Godzilla: The Series
From Iwe
Godzilla: The Series | ||
Title card | ||
Genre | Action Science fiction Adventure | |
Based on | Godzilla by Toho | |
Developed by | Jeff Kline Richard Raynis | |
Written by | Jeff Kline Richard Raynis Steven Melching Marty Isenberg Robert N. Skir Steve Perry Neil Ruttenberg Len Wein Marv Wolfman Baz Hawkins Harry 'Doc' Kloor Scott Lobdell Gregory K. Pincus Brooks Wachtel Steve Cuden Carl Ellsworth Janna King William Stout Jeffrey Wynne Angel Dean Lopez Craig Miller | |
Directed by | David Hartman Sam Liu Frank Squillace Audu Paden Alan Caldwell Nathan Chew Brad Rader Christopher Berkeley Sean Song | |
Voices of | Ian Ziering Brigitte Bako Rino Romano Charity James Malcolm Danare Tom Kenny Frank Welker | |
Theme music composer | Jim Latham | |
Opening theme | Godzilla: The Series theme song | |
Country of origin | United States Japan | |
Original language(s) | English | |
No. of seasons | 2 | |
No. of episodes | 40 (38 aired) | |
Production | ||
Executive producer(s) | Dean Devlin Roland Emmerich Richard Raynis Jeff Kline | |
Producer(s) | Audu Paden | |
Editor(s) | C.K. Horness Adam Weiss Richard C. Allen | |
Camera setup | Myung Soo Song | |
Running time | 23 minutes | |
Production company(s) | Adelaide Productions Centropolis Entertainment Toho Columbia TriStar Television | |
Distributor | Sony Pictures Television | |
Release | ||
Original network | Fox Kids (USA) DirecTV (Japan) Network Ten (Australia) Filmax (Pakistan) Aruj TV (Pakistan) | |
Original release | September 12, 1998 – April 22, 2000 | |
Chronology | ||
Preceded by | Godzilla |
Godzilla: The Series is an American-Japanese animated television series which originally aired on Fox Kids in the United States. The show premiered on September 12, 1998, and is a sequel to Godzilla (1998). Malcolm Danare, Kevin Dunn and Michael Lerner reprise their roles from the film.
Contents |
Plot
Using an art style similar to that of Adelaide's previous productions Men in Black: The Series and Extreme Ghostbusters, the series follows the Humanitarian Environmental (or Ecological, in "Area 51") Analysis Team (H.E.A.T.), a research team led by Dr. Nick Tatopoulos (voiced by Ian Ziering) as they battle giant mutant monsters which frequently appear in the wake of the events depicted in the 1998 film Godzilla. Dr. Tatopoulos accidentally discovers the egg that survived the aerial bombardment before it hatches, in a minor change from the ending in the 1998 film. The creature hatches after Nick Tatopoulos stumbles onto it and it assumes him to be its parent. Subsequently, Dr. Tatopoulos and his associates form a research team, investigating strange occurrences and defending mankind from dangerous mutations. Godzilla, the only hatchling of its species to survive in the movie, imprints on Nick and becomes the chief weapon summoned against the other mutations encountered by the human characters. The series also introduces two new characters: Monique Dupre, a French secret agent assigned by Philippe Roache to keep an eye on Godzilla and H.E.A.T., and Randy Hernandez, an intern of Nick's who specializes in computer hacking.
Characters
H.E.A.T.
- Godzilla (vocal effects by Frank Welker) – A giant mutant iguana and the only surviving offspring of the first Godzilla that attacked New York City in 1998. Due to Nick's presence at his hatching, Godzilla has imprinted on Nick as his parent and, as a result, he is very protective of him. Nick also has the ability to control Godzilla to a certain extent, which allows the humans to use him as a weapon against other giant and mutated monsters. He always seems able to sense whenever Nick is in trouble and is quite willing to follow him and the rest of H.E.A.T. all over the world. Unlike his biological parent, he seems to be incapable of asexual reproduction, but can generate fire-breath without needing to breathe on nearby combustible material.
- Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos (voiced by Ian Ziering) – Leader of H.E.A.T. and the "adoptive father" of Godzilla. Nick fiercely protects Godzilla and other mutations from both foreign and domestic governments. He is portrayed as younger and with longer hair then he is in the movie, as well as less absent-minded.
- Dr. Elsie Chapman (voiced by Charity James) – One of the original members of Nick's team; sarcastic, dry-witted, and partly interested in Craven. She specializes in studying the behavior of Godzilla and the other mutations.
- Dr. Mendel Craven (voiced by Malcolm Danare) – The team's engineer and chemist. He is slightly cowardly (as his last name implies) and prone to numerous strong allergies, but is often resourceful. He is also enamored of Elsie. Although initially fearful of Godzilla, over the course of the series he comes to trust the monster as an ally.
- Randy Hernandez (voiced by Rino Romano) – An intern working under Nick, and like him, is Godzilla's defender. He calls Godzilla "the G-man" and sometimes "the big guy" and he has referred to him as "Mr. G" and "the Lizard King" each on one occasion. Hugely talented in all fields of technology, but extremely lazy and somewhat laconic. He has a crush on Monique, but is always rebutted when he attempts to court her. The acronym H.E.A.T. originated with Randy, although he initially wanted it to stand for High-performance Environmental Attack Team.
