"Sabrina the Animated Series" (1999) TV series 1999-2001

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

David Teague

Writers:

Josh Stolberg (writer) (4 episodes)
Gary Apple (multiple episodes)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

6 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

Short lived animated spin off of the television series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The animated series is a prequel which features Sabrina as a skinny...

Plot Keywords:

Pre Teen | Sabrina The Teenage Witch | Hereditary Gift Of Witchcraft | Magic | Talking Cat

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 7	11:30 AM	CBS	Witchitis	#1.26
Sat. Nov. 14	11:30 AM	CBS	Scare Apparent	#1.33

Cast

Emily Hart	...	Sabrina Spellman (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Melissa Joan Hart	...	Aunt Hilda Spellman / ... (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Nick Bakay	...	Salem Saberhagen (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Bill Switzer	...	Harvey Kinkle (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Cree Summer	...	Chloe (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Erin Fitzgerald	...	Amanda / ... (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Chantal Strand	...	Bernard / ... (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Lalainia Lindbjerg	...	Katy (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Jay Brazeau	...	Uncle Quigley (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
David Sobolov	...	Spookie Jar (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Bob Bergen	...	Tim the Witch Smeller (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Jason Michas	...	Slugloafe the School Bully (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Phil Hayes	...	Additional Voices (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Long John Baldry	...	Additional Voices (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Gary Chalk	...	Additional Voices (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Andrew Francis	...	Additional Voices (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Don Mckay	...	Additional Voices (65 episodes, 1999-2000)
Janyse Jaud	...	Bosley / ... (63 episodes, 1999-2000)

Also Known As:

Disney's Sabrina (International: English title) (alternative spelling)
Sabrina (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:TV-Y | Australia:G

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Quotes:

Tim the Witch Smeller: You haven't seen the last of me!
Hilda: Yeah well I didn't really like seeing the first of ya.

Movie Connections:

Remake of "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Sabrina, she'll bewitch ya

Bittersweet Candy

Sabrina the Animated has very little in common with the sitcom. It's also different from the original comic strip. I'm not as familiar with either the comic strip or the sitcom as this cartoon, but compared to most of the other stuff DIC makes, this is one of their few cartoons that comes close to tolerable.

This show portrays Sabrina as a pre-teen, and has to double life as a normal kid and a sub-witch. This pre-teen thing isn't a real problem (since it's not the main focus like few recent programs), but this show was horribly stained with the same crap DIC does to all their cartoons. They take a product that already exists (from a video game, comic book, toy, etc.), and they make a TV show based from it that's "educational". Each program follows a painfully similar procedure of this delivery. In Sabrina, each episode has Sabrina faced with a typical kid problem, then always having to resort to magic to overcome it (even if forbidden), the magic backfiring rather quickly, then Sabrina having to change everything back to normal.

Some episodes are actually funny. They use cartoony elements in a way that actually works if they do it right. That makes up for most of the repetitive writing. The characters are in-between good and bad. Sabrina is quite attractive, and one of the few likeable ones. Salem is a wise-cracking feline who can be funny at times. Helda and Zelda are also attractive, but not as easy to relate to as Sabrina. Chloe is also good, but serves nothing more than the usual sidekick fare. There's not too much I can say for Quigley, Harvey, or some of the other supporting characters; most are just bland at best, and present nothing new. But I absolutely hate Gem! This is another major problem for the show; the central character's foil usually ends up being a rich snob. It's another concept being done to death, and this set-up is none the more impressive. Some episodes still leave me grinding my teeth even after it's over.

Sabrina is one of those shows that you KNOW is bad, but it can't be totally ignored. Some episodes are sorta interesting, while others are just boring. Overall, despite the oppressively bad concept, I'd put it just above such toons as Rocket Power and Lloyd in Space, only because there's actually SOMETHING about it that catches my attention.