The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible
(From left to right): Seph, Storyteller, Moki, Margo, Derek, Nod children.
Genre	Action Adventure Drama Christianity
Directed by	Don Lusk Ray Patterson (supervising director)
Voices of	Darlene Carr Terry McGovern (1985-1989) Darryl Hickman (1989-1992) Rob Paulsen
Narrated by	Michael Rye (Opening only)
Theme music composer	Hoyt Curtin
Composer(s)	Hoyt Curtin Gary William Friedman (Ep. 8 only) Tom Worrall (Episode 8; Episode 9, additional music) Vaughn Johnson (last 2 episodes) Albert Lloyd Olson (Episode 11 only) Russell Fox (choral music, eps. 7&9)
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	William Hanna Joseph Barbera Paul Sabella (Episode 4&11)
Producer(s)	Kay Wright Bruce David Johnson (supervising producer, 4 episodes) Lew Saw (associate producer, first 6 episodes)
Editor(s)	Gil Iverson Tim Iverson (last 3 episodes) Tom Gleason (last 2 episodes)
Running time	25–30 minutes
Production company(s)	Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor	Worldvision Home Video Inc. Hanna-Barbera Home Video Turner Home Entertainment
Release
Original release	April 26, 1985 (1985-04-26) – August 19, 1992 (1992-08-19)

The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible is an animated direct-to-video series produced by Hanna-Barbera that tells of three young adventurers who travel back in time to watch biblical events take place. Thirteen videos were released between 1985 and 1992.

Overview
Production and distribution
Voice cast
Episodes
See also

Overview

Derek and Margo, two young archaeologists, are on a dig accompanied by "their nomad friend", a boy named Moki. They come across a door in an ancient ruin that turns out to be a portal through time. Though the introduction is the same in all videos, each episode sends the three friends into a different story from the Bible. They often interact with principal figures from each story, but without any significant effect upon the plot so as not to alter the course of history; in other episodes, they arrive decades after the events depicted in the Bible and are relayed the story by a firsthand witness.

The episodes were not released in an order consistent with the Biblical chronology, but can be construed to give a coherent story beginning with "The Creation" and ending with "The Easter Story", which is told from a Christian viewpoint. The first six episodes, released simultaneously, relate Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) stories, with episodes pertaining to the life of Jesus being added among some additional Old Testament stories as the series progressed.

Each individual episode featured celebrity voices in principal Biblical roles.

Production and distribution

The series was initially conceived by Hanna-Barbera co-founder Joseph Barbera some seventeen years before it was produced, but he had difficulty in procuring support for the project. Eventually, however, Hanna-Barbera's parent company Taft Broadcasting agreed to provide funding, and the first video was released in 1985, then Turner Home Entertainment continued production after they bought Hanna-Barbera in 1991. Sparrow-Star Song assisted with distribution, releasing all thirteen episodes on VHS, one episode per tape. Five of these episodes ("The Miracles of Jesus", "David and Goliath", "Noah's Ark", "The Easter Story", and "Moses") were released on DVD in 2006.

Voice cast

Main

Darleen Carr – Margo
Terry McGovern – Derek (1985–1989)
Darryl Hickman – Derek (1989–1992)
Rob Paulsen – Moki
Michael Rye – Narrator (main titles), Sebel (in "Samson and Delilah")

Special guest stars

David Ackroyd – Angel (in "The Nativity"), Jesus Christ (in "The Miracles of Jesus")
Ed Asner – Joshua (in "Joshua and the Battle of Jericho")
Adrienne Barbeau – Mary Magdalene (in "The Story of Easter"), Queen Vashti (in "Queen Esther")
Robby Benson – David (in "David and Goliath")
Herschel Bernardi – Goliath (in "David and Goliath")
Barry Bostwick – Joseph (in "Joseph and his Brothers")
Roscoe Lee Browne – Magus (in "The Nativity")
Michael Constantine –
Tim Curry – The Serpent (in "The Creation"), Judas Iscariot (in "The Easter Story")
Harold Gould – Benjamin (in "The Miracle of Jesus")
Lorne Greene – Noah (in "Noah's Ark")
Gregory Harrison – Joseph (in "The Nativity")
Helen Hunt – Mary (in "The Nativity")
Dean Jones – King Ahasuerus (in "Queen Esther")
James Earl Jones – Pharaoh (in "Moses")
Perry King – Samson (in "Samson and Delilah")
Werner Klemperer – Haman (in "Queen Esther")
Richard Libertini – Apple Merchant (in "The Creation")
Gavin MacLeod – Daniel (in "Daniel and the Lion's Den")
Bruce McGill –
Alan Oppenheimer – Jonah (in "The Nativity")
Vincent Price – King Herod (in "The Nativity")
Linda Purl – Delilah (in "Samson and Delilah")
Charlotte Rae – Noah's Wife (in "Noah's Ark")
John Randolph –
Ron Rifkin – Mordecai (in "Queen Esther")
Marc Singer – Adam (in "The Creation")
Helen Slater – Queen Esther (in "Queen Esther")
Joe Spano – Jesus (in "The Easter Story")
Jeffrey Tambor – Eli (in "The Nativity"), Peter ("The Easter Story")
Richard Thomas – Mark (in "The Easter Story")
Les Tremayne – the Storyteller (in "The Creation"), God (in "The Creation")
James Whitmore – Moses (in "Moses")
Stephanie Zimbalist – Eve (in "The Creation")

