The Lionhearts

Last updated
The Lionhearts
TheLionhearts.png
Genre Animated sitcom
Created byByron Vaughns
Written byRuth Bennett
Greg Antonacci
Mark Bennett
Richard Gitelson
Joanne Pagliaro
Bill Braunstein
Peter Hunziker
Directed byByron Vaughns
Voices of William H. Macy
Peri Gilpin
Natasha Slayton
Cameron Finley
Nicolette Little
Harve Presnell
Theme music composer Mark Watters
Lorraine Feather
Opening theme"Roar", performed by Randy Crenshaw
ComposerMark Watters
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersPaul Sabella
Jonathan Dern
Ruth Bennett
ProducerByron Vaughns
Running time22 minutes
Production company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation
Original release
Network Syndication
ReleaseSeptember 19 (1998-09-19) 
December 12, 1998 (1998-12-12)

The Lionhearts is an American animated television series from MGM that aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings in syndication from September 19 to December 12, 1998. [1] The series aired on syndication in the United States and was also seen in Australia and Latin America (translated into Spanish as Los Corazón de León). The Lionhearts was one of the last television series produced by Claster Television Incorporated and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation.

Contents

Plot

The Lionhearts focuses on the behind the scenes life of MGM's mascot, Leo Lionheart, and his family. [2] The series shows the Lionhearts living in a normal house and living a normal life just like non-celebrity families. Most of the members of the family are named after famous MGM movie stars. The characters first appeared on a series of Sing-Along children's videos released by MGM in 1997. The original character designs (especially those of Spencer and Kate) were greatly modified for the TV series. Ashley Tisdale provided the voice of Kate in the Sing-Along videos, while Charles Rocket was the voice of Leo, Lana was voiced by Debra Jo Rupp and Chris Marquette did the voice of Spencer .

Characters

Lionheart Family

Humans

Guest stars included Tom Kenny, Carlos Alazraqui, Justin Shenkarow, Edie McClurg, Clancy Brown, Tom Arnold, Karl Malden, Ben Stein, Craig Ferguson and Kathy Ireland.

Production

The series was announced in 1997, the brainchild of John Symes, then president of MGM Worldwide TV Group. [3] MGM Animation signed actors William H. Macy, Peri Gilpin, Jeffrey Tambor and Betty White, among others, to provide voices producing 13 half-hour episodes of The Lionhearts, set for a September 1998 bow in syndication. [4] MGM Animation tapped sitcom scribe Ruth Bennett as exec producer and head writer for the series. [5]

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Family Circus"September 19, 1998 (1998-09-19)
Kate and Spencer are not enjoying their weekend with their parents. Advice from Leo's father helps him sort out their troubles to make their weekend fun.
2"Survive"September 26, 1998 (1998-09-26)
Leo takes his family out camping in Dirk Flannery's Sharkmobile, but get locked outside the car, forcing them to use some survival skills for a camp out.
3"But Some of My Best Friends are Clowns"October 3, 1998 (1998-10-03)
Leo's relaxation time is interrupted by the arrival of Lana's clown friends. Then Leo tries to convince his clown-hating neighbors to respect them.
4"No Place Like Home"October 10, 1998 (1998-10-10)
5"Singin' in the Mane"October 17, 1998 (1998-10-17)
A remark from Hank leads Leo to believe that he is starting to lose his mane with age. Spencer tries to convince Kate to help him join the school chorus, who are getting tickets to see his favorite rock band, Isaac Iceberg and the Titanics.
6"The Poem"October 24, 1998 (1998-10-24)
Kate must write the perfect poem to be the best and smartest student in the class, but she loses it accidentally after it turns out to be one of Spencer's songs, and Kate has to confess the truth about her missing poem.
7"Greta Garbo Ears"October 31, 1998 (1998-10-31)
8"The Treehouse"November 7, 1998 (1998-11-07)
9"Brown Dog Day"November 14, 1998 (1998-11-14)
10"Leo's Diet"November 21, 1998 (1998-11-21)
Leo must lose 10 pounds and remove a piece of his gray mane in order to prevent Leonardo Bartholomew, MGM's hottest actor, from taking his place for MGM's 75th anniversary gala.
11"The Pony Show"November 28, 1998 (1998-11-28)
12"Don't Bug the Neighbors (Part 1)"December 5, 1998 (1998-12-05)
13"Don't Bug the Neighbors (Part 2)"December 5, 1998 (1998-12-05)

Related Research Articles

Animation in the United States in the television era was a period in the history of American animation that gradually started in the late 1950s to 1960s with the decline of theatrical animated shorts and popularization of television animation, reached its peak during the 1970s to 1980s, and ended around the late 1980s. This era is characterized by low budgets, limited animation, an emphasis on television over the theater, and the general perception of cartoons being primarily for children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Boop</span> Animated cartoon character

Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character designed by Grim Natwick at the request of Dave Fleischer. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She was featured in 90 theatrical cartoons between 1930 and 1939. She has also been featured in comic strips and mass merchandising.

<i>Kimba the White Lion</i> 1950 Japanese manga

Kimba the White Lion, known in Japan as Jungle Emperor, is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka which was serialized in the Manga Shōnen magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An anime based on the manga was created by Mushi Production and was broadcast on Fuji Television from 1965 to 1967. It was the first color animated television series created in Japan. It began airing in North America from 1966. The later series was produced by Tezuka Productions.

Klasky-Csupo, Inc., is an American animation studio located in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1982 by producer Arlene Klasky and her then-husband, Hungarian animator Gábor Csupó in a spare room of their apartment and grew to 550 artists, creative workers and staff in an animation facility in Hollywood.

