Dungeons & Dragons (TV series)

Dungeons & Dragons is an animated television series that was a coproduction of Marvel Comics and TSR, and made in the United States during the 1980s. Based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the show was popular in the US, and ran for three seasons.

In 1987, the series premiered in France, and in the United Kingdom, satellite television channels were showing re-runs at least into the late 1990s. In 1999, Saban Entertainment bought out the Marvel cartoons, including all the airing rights. Saban merged with the Fox Entertainment Group, and for a while (about six months), the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon was aired during the Saturday morning and weekday afternoon FoxKids time block. In August 2002, Disney acquired Fox & Saban and gained the broadcast rights to the cartoon; however, it has not been shown on any affiliated television channel.

Although aimed at a young audience as many animated series are, the show had distinctive plots, and was quite unique in children's television for the amount of ethical awareness and empathy displayed to and encouraged in the viewer. It was not unusual for members of the band to lose hope or break down in tears, only to be comforted by others, or reinvigorated through good works.

Contents

1 Premise 2 Main characters 3 Episode & Plot guide 3.1 Season One: 1983-1984 3.2 Season Two: 1984-1985 3.3 Season Three: 1985-1986 3.4 The Lost Episode 4 The cast 5 Awards 6 Theme song 7 External links 7.1 Cast & Writers 7.2 Fan Sites

Premise

The general premise of the show was that a group of kids were pulled into the "Realm of Dungeons & Dragons" by taking a magical rollercoaster trip at a fairground. Invariably, the children just wanted to get home, but would often take detours to help people, or, especially, find that their fates intertwined with the fate of others.

After arriving in the Realm, the children were a little out of place, but the Dungeon Master (named for the role of the referee in the role-playing game) appeared, assuming the role of their mentor, and gave them each clothing and magical paraphernalia to suit their abilities.

The original title sequence is a concise dramatization of the kids' arrival in the realm and the assignment of their respective character clases. The second season version begins with the ride, only to shift to a stylized action sequence with the kids, more accustomed to the demands of the realm, capably doing battle. A storyboard for the second season's introduction can be viewed here (http://www.zaksrealm.net/IntroStoryboard/introstoryboard.html)

Main characters

The main characters of the show were the children, trying to find their way home. They were:

Missing image D&Dhank.jpg The ranger Hank	Hank (voice: Willie Aames): The oldest, and a natural leader. Hank was a Ranger, with a magical bow that shot magical arrows of glowing energy. Besides occasional fighting, Hank would often use these glowing arrows to simply light a room, to activate switches out of reach, to span gaps, etc. Hank makes a cameo in Baldurs Gate II.
The acrobat Diana	Diana (voice: Tonya Gail Smith): The acrobat. Diana had a magical kind of telescopic pole that could be used for vaulting, spanning gaps, etc. Diana was the least versatile character, and may have been added to the show as a token black person, although this idea seems strange, given the ethical nature of the series.
Missing image D&Dsheila.jpg The thief Sheila	Sheila (voice: Katie Leigh): The thief. Sheila had a magical cloak that, when the hood was raised over her head, would make her invisible. She was Bobby's older sister.
Missing image D&Deric.jpg The cavalier Eric	Eric (voice: Don Most): The cavalier. Eric was the coward and the whiner of the show, always complaining about things, and always causing trouble. His gifts from the Dungeon Master were a Knight's armor and a magical shield. Despite his cowardice and reluctance, Eric sometimes agreed that the right thing should be done, rather than simply going along with it. At other times, he would save the whole group, naturally using his shield to save the band from a collapsing cave, for example.
Missing image D&Dpresto.jpg The wizard Presto	Presto (voice: Adam Rich): The wizard. Presto was the well-meaning, diligent, but hopeless magician in the show. His magical hat allowed him to pull all sorts of items from it, but usually not the ones he wanted, when he wanted them. Telephone handsets were produced in the heat of battle, for example.
Missing image D&Dbobby.jpg The barbarian Bobby	Bobby (voice: Ted Field III): The barbarian. Bobby was the youngest member of the team. He was dressed in furs (not unlike Conan), and he had a magic club so powerful that it could produce earthquakes. He was Sheila's younger brother. Bobby also makes a cameo in Baldurs Gate II.
Missing image D&Duni.jpg The tag-a-long pet unicorn	Uni (voice: Frank Welker): Bobby's baby pet unicorn, which he discovered in the first episode, and became his companion throughout the show. Uni was cute and mostly helpless, and became the victim in need of rescue from distress in some episodes. In addition although she is rarely seen using it, Uni has her species' ability to teleport once a day.
Missing image Dndc-dungeon_master.jpg The all powerful Dungeon Master	Dungeon Master (voice: Sidney Miller): The group's friend and mentor, who provided important advice and help, but often in a cryptic way that would not make sense until the team had completed the quest of each episode.
The evil genius Venger	Venger (voice: Peter Cullen): The bad guy and Dungeon Master's son (as revealed in the episode "The Dragon's Graveyard" and again in the lost episode "Requiem"). Venger was an evil force in the show, comparable to the devil. He had one horn, powerful magic, and power in terms of minions etc., too. Importantly, though, he was far from invincible, and was often thwarted by the kids. Venger appears (http://www.zaksrealm.net/Sightings/Nu-MetalVenger.jpg) on the CD liner notes of the album Fake Sound Of Progress by Lost Prophets.
Missing image Dndc-tiamat.jpg Tiamat the multi-headed dragon	Tiamat (voice: Frank Welker): Venger's arch-rival, a fearsome dragon with a screeching voice and five heads. Although Venger and the children generally avoided Tiamat, the children made a deal with her in one episode ("The Dragon's Graveyard") to thwart Venger. Tiamat's five heads corresponded to the five types of chromatic dragon in the Dungeons & Dragons game, where she originated as a monster. She was named after the Tiamat of Babylonian mythology.

