Spider-Man (1994 TV series) explained

Alt Name:Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Genre:Superhero
Runtime:21 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English
Producer:John Semper
Bob Richardson
Executive Producer:Avi Arad
Stan Lee
Network:Fox Kids Network
Num Seasons:5
Num Episodes:65
List Episodes:List of Spider-Man (1994 TV series) episodes

Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American superhero animated television series based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name.[1] The series aired on the Fox Kids Network from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998, for a total of five seasons comprising 65 episodes, and ran reruns on Toon Disney's Jetix block and on Disney XD. The series was produced by Marvel Films[2] and animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha.

The series finale was the first to introduce the "Spider-Verse" storyline, also known as the "Spider-Man Multiverse", which later inspired similar narratives in various Spider-Man comics, cartoons, and films in the early 21st century.

People magazine described the show as one of the best animated comic book adaptions of all time.[3]

Synopsis

The series follows Peter Parker, a college student at Empire State University who struggles to balance his responsibilities as the costumed hero Spider-Man with the problems of his personal life. In addition to fighting crime, Peter must navigate his romantic affections for love interests Felicia Hardy and Mary Jane Watson; maintain his friendship with Harry Osborn; focus on his academic performance as Dr. Curt Connors' student; and help to support his Aunt May after the death of his Uncle Ben by working as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle. The Bugle is owned by loudmouth publisher J. Jonah Jameson, who often uses Peter's pictures of his alter-ego to discredit and carry out a smear campaign against Spider-Man. Peter's peers at ESU include football star Flash Thompson, popular barista Liz Allan, scientific genius Debra Whitman, and research rival Michael Morbius.

As Spider-Man, Peter faces various supervillains that threaten New York City, including criminal masterminds such as the Kingpin and the Hobgoblin, scientific mishaps like Doctor Octopus and the Green Goblin, and the extraterrestrial symbiotes Venom and Carnage. Spider-Man is occasionally aided in his fight against crime by other superheroes, including the X-Men, the Punisher, Blade, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, Iron Man, Captain America, and the Fantastic Four.

Adaptations

A large number of storylines and events from the comics are loosely adapted in the series, such as:

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Episodes

See main article: List of Spider-Man (1994 TV series) episodes.

Cast and characters

Main voice cast

Production

While Fox Kids' X-Men animated series was being produced by Saban, Spider-Man was produced by the newly formed Marvel Films Animation; it was the only series that in-house studio produced, but was animated by TMS-Kyokuchi Corporation.[5] For many years, the series was the second longest-running Marvel show created, after X-Men, as well as the longest-running series based on Spider-Man (until Ultimate Spider-Man surpassed its record in 2015).

The show was significantly affected by censorship. In some episodes, realistic guns were depicted, but only in flashbacks, such as the showing of guns being fired during a flashback about the Punisher's origins where his wife was killed in the crossfire during a crime. Rules for the production of the show included no punching, throwing through glass, putting children in jeopardy or vampires as well as no usage of the word sinister.[6] In November 2014 podcasts, Semper clarified that the show was not censored more than any other show at the time and that every time this has been brought up to him, he feels it has been blown out of proportion;[7] Semper said that Marvel had no creative control on the TV series because Marvel at the time was in a tough time and close to bankruptcy.[7] In addition, Semper stated that Stan Lee had influence on the show in the first thirteen episodes.[7]

The series is currently owned and distributed by The Walt Disney Company (Marvel's parent company), which acquired all Fox Kids-related properties from News Corporation and Saban International in 2001.[8]

Writing staff

Producer John Semper was the primary credited writer on the show, receiving some sort of writing credit (usually a story, co-story or co-writing credit) on 60 of the 65 produced episodes. He wrote 8 episodes solo; many of his story credits were actually adaptations of previously published comic book stories.

Mark Hoffmeier was a frequent contributor, receiving credits on 16 episodes, while Stan Berkowitz was credited on 9.

Many of the other series writers had previously worked on , including Brynne Stephens, Marv Wolfman, Gerry Conway, Marty Isenberg and Robert N. Skir, Len Wein, and Sean Catherine Derek.

