"The Fantastic Four" (1978) TV series

Creator:

Stan Lee
(more)

Seasons:

1

Genre:

Animation | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The super-elastic Mr. Fantastic, the force field-wielding Invisible Girl, the orange rock-covered Thing and the data-crammed robot Herbie make up a team of superheroes dedicated to thwarting would-be world-dominating villains.

Plot Keywords:

Marvel Comics | Superhero | Fantastic Four | Robot | Superhero Team

Cast

Mike Road	...	Mr. Fantastic / ... (13 episodes, 1978)
Ginny Tyler	...	Sue Richards / ... (13 episodes, 1978)
Ted Cassidy	...	Ben Grimm / ... (13 episodes, 1978)
Frank Welker	...	H.E.R.B.I.E. / ... (13 episodes, 1978)
Hal Smith		(13 episodes, 1978)
John Stephenson	...	Doctor Doom / ... (13 episodes, 1978)
Dick Tufeld	...	Opening Narrator (13 episodes, 1978)
Don Messick	...	J.J. Colossal (13 episodes, 1978)
Gene Moss	...	Trapster (13 episodes, 1978)
Nancy Wible		(13 episodes, 1978)
Joan Gerber		(13 episodes, 1978)
Vic Perrin		(13 episodes, 1978)

Series Writing credits
Stan Lee		(13 episodes, 1978)
Roy Thomas		(5 episodes, 1978)
Jack Kirby		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
David H. DePatie	....	producer (13 episodes, 1978)
Friz Freleng	....	producer (13 episodes, 1978)

Series Original Music by
Dean Elliott		(13 episodes, 1978)

Series Film Editing by
Richard Corwin		(13 episodes, 1978)
David H. DePatie Jr.		(13 episodes, 1978)
Richard S. Gannon		(13 episodes, 1978)

Series Production Management
Lee Gunther	....	in charge of production (13 episodes, 1978)

Series Art Department
Jack Kirby	....	storyboard artist (13 episodes, 1978)
Lewis Marshall	....	storyboard artist (13 episodes, 1978)

Series Sound Department
Steve Orr	....	production mixer (13 episodes, 1978)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Gary Gunther	....	camera operator (13 episodes, 1978)
Ray Lee	....	animation camera supervisor (13 episodes, 1978)
Bob Mills	....	camera operator (13 episodes, 1978)
Steven Wilzbach	....	camera operator (13 episodes, 1978)

Series Animation Department
Francesca Allen	....	animator (13 episodes, 1978)
Brad Case	....	animation director (13 episodes, 1978)
Joan Case	....	animator (13 episodes, 1978)
John Dorman	....	layout artist (13 episodes, 1978)
Hak Ficq	....	layout artist (13 episodes, 1978)
Warren Greenwood	....	layout artist (13 episodes, 1978)
Lee Halpern	....	animator (13 episodes, 1978)
Zygamond Jablecki	....	layout artist (13 episodes, 1978)
Bob Kirk	....	animator (13 episodes, 1978)
Walt Kubiak	....	animator (13 episodes, 1978)
Tim Maloney	....	background artist (13 episodes, 1978)
John Messina	....	layout artist (13 episodes, 1978)
Norly Paat	....	layout artist (13 episodes, 1978)
Virgil Ross	....	animator (13 episodes, 1978)
Armand Shaw	....	animation checker (13 episodes, 1978)
Nelson Shin	....	animator (13 episodes, 1978)
Richard H. Thomas	....	background supervisor (13 episodes, 1978)
Sharon Thomas	....	background artist (13 episodes, 1978)

Series Editorial Department
Robert T. Gillis	....	editing supervisor (13 episodes, 1978)

Series Music Department
Eric Rogers	....	conductor (13 episodes, 1978)
Joe Siracusa	....	music editor (13 episodes, 1978)
Eric Tomlinson	....	music mixer (13 episodes, 1978)

Production Companies

• Marvel Productions
• DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE)

Distributors

• Clear Vision (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD) (complete series)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1978) (USA) (TV)

Other Companies

• Producers' Sound Service  sound by (as Producers' Sound Service, Inc.)

Also Known As:

"The New Fantastic Four" - USA (promotional title)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:6 (2010) (DVD)

Company:

Marvel Productions

Trivia:

It has been very widely reported that the character of H.E.R.B.I.E the robot was created because of concerns that The Human Torch might lead children to set themselves afire. Comics creator John Byrne did a story on the concept as writer/artist of the Fantastic Four comic book in the early 1980s, and Doug Wildey claimed to have been part of the decision when interviewed for "Amazing Heroes" comics fan magazine. (However, as a longtime Hanna-Barbera contributor, he would have worked on THEIR version, which DID feature The Torch). The actual catalyst for Herbie's creation was the simple fact that the TV rights to The Human Torch had already been optioned as part of the development deal between Marvel Comics, Universal Studios and CBS-TV, which resulted in prime-time, live-action versions of Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Dr. Strange. The character was just not legally available for use in these cartoons. A live-action Torch proved an unfeasible project given the limits of the budget and special effects technology of the day, and never reached production. One other character also optioned under that deal was The Sub-Mariner, abandoned because "Man from Atlantis" (1977) was felt to have been too similar.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During an episode featuring the villain Magneto, the character's voice changes completely between lines of dialog. This happens several times in the episode.

Quotes:

[opening narration]
Narrator:It was the world's strangest accident. While testing a new rocket ship, our heroes were bombarded by mysterious cosmic rays from outer space. Though they crash-landed safely, the strange and powerful rays had changed each one of them. Transforming their leader...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Super Hero Squad Show: Double Negation at the World's End! (#2.7)" (2010)

FLAME OFF!

It has to be said this Fantastic Four cartoon was quite poor in most respects, and i dont even mean because Herbie the Robot was in it in the place of The Torch.

As a kid in the UK i was weaned on AMERICAN, Fantastic Four comics, not the British black and white reprints like some kids, and the 1967 Hannah Barbera Fantastic Four cartoon, wich i think is a classic. I was around the age of 15 when we got the 1978 on Television in the UK, and still a big comic book fan, and along with the Spider-Man live action TV Series, found this series a big disapointment. It was one thing replacing the Torch in the team. It had happened in the comics on numerous occasions (with Medussa and Lazerfirst for example), but the route the 1978 Animated series producers took to introduce Herbie the Robot, was uninspired depressing and plain embarassing if you were caught watching the series as a 15 year old. Why not introduce an already established Marvel character into the team, such as Iceman or Ant Man or just about any other character. Just thinking about the cute little Herbie is sending my blood pressure up. As well as that the storylines for this series was weak and the dialogue given to the characters was feeble. The characterisation of the F4, or is it F3 Themselves was completely out of tune with the comics and previous animated series. Sue was represented as an old hagg, moaning all the time, Reed a completely boring leader with none of the humour ascociated with his character apparent, and Ben, well actually Ben didn't come off to badly, his character getting the best lines and most of the action. It is fair to say that the animation itself was appalingly lame right down to the way the characters appeared. Ben for instance looked exactly like Homer Simpson making this monster in fact cuter than Herbie. There was also moments of crass recycling and stock animation apparent.

About the only thing that rescues this series is the classic theme tune. Still, avoid this one, hunt down episodes of the 1967 series instead.