Dinosaucers
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| Dinosaucers | |
|---|---|
 Dinosaucers title screen |
|
| Format | Animated series |
| Created by | Michael E. Uslan |
| Starring | See voice cast below |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Running time | approximately 0:22 (per episode) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndicated 1987–1988, USA Network (1993-1995), Family Channel (1989-1991) |
| Original run | September 12, 1987 – Unknown, 1995 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Dinosaucers was an animated television series created by DIC Entertainment in association with Ellipse Programmé that originally aired in syndication in the USA from 1987 to 1988, on the Family Channel between 1989 and 1991, and later in 1993 and again in 1995 on the USA Network. 65 total episodes were made and the show only lasted one season during its 1987-1988 run. It was DiC Entertainment's first show to feature the "Kid in Bed" after the ending credits.
The show and its characters were actually owned by the Coca-Cola company and featured a logo for Coca-Cola Telecommunications. This was because Coke owned Columbia Pictures during the production time period. The show is presumably now owned by Sony, after its acquisition of Columbia[citation needed].
There were originally plans to release a Dinosaucers toyline, and prototype figures were produced, however the line was scrapped after the show was canceled.
Contents |
[edit] Description
The show follows the Dinosaucers and their battles against the evil Tyrannos. Each group is composed of intelligent anthropomorphic dinosaurs or other prehistoric reptilian species. The Dinosaucers are also allied with four humans known as the Secret Scouts. The two groups originally come from a planet in a counter-Earth orbit known as Reptilon. Most of the characters are named after the type of creature they are based on, or some pun of the name.
Both groups have a central base of operations. The Dinosaucers' base is called Lava Dome and is located in a mountain area, in a dormant volcano. The Tyrannos' base is located under a tar pit. Each of the groups' members, save for Teryx and Terrible Dactyl, have flying ships to travel around and even do battle with. Most ships actually resemble the personae of their respective owners. Along with their individual ships, both groups have a large mothership of sorts as well.
[edit] Dinovolving
All the Dinosaucers have a button on the front of their uniforms which instantly devolves them to their non-anthropomorphic dinosaur state, while retaining their intelligence and speech capacity. This special abilily is called Dinovolving and initially appeared to be a significant element of the series, as both Allo and Bronto Thunder Dinovolved in the first episode. Despite the apparent technological advantage, most of the later episodes did not feature any Dinovolving. Teryx was the only Dinosaucer who would never Dinovolve throughout the series, while Allo, Tricero, Bonehead and Bronto Thunder would use the ability in more than one episode.
The Tyrannos don't have the secret of Dinovolving, and a few episodes even revolve around their plans to steal the technology somehow. However they do possess a special raygun called a devolver. Blasting a living creature with this weapon has the same "devolving" effect as Dinovolving, but also reduces the victim's intelligence and removes the ability to speak. In any case, the device often winds up being used against them, to much comedic effect, rather than on the Dinosaucers. In this fashion, Genghis Rex, Ankylo, Quackpot and Brachio were all changed into primitive dinosaurs at various times in the series. The Tyrannos also possess a weapon called a "fossilizer", which is capable of turning its target into stone, as well as reversing the condition.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Dinosaucers
The Dinosaucers are the forces of good in the series and have a total of 8 members in their group.
Allo is an evolved Allosaurus and the leader of the Dinosaucers. Allo is calm, collected and serious. He wears blue and teal armor, a teal helmet, and has brown skin. He has a wife named Vera, a daughter named Alloetta and even a maid named Gatormaid (a play on Gatorade). He is the nephew of the Dinosorceror and Dinosorceress (rulers of Reptilon). His address on Reptilon is "where Palmer avenue meets Emerson and Lake".
Dimetro is another member of the Dinosaucers and Allo's assistant. Dimetro is the scientist/mechanic of the group. He wears brown and red armor, a blue mask on his head, has aqua green skin and speaks with a slight Scottish accent. Dimetro is an evolved Dimetrodon, which is a synapsid or mammal-like reptile, rather than a dinosaur.
