"Dungeons & Dragons" Cartoon (1983-1986) - Thoughts/Memories?

[Thundarr]

Peter Cullen as Venger.

He was great as the voice of Venger, as well as Optimus Prime. I don't think he'd be as good a choice for a live action adaptation though.

 

[tk_421]

This series always reminds me of my childhood and takes me back to when I was playing out with my friends and I was always presto or hank! I still watch D&D from time to time as I purchased the rather brilliant series box set. Even 14 years on, I still watch the episodes with delight and wish that they had made more episodes. I remember being terrified of the episode with the undead warrior (Quest of the Skeleton Warrior) and how everyone's worse fears were brought to light. Such an amazing series!

 

[Dread]

Peter Cullen as Venger.

Indeed. He's best known as one of the greatest heroes of 80's animation, but he did a damn fine job voicing a villain here.

This series always reminds me of my childhood and takes me back to when I was playing out with my friends and I was always presto or hank! I still watch D&D from time to time as I purchased the rather brilliant series box set. Even 14 years on, I still watch the episodes with delight and wish that they had made more episodes. I remember being terrified of the episode with the undead warrior (Quest of the Skeleton Warrior) and how everyone's worse fears were brought to light. Such an amazing series!

That was a pretty good episode; one of the best from the first season. There's even that blink-and-miss scene where Hank's hit by Venger's magical blast and his skin starts melting off his bones before Dekion saves him. But, yeah, the episode showcased everyone's fears pretty well. Hank's fear of being a poor leader is a little standard for "the leader" character to have, but Diana's fear of aging does make some sense, since most Olympic gymnasts are considered "too old" at a very young age. And, of course, Presto's fear of being blind, Bobby's fear of being a baby (defenseless), Sheila's fear of being alone (ironic for someone who can turn invisible), and Eric's fear of being laughed at.

Hank was usually the least flawed of the kids, but he did a solid job getting them to overcome their fears here. This episode is referenced slightly in "The Traitor", when everyone, especially Sheila, is appalled at the idea of Hank betraying them, especially after he'd "led them past their fears" and so on.

Eric actually has one of the best genre savvy lines of all at the end of "Quest Of The Skeleton Warrior". When Dekion, who is cured, flies off and promises to return with a way for the kids to go home, Eric sighs and says, "We'll never see him again." They don't. I found it hilarious.

 

[Thundarr]

I think Dungeons & Dragons needs to be remade. Keep the characters the same, but just write the whole movie with a more serious tone and a better plot. Hopefully have it written by someone who actually understands the source material. Here are my casting choices . . .

John Malkovich as Profion

Bill Goldberg as Damodar

Natalie Portman as The Emperess

Tom Welling as Riddley

Ashton Kutcher as Snails

Laura Vandervoort as Marena

Hornswoggle as Elwood Gutworthy

Kristen Kruek as Norda

Of course the original sucked all kinds of bad, so the remake will have to go through a whole Rob Zombie style rewrite. Hell, I'd even ask Rob Zombie to write the script! Doing to the original Dungeons & Dragons movie what he did to the Halloween movies would just be an improvement in my opinion (ie: what ruined Halloween would in fact improve Dungeons & Dragons).

 

[Thundarr]

If the remake of Dungeons & Dragons is successful, then they can remake the sequel. Since the writing of Dungeons & Dragons II was vastly superior to the original, I would simply make a few minor adjustments to the script and recast it with known stars. Here are my casting choices . . .

Dungeons & Dragons II: Wrath Of The Dragon God

Carey Elwes as Berek The Fighter

Cory Everson as Lux The Barbarian

Liam Neeson as Dorian The Cleric

Liv Tyler as Ormaline The Mage

Warwick Davis as Nim The Rogue

 

[Thundarr]

By the way, I've finally found the D&D cartoon box set at a pawn shop for only $15. As soon as payday rolls around I'm gonna buy it!

 

[Thundarr]

Has anyone seen either of these two movies? I have the Dragonlance one at home and rather enjoy it. I haven't been able to find a copy of The Scourge Of Worlds at any video stores though. I may have to special order it. Either that or get it through eBay.

 

[Hypestyle]

the amount of fan-fiction out there is astounding.. some ages the characters, some even ventures into erotica..

