King Arthur and the Knights of Justice
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| King Arthur and the Knights of Justice | |
|---|---|
 Complete series DVD cover | |
| Genre | Action, adventure, fantasy |
| Created by | Diane Eskenazi |
| Written by | Diane Eskenazi |
| Directed by | Stephan Martinière Charlie Sansonetti Xavier Picard Shigeru Koshi (production) Kazasuke Doshihara (art) Michael Donovan (voice director) |
| Creative directors | Stephan Martinière Charlie Sansonetti |
| Voices of | Andrew Kavadas Scott McNeil Michael Donovan Kathleen Barr Garry Chalk Jim Byrnes |
| Composers | Haim Saban[1] Shuki Levy[1] |
| Country of origin | United States Canada France |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Allen Bohbot Jean Chalopin Diane Eskenazi (season 1) Avi Arad (season 1) |
| Producers | Mark Taylor Xavier Picard Allen Bohbot (season 1) Diane Eskenazi (season 1) |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | C&D (Créativité et Développement) Golden Films Bohbot Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication (Amazin' Adventures) |
| Release | September 13, 1992 – December 12, 1993 |
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice is an animated series produced by Golden Films, C&D (Créativité et Développement), and Bohbot Entertainment and created by Diane Eskenazi and Avi Arad, who also served as executive producers. The series aired from September 13, 1992, to December 12, 1993, with two seasons and twenty-six episodes. It aired as part of Bohbot's Amazin' Adventures programming block.[2]
Plot
[edit]After King Arthur's sister, the evil sorceress Queen Morgana, traps him and the Knights of the Round Table in the Cave of Glass, the wizard Merlin is unable to free them himself. He searches the timeline for replacement Knights. In modern times, he finds Arthur King, the quarterback of the New York football team The Knights, and transports him and his teammates to Camelot after one of their football games. He appoints Arthur as their leader and his teammates as the new Knights of the Round Table and tasks them with freeing King Arthur and the Knights. To do so, they must find the Twelve Keys of Truth, one for each knight that only the knight can initially touch and one for King Arthur. Once all the keys are found, the knights will be free and the team can return home. In the meantime, they pledge "fairness to all, to protect the weak and vanquish the evil".
Characters
[edit]The Knights of the Round Table
[edit]Members of the football team The Knights, whom Merlin transports to Camelot to serve as replacements for King Arthur and the Knights until they can be freed. The Knights are armed with special armor and can summon their respective creatures when in battle armor. These animals, such as King Arthur's wyvern, are emblazoned on their shields.
- King Arthur (Arthur King) (voiced by Andrew Kavadas) is the quarterback of his football team, The Knights, in modern times. While he sometimes seeks Merlin's advice, he usually comes up with strategies and battle plans on his own and his leadership helps to bring the team together. He wields Excalibur as well as a shield that houses the Dragon of Justice, also known as the Dragon of the Shield, a wyvern that was the family crest of the original Arthur. He also has a horse named Valor.
- Sir Lancelot (Lance) (voiced by Scott McNeil) is the second-in-command of the knights and Arthur's best friend. He is fearless and brave and usually the most serious of the knights. His primary weapon is a lance and his shield emblem is a lion.
- Sir Tone (Anthony) (voiced by Scott McNeil) is the team's inventor and blacksmith due to his experience in his school's metal shop, inventing machines based on those he has seen in his own time. His primary weapons are a hammer and chisel, which he uses to build.
- Sir Trunk (voiced by Scott McNeil) is the knights' strongman. His primary weapon is a double-headed battle axe and his shield emblem is a ram, whose strength allows it to break through walls and carry several people on its back.
- Sir Wally (voiced by Lee Jeffrey) is a guard for The Knights and Arthur's bodyguard, as well as Sir Brick's best friend. He is good-natured, but harsh on himself when he makes mistakes. His shield emblem is a falcon.
- Sir Brick (voiced by Garry Chalk) is Arthur's bodyguard and Sir Wally's best friend, whose loyalty to his friends is unwavering. He can call forth a supply of bricks from his chest plate, which can be used to create walls.
- Sir Phil (voiced by Garry Chalk) is one of the stronger knights of the twelve. His primary weapon is a club and his shield emblem is a black panther.
- Sir Darren (voiced by Michael Donovan) is Lady Elaine's love interest, who is cool and confident both on and off the battlefield. His shield emblem is an eagle that can carry several people in its talons.
- Sir Gallop (voiced by Mark Hildreth) is one of the knights. While he often flirts with women, he is respectful towards them, and later begins dating the peasant girl Katherine. His primary weapon is a pike with a spiked ball on the end and his shield emblem is a two-headed hound.
- Sir Breeze (voiced by Lee Jeffrey) is The Knights' wide receiver, who is afraid of heights and small spaces. While he can be egotistical, he knows where his priorities lie. His primary weapon is a pike which can shoot bolts from the tip and his shield emblem is the sphinx.
- Sir Lug (voiced by Michael Donovan) is The Knights' equipment manager, who in medieval times is in charge of Camelot's squires. He has low self-esteem and is often picked on by the other knights, but has great courage and can hold his own in a fight. His chest armor launches a football projectile at enemies and his shield emblem resembles the kraken.
- Sir Zeke (voiced by Mark Hildreth) is the sole Asian player of The Knights, who is also the genius of the group.
