Action Man (2000 TV series)

Last updated

Action Man
Action Man 2000 Title Card.jpg
Also known asAction Man – The Greatest Hero of them All
Genre
Based on Action Man
by Hasbro
Developed by Marty Isenberg and Robert N. Skir
Starring
Theme music composer Paul Gordon
Opening theme
Ending theme
  • "Amp it Up, Action Man" (instrumental)
Composers
Country of origin
  • Canada
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producers
  • Ian Pearson
  • Paul Sabella
  • Jonathan Dern
  • Carol Monroe
ProducerMark Ralston
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseAugust 5, 2000 (2000-08-05) –
August 20, 2001 (2001-08-20)
Related

Action Manis a 2000 animated television series based on the toy line of the same name. [1] Though unrelated to the 1995 version, it was the first Action Man series to be made in CGI. In this series, Alexander "Alex" Mann is an extreme sports athlete known as "Action Man" and is a member of Team Xtreme.

Contents

Synopsis

Alex Mann, Action Man's civilian identity, is an extreme sports athlete of Team Xtreme, taking part in the Mastervision Network's Acceleration Games, a series of unconventional televised sporting activities all over the world. Danger and adrenaline trigger hidden mental powers called the "AMP (Advanced Macro Probability) Factor", a result of secret experiments by his former high school coach Simon Grey. With it, Alex is able to calculate all future possibilities, choosing the best course of action. Alex "Action" Mann, Desmond "Grinder" Sinclair, Agnes "Fidget" Wilson, and Ricky Singh-Baines must stop arch-enemy Doctor X, a brilliant geneticist and bio-engineer, who will stop at nothing to duplicate Alex's AMP Factor to rebuild Earth with the genetically enhanced neo-humanity.

Cast

Main

Supporting

Episodes

Season 1 (2000)

Dr. X captured and physically tested Alex Mann repeatedly, as well as his longtime rival and best friend Brandon Caine. Dr. X also added nanotech enhancements to Brandon, making him superior to Alex in athletics, only for them to have side effects. The culmination of the experiments was to mind transfer Dr. X into Brandon's body, becoming his younger self and nanotech cyborg, able to change his appearance and infect others. Following the ninth episode the series becomes more simplified. Dr. X founded the Council of Doom with his evil cohorts: assassin Asazi and weather manipulating scientist Tempest. Dr. X's nanotech trilobites appeared to gain collective intelligence and rebel against him, but this was actually Brandon Caine's uploaded mind punishing Dr. X.

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Competitive Edge"James Taylor Marty Isenberg & Robert N. Skir August 5, 2000 (2000-08-05)

After taking part in the Rooftop Road Rage challenge where Alex Mann's long time rival Brandon Kaine almost costs both of them their lives after a slingshot attempt went wrong, Alex discovers he has AMP Factor powers and is able to calculate future factors and the best courses of action to take (these coming in handy when he stops a helicopter from landing on a man's car). When Brandon is eventually released from hospital to take part in the Acceleration Triathlon, Alex sees him acting strangely and then after Brandon beats him he discovers that Brandon had been given an upgrade and his powers are stronger than they are supposed to be.

First appearance of: Alex Mann (Action Man), Grinder, Fidget, Ricky, Brandon Kaine, Doctor X (original body) and Nick Masters. Coach Grey also makes an appearance only as a voice.
2"Building The Perfect Beast"Steve BallMarty Isenberg & Robert N. SkirAugust 12, 2000 (2000-08-12)

Brandon's upgraded powers once again take over him and he escapes from hospital & Alex and Fidget go to look for him but come across Doctor X who takes them as hostages and takes them to his base on an oil rig. Alex and Brandon then need to work together and complete a series of extreme life or death challenges & Alex needs to rescue Fidget from drowning as she is locked in a tank which is filling up with water.

Grinder meanwhile has to find a way of saving Alex from loosing his brains electrical impulses which Doctor X is attempting to transplant into Brandon's body.

Cameo appearance by: Coach Grey (voice only).
3"Grey Areas"Steve SacksMarty Isenberg & Robert N. SkirAugust 19, 2000 (2000-08-19)

After a mysterious figure hired by Doctor X attempts to kill Alex and Fidget, Alex's highschool Coach Grey asks Alex to meet him in person to discuss his future aswell as help Alex find out more about his powers which is known as the AMP Factor. Things also get worse when Alex finds out that the assassin hired by Doctor X tries to kill Grinder, Ricky and Fidget aswell as try and kill Coach Grey who was her real target.

