Dungeons & Dragons (TV series) facts for kids

Dungeons & Dragons
DVD cover
Genre	Action Adventure Fantasy
Created by	Kevin Paul Coates Dennis Marks Takashi
Developed by	Mark Evanier
Written by	Karl Geurs
Directed by	John Gibbs
Voices of	Willie Aames Don Most Katie Leigh Adam Rich Tonia Gayle Smith Teddy Field III Sidney Miller Peter Cullen Frank Welker Bob Holt
Composer(s)	Johnny Douglas Rob Walsh (additional music)
Country of origin	United States Japan
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	27
Production
Executive producer(s)	David H. DePatie (season 1) Lee Gunther (seasons 1–3) Margaret Loesch (seasons 2–3)
Producer(s)	Bob Richardson (season 1) Karl Geurs (seasons 2–3)
Running time	24 minutes
Production company(s)	Marvel Productions D&D Entertainment Toei Animation
Distributor	New World Television
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 17, 1983 (1983-09-17) – December 7, 1985 (1985-12-07)

Dungeons & Dragons is an American animated television series based on TSR's Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A co-production of Marvel Productions and TSR, the show originally ran from 1983 through 1985 for three seasons on CBS for a total of twenty-seven episodes. The Japanese company Toei Animation did the animation for the series.

The show focused on a group of six friends who are transported into the titular realm and followed their adventures as they tried to find a way home with the help of their guide the Dungeon Master.

A final unproduced episode would have served as both a conclusion to the story as well as a re-imagining of the show had the series been picked up for a fourth season; however, the show was cancelled before the episode was made. The script has since been published online and was performed as an audio drama as a special feature for the BCI Eclipse DVD edition of the series. In 2020, a fan-made animation of the finale using new and existing animation from the show and audio from the audio drama was uploaded to YouTube.

Overview

The show focuses on a group of friends aged between 8 and 15 who are transported to the "realm of Dungeons & Dragons" by taking a magical dark ride on an amusement park roller coaster. Upon arriving in the realm they meet Dungeon Master (named for the referee in the role-playing game) who gives each child a magical item.

The children's main goal is to find a way home, but they often take detours to help people or find that their fates are intertwined with that of others. The group comes across many different enemies, but their primary antagonist is Venger. Venger is a powerful wizard who wishes to rule the realm and believes the power from the children's weapons will help him to do so. Another recurring villain is Tiamat, who is a five-headed dragon and the only creature that Venger fears.

Throughout the show, a connection is suggested between Dungeon Master and Venger. At the end of the episode "The Dragon's Graveyard", Dungeon Master calls Venger "my son." The final unproduced episode "Requiem" would have confirmed that Venger is the Dungeon Master's corrupted son (making Karena Venger's sister and Dungeon Master's daughter), redeemed Venger (giving those trapped in this realm their freedom), and ended on a cliffhanger where the six children could finally return home or deal with evil that still existed in the realm.

Characters

Heroes

Left to right: Hank, Eric, Diana, Presto, Sheila, Bobby and Uni. in the first episode "The Night of No Tomorrow"

