"Mighty Mouse, the New Adventures" (1987) TV series 1987-1988

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Directors:

Steven E. Gordon
Tom Minton

Writer:

Ralph Bakshi (story)

Seasons:

1 | 2

Genre:

Animation

Tagline:

"Here I Come to Save the Day!"

Plot:

Mighty Mouse has humorous, satirical adventures in this short-lived Saturday Morning cartoon by Ralph Bakshi.

Plot Keywords:

Mighty Mouse | Deputy Dawg | Superhero | Sourpuss | Mighty Heros

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Patrick Pinney	...	Mighty Mouse / ... (19 episodes, 1987-1988)
Mona Marshall	...	Additional Voices (19 episodes, 1987-1988)
Dana Hill	...	Orphan Scrappy (8 episodes, 1987)
Maggie Roswell	...	Additional Voices / ... (7 episodes, 1987-1988)
Michael Pataki	...	Additional Voices / ... (6 episodes, 1987-1988)

Runtime:

30 min (19 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-Y7

Company:

Bakshi Animation

Trivia:

A viewer notified media watchdog Reverend Donald Wildmon that, in one episode of this series, it looks like Mighty Mouse reaches into a pocket and snorts cocaine from his hand to regain his strength. Wildmon was disbelieving at first, but after investigating the episode and learning of producer Ralph Bakshi's background (e.g., directing the adult cartoon Fritz The Cat), alerted the media that this may have been intentional. Given the numerous other instances of risque humor and adult jokes in this series, a drug reference wouldn't be out of the question. Bakshi denies it to this day, maintaining that Mighty Mouse was merely smelling some crushed flowers and that the white jet leading from his hand to his nose was merely a cartoon "smell line" moving super-fast from the mighty inhale. The episode was immediately pulled from the rotation so that no one would see it.

Quotes:

[as thousands of ping-pong balls fall from the ceiling... ]
Man: Only one man could have done this!
Bat-Bat: Yes, but Captain Kangaroo's been in re-runs for years.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Seeing Red (#6.19)" (2002)

"..so let the trumpet players play, for Mighty Mouse is here today!"

Undoubtedly this is one of the more energetic and creative cartoons of the '80s, which isn't that surprising, given that it had the combined talents of Ralph Bakshi ("Fritz The Cat", "American Pop") and John Kricfalusi, who'd score another hit four years later with "Ren & Stimpy". The show, which lasted only one season on CBS, had a spark that's missing from most cartoons today.

One of the things that distinguished this cartoon is its deadpan sense of humor (see the Quotes section.) It goes without saying that this serves as the precursor to the likes of "The Simpsons", "King of the Hill", and many more sophisticated cartoons of the '90s.

For all the creativity throughout, there's a dark spot in the show's history, one that led to its demise. An episode that aired on April 23(?), 1988, drew the attention of Rev. Donald Wildmon. This particular episode contained a scene that showed Mighty Mouse snorting what looked like cocaine. In actuality, and in a brilliant piece of symbolism, Mighty Mouse was sniffing the dead, dried-up remains of a flower, given to him by the orphan Scrappy as a symbol of the good in the world. Despite this, Wildmon, along with other media watchdogs, instigated a strong campaign against the show. CBS brass then decided to move the show to a later timeslot; shortly thereafter, it was cancelled. Aside from a brief run on the FOX network in November-December of 1992, it hasn't been seen on television since.

Controversy aside, this still remains one of the finer pieces of animation ever seen on network television, and if there's any relic from the '80s worthy of resurrection, this would be it.