He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season 01
Part of Series:
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe [Animated TV Series]
The first of the many daily, half-hour cartoon adventure series designed to sell toys and action figures, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was reportedly intended as a "light" variation on the grim sword-and-sorcery property "Conan the Barbarian." It was introduced as a DC Comics feature in 1981, the first step in a campaign mounted by Mattel Toys. Step number two was for Mattel to hire the Filmation studio to create an animated series based on He-Man, a decision made on the basis of Filmation's impressive work on the previous cartooner Blackstar. Once the cartoon series was in production, it was pitched to the ABC network, which took a pass out of fear that the FCC would look askance at what was essentially a 30-minute toy commercial. Finally, the series was offered to local syndication--and to mollify the FCC, it was agreed that no advertisements for the various "He-Man" playthings would be telecast within any episode of the series proper. As a result, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe debuted on a station-by-station rather than network basis on September 1, 1983. The series took place on the planet Eternia, ruled over by the good King Randor and Queen Marlena; their half-earthling son was the stunningly handsome, pure-hearted Prince Adam. In contrast, resident villain Skeletor was squirreled away in a dark corner of the kingdom known as Snake Mountain, endlessly plotting and planning to invade Castle Grayskull and thereby obtain the wisdom and unlimited power of the Council of Elders. To prevent this, Prince Adam periodically held his magic sword aloft and shouted "By the Power of Grayskull"--whereupon he was instantly transformed into the superpowered He-Man. Our hero's allies included the elusive Sorceress, the "force" behind Adam's good works; Adam's mentor Man-at-Arms, the "Obie Wan Kenobe" counterpart; his comical sidekick Orko, a Trollan magician; Adam's pet tiger Cringer, a nervous sort who more than lived up to his name--except when Adam's sword transformed him into the fierce BattleCat; the morphing robot Man-E-Faces; and human periscope Meckaneck. On the side of e-vil, Skeletor's cronies included the fierce but dimwitted Beast-Man, Evil-Lyn the witch (who, like Man-E-Faces, could likewise morph into different shapes and personalties), Shotoki the Mistress of the Night, the demon Negator, and the stone-visaged Gargon Warriors. At the time this series originally aired, local television was under pressure to include positive, "pro-social" messages in their programming. To that end, Dr. Donald F. Roberts of Stanford University supervised the 30-second information bites or moral lessons included at the end of each He-Man episode. Lasting 130 installments, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe spawned a spinoff in 1985, She-Ra: Princess of Power, introducing Prince Adam's hitherto unknown twin sister Adora, ruler of the planet Etheria, who likewise used a sword and an incanation to become super-heroic. Five years later, DIC Enterprises brought forth The New Adventures of He-Man, a scrupulously non-violent sequel set in outer space. And in 2002, the Cartoon Network brought forth a brand-new He-Man and the Masters of Universe, which despite its title was a prequel to the original show, exploring the origins of the various characters and revealing, among other things, that the odious Skeletor was actually Keldor, twin brother of Eternia's King Radnor--and thus also He-Man's uncle! Last but not least, in 1987 a live-action theatrical film version of the property, Masters of the Universe, was produced, starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Includes Seasons:
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season 01
Season One of the daily, half-hour animated series (and extended toy commercial!) He-Man and the Masters of the Universe jumps in and starts swimming when, wasting no time, the evil Skeletor steals a cosmic comet in order to break into Castle Grayskull and accumulated the wisdom and power of the Council of Elders that will enable him to take control of the planet Eternia. Fortunately, the planet's half-human regent Prince Adam prevents this coup by transforming himself into the muscular superhero He-Man. Within a few minutes, virtually all the important characters, and the central situation, are set up without the necessity of a windy backstory. 65 episodes are featured this season, virtual each one a self-contained story, each adhering to a basic formula: Skeletor wants power; He-Man won't let him have it; Skeletor relies upon allies and inventions which prove unreliable; He-Man can always depend on his loyal comrades Orko, Man-at-Arms et. al. Along the way, we find out that Adam/He-Man has an obnoxious, snooty cousin, who of course learns the error of his ways; but we still haven't learned (and indeed won't learn for the next two years) of He-Man's more significant relative: his twin sister Adora, aka She-Ra, ruler of the "parallel" planet Etheria. Highlights include an "origins" episode, in which Adam explains how he converted the morphing robot Man-E-Faces from evil to good; and the two-parter "The House of Shokoti", in which He-Man is dispatched to the Sands of Time by the mysterious Sorceress to solve the mystery of a pyramid that has suddenly materialized, and just as suddenly vanished (shades of 2001: A Space Odyssey, perhaps?) Jump in and start swimming with Skeletor stealing a cosmic comet in order to break into castle Grayskull. All the characters quickly set up without the necessity of a backstory. Each episode self-contained. Skeletor tends to rely on allies and inventions which invariably backfire.Along the way, we find out that Adam has an obnoxious cousin, the snooty Prince Jeremy, but he learns his lesson along with the rest of the audience. Haven't yet met She-Ra. One of the few "origin" episodes, Adam tells how he converted Man-E-Faces from evil to good. In the last episode of the season, "The Heart of a Giant", the spotlight is on He-Man's comical sidekick Orko, who has been forced to perform his rather seedy magic tricks in a sinister travelling circus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Includes Episodes:
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Teela's Quest
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Diamond Ray of Disapperance
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Prince Adam No More
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Quest For He-Man
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Evilseed
Cast
John Erwin as He-Man
Alan Oppenheimer as Skeletor
Alan Oppenheimer as Beast-Man
Linda Gary as Queen Marlena
Linda Gary as Evil-Lyn
Linda Gary as The Sorceress
Linda Gary as Teela
Lou Scheimer as Orko
Lou Scheimer as King Randor
Erik Gunden as Man-at-Arms
Erik Gunden as Cringer
| Crew
Arthur H. Nadel - Executive Producer
Lou Scheimer - Executive Producer
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He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season 01
(not reviewed)
General Specifications: | | Language Options: | English | | Subtitle Options: | | | Sound Processing: | | | Additional Features: | none specified | | MPAA Rating: | NR | | DVD Discs Included: | 1 | | DVD Sides: | 1 | | DVD DVD Region Code: | 1 | | Content Length: | min | | | |
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