Eagle Riders facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eagle Riders |
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|---|---|
| Based on | Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter by Ippei Kuri |
| Written by | R.D. Smithee Marc Handler Dayna Barron Melora Harte Michael Sorich Richard Epcar Ronni Pear Steve Kramer Tom Wyner Winston Richard |
| Voices of | Dena Burton Richard Cansino Lara Cody Bryan Cranston R. Martin Klein Heidi Lenhart Mona Marshall Greg O'Neill Paul Schrier Peter Spellos |
| Theme music composer | Shuki Levy Kussa Mahchi Jeremy Sweet |
| Composer(s) | Shuki Levy Kussa Mahchi Larry Seymour |
| Country of origin | United States Japan |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 65 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Eric S. Rollman |
| Producer(s) | Rita M. Acosta |
| Production company(s) | Saban Entertainment |
| Distributor | Saban International (later BVS International) |
| Release | |
| Original network | First-run syndication (1996) Network Ten (1997) |
| Original release | September 9, 1996 – December 4, 1997 |
Eagle Riders (also known as Saban's Eagle Riders) is an American animated television adaptation of the Japanese anime series Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter, which have been combined together. It was produced by Saban Entertainment. All 65 episodes aired in Australia on Network Ten from August 14, 1997, to December 4, 1997. In the United States, 13 episodes had previously aired in first-run syndication during the fall of 1996 and 1997.
Contents
Premise
Earth is under siege from the alien menace known only by the name Cybercon and its legion of android forces, the Vorak. The Global Security Council convenes to address this problem, and calls upon Dr. Thaddeus Keane for assistance. They remember the aid they had received from Keane's special force, the Eagle Riders, in years past. Keane assures them that the Eagle Riders are still together, still strong, and armed with brand new weapons.
Production
Saban first trademarked the show's name in 1995, and recorded their dub afterwards. In a 2006 interview, one of the writers, Marc Handler, stated that Eagle Riders was "not a good rendition", and that the scripts often lacked continuity with each other. Several episodes were credited as being written by R.D. Smithee, a pseudonym similar to the Alan Smithee pseudonym that has been used when writers and directors are too ashamed to have their names credited in projects they have worked on.
Adaptations and changes
Both series were heavily edited when it came to the adaptation process, with controversial elements removed, as well as the entire soundtrack being replaced with a new one by Shuki Levy and Larry Seymour. As with previous English adaptations of Gatchaman, character names and terms were also changed in the localization.
One notable example of the changes made to the series is the removal of Mallanox (Gel Sadra)'s origin and transformation, which happened in the premiere episode of the original Gatchaman II. The character was also changed from female to male, though her correct gender and origin were reinstated in later dub episodes.
Another change, made to segue the two series together, involved the finale of Gatchaman II and the first episode of Gatchaman Fighter being merged, as well as the death of Gel Sadra being cut. Instead, Mallanox is said to have been transformed into a new form, named Happy Boy (originally, the Gatchaman Fighter villain Count Egobossler).
The final eight episodes of Gatchaman Fighter were never translated, due to the objectionable content involved. Instead, the 15th episode of Gatchaman Fighter served as the series finale.
