Advertising and marketing for teenagers is and all the time has been the place the cash is at. Turning present properties like Barbie into TV reveals, films, books, video video games, and the rest you may consider for little ladies to get their dad and mom to purchase has accomplished fairly properly for Mattel over time. Star Wars actors and particularly George Lucas knew that merchandising was the important thing even when his film wasn’t expressly made for youngsters. Talking of not expressly made for youngsters, I do know lots of us, each the creators on this channel in addition to our viewers, obtained to see a ton of stuff that we weren’t alleged to at youthful ages. I certain as hell wasn’t alleged to see Species in theaters as a 10-year-old however right here we’re. Thanks, Mother. The place it obtained actually attention-grabbing, actually outdoors the field considering, was when somebody determined to take these not made for teenagers’ properties and make them for teenagers. Rambo, Poisonous Avenger, Swamp Factor, Starship Troopers, and sure, RoboCop had been someway inexplicably was kids’s cartoon reveals. Let’s hearth up Detroit’s best for not one however TWO makes an attempt at making one of many 80s most violent and inappropriate properties into Saturday morning cartoons and see what occurred to those RoboCop cartoons.
Youngsters cartoons have been large perpetually. Now we’ve streaming companies that both premier new ones or simply present complete seasons of ones that already aired however for a very long time it was both movie show shorts or particular time blocks, most famously of the Saturday morning selection. Saturday mornings may have an entire block as a result of there was no faculty to take their viewership away from the TVs and so they may get extra advert income with extra reveals. The kidization of grownup properties began with Rambo, which determined to not take the awful PTSD of the primary film however as a substitute the action-packed preventing of the second film and make it right into a G.I. Joe like property referred to as Rambo: The Drive of Freedom in 1986. A short while later we might get a second stab at this when RoboCop, possibly one of many least pleasant child properties, could be made right into a cartoon present referred to as, properly, RoboCop. That is hilarious on two fronts as one, the film needed to be toned down a number of instances to keep away from an X ranking, ya know, nice for teenagers, and the truth that advertising and marketing and promoting was a giant satirical a part of the film and right here they had been, making a money in cartoon on that very factor.
RoboCop was produced by Marvel of all issues, with assist from Orion Footage, who was chargeable for the film as properly. The present was really a part of this bizarre block of TV referred to as the Marvel Motion Universe which included RoboCop, Dino Riders, and the pilot episode of what would ultimately turn into the beloved X-Males TV sequence. It could additionally fill out its time by working older sequence from earlier within the decade like Dungeons and Dragons, The Unimaginable Hulk, and Spider-Man amongst others. This block, just like the cartoon we’re discussing, didn’t final lengthy although solely working from 1988 to 1991. RoboCop would solely find yourself being 12 episodes despite the fact that it was commissioned for 13. That thirteenth episode was scrapped and was the pilot X-Males TV present and even when that didn’t come to fruition immediately, it grew to become the one everyone knows and love with absolutely the BANGER of a theme tune. That additionally gave us the sequel sequence not too long ago that it’s best to go watch.
RoboCop the animated sequence takes place in a bizarro alternate universe. It nonetheless follows Alex Murphy who was badly broken by a gang and was RoboCop. RoboCop has the identical captain and accomplice in Anne Lewis, is a product of OCP and offers with different makes an attempt at peacekeeping, the OCP is run by “The Old Man”, and RoboCop operates within the metropolis of Previous Detroit. What modified, what HAD to alter actually, are that the weapons had been was laser weapons, the violence on people was toned down and supplemented with an enormous inflow of robots, and it follows a child TV present format. Oh, and Clarence Boddicker didn’t die and really comes again within the sequence finale.
RoboCop strikes a bit quicker and has the flexibility to be extra coordinated along with his circulation and has a purple eye that strikes throughout his visor to tie into the way more sciifi theme. The present follows your typical “message” episodes with stuff like racism, in the direction of precise races but in addition anti-robot sentiments, PTSD, classism, environmental hazard, terrorism, and even work prejudice. The present seems to be like an 80s cartoon, however I really feel it leans extra in the direction of Actual Ghostbusters than a G. I. Joe. The voice forged contains Robert Bockstael as Robocop, Susan Roman as Lewis, and Harvey Atkin as a pair different voices amongst just a few different voice actors. Atkin often is the most well-known, at the least for a sure era, as he additionally voiced Bowser in a number of Mario Brothers cartoons. The artistic staff was spearheaded by Wealthy Fogel who helped write for reveals like Duck Tales, Muppet Infants, and the New Adventures of Batman amongst others.
