This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2023) |
Fantomcat | |
---|---|
Genre | Adventure Animation Comedy drama Superhero |
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 | Phil Bush |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 26 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Brian Cosgrove Mark Hall |
Producers | Ben Turner Andy Roper |
Running time | 22 min. |
Production company | Cosgrove Hall Films |
Original release | |
Network | ITV (CITV) |
Release | September 7, 1995 – December 18, 1996 |
Fantomcat is a British animated series produced by Cosgrove Hall Films. It was first broadcast between 7 September 1995 and 18 December 1996, and was animated by Alfonso Productions, a Spanish animation studio also responsible for animating and bringing Cosgrove Hall's shows Count Duckula , Victor and Hugo: Bunglers in Crime , Avenger Penguins , Sooty's Amazing Adventures and The Foxbusters to life, Milimetros, another Spanish animation studio, and in-house by Cosgrove Hall themselves. It aired largely on Children's ITV. The series also had a run on Pop from 2003 to 2005.
It was the first Cosgrove Hall cartoon to be animated with a process called Animo, wherein the animation drawings were scanned and then digitally coloured on computers. The first season was produced and directed by Ben Turner, while the second and final season was produced and directed by its creator, Andy Roper.
The main character of Fantomcat was influenced heavily by Zorro , Errol Flynn and Fantômas , and the series itself was influenced by Batman: The Animated Series and the time-lost approach of both Adam Adamant Lives! and Gargoyles .
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 thrives on December 31, 1699 in mortal combat with his nemesis Baron von Skelter, a sword-wielding caped Skeletoid alchemist. But Von Skelter is not alone in Castle Fantom, as he has brought with him two of his henchmen. During the battle, Phillipe is treacherously cast into a painting within the halls of his home, Castle Fantom, by Von Skelter's henchmen with the Crystal of Malevolence, a stone so powerful that it can change worlds. As his clock strikes midnight, he becomes trapped in the painting for three centuries while Von Skelter stole his Ring of the Fantoms and his sword, Touché.
As time passed, the area around Castle Fantom becomes 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 Wildcat Detectives when they take a wrong turning into the castle while chasing two explosive-wielding reptiles.
On 1 January 2000, Fantomcat joins the Wildcat Detectives in their battle against Marmagora and her henchmen, who have used another Crystal of Malevolence to summon Baron von Skelter into the modern day and join her as her partner in a new world order. Fantomcat and the Wildcat Detective Agency defeat Marmagora's henchmen, and blow up Baron Von Skelter with the two Crystals of Malevolence. Although the Baron has been defeated, Marmagora is still hanging around, and the battle will continue another day.
Episode No. | Title | Villains | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Prod. Code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "The Hero Returns" | Marmagora and Baron von Skelter | Ben Turner | Keith Smith | September 7, 1995 | B212646 |
While chasing two explosive-wielding reptiles, the Wildcat Detectives are launched into Castle Fantom where Tabs accidentally frees Fantomcat from a portrait. Our hero briefs them about his imprisonment and joins the Wildcat Detectives in their pursuit for Marmagora, who has summoned Baron von Skelter to join her. Fantomcat strikes him down once and for all...or does he? | ||||||
2 | "The Preying Mantis" | Marmagora, The Crab Twins and The Monk | Ben Turner | Keith Smith | September 14, 1995 | B212647 |
Marmagora has recruited The Monk to deal with Fantomcat. Meanwhile the Wildcat Detectives thwart a raid on a rich French fox by the Crab Twins. On the next day, the 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. | ||||||
3 | "The Swords of the Scorpion" | Marmagora and Scorpio | Ben Turner | Rob Rackstraw and Stefan Redfern | September 21, 1995 | B212648 |
