The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat is an American animated television series produced by Film Roman. The series first aired on September 16, 1995[1] on CBS Saturday mornings lasting for two seasons with the final episode airing on April 12, 1997. The first season consists of 13 episodes and the second and final season consists of 8 episodes.
| The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Surreal comedy |
| Created by |
|
| Directed by | |
| Creative director | Timothy Björklund |
| Voices of |
|
| Theme music composer | |
| Opening theme | "The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat" |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 21 (58 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes (7–11 minutes per segment) |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS (U.S.) La 1 (Spain) Ici Radio-Canada Tele (Canada) |
| Release | September 16, 1995 – April 12, 1997 |
| Related | |
| |
This is the second television series featuring Felix the Cat; the first was the 1958–1960 series Felix the Cat.[2]
The show has Spanish-dubbed episodes of the series aired on Saturday mornings on Univision in the United States from September 16, 2000 to September 8, 2001 as part of the ¡De Cabeza! block as Los Nuevos Cuentos de Felix el Gato.[3] It also has Spanish-dubbed episodes of the series aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings on Telefutura in 2003 as part of Toonturama as Las Nuevas Aventuras de Felix el Gato along with Bruno the Kid and Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm.
History
editThe show was a modern take of the original 1958–1962 series produced by Otto Messmer's former assistant, Joe Oriolo. His son, Don Oriolo, was involved in the creation of this series as well.[4]
In many ways, the show reverts to the silent era of shorts with surreal settings and offbeat character depictions. Felix is also more like his original mischievous adult form, rather than the young and innocent depiction from the 1936 Van Beuren shorts, the 1959 TV series and Felix the Cat: The Movie. It does, however, contain some elements from the 1950s series such as Felix's Magic Bag of Tricks and the characters Poindexter, the Master Cylinder, the Professor and Rock Bottom (though the latter two are actually parodies of the original characters, with their names being the Mad Doctor and Lead Fanny, respectively). The series had a Fleischer Studios-inspired art style.
The series starred Thom Adcox-Hernandez as the voice of Felix the Cat, but since Adcox-Hernandez's voice was apparently a temporary role while the producers kept looking for a more suitable actor by the first season's run, he was replaced by Charlie Adler in Season 2. It was produced by Phil Roman and Timothy Berglund and is reputed to have been one of the most expensive cartoons ever made by Film Roman. Martin Olson and Jeremy Kramer, two comedy writers known for pushing the envelope into the bizarre, wrote both outlines and scripts for the series. The main theme was composed by Don Oriolo, while the musical score and closing theme were composed and performed by the Club Foot Orchestra.
Characters
edit- Felix the Cat: The main character and star of the show. He has many adventures with his magic bag of tricks that often helps in dangerous situations (voiced by Thom Adcox-Hernandez in season 1 and Charlie Adler in season 2).
Allies
edit- Rosco (voiced by Phil Hayes) – Felix's dim-witted best friend.
- Candy Kitty (voiced by Jennifer Hale) – Rosco's older sister and Felix's love interest.
- Sheba Beboporeba (voiced by Cree Summer) – Felix's friend.
- Shamus T. Goldcrow (voiced by Tony Pope) – an anthropomorphic crow.
- Skiddoo the Mouse (voiced by Susan Silo) – one of Felix's friends.
- Bermuda Triangle: He is an anthropomorphic version of the location of the same name. He wreaks havoc because of his stupidity. He caused all sorts of chaos in New York City until he fell in love with Times Square. The two ended up getting married.
- Nastasshia Slinky (voiced by Jane Singer) – an actress who Felix is obsessed with. She however, never returns the feelings. In fact, she hates Felix and wants nothing to do with him, not showing him even the slightest grip of affection.
- Poindexter (voiced by Cam Clarke): He is the nerdy young nephew of the Professor and is Felix's other best friend. He is depicted as a stereotypical scientist; he is very intelligent and always wears thick Coke-bottle glasses, a lab coat, and a mortarboard. A button on the chest of his lab coat acts as a control for whatever device the plot calls for. Despite the Professor being his uncle, he is also one of Felix's best friends. Whenever he talks to Felix, he refers to him as "Mr. Felix".
- Guardian Angel (voiced by Jeff Bennett)
Villains
edit- Peking Duck (voiced by Tony Jay) – an antagonist.
- Moo Shoo and One-Ton (voiced by Kevin Schon and Jim Cummings) – Peking Duck's henchman.
- The Sludge King
- Fufu Gauche (voiced by Brad Garrett) – a disgraced fashion designer who tries to get revenge on the city by replacing everyone's clothes with his tacky fish costumes.