First appearance of: Coach Grey and Asazi. Cameo appearance by: Nick Masters.
4"Storm Front"Greg DonisSteve MelchingAugust 26, 2000 (2000-08-26)

A kid known as Templeton Storm has created a weather forecasting device which can control the weather in a bid to help Nick Masters with the sailboard cyclone event. Following an incident where he accidentally took Nick Masters off the air after Grinder crashed his helicopter into the satellite dish after being struck by lightning, Nick blames Templeton for the incident and purposely turning off the failsafe has Templeton electrocuted. After humiliating him further over the news by claiming he purposely tried to kill a number of athletes including Alex Mann, Templeton wants revenge on Nick. It's up to Alex and his team to stop Templeton before he injures or kills numerous innocent people including Nick Masters.

First appearance of: Tempest. Cameo appearance by: Nick Masters.
5"Gremlin In The Gears"Craig McEwenGreg Klein & Thomas PugsleySeptember 2, 2000 (2000-09-02)

After being sabotaged by an unknown rider during the Snow Eagle Challenge, Alex's snow eagle is infected by a number of Doctor X's NTB's. It's not long until they infect big air and take out the electrics while being on auto pilot. It's up to Alex to try and get rid of the NTB's from big air as well as prevent them from being shot down for entering restricted military air space.

Cameo appearance by: Coach Grey, Nick Masters, Brandon Kaine and Doctor X (original body)
6"Double Vision"George SamilskiMarsha F. GriffinSeptember 9, 2000 (2000-09-09)

A number of crimes take place with what appears to be Alex Mann and following and second crime Agent Diana Zurvis is determined to have Alex locked behind bars. It is up to Alex and his team to try and prove his innocence.

First appearance of: Agent Diana Zurvis. Cameo appearance by: Doctor X (original body), Brandon Caine, Coach Grey, Nick Masters.
7"Into The Abyss"William LauKaaren Lee BrownSeptember 16, 2000 (2000-09-16)

Brandon Caine begins trying to prevent Doctor X from controlling him and seeks help from Alex and his team to try and stop X and his plans. This involves returning to the now sunken oil rig in a bid to access information, but all is not as quiet as first thought.

First appearance of: Doctor X (new body). Cameo appearance by: Coach Grey and Brandon Kaine. Final appearance of: Doctor X (original body).
8"Out Of The Shadows"Sebastian Brodin Brynne Chandler Reaves September 23, 2000 (2000-09-23)

Now working on Alex's team as his partner, Brandon and Alex work together when taking part in the Human Pinball Biathlon. Believing that Doctor X is gone for good after witnessing his death at the oil rig, Alex refuses to speak with and believe information that Coach Grey kept secret from him. Doctor X had managed to succeed in downloading his AI programm into Brandon who is now a new younger version of Doctor X.

Cameo appearance by: Brandon Caine, Nick Masters and Agent Diana Zurvis.
9"Lost In The Funhouse"Steve SacksAndrew RobinsonSeptember 30, 2000 (2000-09-30)

During an event at the master dome an earthquake starts damaging the dome and almost kills Fidget and Ricky when the hoops almost land on them. It is found out that the earthquake was started by a mini ultrasonic wave device which can cause earthquakes and when a second one starts from a much bigger device it's down to Alex and his team to save innocent people's lives from death and destroy the device.

To make things worse two world leaders from country's which despise each other are attending the event and Doctor X wishes to broadcast fake news stories to each country saying that the other killed their leader in a bid to start war between the two countries.

Cameo appearance by: Nick Masters, Coach Grey and Asazi (regular from here).
10"The Hereafter Factor"Gio CorsiEric KartenOctober 28, 2000 (2000-10-28)
Cameo appearance by: Nick Masters, Tempest (regular from here), Coach Grey.
11"Cold War"Ezekiel NortonMarsha F. GriffinNovember 4, 2000 (2000-11-04)
Cameo appearance by: Coach Grey and Agent Diana Zurvis.
12"Swarm: Part 1"Gino NicheleKaaren Lee BrownNovember 11, 2000 (2000-11-11)
Cameo appearance by: Agent Diana Zurvis, Nick Masters and Coach Grey.
13"Swarm: Part 2"George SamilskiMarty Isenberg & Robert N. SkirNovember 18, 2000 (2000-11-18)
Final appearance of: Coach Grey, Branden Kaine and Agent Diana Zurvis.

Season 2 (2001)

The Council of Doom continues to grow after Brandon was saved from Dr. X. The season features new villains: Gangrene & Quake.

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
14"Green Thoughts"Andrew DuncanEric KartenFebruary 26, 2001 (2001-02-26)
First appearance of: Gangrene.
15"Thirst"Sebastian BrodinMarsha F. GriffinMay 2, 2001 (2001-05-02)
16"Ground Zero"Angela SteNick DuBoisMay 3, 2001 (2001-05-03)

Following an incident during a skating challenge where all electric power is drained away from buildings including from Alex's power blades aswell as taking Nick Masters off the air & almost crashing the team extreme helicopter, Alex and his team need to find out what Doctor X and his council of doom are using to drain all electric energy & stop him from turning people into mutants that he can control.