Bronto Thunder is an evolved Apatosaurus. Often considered to be the second-in-command of the Dinosaucers, he usually takes command when Allo is away from Lava Dome. Bronto Thunder has a girlfriend back on Reptilon named Apatty Saurus, and was a "rep" for a ceramic tile shop before he became a Dinosaucer. Bronto Thunder's name is an example of a tautology, as "bronto" means "thunder" in Ancient Greek.
Stego is an evolved Stegosaurus and a rather dim-witted recruit when compared to the rest of the team. He tries to be brave, but is prone to panic attacks and general cowardice. Stego can pull his head inside his Dinosaucers' uniform, much like a turtle.
Tricero is an evolved Triceratops. He had a history for doing investigative work back on Reptilon, and provides a voice of calm reason. Tricero was a member of the law-enforcing Tricerocops on Reptilon before he became a Dinosaucer.
Bonehead is Allo's nephew and, like his namesake, is not particularly bright. Has a baby brother named Numbskull (Nummy). Mother Bonehilda is a famous scientist, and Allo's sister. Bonehead is an evolved Pachycephalosaurus.
Ichy, whose name is pronounced "Icky", is an evolved Ichthyosaurus, a prehistoric aquatic reptile. He has a pointed beak, a tail with fins or flukes, grey skin and wears green armor. He also wears dark green flippers on his feet, rather than boots. Ichy (and Plesio) can talk to sea creatures.
Teryx is the only female Dinosaucer. She is an evolved Archaeopteryx, which is a transitional form between dinosaurs and birds. She has white feathers and wears pink armor. Teryx has a crush on Ichy, but fears it won't work out because she is a flying creature, while Ichy is aquatic. Teryx used to be an actress on Reptilon's daytime television before she became a Dinosaucer.
[edit] Secret Scouts
The Secret Scouts are four teenage humans who help the Dinosaucers as allies. According to the opening credits they met them when they first arrived and gained powers through magic rings they were given. They are some of the closest friends the Dinosaucers have while they are on Earth.
Ryan Spencer is a blond haired male teenager who seems to be the smartest and most athletic of the group. He doesn't seem to get into as much trouble as his three friends do. He is Sara's brother.
Sara Spencer is a blond haired female teenager and the only girl of the Secret Scouts. She is quite athletic and informative often teaching the Dinosaucers, albeit confusing to them, Earth-related notions. With her ring power she can jump at amazing heights for short periods of time. She has a pet cat named Missy. She often goes on adventures with Bronto Thunder and relates very well to the only female Dinosaucer, Teryx. She is Ryan's sister.
Paul (surname unknown/not given) is an African American male teenager who seems to find the Dinosaucers thrilling and fun. He is often involved with various adventures with Stego and Bonehead. He also has a pet dog named Charlie who has caused a lot of trouble for the Dinosaucers in various episodes.
David (surname unknown/not given) is a black haired teenage male who is the wild one of the bunch. Often getting into trouble and making matters worse by getting the Dinosaucers involved in his "act first and think second" tactics. He is strong and athletic, but probably the least intelligent of the Secret Scouts.
[edit] Tyrannos
The Tyrannos are the forces of evil in the series and have a total of 7 members in their group.
During the course of the series, Plesio, Terrible Dactyl and Quackpot would all betray Genghis Rex at least once over matters of conscience.
Genghis Rex or usually referred to as simply "Rex", is the leader of the Tyrannos, as well as Allo's evil counterpart. He is an evolved Tyrannosaurus, has red skin and wears orange and blue armor. Living up to his species' reputation, he is brutal and tyrannical, and has a violent temper. He appears in every episode except for episode 13 (Trick or Cheat) in which Quackpot was the sole Tyranno to appear.