• Hank, the Ranger (voiced by Willie Aames): At 15 years of age, he is the leader of the group. Hank is brave and noble, maintaining a focus and determination even when presented with grave danger. Hank is a Ranger, with a magical bow that shoots arrows of glowing energy. These arrows could be used in many different ways such as a climbing tool, to hurt enemies, to bind them or to create light. His deepest fear is a failure to be a leader (as seen in "Quest of the Skeleton Warrior"). Twice he does fail as a leader: making the wrong decision trying to save Bobby from Venger (as seen in "The Traitor") and disobeying Dungeon Master's instructions (as seen in "The Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn"). Only once does his anger and frustration at not going home result in uncontrollable rage at Venger (as seen in "The Dragon's Graveyard"). Of all the kids, Venger regards Hank as his most personal enemy ("The Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn").
• Eric, the Cavalier (voiced by Don Most): The Cavalier age 15 is the spoiled child, originating from a rich home. On the surface, Eric is a big-mouthed comic relief coward. Eric complains about the dire situations in which he is involved and voices concerns which would be sensible to inhabitants of our world transplanted to the Realm. Despite his cowardice and reluctance, Eric has a heroic core, and frequently saves his friends from danger with his magical shield, which can project a force field. In "Day of the Dungeon Master", he is even granted the powers of the Dungeon Master, and manages this duty quite successfully—even to the extent of risking his own life fighting Venger—so his friends can return home. Series developer Mark Evanier revealed that Eric's contrary nature was mandated by parents' groups and consultants to push the then-dominant pro-social moral for cartoons of "The group is always right; the complainer is always wrong".
• Diana, the Acrobat (voiced by Tonia Gayle Smith): Diana is a brave and outspoken 14-year-old girl. She is an Acrobat who carries a magic staff which can shift in length from as short as a few inches (and thus easily carried on her person) to as long as six feet. She uses her staff as a weapon or as an aid in various acrobatic moves. If the staff is broken apart, Diana can hold the severed pieces together and they will reunite. She is skilled at handling animals and is self-assured and confident. These qualities make her the natural leader in the absence of Hank. Diana was chosen as the Acrobat because in her real world she is an Olympic-level gymnast. In "Child of the Stargazer", Diana finds her soulmate—whom she must give up in order to save a community.
• Presto, the Magician (voiced by Adam Rich): 14-year-old Albert, better known as Presto, is the Wizard. Presto fulfills a role of the well-meaning, diligent, but hopeless magician. He suffers from low self-confidence and nervousness, which manifests in the use of his magical hat. He is able to pull an endless succession of various tools from it, but often these will be, or appear to be, of little use. There are also numerous instances when the whole group is in danger, whereupon Presto will draw from his hat precisely what is needed in order to save all of his friends. Although, like all the kids, Presto yearns to return home, in "The Last illusion", Presto finds his soulmate in Varla—a girl with the ability to create powerful illusions—and makes friends with the Fairie Dragon Amber (as seen in "Cave of the Fairie Dragons").
• Sheila, the Thief (voiced by Katie Leigh): As the Thief, Sheila age 13 has a magical cloak which, when the hood is raised over her head, makes her invisible. Although Sheila is often shy and nervous (as seen in "Citadel of Shadow") with a deep-seated monophobia (fear of being alone) (as seen in "Quest of the Skeleton Warrior"), she will always display bravery when her friends are in trouble, especially her younger brother, Bobby. Sheila is also the first to point out the flaws or dangers of the group's plans. Through her capacity for friendship with those in trouble, she receives unexpected rewards—such as being offered to become Queen of Zinn which she politely declines (as seen in "The Garden of Zinn") and redeeming Karena, Dungeonmaster's daughter, from evil (as seen in "Citadel of Shadow").
• Bobby, the Barbarian (voiced by Ted Field III): Bobby is the youngest member of the team, eight years old when he enters the realm; the characters celebrate his ninth birthday in the "Servant of Evil" episode, and he confirms that he is "almost ten" four episodes later in "The Lost Children". He is the Barbarian, as indicated by his fur pants and boots, horned helmet, and cross belt harness. He is Sheila's younger brother; in contrast to her, Bobby is impulsive and ready to run headlong into battle, even against physically superior enemies, usually resulting in one of the others moving him from harm's way. He has a close relationship with Uni and is often reluctant to leave her when they discover a way home. Bobby carries a magical club, which he regularly uses to trigger earthquakes or dislodge rocks when he strikes the ground. In "The Dragon's Graveyard", the strain of being separated from family and friends causes him to have an emotional breakdown; in "The Girl Who Dreamed Tomorrow", Bobby finds his soulmate Terri, whom he must give up in order to save her from Venger.
• Uni, the Unicorn (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker): Uni is Bobby's pet, a baby unicorn, which Bobby discovers in the intro and retains as his companion throughout the show. She has the ability to speak, though her words are not quite discernible; she usually is heard echoing Bobby when she agrees to his opinions. As seen in the episode "Valley of the Unicorns", Uni also possesses the potential for the natural unicorn ability to teleport once a day, and has accessed this power through tremendous concentration and effort; it is implied that she is still too young to use this ability regularly—without her horn she cannot teleport and becomes very weak; likewise whenever the children find a portal home, she must stay behind in the Dungeons and Dragons Realm as she cannot survive in their world {as seen in "The Eye of the Beholder," "The Box," and"Day of the Dungeon Master"} . As revealed in "P-R-E-S-T-O Spells Disaster," Uni also possesses the ability to utilize magic, proving herself to be more adept at using Presto's magic hat than Presto is.
• Dungeon Master (voiced by Sidney Miller): The group's friend and mentor, he provides important advice and help, but often in a cryptic way that does not make sense until the team has completed the quest of each episode. It is the Dungeon Master who supplies the companions with their weapons and clues for their numerous opportunities to return home. As the series progresses, from his repeated displays of power, it begins to seem possible and later, even probable, that the Dungeon Master could easily return the companions home himself. This suspicion is confirmed in the script for the unmade series finale, "Requiem", wherein the Dungeon Master proves he can do just that, without any difficulty. In some episodes, including "City at the Edge of Midnight" and "The Last Illusion", realm inhabitants display great respect or nervous awe of Dungeon Master. It is through the efforts of the kids that both of Dungeon Master's children, Venger (as seen in "Requiem") and Karena (as seen in "Citadel of Shadow"), are redeemed from evil.