Stations
| City | Station |
|---|---|
| Boston | WLVI 56 |
| Chicago | WFLD 32 |
| Cincinnati | WSTR 64 |
| Fort Pierce | WTVX 34 |
| Fort Myers | WFTX 36 |
| Hartford | WTIC 61 |
| New York | WPIX 11 |
| Orlando | WKCF 18 |
| Pittsburgh | WPTT 22 |
| Portland | WPXT 51 |
| Providence | WNAC 64 |
| Salinas | KCBA 35 |
| San Francisco | KOFY 20 |
| St. Petersburg | WTTA 38 |
Episodes
Character variations
Team variations in different versions
| Gatchaman | Battle of the Planets | G-Force | Eagle Riders | OVA (Harmony Gold dub) | Rank | Bird Uniform | Weapon | Mecha | Voice actor (Gatchaman) | Voice actor (Gatchaman OVA) | Voice actor (BOTP) | Voice actor (G-Force) | Voice actor (Harmony Gold OVA dub) | Voice actor (Eagle Riders) | Voice actor (ADV TV/Sentai OVA dub) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Washio | Mark | Ace Goodheart | Hunter Harris | Ken the Eagle | G1 | Eagle | Razor boomerang | Airplane | Katsuji Mori | Masaya Onosaka | Casey Kasem | Sam Fontana | Eddie Frierson | Richard Cansino | Leraldo Anzaldua |
| George "Joe" Asakura | Jason | Dirk Daring | Joseph "Joe" Thax | Joe the Condor | G2 | Condor | Pistol | Race Car | Isao Sasaki | Kōji Ishii | Ronnie Schell | Cam Clarke | Richard Cansino | Bryan Cranston | Brian Jepson |
| Jun | Princess | Agatha "Aggie" June | Kelly Jennar | June the Swan | G3 | Swan | Yo-yo | Motorcycle | Kazuko Sugiyama | Michiko Neya | Janet Waldo | Barbara Goodson | Lara Cody | Heidi Noelle Lenhart | Kim Prause |
| Jinpei | Keyop | Pee Wee | Mickey Dugan | Jimmy the Falcon | G4 | Swallow | Bolo | Dune Buggy | Yoku Shioya | Rica Matsumoto | Alan Young | Barbara Goodson | Mona Marshall | Mona Marshall | Luci Christian |
| Ryu Nakanishi | Tiny Harper | Hoot "Hooty" Owl | Ollie Keeawani | Rocky the Owl | G5 | Owl | Pistol | God Phoenix | Shingo Kanemoto | Fumihiko Tachiki | Alan Dinehart | Jan Rabson/ Gregg Berger | Richard Epcar | Paul Schrier | Victor Carsrud |
Other character variations across different versions
| Gatchaman | Battle of the Planets | G-Force | Eagle Riders | OVA (Harmony Gold Dub) | Voice actor (Gatchaman) | Voice actor (Gatchaman OVA) | Voice actor (BOTP) | Voice actor (G-Force) | Voice actor (Eagle Riders) | Voice actor (Harmony Gold OVA dub) | Voice actor (ADV TV/Sentai OVA dub) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Kozaburo Nambu-hakase | Chief Anderson | Dr. Benjamin Brighthead | Dr. Thaddeus Keane | Dr. Kozaburo Nambu | Tōru Ōhira | Alan Dinehart | Jan Rabson/Gregg Berger | Ikuya Sawaki | Michael McConnohie | Greg O'Neill | Andy McAvin |
| ISO Director Anderson | President Kane | Anderson / Cmdr. Todd (some episodes) | Anderson | Director Anderson | Teiji Ōmiya | Michael Rye | Jan Rabson/Gregg Berger | Yonehiko Kitagawa | Michael Forest | Marty Fleck | |
| Red Impulse / Kentaro Washio |
Col. Cronos | Red Impulse / Kendrick Goodheart | Red Impulse / Harley Harris | Red Spectre / Kentaro Washio | Keye Luke | Cam Clarke | Unshō Ishizuka | Bob Papenbrook | John Tyson | ||
| Berg Katse | Zoltar | Galactor | Lukan | Solaris | Mikio Terashima | Keye Luke | Bill Capizzi | Kaneto Shiozawa | R. Martin Klein | Edwin Neal | |
| Sosai (Leader) X | O Luminous One / The Great Spirit |
Computor | Cybercom | Lord Zortek | Nobuo Tanaka | Keye Luke | Jan Rabson/Gregg Berger | Nobuo Tanaka | Ralph Votrais | Peter Spellos | Winston Parish |
| Gel Sadra | Mallanox | Masaru Ikeda | R. Martin Klein | ||||||||
| Sylvie Pandora-hakase | Dr. Francine Aikens | Dr. Sylvie Pandora | Miyuka Ieda | Lara Cody | |||||||
| Announcer | Hideo Kinoshita/Shūsei Nakamura | William Woodson (Main) / Alan Young (Zark) | Norm Prescott | George Manley |
Other notable changes
| Variations | Gatchaman (Japanese) | Battle of the Planets | Guardians of Space | Eagle Riders | OVA (English, Harmony Gold) | Gatchaman (English) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity change command | Bird, go!‡ | Transmute! | G-Force, transform! | Eagle Mode, now! |
|
Bird, go! | ||||||||
| Enemy planet | Selectol | Spectra | Galactor | Vorak | Galactor | Selectol | ||||||||
| Enemy civilization | Galactor (Gyarakutā) | Spectra | Galactor | Vorak | Galactor | Galactor |
‡The original Japanese-language version of Gatchaman contains a small amount of words in English.