- Monique Dupre (voiced by Brigitte Bako) – A French Agent of the DGSE specializing in hand-to-hand combat and infiltration. She is originally sent to have Godzilla killed, but becomes a member of H.E.A.T. after being assigned to supervise Godzilla indefinitely. She generally seems cold and impassive, but on occasion shows genuine care and concern for her teammates and Godzilla.
- N.I.G.E.L. (voiced by Tom Kenny) – Short for "Next Millennium Intelligence Gathering Electronic Liaison", N.I.G.E.L. is an analysis robot created by Mendel and reprogrammed by Randy to have various quirky voices, from a Texas cowboy to a Shakespearean actor. A running gag on the show is that he is damaged or destroyed in every episode (except one, and that one only because he does not appear in it) presumably to be rebuilt or replaced later (evidenced by Craven's remark in the episode "End of the Line" that he should "just buy spare parts in bulk"). Similar to Kenny McCormick from South Park.
Others
- Major Anthony Hicks (voiced by Kevin Dunn) – Major of the Sandy Point Military Base of New York, who played a key role in the first Godzilla's death. Though he is at first skeptical of the second Godzilla, over time he develops a soft spot for the creature, whom he views as a hero due to Nick's attachment to the creature that allows the humans to use him to fight against other mutant monsters.
- Audrey Timmonds (voiced by Paget Brewster) – Nick's college sweetheart and somewhat untrustworthy girlfriend, whose career as a reporter often leads to conflict with him.
- Victor "Animal" Palotti (voiced by Joe Pantoliano) – New York's Channel 8 News cameraman and Audrey's working partner. He is always willing to help film Godzilla and other mutations, his only worry being how his wife Lucy (unseen in the show) will react.
- Mayor Ebert (voiced by Michael Lerner) – The Mayor of New York City, who is determined to keep it safe from mutation-related threats.
- Philippe Roache (voiced by Keith Szarabajka) – The leader of the French secret service. He led the team hunting down the first Godzilla and later sent Monique to kill the second, but relented when the creature saved lives.
- Cameron Winter (voiced by David Newsom) – A former classmate of Nick in college. He is a devious technological mogul whose desire is to control Godzilla for the fulfillment of his ulterior motives.
- Dale, Bill and Hank (voiced by Ronny Cox, Tom Kenny, and Bob Joles) – Three redneck game hunters that came to New York to hunt Godzilla. They serve as villains in the series. Dale is the leader of the group, Bill is the middleman and Hank is the idiot of the group. The three of them would usually try to hunt Godzilla, which usually ends with them being thwarted by H.E.A.T. or ending up in legal trouble. Their names are a parody of the characters from King of the Hill.
- Leviathan Aliens (voiced by Ron Perlman) – An ancient race of psychically powerful extraterrestrials. One of their spaceships, called the Leviathan, crashed on Earth sometime during the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era and remained hidden until modern times. They attempted to conquer Earth by using a tachyon transmitter to send mind-controlling signals to subdue the mutations in order for their alien race to invade the planet - including Godzilla and their cyborg mutation, Cyber-Godzilla (created from the carcass of the first Godzilla) - but were ultimately defeated by H.E.A.T and a freed Godzilla and forced to retreat, probably for good.
Episodes
Season One
# | Title | Air Date | Summary |
---|---|---|---|
1 | New Family: Part 1 | 9/12/98 | While scouring the sewers of New York, Nick Tatopoulos discovers one of Godzilla's eggs has survived. The hatchling that emerges escapes and by the time the team finds it again it has grown into a massive (but thankfully harmless) adult. As the team try to study the new Godzilla, the U.S. military, responding to a series of disappearances in Jamaica, attack and seemingly kill Godzilla. |
2 | New Family: Part 2 | 9/19/98 | With Godzilla seemingly dead, the team journey to Jamaica to help the U.S. military investigate the ongoing disappearances in Jamaica. The team discover that a group of giant squids and a hideous mutant crustacean — Crustaceous Rex — are responsible and Godzilla (who has survived the attack) arrives to fight the beast off. Nick must now battle to help Major Hicks defeat C-Rex, and then convince him that Godzilla is more useful alive than dead. |
3 | D.O.A. | 9/26/98 | H.E.A.T. are called to help the Central America Republic of Costo Rojo to deal with "El Gusano Gigante", a mutant worm that is devouring untold amounts of crops. The country's ruler, General Albondiga, uses an experimental bio-weapon against the worm and Godzilla, but the worm is only strengthened by the attack. Mendel must synthesise an antidote for the poisoned Godzilla, then find a way to defeat El Gusano Gigante without Albondiga interfering. |
4 | Talkin' Trash | 10/3/98 | In response to a sanitation workers' strike, a colony of petroleum-eating microbes, controlled by nanotechnology, are released to try to curb New York's garbage problem. Unfortunately, the microbes quickly grow out of control and now the team and Godzilla must find a way to stop the colony before it devours Manhattan. |