Episode & Plot guide

Season One: 1983-1984

01 - The Night of No Tomorrow - Presto, teased one too many times for his unpredictable magic, decides to enter into an apprenticeship with Merlin while the rest of the gang reluctantly jouney to the town of Helix. The only problem...Merlin has been dead for centuries, and Presto's just undone his biggest spell!

02 - Eye of the Beholder - The kids are charged with defeating the evil Beholder who guards a portal to Earth, but first their new friend, the cowardly knight Sir John, must overcome his own fears.

03 - The Hall of Bones - The weapons are failing, and must be recharged in the Hall of Bones. The kids run into trouble trying to find a guide to get them there, and into more trouble when the guide charges than they can afford!

04 - Valley of the Unicorns - The evil wizard Kelek is making a bid for power by stealing unicorn horns, including Uni's. When the kids find themselves no match for the madman, they have to turn to someone a bit more powerful.

05 - In Search of the Dungeon Master - Dungeonmaster has been captured by the evil bounty hunter Warduke, who plans to sell the helpless mage to Venger. But before they can rescue him, they must first rescue themselves and their fellow slaves from Venger's slave mines of Barramore.

06 - Beauty and the Bogbeast - Eric does not heed Dungeonmaster's warning, "Beware the Beauty that breathes the Beast..." Now he must help a tribe of bogbeasts fight off the evil ogre damming the River that Rains Upside Down to free himself from a curse and help his friends get home.

07 - Prison Without Walls - The Heartless Dragon must have a heart before the great conjunction of the four suns in order to send the kids home, and that means the gang must first locate and free the Spellbinder Lukion to save his fellow gnomes from Venger.

08 - Servant of Evil - It's Bobby's birthday, but Venger's lizardmen crash his party and kidnap his companions. Now, aided only by Uni and Dungeonmaster's magical amulet, Bobby must befriend the reluctant giant Karox and free his friends from Venger's Prison of Agony.

09 - Quest of the Skeleton Warrior - The Circle of Power might help the kids get home as well as free the skeleton warrior Dekion from Venger's curse, but it lies hidden within the deadly Tower of the Celestial Knights that uses one's worst fears against those who dare to enter.

10 - The Garden of Zinn - Bobby is bitten by a poisonous beast, and left in the care of the kindly-but-mishapen Sorlars while the gang seek the only known cure in the Garden of Queen Zinn. Zinn will gladly give them the cure-- if Eric will agree to marry her!

11 - The Box - The gang must free the good sorceress Zandorra from where Venger imprisoned her, using a magic Box that, when placed in the proper location, will lead to a doorway back to Earth.

12 - The Lost Children - While searching for a mysterious ship that will take them home, the kids team up with another gang of lost children to save their elder, Alfour, held prisoner in Venger's castle along with the ship.

13 - P.R.E.S.T.O. Spells Disaster - Presto bungles yet another spell, and he and Uni must face enormous danger to rescue both their friends and the last of the Golden Dragons from the infamous Giant With the Brooklyn Accent (and his slimebeast, Willy)...

Season Two: 1984-1985

14 - The Girl Who Dreamed Tomorrow - The Dungeons and Dragons coaster ride drops off another visitor to the Realm, this one a girl named Terry who can dream the future. Using her visions to guide them, the gang must find their way through Venger's Maze of Darkness.

15 - The Treasure of Tardos - Venger loses control of his new creation Demodragon, a being that is half demon, half dragon, created to breach the impregnable Tardos Keep. After the beast steals their weapons, the kids must team up with Venger to stop the creature. But trusting Venger isn't always the best alternative...

16 - City at the Edge of Midnight - Bobby, along with hundreds of other children from the Realm and Earth, is kidnapped by the hideous Nightwalker. Aided by Rahmud, the caravan merchant whose daughter Ayeesha was also stolen, the gang must find the hidden City at the Edge of Midnight to free them.

