. At the demonstration, the new machine does not work as expected, and shrinks Fantomcat. This episode was written by Peter Richard Reeves and directed by Andy Roper. It was also storyboarded by Carlos Valera and Kepa De Orbe. | ||
| 13 | "One Good Deed" | 18 December 1996 |
| Hiram "Big" Bucks and the Mayor of Metrocity want to demolish Castle Fantom and build a casino there. Apparently, Fantomcat's family stopped paying taxes for three hundred years, so now the city is the owner of the castle. Fantomcat defends his possessions, and recounts to them previous adventures that he had there in order to make Hiram change his mind. This episode was written by Roger Stennett and directed by Andy Roper. It was also storyboarded by Carlos Valera and Kepa De Orbe. | ||
DVD and VHS releases
On 13 January 2003 in the United Kingdom, Cinema Club and Granada Media released 2 DVDs and videos of Fantomcat, one with Episodes 1 and 2, and one with Episodes 3 and 4.
Previously, in 1996, Telstar Home Entertainment released 3 videos as part of their Star Kids range.
| VHS video title | Year of release | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Fantomcat: Volume 1 (TVE 3006) | September 13, 1996 | The Hero Returns, The Preying Mantis |
| Fantomcat: Volume 2 (TVE 3008) | November 15, 1996 | The Swords of the Scorpion, The Aeroship |
| Fantomcat: Volume 3 (TVE 3010) | May 21, 1997 | The Asteroid Adventure, The Mind Leech, Lady Gobbling's Gems |
So far, the rest of the first series and second series have not been officially released in the United Kingdom, but bootleg copies of some episodes from the first and second series exist, and can be requested from ITV Viewer Requests.
In Serbia, Beokolp released 2 DVDs of Fantomcat, one with Episodes 14, 15, 16 and 10, and one with Episodes 5, 6, 7 and 22.
International broadcasts
See also
External links
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