Semper watched previous Spider-Man adaptations for inspiration, but he was not impressed by most of them. The only previous adaptation that impressed him was the live-action Japanese Spider-Man (1978), which he thought was a "great" show and "goofy fun". Japanese Spider-Man's giant mecha robot influenced the final multi-part parallel universe arc where Spider-Man's wealthy alter-ego has a robot.[2]

Animation

To reproduce New York City's appearance, background illustrators undertook a large amount of visual research by using photo archives from above New York, particularly rooftops. Maps were consulted for references and buildings were faithfully reproduced.

The animation cels depicting Manhattan's Pan Am Building (recently renamed the MetLife Building) were scrapped after being complete because the California-based art staff learned the Midtown landmark had been given a new sign more than a year earlier.

The animation staff were directed to populate the city with cars and crowds on the street level. Semper believed that was one of the limitations of earlier Spider-Man animated projects.

Originally, Marvel Films planned to make the backgrounds completely CGI while Spider-Man swung around New York, yet due to budget constraints were forced to use traditional cel based animation while occasionally using CGI backgrounds by video game developer Kronos Digital Entertainment.

Reuse of animation became more common as the series progressed, which also included reuse of animation involving a character speaking (these scenes were sometimes slowed down in order to better match the actor's voice to the animation).

Music

Marvel outsourced the show's music to distributors Saban Entertainment, who were also responsible for the music in the concurrent X-Men cartoon airing on Fox Kids. The theme for the series was performed by Joe Perry of the hard rock band Aerosmith, although the song was written by Shuki Levy. Levy, Haim Saban and Udi Harpaz are credited as composers of the orchestral background score. The music was conducted with a live orchestra in Israel.

Awards

Writer and producer John Semper Jr. was nominated for an Annie Award in 1995 for Best Individual Achievement for Writing in the Field of Animation for the episode "Day of the Chameleon". Spider-Man was also nominated for one 1996 Image Award for Outstanding Animated/Live-Action/Dramatic Youth or Children's Series/Special.[9]

Merchandising

Comics

Similarly to , the series inspired a number of comic books. The first one was Spider-Man Adventures, published for 15 issues between December 1994 and February 1996, which loosely adapted the plot from the series' episodes. It was followed by Adventures of Spider-Man, a 12-issue series with original stories, published from April 1996 to March 1997.

Additionally, Marvel published a second series inspired by the animated series titled Spider-Man Magazine, that went on for 19 issues from March 1994 to March 1997. Two special issues were also published in 1995.

A tie-in series titled Marvel Adventures went on for 18 issues from April 1997 to September 1998.

Bibliography

Video games

A number of video games based on the series were also produced:

Electronic versions of classic Spider-Man comics were released by Marvel that included narration by Christopher Daniel Barnes and featured animation and theme music from this series. Spider-Man novels inspired by selected episodes were also released. A wide variety of themed merchandise (lunch boxes, cereals, clothing, etc.) was produced. McDonald's produced a themed line of Happy Meal toys for the show.

Release availability

After the success of the Spider-Man films, the series began to air in reruns through its new owners, The Walt Disney Company.

This show had been shown streaming entirety on Disney+ service since November 12, 2019.[15]

Home media

Region 1

A single VHS volume containing the "Hobgoblin" two-part episode was released on July 2, 1997 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.[16]

From November 1996 until October 1999, Telegenic Entertainment released ten VHS volumes of the series in Canada. They were compilations that featured episodes edited into 70–80, 90-100 minute movies based on the particular story arc. The releases were "The Venom Saga", "Revenge of the Goblins", "Spider-Slayer", "Insidious Six", "Mutant Agenda",[17] "Tablet of Time",[18] "Neogenic Nightmare",[19] "Forgotten Warriors",[20] "The Sins of the Fathers"[21] and "Secret Ward".[22] The tapes also contained bonus episodes of other Marvel cartoons.