Production staff
- Owned and distributed by: Saban Entertainment
- Executive Producer: Eric S. Rollman
- Producer & Story Editor: Rita M. Acosta
- Writer (ADR Script): R.D. Smithee, Marc Handler
- Voice Directors: Richard Epcar, Steve Kramer, Heidi Noelle Lenhart (uncredited), Michael Sorich
- Production Assistant & ADR Coordinator: Gregory C. Ireland
- Executive in Charge of Sound Operations: Clive H. Mizumoto
- Sound Operations Manager: Xavier Garcia
- Sound Effects Editors: Keith Dickens, Martin Flores, Zoli Osaze, Ron Salaises, John Valentino
- Re-Recording Mixers: Michael Beirenger (uncredited), Mark Ettel, R.D. Floyd, Wayne T. O'Brien
- ADR Recordists: Carl Lange, Kevin Newson, David W. Barr
- Foley Artists: Susan Lewis (uncredited), Kalea Morton, Taryn Simone
- Audio Assistants: Brian Densmore, Andrew Kines, Don Sexton
- Music by: Shuki Levy, Kussa Mahchi
- Executive in Charge of Music: Ron Kenan
- Music Supervisor: Lloyd Michael Cook II
- Music Editors: Barron Abramovitch, Bill Filipiak
- Music Engineer: Barron Abramovitch
- Second Engineers: James Dijulio, Frank Bailey-Meier
- Music Assistants: Jeremy Sweet, Tim Gosselin
- Offline Editor: Terry Marlin
- Video Traffic Coordinator: Jerry Buetnner
- Post Production Audio: Advantage Audio
- Sound Effects Editor: Robert Duran
- Dialogue Editor: Robbi Smith
- Music Editor: Marc S. Perlman
- Audio Transfer: J. Lampinen
- Re-Recording Mixers: Fil Brown, Ray Leonard, Mike Beiriger, Jim Hodson, Mellisa Gentry-Ellis
- Online Editors: Michael Hutchinson, Harvey Landy (Hollywood Digital Inc.), John Bowen, David Crosthwait (Modern Videofilm)
- Telecine: Lee Ann Went (Varitel Inc.), Greg Hamlin (Film Technology, LA), Larry Field (Editel), Brent Eldridge (Ame, Inc.)
- Post Production Supervisor: John Bryant
- Post Production Coordinator: Francesca Weiss
- Executive in Charge of Production: Dana C. Booton
Voice cast
- Hunter Harris: Richard Cansino
- Joe Thax: Bryan Cranston
- Kelly Jenar: Heidi Noelle Lenhart
- Mickey Dugan: Mona Marshall
- Ollie Keeawani: Paul Schrier
- Dr.Thaddeus Keane: Greg O'Neill
- Dr.Francine Aikens: Lara Cody
- Auto: Dena Burton
- Mallanox: R. Martin Klein
- Cybercon: Peter Spellos
- Misc. (uncredited): Joshua Seth, Bob Bergen, Julie Maddalena, Richard Epcar
- G-Force: Animated (TwoMorrows Publishing: )
