Flash Gordon 

The adventures of the comic strip space hero and his friends as they battle the tyranny of Ming the Merciless on the planet Mongo.

Stars:

Robert Ridgely, Alan Oppenheimer, Diane Pershing

Cast

Series cast summary:
Robert Ridgely	...	Flash Gordon / ... 24 episodes, 1979-1982
Alan Oppenheimer	...	Ming the Merciless / ... 24 episodes, 1979-1982
Diane Pershing	...	Dale Arden / ... 24 episodes, 1979-1982
Allan Melvin	...	Thun / ... 24 episodes, 1979-1982
Melendy Britt	...	Princess Aura / ... 24 episodes, 1979-1982

Storyline

Flash Gordon blasts off to the planet Mongo with girlfriend Dale Arden and scientist Hans Zarkov to prevent evil dictator Ming the Merciless from dominating the universe. In attempting to put an end to Ming's villainy, Flash receives the aid (and often the hindrance) of Prince Barin of Arboria, the Hawk Men led by King Vultan, Queen Fria of the ice-covered land of Frigia, Thun the Lion Man and Ming's sexy, scantily-clad daughter Aura, who has a powerful attraction for Flash.

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Plot Keywords:

flash gordon | 2d animation | evil man | alien | based on comic strip | 

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Taglines:

Saving the universe, one planet at a time!

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-Y7

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmation Associates,King Features Syndicate

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fluent movements of the human characters were achieved by filming extensive live-action footage of human actors for rotoscoping. Filmation's effects department built models of the spaceships for the same purpose, painting them white and covering them in thin black lines. Using a computerized camera, the film negatives were printed as cels, creating "positive" versions of the ships for the animators to use in rotoscoping.

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Quotes

Flash Gordon: Blasting off on a desperate mission to save Earth from the evil plottings of the tyrannical space lord Ming the Merciless, Dr. Hans Zarkov and Dale Arden have joined me, Flash Gordon, on a fantastic journey into worlds where peril and adventure await us.

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Connections

Version of Flash Gordon (1996)

User Reviews

No "Flash" in the pan....

This Saturday morning cartoon series came out a full year before the theatrical version with Sam Jones and Max Von Sydow; but for sheer entertainment value, you couldn't ask for more on an early weekend morning.

Anyone who knows Flash and company already knows the plot of "The New Animated Adventures of Flash Gordon". It follows the age-old plot of Flash and Dale accompanying Dr. Hanz Zarkov into space and, up[on landing on the planet Mongo, become quick enemies of the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. Eventually, they ally themselves with King Vultan and help fight for truth, justice and the American (or at least non-Mongo) way.

This is the kind of series that benefits from animation and the Hal Sutherland logo always signified something worth watching in the mid-to-late '70s as far as TV animation goes. All the heroes look appropriately heroic, the damsels are all alluring, the villains more villainous and the monsters more... monstrous. Outer space has never looked more exciting or dangerous than it does here, and the "roto-scoping" of the spaceships and actors is well-used in this venue.

TIDBIT - the voice for Flash Gordon was actually that of Robert Ridgley, who most may remember as the "airport cop" who accosts Mel Brooks in "High Anxiety" and the mayor of Beverly Hills in Eddie Murphy's "Beverly Hills Cop II".

Eight stars for "The New Animated Adventures of Flash Gordon", proof positive that space is not the final frontier - Saturday mornings are.