Typically, Rex will insult his minions with plays on dinosaur words or names, such as idiot-tops or tail-for-brains, whenever things do not go according to his plans. In exchange, Rex endures being called many flattering and important sounding names by the other Tyrannos, such as Bossasaur and Your Scaliness. A running gag throughout the series is that, for some reason, Rex strongly objects to the use of the term Chiefasaur when addressing him. As a villain, he tends to be staggeringly inept, always losing to the Dinosaucers in the end.
Genghis Rex had deep feelings for Teryx and even attempted to kidnap and marry her, but she resisted since she was in love with Ichy. Rex also has an equally evil sister residing on Reptilon, named Princess Dei.
Ankylo is Genghis Rex's dimwitted assistant and is another member of the Tyrannos. Ankylo bears a resemblance to a warthog and exhibits porcine characteristics, often snorting when he speaks. He wears grey armor, has red skin and has a special weapon called the Anklebuster which creates a chain made out of energy, often used to disable the Dinosaucers. Ankylo is an evolved Ankylosaurus.
Quackpot is an evolved Hadrosaurus. Quackpot is the practical joker of the group, much to the ire of the other Tyrannos. Like Ankylo, Quackpot is red. Quackpot makes a quacking sound in comparison to his appearance. Quackpot was the star of a children's television show back on Reptilon called Duckbill's Playhouse, under the stage name T.B. Duckbill.
Brachio is an evolved Brachiosaurus. Brachio is the archetypical thug of the gang and is gray. Brachio is the evil counterpart of BrontoThunder.
Styraco is an evolved Styracosaurus. Styraco is the evil counterpart of Tricero and was formerly a dentist working at the office of Pinchem, Pullem & Yankem before joining Genghis Rex on Earth.
Plesio is an evolved Plesiosaurus, a prehistoric aquatic reptile. Plesio is cunning and shifty, looks like a pink dragon, and is the evil counterpart of Ichy. Like Ichy, Plesio can talk to sea creatures. Plesio used to work for Slither, Slither & Shark, Attorneys at Law on Reptilon before becoming a Tyranno.
Terrible Dactyl is the flying member of the Tyrannos and the evil counterpart of Teryx. He speaks with a British accent. He wears a pilot mask, purple armor, and a white scarf and has orange skin. Terrible Dactyl is an evolved Pteranodon, a pterosaur which is commonly referred to as a Pterodactyl. In a large proportion of the episodes, Terrible Dactyl begins the conflict between the Dinosaucers and Tyrannos by observing some "suspicious" activity and reporting it to Genghis Rex.
[edit] Minor characters
The Dinosorceror and Dinosorceress are the leaders of Reptilon. They prefer to rule at arms length, staying out of the squabbles of the Dinosaucers and Tyrannos as parents would their children. They are very powerful, as shown in episodes where they levitate objects and heal deadly diseases. In addition to everything, they are also Allo's uncle and aunt. They possess a "Book of Reptilonian Wisdom" which predicts the future.
Apatty Saurus is an evolved Apatosaurus and is Bronto Thunder's girlfriend on Reptilon. She is an expert swamp boater and became a partner at the Color Rep-Tiles tile shop, where Bronto Thunder once worked, sometime after Bronto left for Earth.
Major Clifton appears in a couple episodes, although it is never revealed when he and the Dinosaucers first met. He is portrayed as a US Air Force officer who is trying to discover the truth about the Dinosaucers, at the expense of his reputation. He knows the Secret Scouts know about the Dinosaucers and confides in them about his theories, although the scouts do their best not to verify them.
Princess Dei is an evolved Deinonychus with yellow-green skin who is Genghis Rex's older sister. She appears a few times in episodes where the cast returns to Reptilon. It is generally believed that she is the leader of the Tyrannos' movement on Reptilon. Her name is an obvious reference to Princess Di.
The Furballs, Ugh and Grunt, are balls of fur who are equivalent to quite-intelligent pets on Reptilon. They get into trouble more often than not in each episode in which they appear, but end up saving the day for the Dinosaucers since Tyrannos are allergic to them.