I got the boxed set when it came out, came with a dragon miniature, inside had a whole bunch of bonus stuff, including official stats for the current D&D game.. I think it's out of print now but folks can still find it, hopefully at a modest price..
In retrospect, marvel missed out by not having a comic-book adaptation of the show back then.. oh, well..

if they do a new D&D movie, I hope it is based on the 'toon show.. it would be a great fantasy action piece, and heck, whoever is the studio behind it could make it their answer to Harry Potter, since it involves young people, magic, etc. Marvel Studios, they should take a look at this, seriously..

 

[Thundarr]

The amount of fan-fiction out there is astounding.. some ages the characters, some even ventures into erotica..

As I've mentioned earlier, I've written some D&D fan fiction myself (no erotica though, lol), and you're right. There is an astounding amount of it out there. Most writers have Eric and Diana forming a romantic relationship. I guess most people feel their constant bickering is just a mask to hide their sexual attraction for each other.

I got the boxed set when it came out, came with a dragon miniature, inside had a whole bunch of bonus stuff, including official stats for the current D&D game.. I think it's out of print now but folks can still find it, hopefully at a modest price..
In retrospect, marvel missed out by not having a comic-book adaptation of the show back then.. oh, well..

So did I. It didn't come with a dragon figurine though. But it did have the book with the gaming stats of all the characters though, which I still have. As I mentioned before, my box set was stolen. But after months of searching I finally found a pawn shop that's selling it for only $15. As soon as I have the money, I'm scooping it!

And you're right about the comic book. Marvel really missed out on that one.

 

[Hypestyle]

regarding the fan-fiction, I wonder if Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast are even interested in reviving the brand involving the teen protagonists for a series of official books.. I wonder if they've been pitched.. seems like a no-brainer..

 

[Dread]

So did I. It didn't come with a dragon figurine though. But it did have the book with the gaming stats of all the characters though, which I still have. As I mentioned before, my box set was stolen. But after months of searching I finally found a pawn shop that's selling it for only $15. As soon as I have the money, I'm scooping it!

And you're right about the comic book. Marvel really missed out on that one.

You found a pawn shop selling the BCI box set for $15!? That's an utterly ridiculous steal. I've seen that set offered on eBay or other places online for as much as $60 (or more). Go snap it up!

 

[Thundarr]

You found a pawn shop selling the BCI box set for $15!? That's an utterly ridiculous steal. I've seen that set offered on eBay or other places online for as much as $60 (or more). Go snap it up!

I will just as soon as I get paid. And I think "steal" is the right word. This pawnshop is only a few blocks away from where I use to live, so I have a sneaking suspicion that I might be buying back my own box set. Oh well, the store I bought it from (brand new) sold it to me for $10. So combined I'd still be paying less than half what most video stores sold them brand new (usually about $55 to $60 plus taxes).

 

[mr. peasant]

the amount of fan-fiction out there is astounding.. some ages the characters, some even ventures into erotica..

You sound surprised. You must be new to the internet or have you forgotten about Rule 34 and its corollary, Rule 35?

regarding the fan-fiction, I wonder if Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast are even interested in reviving the brand involving the teen protagonists for a series of official books.. I wonder if they've been pitched.. seems like a no-brainer..

Maybe, maybe not. Question is, would it be worth having to pay the original creators royalty (assuming they still retain some degree of ownership of their creation) instead of creating a whole new setting? A major advantage of D&D basic (versus say, Dragonlance, NWN, etc) is that it simply provides the building blocks in creating a generic fantasy setting.

 

[Thundarr]

You sound surprised. You must be new to the internet or have you forgotten about Rule 34 and its corollary, Rule 35?

Maybe, maybe not. Question is, would it be worth having to pay the original creators royalty (assuming they still retain some degree of ownership of their creation) instead of creating a whole new setting? A major advantage of D&D basic (versus say, Dragonlance, NWN, etc) is that it simply provides the building blocks in creating a generic fantasy setting.

I think it would be. It just needs to be promoted right. It could be just as big, if not bigger than, What's New Scooby Doo? or the 2002 reboot of He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe.