5 | The Winter of Our Discontent | 10/10/98 | After Godzilla battles robotic insects, the team encounter their creator: Cameron Winter, a powerful technology mogul and an old rival of Nick's from college. He wants H.E.A.T. to work with him, but Nick refuses, suspecting his old enemy has ulterior motives. But can he find out what they are before Winter's schemes have fatal consequences for Godzilla? |
6 | Cat and Mouse | 10/31/98 | The team not only have to contend with a plague of large mutant rats roaming the sewers of New York, but a trio of redneck hunters named Dale, Bill and Hank who are seeking to make Godzilla the ultimate hunting trophy. |
7 | What Dreams May Come | 11/7/98 | When a strange electrical creature known as the Crackler attacks seemingly random locations in Manhattan, the team investigate. But the Crackler is not behaving like the mutations H.E.A.T. have fought before, and what is its connection to mild-mannered insomniac Sidney Walker (voiced by Steve Susskind)? |
8 | Leviathan | 11/14/98 | The team are called to help a rescue mission for xenobiologist Alexander Preloran (voiced by Kenneth Mars), who disappeared while on a mission to explore the Leviathan, an alien spacecraft buried at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean for 65 million years. But once they go down, the team discovers that the ship's alien crew is very much alive...and they have plans for Earth. |
9 | Hive | 11/21/98 | H.E.A.T. investigates the tropical island of Santa Marta in the wake of a devastating volcanic eruption. But what they find on the island is that, due to irradiated lava, a hideously mutated ecosystem has developed, including carnivorous plants and gigantic bees. As the volcano begins to erupt again and Godzilla confronts the bees' queen, the team must find a way to escape the island alive. |
10 | Bird of Paradise | 12/5/98 | When villages in Mexico are attacked by a strange winged creature, ornithologist and Elsie's old fiance Lawrence Cohen calls H.E.A.T. for help. They quickly discover the beast is Quetzalcoatl, an evolutionary hybrid of bird and dinosaur capable of breathing fire and protected by impenetrable feathers. The team must find a way to stop the creature, but matters worsen when Quetzalcoatl takes Elsie to feed to its hungry young. |
11 | DeadLoch | 2/6/99 | H.E.A.T. heads for Scotland after Dr. Hugh Trevor (voiced by Roddy McDowall in his last role before his death) of the Pisces Marine Research Institute claims his facility was attacked by the Loch Ness Monster. Once Nick is convinced of Nessie's existence, he discovers that the facility is hiding a terrible secret: Trevor has captured Nessie's baby and plans to sell it on the black market. Now the team must convince Godzilla to work with Nessie if they are to save her young and ensure her safety in Loch Ness. |
12 | Monster Wars: Part 1 | 2/13/99 | As tension threatens to break up the H.E.A.T. team for good, major problems arise: a Giant Bat is terrorizing the countryside of Nigeria, the U.S. military have dredged the Leviathan ship from the bottom of the Pacific, and worst of all, the aliens are back, with an army of mutations under their control and plans to conquer Earth. |
13 | Monster Wars: Part 2 | 2/20/99 | From their secret base on Isle del Diablo, the aliens assemble their forces. H.E.A.T. desperately fights to resist, but are easily defeated. Once captured and brought to the aliens, they are told that the mutation army — including a brainwashed Godzilla — will be used to attack major cities across the world in preparation for a full-scale invasion of Earth. At its head marches the aliens' ultimate weapon: Cyber-Godzilla, a reborn cyborg version of the first Godzilla. |
14 | Monster Wars: Part 3 | 2/27/99 | As the aliens and their mutation allies attack Earth, H.E.A.T. escapes captivity. They battle to defeat the alien onslaught and free the mutations from their control to help humanity fight back and save the planet from conquest. |
15 | Competition | 3/6/99 | A trip to Japan to investigate a number of mysterious disappearances leads to a battle of wills between H.E.A.T. and the Japanese military, who perceive Godzilla to be a threat. However, the real threat is revealed to be an ophidiaphobic's nightmare: a mutant King Cobra. Things lead to a climactic showdown in Tokyo between the King Cobra and Godzilla.
Note: this episode is chronologically the King Cobra's first appearance, but it was broadcast after the "Monster War" trilogy-its chronologically second appearance-had aired. |
16 | Freeze | 3/13/99 | H.E.A.T. are dispatched to aid investigation into the disappearance of a search party looking for oil in Antarctica. The team must now not only battle against the monsters responsible — a pack of mutant "Ice Borers" — but also against the energy company who employed the men, who are determined to brush all record of the incident under the rug. |
17 | Bug Out | 3/20/99 | Godzilla is throwing infantile tantrums and H.E.A.T. are growing worried about their ability to control him. When Audrey lets this slip on live TV, despite being told in confidence by Nick, their relationship looks set to be torn apart. Meanwhile, when called in to investigate extensive deforestation in the Amazon rain forest, they discover that a mutant termite colony is devouring the forest at an alarming rate. H.E.A.T. must find a way to destroy the voracious insects before they devour the entire rain forest. |
Season Two
# | Title | Air Date | Summary |
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