The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible | |
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Genre | |
Directed by | Don Lusk |
Voices of | Darleen Carr Terry McGovern (1985–1989) Darryl Hickman (1989–1992) Rob Paulsen |
Narrated by | Michael Rye (opening) |
Theme music composer | Hoyt Curtin |
Composers |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer | Kay Wright |
Editors |
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Running time | 25–30 minutes |
Production company | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
Original release | |
Release | April 26, 1985 – August 19, 1992 |
The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible is an animated direct-to-video film series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that tells of three young adventurers who travel back in time to watch biblical events take place. [1] Thirteen videos were released between 1985 and 1992.
Derek and Margo, two young archaeologists, are on a dig accompanied by "their nomad friend", a boy named Moki. They come across a door in an ancient ruin that turns out to be a portal through time. Though the introduction is the same in all videos, each episode sends the three friends into a different story from the Bible. They often interact with principal figures from each story, but without any significant effect upon the plot so as not to alter the course of history; in other episodes, they arrive decades after the events depicted in the Bible and are relayed the story by a firsthand witness.
The episodes were not released in an order consistent with the Biblical chronology, but can be construed to give a coherent story beginning with "The Creation" and ending with "The Easter Story". The first six episodes, released simultaneously, relate Old Testament stories, with episodes pertaining to the life of Jesus being added among some additional Old Testament stories as the series progressed.
Each individual episode featured celebrity voices in principal Biblical roles.
The series was initially conceived by Hanna-Barbera co-founder Joseph Barbera some seventeen years before it was produced, but he had difficulty in procuring support for the project. Eventually, however, Hanna-Barbera's parent company Taft Broadcasting agreed to provide funding, and the first video was released in 1985, then Turner Home Entertainment continued production after they bought Hanna-Barbera in 1991. Sparrow-Star Song assisted with distribution, releasing all thirteen episodes on VHS, one episode per tape. Five of these episodes ("The Miracles of Jesus", "David and Goliath", "Noah's Ark", "The Easter Story", and "Moses") were released on DVD in 2006. [2] [3] [4]
In 2024, 39 years after its production began, the series made its television debut among the inaugural offerings of digital television network MeTV Toons, which draws some of its programming from the Hanna-Barbera library. MeTV Toons airs the program on Sunday mornings. [5]
No. | Title | Directed by | Story by | Storyboarded by | Original release date | |
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1 | "Moses" | Ray Patterson | Harvey Bullock | Ric Estrada | April 26, 1985 | |
2 | "David and Goliath" | Ray Patterson | Harvey Bullock | Ric Estrada | April 25, 1986 | |
3 | "Joshua and the Battle of Jericho" | Ray Patterson | Harvey Bullock | Ric Estrada | April 25, 1986 | |
The trio find themselves ensnared in the Battle of Jericho. | ||||||
4 | "Noah's Ark" | Ray Patterson | Harvey Bullock | Ric Estrada | April 25, 1986 | |
The protagonists find themselves aboard Noah's Ark. | ||||||
5 | "Samson and Delilah" | Ray Patterson | Harvey Bullock | Ric Estrada | April 25, 1986 | |
6 | "Daniel and the Lion's Den" | Ray Patterson | Dennis Marks | Ric Estrada | April 25, 1986 | |
The trio find themselves in Babylon, where they witness the miracle of Daniel in the lions' den. | ||||||
7 | "The Nativity" | Don Lusk | Bruce D. Johnson and Harvey Bullock (story adaptation), Dennis Marks (teleplay) | Ric Estrada and Robert Taylor | October 15, 1987 | |
The trio witnesses the birth of Jesus. | ||||||
8 | "The Creation" | Don Lusk | Dennis Marks | Lew Saw and Kay Wright | July 15, 1988 | |
9 | "The Easter Story" | Don Lusk | Dennis Marks | Jim Willoughby | March 15, 1989 | |
10 | "Joseph and His Brothers" | Don Lusk | Dennis Marks and Karran Eccles Wright | Jim Willoughby | November 8, 1990 | |
The trio befriend Joseph and learn about his coat of many colors. | ||||||
11 | "The Miracles of Jesus" | Don Lusk | Karran Eccles Wright | Ric Estrada | September 26, 1991 | |
The time travelers encounter an elderly version of the young man raised from the dead in the city of Nain, who recounts the various miracles of Jesus. | ||||||
12 | "Queen Esther" | Don Lusk | Karran Eccles Wright | Ric Estrada | February 27, 1992 | |
13 | "Jonah" | Don Lusk | Karran Eccles Wright | Ric Estrada | August 19, 1992 | |
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