Things are made more awkward for Fidget (who's real name is revealed as Agnes) as her older twin sister Candice also tries to find out what Doctor X is trying to do, but she only makes things worse for them.

Cameo appearance by: Nick Masters
17"Tower Of Power"George Samilski Len Wein May 4, 2001 (2001-05-04)
18"Rumble: Part 1"Gino Nichele & Colin AdamsAndrew RobinsonMay 11, 2001 (2001-05-11)
First appearance of: Quake.
19"Rumble: Part 2"Ezekiel NortonKurt WeldonMay 18, 2001 (2001-05-18)
20"Search and Destroy"Chuck JohnsonSean RocheMay 25, 2001 (2001-05-25)
21"The Triton Factor"Steve SacksBrooks WachtelJune 22, 2001 (2001-06-22)
22"Mann's Best Friend"Mark SchiemannMarsha F. GriffinJune 26, 2001 (2001-06-26)
23"Mann Hunt"Sebastian BrodinNick DuBoisJuly 27, 2001 (2001-07-27)
Note: Grinder, Fidget and Ricky do not make an appearance in this episode.
24"Tangled Up in Green"Patrick CarrollEric KartenAugust 10, 2001 (2001-08-10)
25"The Ultimate Doom - Part 1"Gio CorsiRobert N. Skir & Marty IsenbergAugust 17, 2001 (2001-08-17)
Final appearance of: Nick Masters.
26"The Ultimate Doom - Part 2"Sebastian BrodinRobert N. Skir & Marty IsenbergAugust 21, 2001 (2001-08-21)

Final appearance of: Alex Mann (Action Man), Grinder, Fidget, Ricky, Doctor X, Gangrene, Asazi, Tempest and Quake.

Note: This episode was dedicated to the memory of Todd Halford, who was a co-worker and friend of the crew of the show that died before the episode aired.

Home media releases

In the United Kingdom, four VHS were released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and later reissued by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, containing three episodes per tape. One VHS release was also released by Maximum Entertainment.

There have also been VHS releases in other territories such as France.

VHS releases

Release nameEpisodesRelease dateRunning timeAdditional information
Action Man Vol. 1: The Call to Action"The Call to Action" (feature-length)
"Grey Areas"		July 9, 2001
April 29, 2002 (re-release)		64 minutes
Action Man Vol. 2: Storm Front"Storm Front"
"Gremlin in the Gears"
"Double Vision"		July 9, 2001
April 29, 2002 (re-release)		64 minutes
Action Man Vol. 3: Out of the Shadows"Into the Abyss"
"Out of the Shadows"
"Lost in the Funhouse"		July 9, 2001
April 29, 2002 (re-release)		64 minutes
Action Man Vol. 4: The Swarm"The Hereafter Factor"
"Cold War"
"The Swarm" (Double-Length)		July 9, 2001
April 29, 2002 (re-release)		85 minutes
Action Man Vol. 5: Green Thought"Green Thought"
"First"
"Storm Front"		14 April 200363 minutes
Action Man: Volume 1"The Call to Action - Part 1"
"The Call to Action - Part 2
"Grey Areas"		October 4, 200466 minutes

DVD releases

In the United Kingdom, The series also saw a few DVD releases as well, released in the UK by Maximum Entertainment.

Release nameEpisodesRelease dateRunning timeAdditional information
Action Man: Volume 1
Action Man: Storm Front		"The Call to Action - Part 1"
"The Call to Action - Part 2
"Grey Areas"
"Storm Front"
"Gremlin in the Gears"		August 30, 2004
2005 (re-release)		110 minutes
Action Man: Volume 2
Action Man: Team Xtreme		"Double Vision"
Into the Abyss"
"Out of the Shadows"
"Lost in the Funhouse"
"The Hereafter Factor"		October 2004
June 4, 2007 (re-release)		110 minutes
Action Man: Competitive Edge - 2 Disc Set"The Call to Action - Part 1"
"The Call to Action - Part 2
"Grey Areas"
"Storm Front"
"Gremlin in the Gears"
"Double Vision"
Into the Abyss"
"Out of the Shadows"
"Lost in the Funhouse"
"The Hereafter Factor"		2005220 minutes
Action Man: Cold War"Cold War"
"Swarm - Part 1"
"Swarm - Part 2"		March 21, 200566 minutes
Action Man: Ground Zero - Series 2Entirety of Series 22008276 minutes

Video games

A video game named Action Man: Search for Base X was released based on the 2000 series.

Hasbro Interactive published the Windows game Action Man: Raid on Island X in the United States as a tie-in to the TV series, despite having nothing to do with it.

Awards

In 2001, the show won a Golden Camera Award at the U.S. and International Film and Video Festival for 'Best Animation' in the episode "The Swarm: Part 2".

References

  1. ↑ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 4. ISBN   978-1538103739.
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