Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea 

An underground civilization named Arkadia launches an expedition for exploring the world of the surface to restore its fading sun.

Creator:

Nina Wolmark

Stars:

Jeanine Forney, Chris Benard, Amandine Rajau

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jeanine Forney	...	Arkana 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Chris Benard	...	Bob 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Amandine Rajau	...	Rebecca 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Louis Arbessier	...	Shag-shag 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Marc Moro	...	Maxagaze 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Jacques Deschamps	...	Arkshag / ... 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Claude Dasset	...	Bic / ... 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Albert Augier	...	Bac 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Jean Négroni	...	Narrator / ... 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Rebecca Forstadt	...	Rebecca 52 episodes, 1985-1987
A.J. Henderson	...	Matt / ... 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Rob Roy	...	Spartakus 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Howard Ryshpan	...	Bac 52 episodes, 1985-1987
Perrette Pradier	...	Massmédia 51 episodes, 1985-1987
Yves-Marie Maurin	...	Spartakus 45 episodes, 1985-1987

Storyline

Long ago, the mystical civilization of Arkadia was one of the most advanced places on Earth, until the end of the world came and forced the land and it's people underground. After that great cataclysm, the Arkadians lived deep in the center of the Earth and created an artificial sun called the Shagma (Tera in the USA version), according to forgot their past on the surface in an attempt to erase their mistakes to start again. But one fateful day, so much years later, the Shagma began to fade out. In a desperate act, the children of this unusual civilization and their ship with a mind of it's own broke into to the secret museum, which was considered forbidden except for the creatures who are in charge of it, and reactivate the long-time ago deactivated museum's computers. Looking for save Shagma and Arkadia, they create a woman named Arkana who have feet, despite Arkadians, in order for traveling to outer world in a turtle-shaped ship with IA and named Shag-Shag (Tehrig in USA version)....

---

Plot Keywords:

alternate reality | surrealism | time travel | hidden civilization | lost civilization | 

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

TV-Y7

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

11 September 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea

Company Credits

Production Co:

France Animation, Compagnie générale du jouet, France 2 (FR2)

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[repeated line]
Bic and Bac: Aaaah, c'est shagmique!

---

Crazy Credits

In the final episode, the concept art is replaced by images of the main characters and the "Flashbic" song plays during the credits rather than the theme song.

---

Alternate Versions

Bob is known as Matt in US prints. Shagma is known as Thira in US prints. Shag-Shag is known as Terhig in US prints and Shaggies are known as Triggies in the US prints, because some of the distributors thought "Shag" sounded to close to the British slang of having sex. Maxagaze is known as Nasty Max in US prints. Seskapile is known as Sleazy-Phil, because Nickelodeon thought the original name sounded a little perverted.

---

Connections

Referenced in Chrono Trigger (1995)

---

Soundtracks

Les Mondes Engloutis
(Opening song & Ending song Season 1)
Music by Vladimir Cosma
Lyrics by Nina Wolmark
Performed by Les Mini-Star

User Reviews

I remember this now!

I remember whenever I was visiting relatives in Japan, I would always turn on this show "&Acirckadia Monogatari" (Les Mondes Engloutis' Japanese title) on every morning on NHK and I instantly fell in love with it and started my fascination with European animation as well as Asian!

It follows the adventures of two surface children (Bab and Rebekka), mysterious wanderer Spartakus, magical being Akana and two twin ardvark type creatures called Bik and Bak. The end of the world happened long ago, making the floating mystical continent of Arkadia fall beneath the oceans of planet earth. The Arkadian civilization mutate into legless people whom look part human, part jelly-bean and wear strange headdresses and lost memories of the surface world after the creation of their sun, the Shaguma. However, this sun, after many years, is fading away and something must be done, so the children of the Arkadian clan and their organic living spaceship go into the forbidden grottos of this civilization, research their ancestors and create a magical woman from the life force of the ancient Arkadians and named her "Akana".

That is the basic plot, but it gets deeper and deeper with every episode you watch of it, combining original storytelling, with time travel, paradoxes, some comedy, mythological elements and of course, a big cast of colourful characters.

I reccomend this animated series to you. It was a long time since it aired in Japan (have not seen the French version yet, want to though), but it maybe airing in other places, since LME seems to have a cult following in Europe.