Villains

Venger, the main villain; trapped in "The Dragon's Graveyard"

• Venger, the Force of Evil (voiced by Peter Cullen) - The main antagonist and the Dungeon Master's son (as revealed in "The Dragon's Graveyard" when Dungeon Master refers to him as "my son"), Venger is an evil wizard of great power who seeks to use the children's magical weapons to bolster his power. He especially hates the kids not only because their refusal to part with their weapons prevents him from destroying Tiamat (as seen in "The Hall of Bones") and conquering the realm (as seen in "The Dragon's Graveyard"), but also because they are "pure of heart" (as seen in "Quest of the Skeleton Warrior"). He is described as an evil force, although it is hinted that he was once good, but fell under a corrupting influence (as seen in "The Treasure of Tardos"). The episode "The Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn" revealed that his master was the Nameless One. This is later revealed to be true in the unmade finale "Requiem", when Venger is restored to his former self.
  • Shadow Demon (voiced by Bob Holt) - A shadowy demon, he is Venger's personal spy and assistant. Shadow Demon often informs Venger about the children's (whom he refers to as "Dungeon Master's young ones") current quests.
  • Night-Mare - A black horse that serves as Venger's mode of transportation.
• Tiamat (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker) - Venger's arch-rival is a fearsome female five-headed dragon with a reverberating multi-level voice. Her five heads are a white head breathing ice, a green head breathing toxic gas, a central red head breathing fire, a blue head breathing lightning, and a black head breathing acid. Although Venger and the children both avoid Tiamat, the children often use her to their own ends such as making a deal with her in "The Dragon's Graveyard" to destroy Venger. Although promotional blurbs show the kids fighting Tiamat, the kids only fight her twice (as seen in "The Night of No Tomorrow" and "The Dragon's Graveyard") - Tiamat's main quarrel is with Venger.

Episodes

Season 1 (1983)

Season 2 (1984)

Season 3 (1985)

Unfinished finale

The intended final episode from the third season, and potential series finale, entitled "Requiem", was written by the series' frequent screenwriter Michael Reaves, but was not finished due to the show's cancellation. It would have served as both a conclusion to the current story as well as a re-imagining of the series had the show continued into a fourth season. Reaves has discussed the episode online, and published the original script on his personal website. The BCI Eclipse Region 1 DVD release includes the script recorded in the form of an audio drama as a special feature.

In September 2020 a fan-made animation of "Requiem", completed largely using existing animation from the show and some new animation along with audio from the audio drama, was uploaded to YouTube. The animation also features additional dialogue recorded by fans, and Katie Leigh reprising her role as Sheila.

"Requiem" sees Venger offer the group a chance to finally get home. The offer splits the group into two factions, with Eric wanting to help Venger and return home, while Hank, untrusting of Venger's motives, tries to stop Eric from completing Venger's quest. Both groups however manage to reach the final destination, a tomb containing a key that Venger wants destroyed. Realizing Venger is a prisoner of the realm as much as they are, instead of destroying the key Hank persuades Eric to use it to open a locked magic door in the tomb that transforms Venger back to human form and creates portals allowing others trapped in the realm to escape. Dungeon Master opens a portal back to the amusement park and offers the children the opportunity to stay and continue fighting evil. The original script ends on an open ending; the fan animation sees the group returning home except for Presto, who stays behind to look after Uni, to become a wizard, and to return to his soulmate Varla.

See also

In Spanish: Dungeons & Dragons (serie de televisión) para niños