<i>The Alvin Show</i> American animated TV series

The Alvin Show is an American animated television series that aired on CBS in the early 1960s. This was the first series to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks. The Alvin Show aired for one season, from October 4, 1961, to September 12, 1962 and was originally sponsored by General Foods through its Jell-O gelatin and Post Cereal brands. Although the series was created in color, it was initially telecast in black and white. It was later rebroadcast in color from 1962-65 for Saturday mornings on CBS and again Saturday mornings on NBC in 1979.

Tweenies is a British live-action puppet children's television series created by Will Brenton and Iain Lauchlan. The programme is focused on four preschool-aged characters, known as the "Tweenies", playing, singing, dancing, and learning in a fictional playgroup in England. They are cared for by two adult Tweenies and two dogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie and Lola</span> Fictional characters

Charlie and Lola are fictional children created by the English writer and illustrator Lauren Child in 2000. They were introduced in a series of picture books and later adapted as animated television characters. Lola is an energetic and imaginative little girl; Charlie is her kind and patient older brother who is always willing to help Lola learn and grow. Charlie and Lola's parents, as well as their friends' parents, are often mentioned, but never seen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debra Jo Rupp</span> American actress (born 1951)

Debra Jo Rupp is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Kitty Forman in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show (1998–2006) and its Netflix sequel series That '90s Show (2023–present). Rupp also had roles in the NBC sitcom Friends (1997–1998), the ABC animated series Teacher's Pet (2000–2002) and its 2004 sequel film, the ABC sitcom Better with You (2010–2011), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021) and Agatha All Along (2024).

BB3B is a British animated series produced by Tell-Tale Productions in 2005. The entire series consists of thirteen episodes of twenty minutes each. It was shown on CBBC in the UK and ABC Kids in Australia. It first went on air in 2005.

<i>Trollz</i> (TV series) Television series

Trollz is an American animated television series produced by DIC Entertainment. These trolls were based on the troll doll created by Thomas Dam in the 1960s.

<i>Timothy Goes to School</i> 2000 multi-national TV series or program

Timothy Goes to School is a preschool children's animated television series based on books written by Rosemary Wells, but is titled after the book of the same name. The series is a co-production with Nelvana Limited and Animation Services Limited, in association with Silver Lining Entertainment Ltd. and produced in association with PBS and TVOntario with the participation of Knowledge Network, Access and Saskatchewan Communications Network.

Madeline is an animated preschool television series produced by DIC Entertainment, L.P., part of the Madeline media franchise. It began as a series of six television specials from 1988 to 1991, and then continued as Madeline and The New Adventures of Madeline from 1993 to 2001. The show is narrated by Christopher Plummer.

<i>The Amazing Spiez!</i> 2009 multi-national TV series or program

The Amazing Spiez is a French-Canadian animated television series created by Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel. It was co-produced by Marathon Media, Image Entertainment Corporation and Canal J. The series is a spin-off of Totally Spies! another series from Marathon Media. In France, the series debuted on TF1 on April 1, 2009. Its final episode was broadcast on May 25, 2012.

<i>Lilpri</i> Japanese media franchise

Hime Chen! Otogi Chikku Idol Lilpri, also known as Lilpri, is a Japanese shōjo anime directed by Makoto Moriwaki. It was adapted from the Sega arcade game of the same name. It was also adapted into two manga series by Mai Jinna.

Clarence is an American animated television series created by Skyler Page for Cartoon Network. The series revolves around the title character and his two best friends, Jeff and Sumo. Page, a former storyboard artist for Adventure Time and revisionist for Secret Mountain Fort Awesome, developed the series at Cartoon Network Studios as part of their shorts development program in 2012.

<i>Kate & Mim-Mim</i> Childrens television series

Kate & Mim-Mim is an animated children's television series created by husband-and-wife duo, Scott and Julie Stewart. Produced by Nerd Corps Entertainment in season 1 and later by DHX Media in season 2 with FremantleMedia Kids & Family, the first episode premiered on Disney Junior in the United States on December 19, 2014 until July 2, 2017 when Disney Junior lost the rights to air the series. The series also premiered in the United Kingdom on CBeebies on October 30, 2016.

<i>The Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehog</i> "`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000002-QINU`" TV series or program

The Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehog, also known as Les Mystères d'Alfred, is a children's animated television series created by Mary Mackay-Smith and Merilyn Read. It was produced by Gaumont-Alphanim and Muse Entertainment. The show follows three anthropomorphic animal pre-teens—Alfred Hedgehog, Camille Wallaby and Milo Skunk—as they solve mysteries in Gnarly Woods.

<i>The Magnificent Kotobuki</i> Japanese anime television series

The Magnificent Kotobuki is an anime television series produced by GEMBA, which aired from January to March 2019. A smartphone game titled Kōya no Kotobuki Hikōtai - Ōzora no Take Off Girls! was released in February 2019. A compilation film titled The Magnificent Kotobuki Complete Edition premiered in September 2020.

<i>Go, Dog. Go!</i> (TV series) American animated television series

Go, Dog. Go! is an animated children's educational television series based on the 1961 children's book of the same name by P. D. Eastman, which was developed for Netflix by Adam Peltzman.

References

  1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 361. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  2. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 499–500. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  3. "MGM tooning up series about Leo". 11 December 1997.
  4. "MGM's Leo finds his voice". 3 June 1998.
  5. "Bennett to feed 'Lionhearts'". 11 February 1998.