Wild C.A.T.s

WildC.A.T.S is a half-hour animated television series based on the comics series of the same name and developed for television by David Wise. It aired on CBS for one season from October 1, 1994, to January 21, 1995.[1] 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. This was also David Wise's only show for Nelvana until Corn & Peg.

WildC.A.T.S
Cover to the DVD release of WildC.A.T.S
Also known asWildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams
Created byJim Lee
Brandon Choi
Based on
Wildcats
by
  • Jim Lee
  • Brandon Choi
Developed byBob Forward
David Wise
Written byDavid Wise
Brooks Wachtel
Rich Fogel
Mark Seidenberg
Voices ofDenis Akiyama
Paul Mota
Roscoe Handford
Janet-Laine Green
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersJim Lee
Michael Hirsh
Toper Taylor
ProducerHasmi Giakoumis
Production companiesWildStorm Productions
Nelvana Limited
DistributorNelvana
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseOctober 1, 1994 (1994-10-01) –
January 21, 1995 (1995-01-21)

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.[2]

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.

Cast

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.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Dark Blade Falling"Bob SmithDavid WiseOctober 1, 1994 (1994-10-01)
2"Heart of Steel"Bob SmithDavid WiseOctober 8, 1994 (1994-10-08)
3"Cry of the Coda"Bob SmithBrooks WachtelOctober 15, 1994 (1994-10-15)
4"The Evil Within"Bob SmithLen UhleyOctober 29, 1994 (1994-10-29)
5"The Big Takedown"Bob SmithBob Forward & David WiseNovember 12, 1994 (1994-11-12)
6"Lives in the Balance"Bob SmithRich Fogel & Mark SeidenbergNovember 19, 1994 (1994-11-19)
7"Soul of a Giant"Bob SmithBob Forward & Sean Catherine DerekNovember 26, 1994 (1994-11-26)
8"Betrayed"Bob SmithBob Forward & Brooks WachtelDecember 3, 1994 (1994-12-03)
9"Black Razor's Edge"Bob SmithBob ForwardDecember 10, 1994 (1994-12-10)
10"And Then There Were None"Bob SmithBob ForwardDecember 17, 1994 (1994-12-17)
11"M.V.P."Bob SmithBob ForwardJanuary 7, 1995 (1995-01-07)
12"Endgame, Part 1"Bob SmithRich Fogel & Mark SeidenbergJanuary 14, 1995 (1995-01-14)
13"Endgame, Part 2"Bob SmithBob ForwardJanuary 21, 1995 (1995-01-21)

Marketing tie-ins

A video game based on the TV series was published by Playmates Interactive in 1995 for Super NES, with Spartan, Warblade and Maul as the only playable characters.

Also, Playmates Toys released a toy line based on the TV series. The characters featured in the toy line were Grifter, Helspont, Maul, Max Cash (as a Black Razor), Mister Majestic, Pike, Slag, Spartan, Void, Voodoo, Warblade, Zealot and a generic Daemonite.

Home release

Four VHS tapes with two episodes each were released in the 1990s. Funimation released the complete series on DVD on July 19, 2005.[3][4] 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
  1. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 908. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  2. "10 Worst Comic Book Animated Series of All Time". Newsarama. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
  3. "Jim Lee's WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams DVD news: Full Announcement: Extras, Art, More!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2015-06-10. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  4. "Jim Lee's WildC.A.T.S: Covert Action Teams DVD news: Complete '94 Cartoon Series Heads To DVD This Summer". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-03. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
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