A warrior called Scorpio thwarts Metrocity's crimes. It is just to make Fantomcat look like a fool, give up swordplay and take up knitting, but the Wildcat Detectives 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. | ||||||
4 | "The Aeroship" | Marmagora | Ben Turner | Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding | September 28, 1995 | B212649 |
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 Detectives board the Aeroship and in an ensuing fight, Vile causes the Aeroship to self-destruct, but the Wildcat Detectives are able to thwart Marmagora's heist. | ||||||
5 | "The Asteroid Adventure" | The Monitor | Ben Turner | Peter Richard Reeves | October 5, 1995 | B212650 |
Tabs is abducted by the Monitor, and she 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 the Monitor's plan and rescues Tabs. | ||||||
6 | "The Mind Leech" | Marmagora | Ben Turner | Jimmy Hibbert | October 12, 1995 | B212651 |
Professor Oliphant from 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, Fantomcat ends up plummeting down the cavern below it and is almost killed. After a revival by the spirit of his father, Fantomcat rescues his friends and Professor Oliphant from their captors. NOTE: It was no episode shown on 19 October 1995 due to them being special programmes to celebrate (C)ITV's 40th birthday anniversary week. | ||||||
7 | "Lady Gobbling’s Gems" | Marmagora and Hedouni the Hypnotist | Ben Turner | Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding | October 26, 1995 | B212652 |
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. NOTE: Lindbergh is absent. | ||||||
8 | "Great Balls of Fire" | Marmagora and The Mina Tiger | Ben Turner | Roger Stennett | November 2, 1995 | B212653 |
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. | ||||||
9 | "The Chameleons of Death" | Marmagora and The Chameleon Brothers | Ben Turner | Rob Rackstraw and Stefan Redfern | November 9, 1995 | B212655 |
Marmagora steals a Dark Particle from the Institute of Advanced Particle Analysis, because she needs it to power her new Spectro-Vac. It blows up because Vile fitted the wrong fuse. Marmagora sends the Chameleon Brothers to steal Fantomcat's ring, costing the life of one of them. Tabs and the detectives track Marmagora's goons, prevent the Spectro-Vac from its test phase and Fantomcat finishes off the other Chameleon. | ||||||
10 | "The Crystal of Nemesis" | Marmagora and Nemesis | Ben Turner | Jimmy Hibbert | November 16, 1995 | B212654 |
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 Detectives help Fantomcat to destroy Nemesis once and for all with a water cannon. | ||||||
11 | "The Eye of Harakti" | Marmagora, The Crab Twins and Rahr | Ben Turner | Peter Richard Reeves | November 23, 1995 | B212657 |
At the Blue Sphinx Club, Marmagora calls upon Rahr, an evil Egyptian god 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. | ||||||
12 | "Where the Heart Is" | Marmagora and Baron von Skelter | Ben Turner | Keith Smith | November 30, 1995 | B212658 |
While on a skiing vacation, Fantomcat starts feeling homesick and wants to return to his own time. However, Baron von Skelter, disguised as a Yeti, is hiding on the ski slopes wanting revenge on both Fantomcat and Marmagora. After defeating Baron von Skelter again, Fantomcat decides that his true home is with his friends in the 21st century (at the end of the 20th century). | ||||||
13 | "The Web of Doom" | Marmagora | Ben Turner | Roger Stennett | December 7, 1995 | B212656 |
Marmagora is at large once again, covering Metrocity with a giant web. Fantomcat and MacDuff have to navigate their way across Metrocity to shut down the machine generating it, while fighting Marmagora's spiderbots which are robbing Metrocity of its money at the same time, but have they been lured into a trap? |
Episode No. | Title | Villains | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Prod. Code |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Once Upon a Time Machine" | Duke Brumlock | Andy Roper | Roger Stennett | October 23, 1996 [1] | DB213243 |