Whereas the present solely lasted 12 episodes, it’s fairly enjoyable. It’s barely extra mature than your typical youngsters present however continues to be very a lot aimed toward a youthful viewers. It has some good callbacks to the film and whereas it doesn’t have any of the voice forged from the unique movie, it has the texture of an amalgamation of youngsters’s TV and RoboCop. The animation is stable and it’s a wonderfully acceptable model of our favourite Detroit police officer. The villains vary from dangerous man people to different robots made by the identical man that made ED 209 with the aforementioned Clarence Boddicker coming again in what would find yourself being the ultimate episode together with three new cop motion heroes. This after all would result in Kenner motion figures which was nearly assuredly extra worthwhile than the TV sequence and sadly the sequence has by no means made it to bodily media stateside with solely a pair UK releases. Whereas it was a Marvel animation manufacturing, don’t count on it to point out up on Disney Plus anytime quickly. It’s, nevertheless, very free on YouTube even when the standard isn’t something to shout about. It’s value testing as a forgotten piece of historical past and for Robo Completionists.
Simply 10 years later, we might get a really completely different model of RoboCop with RoboCop: Alpha Commando. This additionally ran just one season however as a substitute of 12 episodes we had been “gifted”, and I exploit the time period loosely, with 40 episodes. It is a very completely different sort of present and sadly, I don’t imply that within the higher sort of approach. Whereas the 88 model felt very a lot of its time by way of animation and magnificence in a great way, that is the Avenue Sharks or Mutant League of the Orion RoboCop universe, even failing to match the enjoyment of a number of the lesser video video games. Additionally, I didn’t imply to make use of Avenue Sharks as a pejorative, these toys rule. RoboCop: Alpha Commando was developed by Eric and Julia Lewald who had their hand in all time basic like X-Males: The Animated Collection, The Tick, Chip and Dale, Exosquad, and even lesser stuff that’s nonetheless enjoyable like Mummies Alive. This was along side MGM animation studios and Fireworks Entertainment. Cartoon reveals within the 90s had been large enterprise and even when you had a miss like this present, you possibly can simply as simply provide you with an enormous hit like many of the different reveals that they labored on that I discussed.
The present takes place after the flicks within the 12 months 2030 the place RoboCop has been reactivated after a 5 12 months hiatus to assist a authorities company referred to as Alpha Division with their Cobra-ass enemies referred to as DARC which is the Directorate for Anarchy, Revenge, and Chaos which sounds prefer it needs to be led by Physician Evil himself. These adventures take Robo not solely everywhere in the nation but in addition everywhere in the world to assist cease any DARC plots that come up. RoboCop is voiced by David Sobolov who could also be most well-known because the mid 2010s voice of Drax in a number of Marvel animation tasks and the opposite voice actor of observe is Dean Haglund because the hippie sandal sporting Dr. Neumeier who prompts and upgrades Robocop for his missions. Out is Anne Lewis and in is agent Nancy Minor who’s voiced by Akiko Morison.
The present has its points. I can take care of the animation model and voices that don’t all the time land in addition to the subject material of the episodes which are very of its time. It’s the inconsistencies that take me out of it. There isn’t any rationalization of what occurred to Anne Lewis nor why RoboCop was decommissioned. The timeline jumps from 2020 to 2030 after the primary episode and at first RoboCop’s son is in a flashback however then he simply reveals up on the similar age because the flashbacks whereas he and his mother have completely different names from the film. Whereas that’s later defined, it additionally doesn’t make an entire lot of sense. Whereas I perceive the necessity for modifications, and RoboCop is true on prime of the pile for Grade A violence that wanted to be modified, you may change an excessive amount of. They nearly take the enjoyable out of RoboCop.
A few of the much less egregious issues accomplished to the character are the truth that that is the one time on display screen we don’t get a human face Murphy sans his helmet and it takes him out of Detroit. Two of probably the most endearing issues about RoboCop are the truth that every so often we get to see him as type of human when his masks is eliminated and that he’s the protector of a particular metropolis, even getting a statue in actual life. The most important situation, nevertheless, is how the character is written. Not solely is he a go go gadget youngsters toy with all the further instruments and weapons that don’t go well with him, however he’s additionally type of a shitbag. As quickly as he requested the physician “who the babe” was, I knew we had been in hassle. He has actually “cool” and that’s in quotes humor and dialogue that make me wish to watch RoboCop 3 to get a greater model of this hero as a child’s property.
Did I watch all 40 episodes, no. I watched sufficient to get a good suggestion of the present and even bounced round a bit to see the way it advanced. It actually doesn’t. That present additionally obtained its personal toy line, which makes much more sense than the present from the late 80s however even the toys weren’t nearly as good. If you’re taken with an animated model of Detroit’s best cyborg cop, then watch the 12-episode run that’s free on YouTube and if it is advisable discover extra then there are many great comedian books and never so great however nonetheless enjoyable video video games to discover. Theres a motive these aren’t out there on any bodily media or paid streaming service. Keep away from them or there might be hassle.
