The Incredible Crash Dummies (TV special)

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The Incredible Crash Dummies
GenreAnimated TV Special
Developed by Savage Steve Holland
Bill Kopp
Written bySavage Steve Holland
Bill Kopp
Directed byMark Mariutto
Voices of John Stocker
Dan Hennessey
James Rankin
Michael Caruana
Lee MacDougall
Richard Binsley
Paul Haddad
Susan Roman
Theme music composerJim Morgan
Ray Parker
Tom Szczesniak
ComposerAcrobat Music
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers Michael Hirsch
Patrick Loubert
Clive A. Smith
Larry Lamb
ProducersPam Lehn
Stephen Hodgins
AnimatorsMark Mariutto
Ron Pitts
EditorAl Maciulis
Running time22 minutes
Production companies Nelvana
Lamb&Company
Tyco Industries
Original release
Network Fox Kids
ReleaseMay 1, 1993 (1993-05-01)

The Incredible Crash Dummies is a 1993 animated television special. It was produced in 1993. In the United States, it originally aired on Fox Kids. [1] It was later repacked as a video to be sold with two of the Crash Dummy action figures (Ted and a "purple/gold" repainted Junkman) as well as a mail-in offer to order. Like the TV ad the series was based on the "You Could Learn a Lot from a Dummy" PSAs, episodes would have the characters announcing at the end "Don't you be a dummy, buckle your safety belts...and leave the crashing to us!" It was the first full-length television cartoon created using computer graphics. [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

Dummyland is a fictional world inhabited only by living crash dummies. Many make a living testing cars, just like the real ones.

The story begins with crash dummy professor Dr. Zub has creating a new "uncrashable" prototype armor called the Torso 9000 and is testing it with the help of crash dummy Ted. Unfortunately the initial trial run goes awry and Ted's head is severed from his body. The following night however, Ted is accidentally replaced with the head of the evil Junkman, who can now harness the power of the Torso 9000 and manages to break free from the Crash Test facility. [4]

Plotting to destroy the crash dummies, the Junkman sets up his base near an abandoned scrap heap and creates an army of killing machines out of spare car parts. When a valuable disc of information on the Torso 9000 is stolen, and finally Dr. Zub himself is kidnapped, heroes Slick & Spin step in to save the day.

Cast

Production

Computer Hardware & Software

Silicon Graphics workstations were used in production utilizing Wavefront Technologie's modeling and animation software

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References

  1. Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. p. 322. ISBN   978-0-8160-6600-1.
  2. Cortada, James W. (November 3, 2005). The Digital Hand: Volume II: How Computers Changed the Work of American Financial, Telecommunications, Media, and Entertainment Industries. Oxford University Press. ISBN   0190290188 . Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  3. Baker, Christopher W. (1994). Computer illusion in film & TV, Volume 5. Alpha Books. p.  93. ISBN   1567614221.
  4. "Cartoon Car Spotlight: Falling to Pieces over 'The Incredible Crash Dummies'". The News Wheel. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  5. Terrace, Vincent (February 12, 2013). Encyclopedia of Television Pilots, 1937-2012. McFarland. p. 138. ISBN   978-0786474455.