Fantomcat and MacDuff have an accident with the PAWS Virtual Reality Programme at the Metrocity Science Museum. They must complete a quest, replaying an event from Jungfrau Night 1666 to get home. But first, Fantomcat needs to think back 334 years and remember what he did. | ||||||
2 | "The Manhattan Incident" | Dr. Butyrik | Andy Roper | Roger Stennett | October 30, 1996 [2] | DB213244 |
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 attempting to destroy Manhattan with a Protogen 6 powered rocket bomb. NOTE: Lindbergh is absent, much like Lady Gobbling's Gems. | ||||||
3 | "Cinema Purradiso" | Marmagora and Don Ratso | Andy Roper | Lorelei King | November 6, 1996 [3] | DB213245 |
Don Ratso and his fellow rats try and bribe Signor Moustriani, the owner of the Cinema Purradiso, into selling the cinema to them, as it is a nice supply of oil right underneath the cinema. Fantomcat battles them and has them arrested. | ||||||
4 | "MacFlash, Warrior of the Skies" | Marmagora | Andy Roper | Jimmy Hibbert | November 13, 1996 [4] | DB213246 |
Tired of being called 'little one' and being talked down to, MacDuff runs away from Ms. Wildcat's Detective Agency, starting up his own detective service called MacDuff's Detective Agency. But with no calls coming in, he has his brother Bunty build him an indestructible bionic suit of armour with a nuclear powered thruster pack, and as a result, he begins performing good deeds as MacFlash, the Warrior of the Skies. In the meanwhile, Marmagora is planning to unleash her neutroneum powered spider tanks on Metrocity, so she plans to brainwash MacFlash to make him her slave, not realising that he is MacDuff. | ||||||
5 | "The Tomb of the Fantoms" | Salamander and Nemesis | Andy Roper | Jimmy Hibbert | November 20, 1996 [5] | DB213247 |
While pursuing the criminal Salamander, Fantomcat suffers a radiation accident and believes that Fantomcat is dying, and the others help him back to Castle Fantom, where Fantomcat is confronted by the ghosts of his generations-long dead relatives who judge upon whether Fantomcat deserves to live or not. After being told how he defeated the Nemesis robot, Fantomcat's relatives decide that he is, and that in order to live again Fantomcat must win a battle against Nemesis. Fantomcat calls upon MacDuff, who will fight Nemesis for Fantomcat. | ||||||
6 | "Revenge of the Monitor" | The Monitor | Andy Roper | Peter Richard Reeves | November 27, 1996 [6] | DB213248 |
Fantomcat and his friends visit the Stella View Hotel, a hotel in space, but they discover that the Monitor and his henchman Lurk are back, having escaped death and found Fantomcat's current location. The Monitor and Lurk plan to destroy the Earth with a giant laser unless Fantomcat surrenders to them. Fortunately, Fantomcat has a plan involving giant mirrors and a moonbase. | ||||||
7 | "The Treasure of the Belerophon" | Marmagora and The Crab Twins | Andy Roper | Stefan Redfern | December 4, 1996 | DB213249 |
Fantomcat and his friends are taken for a trip in a submarine called the Leviathan by Hiram "Big" Bucks, who is looking for a hidden million-dollar treasure in the SS Belerophone, a cruise ship that now lies in an underwater volcano. However, Vile and the Crab Twins hijack the sub, planning to steal the treasure for Marmagora. | ||||||
8 | "The Lonely Hearts Club" | Baron von Skelter | Andy Roper | Jimmy Hibbert | December 11, 1996 [7] | DB213250 |
MacDuff starts going out with Leandra Bagshot, a female Scouse mouse who responded to his Lonely Hearts ad in the Metro News. Meanwhile, Tabs gets a call from Mr. Fabio Valente, to locate a missing painting. Lured to Mr. Valente's mansion with him, it turns out to be a trap by Baron von Skelter to kidnap Tabs and imprison Tabs in a painting. Fantomcat hears about it, and comes to her rescue - but has he been lured into a trap as well? | ||||||
9 | "The Curse of Evillia" | Marmagora and Evillia Spiritus | Andy Roper | Stefan Redfern | December 18, 1996 [8] | DB213253 |
Marmagora has hired the evil witch Evillia Spiritus, who plans to eradicate any trace of the family Fantom from the face of the Earth. After Fantomcat is informed about it by the ghost of his father, it is now up to him and the Wildcat Detectives to find Evillia's lair up on the moors, and put a stop to Marmagora's fiendish plot - all the while avoiding the various tricks and traps Evillia has set for them. | ||||||