Additional voices

René Auberjonois –
Michael Bell – Eliab (in "David and Goliath"), Philistine Soldier (in "David and Goliath")
Peter Cullen – King of Nineveh (in "Jonah"), Japeth (in "Noah's Ark")
Keene Curtis – Pontius Pilate (in "The Easter Story")
Dena Dietrich – King Belshzarr's Mother (in "Daniel and the Lion's Den")
Barry Dennen – Senel (in "The Easter Story")
Jerry Dexter –
George DiCenzo –
Dena Dietrich – King Belshzarr's Mother (in "Daniel and the Lion's Den")
Nancy Dussault – Martha (in "Jonah")
Richard Dysart –
Paul Eiding –
Richard Erdman – Egyptian Magician (in "Moses")
Bernard Erhard – King Saul (in "David and Goliath")
Dick Gautier –
Ed Gilbert – Balak (in "The Easter Story"), Micah (in "Jonah")
Virginia Gregg – Miriam (in "Samson and Delilah")
Scott Grimes – Yasha (in "The Nativity")
Nicholas Guest –
Dorian Harewood – Roman Guard (in "The Easter Story")
Mariette Hartley – Rahab
George Hearn – Retainer (in "Queen Esther")
Tony Jay – Caiaphas (in "The Easter Story"), God (in "Jonah"), Jerusalem Man #3 (in "The Easter Story"), Man (in "Jonah")
Alan Johnson –
Stan Jones –
Zale Kessler –
Paul Lukather –
Allan Lurie –
David Mendenhall – Seth (in "The Creation")
Michael Nouri –
Alan Oppenheimer – King Belshazarr (in "Daniel and the Lion's Den"), Melon Merchant (in "The Nativity"), Wise Man #2 (in "The Nativity")
Vic Perrin –
Brock Peters – Priest (in "Samson and Delilah")
Henry Polic II – Secal (in "Daniel and the Lion's Den")
Peter Renaday –
Peter Mark Richman –
Joseph Ruskin –
Andre Stojka – Lead Heckler (in "Noah's Ark"), King Saul's Councilor (in "David and Goliath")
Kristoffer Tabori – Young Jonah (in "Jonah")
B.J. Ward – Haman's Wife (in "Queen Esther")
Fredrica Weber –
Frank Welker – Lions (in "Daniel and the Lion's Den"), Monkey (in "The Nativity"), Roman Soldier (in "The Nativity"), Soldier (in "Daniel and the Lion's Den")
Bill Woodson – Simon (in "The Easter Story")
William Wright –

Episodes

No.	Title	Story by	Storyboarded by	Original release date
1	"Moses"	Harvey Bullock	Ric Estrada	April 26, 1985 (1985-04-26)
The trio witnesses the ten plagues of Egypt and follow Moses through the parting of the Red Sea.
2	"David and Goliath"	Harvey Bullock	Ric Estrada	April 25, 1986 (1986-04-25)
The three meet David and eventually see him defeat Goliath.
3	"Joshua and the Battle of Jericho"	Harvey Bullock	Ric Estrada	April 25, 1986 (1986-04-25)
The trio find themselves ensnared in the Battle of Jericho.
4	"Noah's Ark"	Harvey Bullock	Ric Estrada	April 25, 1986 (1986-04-25)
The protagonists find themselves aboard Noah's Ark.
5	"Samson and Delilah"	Harvey Bullock	Ric Estrada	April 25, 1986 (1986-04-25)
The protagonists find themselves witnessing the story of Samson and Delilah.
6	"Daniel and the Lion's Den"	Dennis Marks	Ric Estrada	April 25, 1986 (1986-04-25)
The trio find themselves in Babylon, where they witness the miracle of Daniel in the lions' den.
7	"The Nativity"	Bruce D. Johnson and Harvey Bullock, Dennis Marks (teleplay)	Ric Estrada and Robert Taylor	October 15, 1987 (1987-10-15)
The trio witnesses the birth of Jesus.
8	"The Creation"	Dennis Marks	Lew Saw and Kay Wright	July 15, 1988 (1988-07-15)
The three protagonists listen to a storyteller recount the creation as well as the Fall. At the same time, they learn their own lessons in honesty after tricking a gardener into giving them fruit for free.
9	"The Easter Story"	Dennis Marks	Jim Willoughby	March 15, 1989 (1989-03-15)
Mark describes the last days of Jesus' life, leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection.
10	"Joseph and His Brothers"	Dennis Marks and Karran Eccles Wright	Jim Willoughby	November 8, 1990 (1990-11-08)
The trio befriend Joseph and learn about his coat of many colors.
11	"The Miracles of Jesus"	Karran Eccles Wright	Ric Estrada	September 26, 1991 (1991-09-26)
The time travelers encounter an elderly version of the young man raised from the dead in the city of Nain, who recounts the various miracles of Jesus.
12	"Queen Esther"	Karran Eccles Wright	Ric Estrada	February 27, 1992 (1992-02-27)
Esther and Mordecai expose the duplicity of Haman.
13	"Jonah"	Karran Eccles Wright	Ric Estrada	August 19, 1992 (1992-08-19)
Jonah recounts the story of his journey to Nineveh and being swallowed by a fish.