- Oscar (voiced by Jeffrey Tambor) – a minor villain whose sole appearance was in the episode "Phoney Phelix", serving as one of the most pathetic foes Felix has ever faced. A wannabe cartoon star who met failure at every step of the way, Oscar sought to climb his way to stardom by hijacking Felix's own cartoon, despite being a painfully obvious impersonator.
- Fuzzy Bunny (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – a cutesy toy rabbit who manages to replace Felix's own show and become a nationwide sensation, thanks to how cute he is. In truth however, he is actually a gruesome thug in a rabbit suit.
- Froggy and Fuzzyman (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – Fuzzy Bunny's henchman.
- Bet a Billion Bill (voiced by Daran Norris) – a smooth-talking and arrogant hotshot playboy gambler.
- Captain Herman (voiced by Tom Kenny)
- Mad Doctor (voiced by Pat Fraley): He is a parody of the Professor from the 1958–60 Felix the Cat series.
- Leadfanny (voiced by Billy West): He is a parody of Rock Bottom from the 1958–60 Felix the Cat series. He is a stereotypically gay dog whose voice is an imitation of actor Harvey Fierstein. Leadfanny is Mad Doctor's assistant.
- Black Cats Leader (voiced by Greg Burson)
- Black Cats Gatekeeper (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) – Black Cats Leader's henchman.
Cast
edit- Thom Adcox-Hernandez – Felix the Cat (season 1)
- Charlie Adler – Felix the Cat (season 2), additional voices
- Jeff Bennett – Froggy, Fuzzyman, additional voices
- Mary Kay Bergman – Mermaid, additional voices[5]
- Greg Burson – Black Cats Leader, additional voices[6]
- Dan Castellaneta – Black Cats Gatekeeper, Additional voices[6]
- Cam Clarke – Poindexter, additional voices
- Townsend Coleman – Additional voices
- Jim Cummings – One-Ton, additional voices
- Jennifer Darling – Additional voices
- Debi Derryberry – Additional voices
- Jeannie Elias – Additional voices
- Patrick Fraley – Mad Doctor, additional voices
- Brad Garrett – Fufu Gauche, additional voices
- Michael Gough – Additional voices
- Jennifer Hale – Candy Kitty, additional voices
- Jess Harnell – Patties, Building, additional voices[6]
- Phil Hayes – Rosco, additional voices
- Tony Jay – Peking Duck, additional voices
- Tom Kane – Birthdayland Announcer, additional voices[6]
- Tom Kenny – Captain Herman, additional voices
- Maurice LaMarche – Additional voices
- Mr. Lawrence – Additional voices
- Pat Musick – Woman Customer, additional voices[6]
- Gary Owens – Radio Announcer, additional voices[6]
- Rob Paulsen – Fuzzy Bunny, additional voices
- Patrick Pinney – additional voices
- Tony Pope – Shamus T. Goldcrow, additional voices
- Roger Rose – Additional voices
- Kevin Schon – Moo Shoo, additional voices
- Roger Scott – Additional voices
- Susan Silo – Skiddoo the Mouse, additional voices
- Jane Singer – Nastasshia Slinky
- Cree Summer – Sheba Beboporeba, additional voices
- Jeffrey Tambor – Oscar
- Frank Welker – Additional voices
- Billy West – LeadFanny, additional voices
Crew
edit- Susan Blu – Voice director (season 1, ep. 18, ep. 19, ep. 20)
- Mark Evanier – Story editor (season 2), Voice director (ep. 14, ep. 15)
- Craig Kellman – Producer (season 2), Voice director (ep. 16, ep. 17, ep. 21)
Home media
editSome of the episodes were released on VHS and DVD by BMG Video in North America, and several DVD releases of episodes were available in Hong Kong under the title "The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat II".[7] A 3-DVD box set of the entire series was released on April 26, 2013, exclusively in Germany, containing 21 episodes or 58 individual segments, this release being the first complete collection with an English soundtrack. As of 2020, the series is available to stream on the NBCUniversal streaming service, Peacock.