10 | "MacDuff, Private Eye" | The Spectre, Blaine Bunion and Nemesis | Andy Roper | Jimmy Hibbert | TBA | DB213252 |
After an ordeal with a villain known as The Spectre, the actress Martika Mazurka calls on the Wildcat Detectives to spy on her manager. She suspects that her manager, Blaine Bunion, stole her necklace that contains an amulet, which supposedly gives magical powers to its owner. However, none of the Wildcat Detectives are willing to take up the case, except for MacDuff, who sees it as an opportunity to become the greatest detective in Metrocity. But when Mazurka's manager tests the amulet by citing the incantation to summon Nemesis, it is now down to MacDuff to save Metrocity from certain destruction. | ||||||
11 | "The Mirror Monster" | Marmagora, Deadeye and The Mirror Monster | Andy Roper | Roger Stennett | TBA | DB213251 |
Marmagora creates the Mirror Monster, a tiny grey blob which can morph into any living being it chooses. The monster morphs into Fantomcat, confusing Tabs and the detectives. The monster plans to gain their trust in order to kill the real Fantomcat and afterwards, Tabs and the detectives. And to make matters worse, Marmagora also has a killer robot named Deadeye at the ready. | ||||||
12 | "The Incredible Shrinking Fantomcat" | Castle Fantom Spiders | Andy Roper | Peter Richard Reeves | TBA | DB213254 |
MacDuff is once again angry about his height after winning the Small is Beautiful Award, 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 MacDuff, Fantomcat and Tabs. The three of them must now try to get Bunty's attention and return them to normal size - it is, if they can survive the castle's cellar... | ||||||
13 | "One Good Deed" | The Minotaur | Andy Roper | Roger Stennett | TBA | DB213255 |
Eustace Prim, a member of the Metrocity Council wants to demolish Castle Fantom and build a rubbish dump and burger bar in Metrocity. Apparently, Fantomcat's family stops paying taxes for three hundred years, so now Metrocity is the owner of Castle Fantom (Fantomcat's home). Fantomcat defends his possessions, and remembers that he has a deed which allows him ownership of the castle. But the deed has been lost, and if it is not found within 11 hours, Fantomcat's castle will be razed to the ground - and it requires a journey into the depths of the castle, where the dreaded Minotaur lurks. |
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) | 13 September 1996 | The Hero Returns, The Preying Mantis |
Fantomcat: Volume 2 (TVE 3008) | 15 November 1996 | The Swords of the Scorpion, The Aeroship |
Fantomcat: Volume 3 (TVE 3010) | 21 May 1997 | The Asteroid Adventure, The Mind Leech, Lady Gobbling's Gems |
So far, the rest of the first series and the second series have not been officially released in the United Kingdom, but bootleg copies of the first and second series exist, and can be requested from ITV Viewer Requests. As of January 2022, both series were made available for streaming on BritBox.
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.
Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? is an American live action/animated television series based on the series of computer games. The show was produced by DIC Productions L.P. and originally aired from February 5, 1994 to November 1, 1996 on Saturday mornings during FOX's Fox Kids Network block. Reruns aired on Fox Family Channel from 1998 to 1999, and the Qubo television network from June 9, 2012 to May 26, 2018.
Victor & Hugo: Bunglers in Crime is a British crime comedy animated series made by Cosgrove Hall Productions for Thames Television and broadcast on Children's ITV from 6 September 1991 to 29 December 1992. Its eponymous characters were based on the villains Gaston and Pierre from the 1988–1993 series Count Duckula.
Chorlton and the Wheelies is an animated children's television series that ran from 26 September 1976 until 17 December 1978 on the British television channel ITV. 40 episodes were produced. The show followed the adventures of Chorlton, an anthropomorphic "happiness dragon", in "Wheelie World".
