"Sealab 2020" (1972) TV series 1972-

Directors:

Joseph Barbera
William Hanna

Writers:

Peter Dixon (story) (1972)
Fred Freiberger (story) (1972)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

9 September 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Cartoon adventure series that focused on a group of 21st century Oceanauts in their experimental complex on the ocean floor.

Plot Keywords:

21st Century | Digit In Title | 2020s | Television | Number In Title

Cast

Ross Martin

...

Dr. Paul Williams (unknown episodes)

Series Directed by
Joseph Barbera		(unknown episodes)
William Hanna		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Peter Dixon		(unknown episodes, 1972)
Fred Freiberger		(unknown episodes, 1972)

Series Produced by
Art Scott	....	associate producer (unknown episodes, 1972)
Joseph Barbera	....	producer (unknown episodes)
William Hanna	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Pat Foley		(unknown episodes, 1972)
Richard C. Allen		(unknown episodes)

Series Production Design by
Iwao Takamoto		(unknown episodes, 1972)

Series Production Management
Victor O. Schipek	....	production supervisor (unknown episodes, 1972)

Series Art Department
George Gordon	....	story director (13 episodes, 1972)
Earl Klein	....	story director (13 episodes, 1972)
George Singer	....	story director (13 episodes, 1972)
Paul Sommer	....	story director (13 episodes, 1972)
Irv Spector	....	story director (13 episodes, 1972)
Warren Tufts	....	story director (13 episodes, 1972)

Series Sound Department
Bill Getty	....	sound director (unknown episodes, 1972)
Richard Olson	....	sound director (unknown episodes, 1972)

Series Stunts
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunt performer (3 episodes, 1972)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Dick Blundell	....	camera operator (unknown episodes, 1972)
Ralph Migliori	....	camera operator (unknown episodes, 1972)
Roy Wade	....	camera operator (unknown episodes, 1972)
Dennis Weaver	....	camera operator (unknown episodes, 1972)

Series Animation Department
Jayne Barbera	....	ink and paint supervisor (unknown episodes, 1972)
John Bell	....	background artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Daniela Bielecka	....	background artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Janet Brown	....	background artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
William Butler	....	background artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Ron Campbell	....	animator (unknown episodes, 1972)
Bob Carr	....	animator (unknown episodes, 1972)
Rene Garcia	....	background artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Bill Hutten	....	animator (unknown episodes, 1972)
Nikita Knatz	....	layout artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Phil Lewis	....	background artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Ed Love	....	animator (unknown episodes, 1972)
Tony Love	....	animator (unknown episodes, 1972)
Sylvia Mattinson	....	layout artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Charles A. Nichols	....	animation director (unknown episodes, 1972)
Floyd Norman	....	layout artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Cathy Patrick	....	background artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Walt Peregoy	....	background artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Anthony Rizzo	....	background artist (unknown episodes, 1972)
Alex Toth	....	special model designer (unknown episodes, 1972)
Robert 'Tiger' West	....	xerographer (unknown episodes, 1972)

Series Editorial Department
Larry C. Cowan	....	editorial supervisor (unknown episodes, 1972)
William E. DeBoer	....	negative consultant (unknown episodes, 1972)
Joed Eaton	....	post-production (unknown episodes, 1972)

Series Music Department
Hoyt Curtin	....	musical director (unknown episodes, 1972)
Paul DeKorte	....	music supervisor (unknown episodes, 1972)

Series Other crew
Iraj Paran	....	titles (unknown episodes, 1972)

Production Companies

• Hanna-Barbera Productions

Distributors

• Warner Home Video (2012) (USA) (DVD) (complete series) (DVD-R)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

30 min | USA:30 min (13 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-Y7

Company:

Hanna-Barbera Productions

Trivia:

The last broadcast was on 1 September 1973.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Space Ghost Coast to Coast: In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (#8.4)" (2003)

Surprisingly solid for 70's Saturday mornings

I've actually watched several episodes from this series recently, and was surprised to discover that -- far from horrible -- it's actually a serviceable bit of Saturday morning nostalgia.

First airing on Saturday morning in September of 1972, the show had a very short run of 13 episodes. Going in, I was hoping for excitement and adventure reminiscent of Jonny Quest (far and away Hanna-Barbera's finest moment, in my opinion). Alex Toth, who designed many of H-B's most popular classic characters (Space Ghost, Herculoids, etc.) did many of the designs for 2020, which lends it a cool comic-booky look not unlike Quest.

Alas, the show has a very different tone -- perhaps because of the prevailing attitude of the early 70's that cartoons should abstain from violence. The result is an almost educational show, teaching kids about the various sea creatures and rudimentary information about the ocean and diving. And initially the show comes off as very boring because of this. But I have to admit that after being bored by the first 2 episodes, I found myself becoming more and more interested in the next two. The show has some good messages, such as overcoming handicaps and preserving the environment, and deals with some decent issues most cartoons would never touch.

In some weird way, the stories and scripts are more reminiscent of live action programs than a cartoon. They are fairly adult and lack the zaniness one might expect from this era of Hanna Barbera (i.e. Funky Phantom, anyone?). In other words, it is a perfect counterpoint to the new Sea Lab 2021, which goes for sheer laughs.

I think that the other reviewers that gave 2020 negative reviews have never actually seen the show. When you think about the time period when this show was made, it's probably one of the better H-B shows. While we'll never have another Jonny Quest again, 2020 was an interesting project that will probably, like Quest, never be duplicated.