From April 2002 until June 2005, Buena Vista Home Entertainment released several VHS and DVD compilations of the series. "The Ultimate Villain Showdown"[23] contained episodes 2-5 of the "Sins of the Father" arc (Season 3) and special features such as a bonus episode from the 1967 series.[24] "The Return of the Green Goblin"[25] contains episodes 12-14 of the "Sins of the Father" arc and the first episode of the "Partners in Danger" arc (Season 4) with special features including the eighth episode of the arc, while the DVD also included a bonus episode from the 1967 series.[26] "Daredevil vs. Spider-Man"[27] contains episodes 6-9 of the "Sins of the Father" arcwith special features including a 1967 series episode featuring Kingpin while the DVD has a bonus episode from the second season of Fantastic Four that guest stars Daredevil.[28] "Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock"[29] contained a Season One episode and episodes 2, 3 and 5 of the "Partners in Danger" arc, with a 1967 series episode as an extra. The final BVHE release - "",[30] contains the three-part "The Alien Costume" saga from Season 1 and Episodes 10-11 of "The Sins of the Fathers".

A compilation release containing "The Ultimate Villain Showdown", "The Return of the Green Goblin" and "Daredevil vs. Spider-Man" was also released.[31]

Region 2

Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the compilations on VHS and DVD in the United Kingdom and select other territories. While the main content was the same, they contained different bonus features from the North American release.

In April 2008, Liberation Entertainment secured the home media rights to select Marvel shows from Jetix Europe in select European territories, including Spider-Man.[32] [33] The company however shuttered their UK division at the end of October 2008, leaving releases of the show in limbo.[34]

Clear Vision later took over rights in the UK, Sweden, and Germany and released the complete series in season sets. Season 1 on June 22, 2009,[35] Season 2 on August 3, 2009,[36] Season 3 on August 17, 2009,[37] Season 4 on September 14, 2009[38] and Season 5 on October 19, 2009.[39] The company followed this off with a complete series boxset released on November 11, 2011.[40]

Other releases

Bootleg DVDs of the show have become popular among fans due to a lack of official DVD releases. The bootlegs feature all of the episodes but some of them have low video quality and watermarks. This is likely to change as the entire series becomes available in the UK. The series is currently the 9th most wanted unreleased DVD at TVShowsOnDVD.com.[41]

Legacy

Spider-Verse

The last two episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, about multiple Spider-Man characters crossing dimensions to different universes, was the first Spider-Man story involving parallel universes. This inspired the Spider-Verse, which later appeared in various Spider-Man comics, cartoons and films in the early 21st century, with most notably the animated Spider-Verse feature films.[42]

Spiritual successor and possible revival

On November 1, 2014 at the Comikaze Expo, where the show's 20th anniversary was celebrated, John Semper Jr. revealed that much of the cast and crew of Spider-Man, himself included, had agreed to reunite for a new crowdfunded series entitled "War of the Rocket Men".[43] [44] [45] [46] In addition, in late 2014, Semper Jr started a website (cartoonspiderman.com) that features behind-the-scenes content, podcasts about the show, a link to the Facebook page that Semper regularly posts on and more. In April 2016, Semper's YouTube account posted a video in which he revealed that he had written a short story following up on the series, detailing Peter finding Mary Jane with Madame Web's help in a Victorian Age setting, referring to the story as "an autobiographical fan-fiction" in which he reminisced on what it was like writing the last episodes of the series, as well as detailing how Peter and Mary Jane would have been reunited, adding one could think of it as "the lost episode of Spider-Man: The Animated Series". Semper explained that he would be releasing this as a perk on a crowd-funding campaign for "War of the Rocket Men". The video also featured the returning voices of Christopher Daniel Barnes and Sara Ballantine as Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson respectively in an audio promo prologue entitled "Peter Finds Mary Jane".

After X-Men '97 was announced as a revival of the X-Men TV series by Marvel Studios for the streaming service Disney+, it marked a possibility that Spider-Man could be revived for Disney+ as well. In July 2022, Semper addressed this, stating that he would happily do it if he had the same creative freedom he had on the series:

In February 2024, Sempers expressed interest that he would consider reviving the series on Disney+, if Marvel Studios Animation reaches out to him. Christopher Daniel Barnes also expressed interest in reprising his role as Spider-Man if asked. In March 2024, Brad Winderbaum later commented on the possibility of a revival for the series:

Spider-Man made a non-speaking cameo appearance in the X-Men '97 episode "Tolerance is Extinction - Part 1", being among the witnesses to the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) wave sent out across the world by Magneto. He appears again in the season finale, "Tolerance is Extinction - Part 3", this time as Peter Parker, as he, Mary Jane, and Flash watch Asteroid M hurdle towards Earth on a TV in the window of an electronics store. Series head writer Beau DeMayo later confirmed that the character is the same iteration from The Animated Series,[47] and that he successfully rescued Mary Jane after the events of the series cliffhanger ending from season five.[48] Christopher Daniel Barnes acknowledged the cameo, expressing interest in returning as Spider-Man in a potential revival, though no one has contacted him about it. [49]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Top 10 Comic to TV Adaptations. IGN. 2010-08-15.
  2. Web site: John Semper on "Spider-Man": 10th Anniversary Interview. Marvel Animation Age. toonzone.net. 5 May 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110514224707/http://marvel.toonzone.net/spideytas/semperinterview4.htm. 14 May 2011.
  3. Web site: Spider-Man: The Animated Series Team Remembers the Show . . May 19, 2016.
  4. Cronin, B. (2021). Spider-Man: The animated series producer would like credit for creating the Spider-Verse. CBR.
  5. Web site: Cawley. John. Marvel Films Animation 1993-1997. Home of John Cawley. John Cawley. 5 May 2011.
  6. Web site: Why the Final Story Arc of 'Spider-Man: The Animated Series' Was the Template for the Spider-Verse . . 15 April 2022.
  7. Web site: The Making of Spider-Man The Animated Series - Podcasts. cartoonspiderman.com. 2015-05-24.
  8. Web site: Marvel Sues Disney . 2024-05-29 . Animation World Network . en.
  9. Web site: IMDb: Spider-Man Awards. IMDb. 2007-05-23.
  10. Web site: Spider-Man Adventures. The Big Comic Book Database. 2008-01-30. dead. https://archive.today/20130119203250/http://www.comics-db.com/Marvel_Comics/S/Spider-Man/Spider-Man_Adventures/index.html. 2013-01-19.
  11. Web site: Kellogg's Froot Loops (Spider-Man Adventures Reprints). spiderfan.org. 2008-02-05.
  12. Web site: The Adventures of Spider-Man. spiderfan.org. 2008-02-05. 2008-01-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20080131160912/http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/title/spiderman_adventures_v2.html. dead.
  13. Web site: Spectacular Spider-Man (UK Magazine): #1–25. spiderfan.org. 2008-02-05. 2009-07-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20090708140420/http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/title/spiderman_spectacular_uk.html#11. dead.
  14. Web site: Marvel Adventures (Spidey's Appearances). spiderfan.org. 2008-02-05. 2008-02-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20080227030345/http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/title/marvel_adventures.html. dead.
  15. Web site: Trumbore . Dave . Disney Plus Shows Include X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron Man Animated Series . Collider . 12 September 2019 . 19 July 2023.
  16. Book: 0793941768 . Spider-Man: The Hobgoblin [VHS]: Christopher Daniel Barnes, Sara Ballantine, Roscoe Lee Browne, Rodney Saulsberry, Jennifer Hale: Movies & TV.
  17. Web site: Spider-Man: Mutant Agenda [VHS]: Christopher Daniel Barnes, Sara Ballantine, Roscoe Lee Browne, Rodney Saulsberry, Jennifer Hale: Movies & TV . Amazon . 2014-05-10.
  18. Web site: Spider-Man: Tablet of Time [VHS]: Christopher Daniel Barnes, Sara Ballantine, Roscoe Lee Browne, Rodney Saulsberry, Jennifer Hale: Movies & TV . Amazon . 2014-05-10.
  19. Web site: Spider-Man: Neogenic Nightmare [VHS]: Christopher Daniel Barnes, Sara Ballantine, Roscoe Lee Browne, Rodney Saulsberry, Jennifer Hale: Movies & TV . Amazon . 2014-05-10.
  20. Web site: Spider-Man: Forgotten Warriors [VHS]: Christopher Daniel Barnes, Sara Ballantine, Roscoe Lee Browne, Rodney Saulsberry, Jennifer Hale: Movies & TV . Amazon . 2014-05-10.