[edit] Home video releases
U.S. Releases:
- Dinosaucers: Dinosaur Valley & Carnivore in Rio -- Released in 1994 . It included the first and seventeenth episodes of the series. It is no longer in print or available.
- Dinosaucers: Take Us Out to the Ball Game & Monday Night Clawball -- Released in 1994 . It included the second and thirty-second episodes of the series. It is no longer in print or available.
- Dinosaucers: Hooray for Hollywood & Divide and Conquer -- Released in 1994 . It included the fourth and fifth episodes of the series. It is no longer in print or available.
- Dinosaucers: The First Snow & Frozen Furballs -- Released in 1994 . It included the twelfth and eighteenth episodes of the series. It is no longer in print or available.
Dinosaucers has not been released on DVD and there are no known plans to do so. There have been four tapes in total released for VCR viewing in VHS format specifically for the United States and Canadian markets. It is in the NTSC format.
UK. releases:
- Dinosaucers: Volume 1 -- Released March 14, 1994. The episodes included in this volume are Dinosaur Valley, Take Us Out To The Ball Game, Happy Egg Day To You, Hooray For Hollywood and Divide And Conquer
- Dinosaucers: Volume 2 -- Released October 10, 1994. The episodes included in this volume are Burgers Up!, Be Prepared, That Shrinking Feeling, Rockin' Reptiles and Sleeping Booty.
There were two tapes in total released for the UK market in PAL format. Unlike the United States released tapes that had two episodes in total on each tape, the United Kingdom tapes had five episodes each on both tapes released.
[edit] Episode guide & writing credits
- - Dinosaur Valley ~ Diane Duane
- - Take Us Out to the Ballgame ~ Michael E. Uslan
- - Happy Egg Day to You ~ Diane Duane
- - Hooray for Hollywood ~ Felicia Maliani
- - Divide and Conquer ~ Michael E. Uslan
- - A Real Super Hero ~ Brooks Wachtel Homepage
- - Burgers Up! ~ Ron Harris
- - Be Prepared ~ Mike O'Mahony
- - That Shrinking Feeling ~ Doug Molitor
- - Rockin' Reptiles ~ Felicia Maliani
- - Sleeping Booty ~ Ron Harris & Diane Duane
- - The First Snow ~ Michael E. Uslan
- - Trick or Cheat ~ Michael E. Uslan & Diane Duane
- - Defective Defector ~ Doug Molitor
- - For The Love Of Teryx ~ Felicia Maliani
- - A Man's Best Friend Is His Dogasaurus ~ Michael E. Uslan
- - Carnivore In Rio ~ Somtow Sucharitkul
- - Frozen Fur Balls ~ J. Vornholt & S. Robertson
- - Hook, Line And Stinker ~ Avril Roy-Smith & Richard Mueller
- - The Prehistoric Purge ~ Walt Kubiak & Eliot Daro
- - The Truth About Dragons ~ Doug Molitor
- - Chariots Of The Dinosaucers ~ Somtow Sucharitkul
- - Eggs Mark The Spot ~ Avril Roy-Smith & Richard Mueller
- - Mommy Dino-Dearest ~ Brooks Wachtel Homepage
- - The Whale's Song ~ Durnie King
- - Inquiring Minds ~ Mark Cassutt
- - War Of The Worlds...II ~ Dennis O'Flaherty
- - Beach Blanket Bonehead ~ Chris Bunch & Allan Cole
- - The Bone Ranger And Bronto ~ David Bischoff & Ted Pedersen
- - Cindersaurus ~ Cherie Wilkerson
- - Trouble In Paradise ~ Martha Moran