17 - The Traitor - Bobby and Hank are captured by Venger, and Hank alone escapes....or does he? Sheila proves he's working for Venger, and has returned to capture the gang and their newfound friends, the tree-dwelling Cloud Bears. Now Hank must find a way to both save Bobby and clear his own name.

18 - Day of the Dungeon Master - Dungeonmaster decides to take a vacation, leaving Eric to fill his red robes for the day. Aided only by cryptic instructions and Eric's unreliable new knowledge, the gang must find the Golden Grimoire in the city of Darkhaven, which will show Eric how to send them home.

19 - The Last Illusion - Varla, the lovely illusionist, is held prisoner by Venger, who uses her powers against the children. The six kids find themselves weaponless and accused of witchcraft, and must convince Varla's parents to help them free her. Presto has a mysterious bond with the girl that leads them to her, but in the end it's up to Varla to save them.

20 - The Dragon's Graveyard - Venger has destroyed one portal too many, and the furious kids work out a plan to defeat him once and for all in Tiamat's home, the Dragon's Graveyard, where their weapons can overpower him.

21 - Child of the Stargazer - Diana falls in love with Kosar, a young man who is destined to fulfill a prophecy that will both end the riegn of the evil Queen Syrith over the city of Tarod, and send the children home.

Season Three: 1985-1986

22 - The Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn - Eric's curiousity about a seemingly harmless box leads to the return of the most powerful enemy the kids have ever faced, He Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken. With both Dungeonmaster and Venger drained of their magic, the race is on to see who can recharge at the energy spring in the Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn first...before the Nameless One destroys the entire Realm!

23 - The Time Lost - Venger's got a new idea for eliminating his annoying young enemies, and pulls both a futuristic plane and a WWII Nazi fighter pilot into the Realm using his Crystal of Chronos. Venger intends to send Josef Mueller, the pilot, back to Earth to win the war for Germany, but after meeting the kids, Josef has other plans.

24 - Odyssey of the Twelfth Talisman - A lonely but sharp-witted orphan, Lorne, finds a lost amulet that leads him into big trouble. He and Eric become fast friends through the usual exchange of insults and put-downs, and the gang teams up with him on their search for the Stone of Astra. But the wizard Korlok, who also seeks the Stone, is following them...

25 - Citadel of Shadow - Anxious to prove her worth after a botched thieving job, Sheila befriends Kareena, a young woman who is more than she appears to be. Soon the kids are in the middle of a VERY bitter family feud indeed!

26 - The Winds of Darkness - The Darkling, a skeletal creature of darkness, kidnaps Hank. The kids have to convince the kindly Martha to help rescue their leader, before the Darkling claims his final victim and his Winds of Darkness destroy all light in the Realm. But Martha has been hurt by the creature one too many times and wants nothing to do with their quest.

27 - Cave of the Fairie Dragons - Tasmira, queen of the Faerie Dragons, is held prisoner by the greedy King Varen, who desires the fabulous treasure they guard. Aided by the sassy little dragon Amber, the gang must free her and help her people relocate to a new home.

The Lost Episode

28 - Requiem - The children finally return home.

This episode was written by the series original scriptwriter Michael Reaves but was never produced, although he did publish the script (http://www.mindspring.com/%7Emichaelreaves/Requiem.htm) on his personal website. Michael's take on the rumors of a lost episode can be found here (http://www.mindspring.com/%7Emichaelreaves/D&Dpreface.html).

The cast

Awards

1986 Nominated Young Artist Award: Outstanding Young Actress - Animation Voice Over (Tonya Gayle Smith)

Theme song

The cartoon ran in the United States with an instrumental theme song; however, in France it ran with the song "Le Sourire du Dragon" sung by Dorothée. In other countries, it also ran with a local translation of this song. However, in Brazil, due to a change in character roles, the lyrics are altered.

External links

• Template:Imdb title

Cast & Writers

• Katie Leigh (http://www.katieleighfanclub.com/) - fansite for the woman who voiced Sheila.
• Mark Evanier (http://www.povonline.com/) - developed the series and wrote the pilot.
• Katherine Lawrence (http://www.katherinelawrence.com/) - has fond memories of D&D (first script she sold).
• Jeffrey Scott (http://home.earthlink.net/~getjeffrey/) - now working on Dragon Tales.
• Michael Reaves (http://www.mindspring.com/~michaelreaves/index.htm) - wrote several episodes including the unproduced finale.

Fan Sites

• The Realm, by Zakiyah (http://www.zaksrealm.net/The_Realm.html) - possibly the most comprehensive fan site on the internet.
• Zakiyah's Links page (http://www.zaksrealm.net/Links.html) - has links to many more fan sites.
• Cavern of Tiamat (http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/2599/nikieps.html) - a comprehensive episode guide with more details.pt:Caverna do Dragão