Episodes
edit| Season | Segments | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 34 | 13 | September 16, 1995 | January 6, 1996 | |
| 2 | 24 | 8 | September 14, 1996 | April 12, 1997 | |
Season 1 (1995–96)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 1a | "Guardian Idiot" | Dominic Polcino | Martin Olson, Dominic Polcino, Christopher Moeller, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson | September 16, 1995 | ||||||
|
Felix is captured by the owner of Gut Bombs, who wishes to grind him into meat for his customers. A guardian angel is sent to rescue Felix, but ends up putting Felix in more trouble. | |||||||||||
| 1b | 1b | "Space Time Twister" | Lynne Naylor | Martin Olson, Lynne Naylor, Stephan DeStefano, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson | September 16, 1995 | ||||||
|
When Felix takes the wrong train in the subway, he encounters the Time Twister and his magic box, which can control time and space. Chaos ensues when Felix decides to steal the box. | |||||||||||
| 1c | 1c | "Don't String Me Along" | Robin Steele | Jeremy Kramer, Robin Steele, Christian Roman, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Jeremy Kramer | September 16, 1995 | ||||||
|
After Felix's vacuum cleaner quits cleaning up the mess in his house, our feline hero takes it up himself to do the tidying. When he encounters a loose string and pulls it off, he finds himself unraveling all sorts of things around the world. | |||||||||||
| 2a | 2a | "The Sludge King" | Timothy Berglund | Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund (Also Story) | September 23, 1995 | ||||||
| 2b | 2b | ||||||||||
|
In this two-parter, Felix meets Rosco's sister Candy on the Big Deal Animation Studios. When the three head out for lunch, Rosco's donut falls into the sewer, and when he tries to catch it, he gets kidnapped by the eponymous Sludge King, and it's up to Felix to save him. | |||||||||||
| 2c | 2c | "Mars Needs Felix" | Milton Knight | Jeremy Kramer, Milton Knight, and Michael Polcino Story by : Jeremy Kramer | September 23, 1995 | ||||||
|
While desperate to find something to eat, Felix is tricked into taking a trip to Mars where he is forced to take on slave labour by the locals. | |||||||||||
| 3a | 3a | "Step Right Up" | Dominic Polcino | Jeremy Kramer, Dominic Polcino, and Chris Moeller Story by : Jeremy Kramer | September 30, 1995 | ||||||
|
This episode introduces recurring villain Peking Duck and his henchmen, Moo-Shoo and Two-Ton. The villainous trio tries to steal Felix's Magic Bag of Tricks in a carnival. | |||||||||||
| 3b | 3b | "Now Playing – Felix" | Lynne Naylor | Jeremy Kramer, Lynne Naylor, and Stephan DeStefano Story by : Jeremy Kramer and Timothy Berglund | September 30, 1995 | ||||||
|
When Felix goes to watch the premiere of a movie starring his favorite actress, he accidentally finds himself inside the movie, and he's now craving to steal a kiss from the main star. | |||||||||||
| 3c | 3c | "Jailhouse Shock" | Phil "Wild Brain" Robinson | Jeremy Kramer, Phil Robinson, Bob Koch, and Timothy Björklund Story by : Jeremy Kramer and Timothy Björklund | September 30, 1995 | ||||||
|
Felix and Rosco are apprehended by a jailhouse where everyone is insane, and must find a way to break out. | |||||||||||
| 4a | 4a | "The Manhattan Triangle" | Blair Peters | Martin Olson Story by : Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund | October 7, 1995 | ||||||
|
The Bermuda Triangle comes to life and travels to Manhattan, where it causes the laws of physics and logic to fall apart, right during Felix's first date with Candy. | |||||||||||
| 4b | 4b | "The Petrified Cheese" | Chris Bartleman | Martin Olson Story by : Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund | October 7, 1995 | ||||||
|
Detective Shamus T. Goldcrow narrates a story about trying to solve a case without his disappeared sidekick, and enlists Felix to help. | |||||||||||
| 5a | 5a | "Middle Aged Felix" | Pamela "Spam" Stalker | Timothy Björklund, Pamela Stalker, and Susan Crossley Story by : Jeremy Kramer and Timothy Björklund | October 14, 1995 | ||||||
|
Felix and Sheba find a spell book in the latter's grandma's garage, which transports them to the middle ages, but the magician recognizes said book and wants it back. | |||||||||||
| 5b | 5b | "Felix in Psychedelicland" | Robin Steele | Martin Olson, Robin Steele, Christian Roman, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund | October 14, 1995 | ||||||