- - Monday Night Clawball ~ Michael E. Uslan (story); J. Vornholt & S. Robertson
- - Age Of Aquariums ~ Michael E. Uslan (story); Cherie Wilkerson
- - Scents Of Wonder ~ Somtow Sucharitkul
- - Fine-Feathered Friends ~ Felicia Maliani
- - Allo & Cos-Stego Meet The Abominable Snowman ~ Michael E. Uslan (story); Brooks Wachtel Homepage
- - The Quack-Up Of Quackpot
- - It's An Archaeopteryx -- It's A Plane -- It's Thunder-Lizard ~ Michael E. Uslan (story); Arthur Byron Cover
- - Teacher's Pest ~ Doug Molitor
- - Dino-Chips! ~ Somtow Sucharitkul
- - The Heart And Sole Of Bigfoot ~ Michael E. Uslan (story); David Bischoff & Ted Pedersen
- - Karatesaurus Wrecks ~ Michael E. Uslan (story); David Wise
- - Lochs And Bay Gulls ~ Michael E. Uslan
- - The Trojan Horseasaurus ~ Ellen Goun
- - We're Off To See The Lizard ~ Michael E. Uslan & Felicia Maliani
- - Seeing Purple ~ Susan Ellison
- - There's No Such Thing As Stego-Claws ~ Michael E. Uslan
- - Applesaucers ~ Michael E. Uslan
- - Reduced For Clarence ~ Michael E. Uslan (story); Carla Conway
- - Attack Of The Fur Balls ~ Clancy Fort
- - Dinosaur Dundy ~ Michael E. Uslan
- - Those Reptilon Nights ~ Bill Fawcett
- - The Dinolympics ~ Bill Fawcett
- - Sara Had A Little Lambeosaurus ~ Cherie Wilkerson
- - Beauty And The Bonehead ~ Brynne Stephens
- - The Museum Of Natural Humans ~ Michael E. Uslan, Felicia Maliani & Lydia C. Marano
- - Saber-Tooth Or Consequences ~ Michael E. Uslan, Craig Miller & Mark Nelson (story); Craig Miller & Mark Nelson
- - Camp Tyranno ~ Michael E. Uslan & Beth Bronstein (story); Beth Bronstein
- - The Babysitter ~ Gerry Conway
- - Toy-Ranno Store Wars ~ Michael E. Uslan & Jody Lynn Nye (story); Jody Lynn Nye
- - The T-Bone's Stakes ~ Michael E. Uslan
- - Scales Of Justice ~ Michael E. Uslan
- - I Got Those 'Ol Reptilon Blues Again, Mommasaur ~ Michael E. Uslan (story); Todd Johnson
- - I Was A Teenage Human ~ Lydia C. Marano & David Wise (story); Lydia C. Marano
- - The Friend ~ Bill Fawcett
[edit] Voice actors
- Len Carlson: Allo/Quackpot
- Rob Cowan: Tricero
- Marvin Goldhar: Bonehead/Bronto Thunder
- Dan Hennessey: Genghis Rex/Plesio
- Ray Kahnert: Stego
- Gordon Masten: Styraco
- Don McManus: Brachio
- Edie Mirman: Teryx
- Louise Vallance: Princess Dei
- Simon Reynolds: Ryan
- Barbara Lynn Redpath: Sarah
- John Stocker: Ankylo/Terrible Dactyl
- Leslie Toth: David
- Chris Wiggins: Dimetro
- Thick Wilson: Ichy
- Richard Yearwood: Paul
[edit] Other credits
- Executive Producers: Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Andy Heyward
- Producer: Michael Maliani
- Director: Stephan Martinière
- Art Director: Pascal Morelli
- Animation Directors: Masnori Miura, Norimo Kashima
- Creative Supervisors: Robby London, Lori Crawford
- Production Supervisors: Winnie Chaffee, Bonnie Vitti
- Music: Shuki Levy, Haim Saban
- Story Editors: Diane Duane, Brynne Stephens, Lydia Marano
- Storyboard Artists: Kent Butterworth, Adrian Gonzalez, Steve Gordon, Gordon Harrison, Jim Smith
- Original Drawings: Craig Berman
[edit] External links