Dog City is an animated television series that was produced by Nelvana Limited and Jim Henson Productions in association with Channel 4 and Global Television Network. The series ran for three seasons, airing on Fox Kids from September 26, 1992, to November 26, 1994; in Canada, the series aired on YTV until 2000. The series contained both animation made by Nelvana, and puppetry by Jim Henson Productions - similar to Little Muppet Monsters - and invoked a mixture of detective fiction with police comedy.
Little Robots is a British stop-motion animated children's television series that was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films for Create TV & Film. The series originally aired on CBeebies, a British children's television channel known for its educational and entertaining programming aimed at preschoolers.
Lavender Castle is a British stop motion/CGI science fantasy television series created by Rodney Matthews and produced by Gerry Anderson. It was produced in 1997 through a collaboration between Carrington Productions International and Cosgrove Hall Films, and was first broadcast on CITV from 1999 to 2000.
The Foxbusters is a British animated TV series very loosely based on the Dick King-Smith book The Foxbusters. It was made by Cosgrove Hall, and consists of two series of thirteen 11-minute episodes each, made between 1999 and 2000. The show was co-written by the animation partnership of David Max Freedman and Alan Gilbey, and occasionally with Joel Jessup as a third writer. It was directed by Jon Doyle. The show itself is laden with gags and action. It also won two major awards in 2000; a BAFTA for "Best Animated Series" and the British Animation Awards for "Best Children's Series". The show had been up for consideration for U.S. buyers, but they were put off by certain voice over comments on the barnyard action and never aired in the United States.
The Legends of Treasure Island is a British animated television series. It had two series of 13 episodes each and each episode runs for 22–25 minutes.
Robert Rackstraw is an English voice actor who has worked in various animated films, television shows and video games.
Avenger Penguins is a British animated series produced by Cosgrove Hall Productions /Cosgrove Hall Films for Granada Television, with Thames International holding worldwide distribution rights. The series broadcast on Children's ITV for two seasons from 1993 to 1994.
The Lampies is a British 2000–2002 animated children's television series, created by David Bonner and remains with a mix of 2D and 3D animation.
Mega Man is a science fiction superhero animated television series co-produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and Ashi Productions, and based on the video game series of the same name by Capcom. It aired from September 11, 1994 to January 19, 1996, lasting two seasons. A spin-off based on Mega Man X was planned, but did not go through.
The Animal Shelf is a British 1997–2000 animated children's television series produced by Cosgrove Hall Films, and based on the books written and illustrated by British writer Ivy Wallace about a group of talking toy animals who live in Timothy's bedroom. Aimed particularly at pre-school children, the Animal Shelf first aired on ITV running for 4 seasons and 52 episodes, running from 25 June 1997 to 3 August 2000.
Truckers is a British stop motion animated series, an adaptation of the first book of Terry Pratchett's The Nome Trilogy, produced in the United Kingdom by Cosgrove Hall Productions for TV, then released on VHS, though edited together into a feature-length film. The series consisted of 13 ten-minute episodes.
Flash Hiders is a fighting video game developed and published in Japan in 1993 for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² console.
Noddy's Toyland Adventures is a British children's television programme that was broadcast from September 1992 until April 1994 and December 1994. The show stars the voices of Susan Sheridan and Jimmy Hibbert. Each episode was written by Julia and Chris Allen respectively during its broadcast run. Paul K. Joyce composed and performed the show's opening theme.
Sooty's Amazing Adventures is a short-lived animated spin off series of the Sooty franchise which aired from 1997 to 1998. In this incarnation, he is a fully bodied bear free from the puppeteer's hand.
Pip Ahoy! is a British children's animated television series aimed at preschoolers following the adventures of a puppy named Pip and his best friend, a kitten named Alba, who live in Salty Cove. The series originally aired on Milkshake! on Channel 5. Cartoon Network UK's sister pre-school channel Cartoonito premiered Pip Ahoy! on 2 March 2015. The first two series were originally shown on Channel 5's Milkshake!. A third series began airing on ITVBe's pre-school block LittleBe in September 2018. Animation created by Charles Ward.
James Christian Hibbert is an English actor and writer. He is best known for his voice work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall Films.