|
Felix and Sheba travel to Pittsburgh to attend a haunted Rock N Roll museum. When Sheba is trapped in a giant jukebox, Felix must come to her rescue. | |||||||||||
| 6a | 6a | "Order of the Black Cats" | Dominic Polcino | Jeremy Kramer, Dominic Polcino, and Chris Moeller Story by : Jeremy Kramer | October 28, 1995 | ||||||
|
On Halloween night, Felix is dragged into a cult of multiple people wearing black cat costumes, in which they don't realize he's a real cat. | |||||||||||
| 6b | 6b | "Now Boarding" | John Stevenson | Jeremy Kramer, John Stevenson, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Jeremy Kramer | October 28, 1995 | ||||||
|
Felix and Sheba are trapped in a board game after the latter states that she finds it boring, and they must reach the finish line in one piece. | |||||||||||
| 6c | 6c | "Felix Breaks the Bank" | Lynne Naylor | Jeremy Kramer, Lynne Naylor, and Stephan DeStefano Story by : Jeremy Kramer | October 28, 1995 | ||||||
|
It's Candy's birthday and Felix needs money to buy her a present, but when he fails to break open his piggy bank, he imagines Candy leaving him for someone richer. | |||||||||||
| 7a | 7a | "Noah's Nightclub" | Robin Steele | Martin Olson, Robin Steele, Timothy Berglund, and Christian Roman | November 4, 1995 | ||||||
|
Felix attends a nightclub that is themed after Noah's Ark, including the heavy rain. | |||||||||||
| 7b | 7b | "Felix's Gold Score" | Milton Knight | Jeremy Kramer, Milton Knight, and Michael Polcino Story by : Jeremy Kramer | November 4, 1995 | ||||||
|
During the gold rush, Felix must protect all the gold he has mined from bandits. | |||||||||||
| 7c | 7c | "Forever Rafter" | Milton Knight | Jeremy Kramer, Milton Knight, and Michael Polcino Story by : Jeremy Kramer | November 4, 1995 | ||||||
|
Felix takes Sheba to watch a game of the New York Giants on her birthday, but a sudden flood might drown their plans. | |||||||||||
| 8a | 8a | "The Earth Heist" | Blair Peters | Martin Olson, Blair Peters, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson | November 11, 1995 | ||||||
|
While Felix is exploring outer space, he sees that the Earth has been stolen by velcro-obsessed aliens and must find a way to retrieve it. | |||||||||||
| 8b | 8b | "Attack of the Tacky" | Chris Bartleman | Martin Olson, Jeremy Kramer, Chris Bartleman, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson and Jeremy Kramer | November 11, 1995 | ||||||
|
Detective Goldcrow and Felix investigate a case where a crazy fashion designer replaces everyone's clothes with ridiculous fish costumes. | |||||||||||
| 9a | 9a | "Felix in Nightdrop Land" | Jim Schumann | Martin Olson, Larry Swerdlove, Jim Schumann, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund | November 18, 1995 | ||||||
|
When Felix tries to sleep inside of a video rental store, he ends up inside some of the movies after he gets swallowed by a VCR. Note: This episode uses real-life film footage for Felix to be trapped in, such as The Beach Girls and the Monster and Gorgo. | |||||||||||
| 9b | 9b | "Shocking Story" | Doug Lawrence | Martin Olson, Doug Lawrence, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson | November 18, 1995 | ||||||
|
Felix must help an anthropomorphic lightning bolt return to the sky during a storm. | |||||||||||
| 10a | 10a | "Love at First Slice" | Lynne Naylor | Martin Olson, Lynne Naylor, and Stephan DeStefano Story by : Martin Olson | December 2, 1995 | ||||||
| 10b | 10b | "Space Case" | Craig Handley | Martin Olson, Craig Handley, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson | December 2, 1995 | ||||||
| 10c | 10c | "Peg Leg Felix" | Phil "Wild Brain" Robinson | Martin Olson, Phil Robinson, and Bob Koch Story by : Martin Olson | December 2, 1995 | ||||||
| 11a | 11a | "Shell Shock" | Blair Peters | Martin Olson, Blair Peters, and Timothy Björklund Story by : Martin Olson | December 9, 1995 | ||||||
| 11b | 11b | "The Big Hunt" | Blair Peters | Jeremy Kramer, Blair Peters, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Jeremy Kramer | December 9, 1995 | ||||||
| 12a | 12a | "Felix's Big Splash" | Chris Moeller and Christian Roman | Jeremy Kramer, Christopher Moeller, and Christian Roman Story by : Jeremy Kramer | December 16, 1995 | ||||||
| 12b | 12b | "Gross Ghost" | Milton Knight | Martin Olson and Milton Knight Story by : Martin Olson | December 16, 1995 | ||||||
