"The Fantastic Four" (1978) TV series

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Creator:

Stan Lee
(more)

Seasons:

1

Genre:

Animation | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The adventures of Marvel Comics' greatest superhero team.

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Superhero | Marvel Comics | Fantastic Four | 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)

(more)

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

Series Produced by
David H. DePatie	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Friz Freleng	....	producer (unknown episodes)

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	....	executive 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 sound 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
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)
Francesca Freeman	....	animator (13 episodes, 1978)
Warren Greenwood	....	layout artist (13 episodes, 1978)
Lee Halpern	....	animator (13 episodes, 1978)
Ziggy 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	....	supervising editor (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

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1978) (USA) (TV)

Other Companies

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

Also Known As:

"The Fabulous Fantastic Four" (UK) (video box title)
"The New Fantastic Four" (USA) (promotional title)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

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 while 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, The" (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:

Version of The Fantastic Four (1994)

Censoring the Human Torch is an Urban legend.

Censoring the Human Torch is an Urban legend. The fact is, in the mid-1970s, Marvel licensed TV rights to many of their characters to Universal for TV pilots (including Spider-Man, Hulk and Captain America). Since the Human Torch was licensed elsewhere, when Marvel made the animation deal, he couldn't be part of the Fantastic Four. The fact that he was in the first FF cartoon series (1967) and the recent one (1994) puts to rest the theory that the Torch is too hot for TV.