 

[Thundarr]

I found an interview with the screen writer who wrote the script for the episode Requiem on You Tube, talking about the show, the cancelation, and the unproduced final episode. Apparentle a fan of the show had printed out a copy of the script and is attempting to animate it himself. He's been working on it for a year and a half, and thus far has only got up to page ten (out of 40 pages). There are a few snippets of footage from his animation shown as well, and so far it looks pretty good (not great, but it is a fan film). Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mWJHEiexTg

Another fan had spliced together episodes from the actual show to create his own version of the final episode. You'll recognize scenes from The Box, The Dragon's Graveyard, Quest Of The Skeleton Warrior, and The Girl Who Dreamed Tomorrow. There might even be one or two more that I didn't catch. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6jYfqu_mQ&feature=related

Enjoy!

 

[Thundarr]

If you thought the fan manip of Venger & Diana was creepy, get a load of this one of Venger & Hank!

 

[Thundarr]

A little off topic, but here are some comics from the Dragon Mirth section of Dragon Magazine.

 

[Thundarr]

 

[Thundarr]

Here's a thoght! What is Sam Raimi were to reboot the show, but as a weekly live action series (ala the Young Hercules starring Ryan Gossling) instead of animated? I'd totally watch something like that! And he's just the guy to do it justice too.

 

[Thundarr]

Here's a link to read the Dungeons & Dragons fan fiction on FanFiction.Net:

http://wwwfanfiction.net/cartoon/Dungeons_and_Dragons/

The link to read my Dungeons & Dragons/Thundarr The Barbarian crossover story, Thundarr The Barbarian & The Lost Children, is:

http://www.fanfiction.net/Dungeons_and_Dragons_and_Thundarr_the_Barbarian_Crossovers/945/5718/

The link to read the Dungeons & Dragons/Harry Potter crossover story, Portkey To The Realm, is:

http://wwwfanfiction.net/Harry_Potter_and_Dungeons_and_Dragons_Crossovers/224/945/

I can't comment on all of the fan fiction on there, as I haven't read everything yet, but as the author of Thundarr The Barbarian & The Lost Children and having read Portkey To The Realm, I can say with some confidence that you will probably enjoy these stories a great deal.

 

[<(o_o)>]

He was great as the voice of Venger, as well as Optimus Prime. I don't think he'd be as good a choice for a live action adaptation though.

He could be the narrator or voice an Orc or some other creature in the movie.

 

[Thundarr]

Here's the site of the internet's resident expert on the D&D series. Pretty much any information you want on the show can be found here.

http://www.zaksrealm.net/FAQ.html

 

[Thundarr]

regarding the fan-fiction, I wonder if Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast are even interested in reviving the brand involving the teen protagonists for a series of official books.. I wonder if they've been pitched.. seems like a no-brainer..

I think they used to have a series of "choose your own adventure" stories based on the show. I don't know if they'd be that successful nowadays. If they reboot the series, then a series of books might be a good idea. But today, no one in the target age demographic would know the characters well enough to make worth their while.

 

[Thundarr]

I still think a reboot of the show, either animated (like the original) or live action (like Sam Raimi's Young Hercules), would be great. They could have the kids sent to The Realm from today's Earth, (ie: 2010 or whenever the show first airs) rather than 1983. They would still have the obligatory Star Wars references (except they will include references to the Star Wars Prequels as well as the Original Trilogy), but they could throw in some other pop culture referenses as well.

Examples:

The six kids have been wandering The Realm for weeks. Not only are they no closer to getting home than they were before, they also haven't seen any of Venger's lackeys for a long time.

Bobby: I'm bored!

Eric: I haven't been this bored since I sat through The Phantom Menace!

Diana: I almost wish Venger would show up so that there would be some excitement.

Sheila: Diana! Don't say things like that! That's the greatest jinx of all jinxes!

In another episode (or later in the same one), Presto tries to conjure up a plate of fish & chips for dinner. He ends up pulling a couple of live fish from his hat, which flop around on the ground as though they'd just been caught, and a bunch of raw potatoes.

Presto: Aw nuts!

Eric: Maybe you oughtta take some classes at Hogwarts! (everyone laughs)

Hank: Don't worry about it Presto. We just have to cook them up, is all. Good work!

You know, stuff like that.

 

[mr. peasant]

I'm still of the stance that a new D&D cartoon wouldn't need the exact same group of characters. There's already too much of this going on in today's movie/TV industry - the rehashing of classic shows. Moreover, with new characters, there would be less sense of 'defilement' of one's childhood in the off chance that the show is bad or is made in a way not to one's tastes.