  21. Web site: Spider-Man: The Sins of the Fathers [VHS]: Christopher Daniel Barnes, Sara Ballantine, Roscoe Lee Browne, Rodney Saulsberry, Jennifer Hale: Movies & TV . Amazon . 2014-05-10.
  22. Web site: Spider-Man: Secret Wars [VHS]: Christopher Daniel Barnes, Sara Ballantine, Roscoe Lee Browne, Rodney Saulsberry, Jennifer Hale: Movies & TV . Amazon . 2014-05-10.
  23. Web site: Ultimate Villain Showdown VHS/DVD . 2007-03-25 . usask.ca.
  24. Web site: The Ultimate Villain Showdown at dvdempire . 2007-04-04 . dvdempire.com.
  25. Web site: Return of the Green Goblin VHS/DVD . 2007-03-25 . usask.ca . 2008-04-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080424153033/http://homepage.usask.ca/~jjs142/spidermangreengoblin.htm . dead.
  26. Web site: The Return of the Green Goblin at dvdempire . 2007-05-05 . dvdempire.com.
  27. Web site: Daredevil vs Spider-Man VHS/DVD . 2007-03-25 . usask.ca.
  28. Web site: Daredevil vs Spider-Man at dvdempire . 2007-04-04 . dvdempire.com.
  29. Web site: Spider-Man vs Doc Ock VHS/DVD . 2007-03-25 . usask.ca.
  30. Web site: The Venom Saga VHS/DVD . 2007-03-25 . ultimatedisney.com.
  31. Web site: Ultimate Spider-Man Collection DVD . 2007-04-04 . dvdempire.com.
  32. Web site: Liberation Entertainment to Bring Classic Marvel Cartoons to DVD . 24 April 2008 .
  33. http://www.libent.co.uk/ Liberation Entertainment
  34. Web site: Liberation Ent. Closes U.K. Division . https://web.archive.org/web/20081025041506/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/world/news/e3ia885e08d502031485ead21b5976be18d . 2008-10-25 . .
  35. Web site: New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 1, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD . 22 June 2009 . Amazon.co.uk . 2010-09-20.
  36. Web site: New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 2, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD . 3 August 2009 . Amazon.co.uk . 2010-09-20.
  37. Web site: New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 3, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD . 24 August 2009 . Amazon.co.uk . 2010-09-20.
  38. Web site: New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 4, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD . 14 September 2009 . Amazon.co.uk . 2010-09-20.
  39. Web site: New Spider-Man 1995 - Season 5, Volumes 1 & 2 DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD . 19 October 2009 . Amazon.co.uk . 2010-09-20.
  40. Web site: New Spider-Man Complete Boxset DVD: Amazon.co.uk: DVD . 11 November 2011 . Amazon.co.uk . 2012-11-09.
  41. Web site: Spider-Man on DVD, Release Info, News at . Tvshowsondvd.com . 2010-09-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20051110194216/http://tvshowsondvd.com/showinfo.cfm?ShowID=3930 . 2005-11-10.
  42. News: Bacon . Thomas . Spider-Man: The Animated Series Did Spider-Verse First . 11 February 2022 . . 6 April 2020.
  43. Web site: 'Spider-Man: The Animated Series' Cast Reunites and Reveals New Project. November 2014. The Hollywood Reporter. 2014-11-01.
  44. Web site: Spider-Man the Animated Series.
  45. Web site: Facebook Post. Facebook. 19 July 2023.
  46. Web site: John Semper - YouTube. YouTube.
  47. Web site: Sanders . Savannah . 2024-05-01 . X-Men 97 Writer Confirms What Fans Suspected About THAT Spider-Man Cameo . 2024-05-01 . The Direct . en.
  48. Beau DeMayo . BeauDemayo . 1790648711456182623 .
    1. xmen97 yes, Peter Parker found MJ
    .
  49. Christopher Daniel Barnes . cdb_stories . 1786175262473998347 . Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thanks for all of the positivity and support surrounding the idea of a “Spider-Man 98” revival! I’d obviously love to participate in such an awesome venture! Unfortunately I haven’t been contacted by anyone regarding this possibility and I also currently have no connection to the “X-Men 97” show . But hey let’s remember Stan Lee and remain “True Believers”! Maybe I’ll get that magical phone call, have to sign an NDA, and then go weirdly silent on the issue! Here’s hoping!!!.

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