| 12c | 12c | "Swedish Meatballs" | Brian Sheesley | Martin Olson, Brian Sheesley, Eric Keyes, and Timothy Björklund Story by : Martin Olson | December 16, 1995 | ||||||
| 13a | 13a | "Wet Paint" | Timothy Berglund | Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson | January 6, 1996 | ||||||
| 13b | 13b | "News Blues" | Blair Peters | Jeremy Kramer, Martin Olson, and Blair Peters Story by : Jeremy Kramer | January 6, 1996 | ||||||
| 13c | 13c | "Copycat" | Paul Vester | Michael Ouweleen and Paul Vester Story by : Michael Ouweleen | January 6, 1996 | ||||||
Season 2 (1996–97)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14a | 1a | "Surreal Estate" | Doug Lawrence | Mark Evanier and Doug Lawrence | September 14, 1996 | |
| 14b | 1b | "Phony Phelix" | Chris Moeller | Mark Evanier | September 14, 1996 | |
|
Felix is kidnapped and impersonated by an impossibly stupid and flaccid imposter, Oscar, and has to put a stop to his antics. | ||||||
| 14c | 1c | "The Five Minute Meatball" | Russell Crispin | Mark Evanier and Russell Crispin | September 14, 1996 | |
| 15a | 2a | "Bet a Billion Bill" | Craig Kellman | Mark Evanier and Craig Kellman | September 21, 1996 | |
| 15b | 2b | "Background Details" | Pat Shinagawa | Mark Evanier | September 21, 1996 | |
| 15c | 2c | "Viva Lost Wages" | Russell Crispin | Mark Evanier and Russell Crispin | September 21, 1996 | |
| 16a | 3a | "The Punderground" | David Preston | Mark Evanier | September 28, 1996 | |
| 16b | 3b | "Nightmare on Oak Street" | Chris Moeller | Mark Evanier and Chris Moeller | September 28, 1996 | |
| 16c | 3c | "Star Trash" | Christian Roman | Mark Evanier, Christian Roman, and Craig Kellman | September 28, 1996 | |
| 17a | 4a | "The Fuzzy Bunny Show" | Brett Varon | Mark Evanier, Brett Varon, and Craig Kellman | October 12, 1996 | |
| 17b | 4b | |||||
| 17c | 4c | "The Milky Way" | Pete Michels | Mark Evanier and Pete Michels | October 12, 1996 | |
| 18a | 5a | "Black Magic Bag" | Doug Lawrence | Mark Evanier and Doug Lawrence | October 19, 1996 | |
| 18b | 5b | "The Maltese Milkshake" | Jim Schumann | Mark Evanier and Jim Schumann | October 19, 1996 | |
| 18c | 5c | "Attack of the Robot Rat" | Pat Ventura | Mark Evanier, Pat Ventura, and Craig Kellman | October 19, 1996 | |
| 19a | 6a | "Heart of Tin" | Chris Moeller | Mark Evanier and Chris Moeller | November 2, 1996 | |
| 19b | 6b | "Battle of the Brains" | Doug Lawrence | Mark Evanier and Doug Lawrence | November 2, 1996 | |
| 19c | 6c | "TV or Not TV" | Pat Shinagawa | Mark Evanier and Pat Shinagawa | November 2, 1996 | |
| 20a | 7a | "Wizards and Lizards" | Russell Crispin | Mark Evanier and Russell Crispin | April 5, 1997 | |
| 20b | 7b | "The Evil Donut" | Jim Schumann | Mark Evanier and Jim Schumann | April 5, 1997 | |
| 20c | 7c | "An Auto Biography" | Doug Lawrence | Mark Evanier and Doug Lawrence | April 5, 1997 | |
| 21a | 8a | "Comicalamities" | Pat Ventura | Mark Evanier, Pat Ventura, and Craig Kellman | April 12, 1997 | |
| 21b | 8b | "Super Felix" | Chris Moeller | Mark Evanier and Chris Moeller | April 12, 1997 | |
| 21c | 8c | "Dueling Whiskers" | Doug Lawrence | Mark Evanier and Doug Lawrence | April 12, 1997 | |
Broadcast
editThe series first aired on September 16, 1995[1] on CBS lasting for two seasons with the final episode airing on April 12, 1997. The first season consists of 13 episodes and the second and final season consists of 8 episodes. It also has Spanish-dubbed episodes of the series aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings on Telefutura in 2003.
References
edit- ^ a b "SHOWS FOR YOUNGSTERS AND THEIR PARENTS TOO: For fall, a classically restyled puddy tat and Felix the Cat". Articles.latimes.com. 1995-08-27. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 666. ISBN 978-1-5381-0373-9.
- ^ "¡De Cabeza!" - (Univision Network) - Promo (2000-2001) on YouTube
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 445. ISBN 978-0-8230-8315-2. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ "The Incredible Voices of Mary Kay Bergman". Archived from the original on 2000-08-15. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c d e f "The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ^ "The Twisted Tales Of Felix The Cat II (DVD) (Vol.5-6) (Hong Kong Version) DVD - CN Entertainment Ltd. - Anime in Chinese - Free Shipping". Yesasia. 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2015-11-11.