Camelot characters
[edit]- Merlin (voiced by Jim Byrnes) is a wizard who served King Arthur. He was responsible for bringing Arthur King and his teammates into the past to fight Morgana after King Arthur and his knights were imprisoned since his magic can't free King Arthur and his knights from the Cave of Glass. Merlin is a great asset to the knights and uses his spells, potions, and advice to assist them. He is also the only person from his time period to know their true identities.
- Queen Guinevere (voiced by Kathleen Barr) is Camelot's queen and King Arthur's wife. She was captured by Morgana, but is later rescued by Arthur King, Lance, and Trunk. As she is unaware that Arthur King is not King Arthur, she often worries about the change in his demeanor.
- Lady Elaine (voiced by Venus Terzo) is Guinevere's attendant and Darren's girlfriend.
- Lady Mary is Guinevere's second attendant and Squire Everett's aunt.
- Katherine is a peasant girl who becomes Sir Gallop's girlfriend in season two.
- Squire Tyronne (voiced by Michael Donovan) is a squire who looks up to Sir Lug and dreams of becoming a knight.
- Squire Everett (voiced by Mark Hildreth) is Lady Mary's nephew who is passionate about being a knight.
- Lady of the Table (voiced by Kathleen Barr) is the protector of the knights, whose spirit is seen as the knights are equipped with their armor and weapons. They cannot see her until the episode "What the Key Unlocked" where she reveals herself to Lance. She usually tells them to "speak the oath" before activating their transformation.
Villains
[edit]- Queen Morgana / Lady Morgana (voiced by Kathleen Barr) is an evil sorceress and the main antagonist of the series who possesses great magical powers. She was responsible for sealing Arthur and his knights in the Cave of Glass. While she does not know where they came from, Morgana knows that the new knights are not the real ones.
- Lord Viper (voiced by Garry Chalk) is Morgana's second-in-command and overall field commander of the Warlords who harbors hatred towards Arthur King. While he primarily wields a sword, he also has a snake emblem on his armor that can attack others. Lord Viper rides in a cart that also functions as a catapult.
- The Warlords are Morgana's minions who were constructed from stone. If they are broken or destroyed in battle, Morgana can reassemble them using magic.
- Warlord Axe (voiced by Scott McNeil) is a warlord who is not too bright. Axe has a plethora of ax weapons and an ax cart. He has appeared in almost every episode and has defeated King Arthur on two separate occasions.
- Warlord Bash (voiced by Garry Chalk) is a primitive warlord who wields a bone club and skull-shaped shield. He likely represents the Saxon barbarians that raid most of Europe in legend.
- Warlord Blackwing (voiced by Scott McNeil) is the third-in-command and Viper's right-hand man. Blackwing possesses Pterodactyl-like wings and can fly, allowing him to attack his enemies with the mid-air dart attacks from his talons. He is also equipped with a pike. Warlord Blackwing is responsible for capturing Guinevere early in the series.
- Warlord Blinder is a warlord who is able to blind his opponents by striking together his two dirks. He can also throw them with perfect aim.
- Warlord Hammer (voiced by Michael Donovan) is a super-strong warlord with two hammers as weapons considered to be one of the strongest among them.
- Warlord Lucan is a savage wolf-like berserker warlord with sharp claws, missile attacks, and a wolf-head cart that breathes fire.
- Warlord Slasher is a warlord with many sharp weapons including spears, a serrated–spiked cape and a spear cart. Also, his armor could be configured into a pair of deadly gauntlets. Like Blackwing, he can fly, but does so rarely.
- Warlord Spike is a warlord with a voulge style weapon and a spear cart that can shoot projectiles. He also seems to be one of the smartest as he leads many missions and applies battle strategies.
- The Purple Horde is an army of Asian warriors who oppose the Knights in the second season. Led by Master Chang, they aim for conquest and are in an alliance with the Warlords.
- Master Chang is the leader of the Purple Horde, who upholds a strict code of honor for them to abide by, allowing for a level of understanding between them and the Knights.
- Awan is a warrior who uses a nunchaku and carries a war horn.
- Hung is a warrior who wields bow and arrows.
- Ti Ben is a warrior who uses portable gunpowder-based artillery.
- Rim is a warrior who uses a sword-dagger combo and bombs.
- Po is a warrior who uses a kusarigama and shuriken.
Episodes
[edit]Season 1 (1992)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Opening Kick-off" | September 13, 1992 | |
| When King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are defeated by the Warlords and then Queen Guinevere is later captured by the foes, the wizard Merlin recruits a group of football players from the present day to protect Camelot and save the queen. | ||||
| 2 | 2 | "A Knight's Quest" | September 20, 1992 | |
| Having repelled the Warlords once, the Knights of Justice continue to make their way with Merlin's help toward where Morgana holds Guinevere. Morgana is aware that King Arthur and his knights are still imprisoned so those approaching are strangers. She succeeds in capturing Lance and Trunk, causing Arthur to travel to her castle to rescue them as well. | ||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Unbeliever" | September 27, 1992 | |
| Lady Elaine warns Arthur and his Knights of a premonition she recently has dreamed, foretelling the quest to gain the Key of Truth to be a trap. | ||||
| 4 | 4 | "Even Knights... Have to Eat" | October 4, 1992 | |
| Merlin's falcon reveals to him that the key Arthur alone can use to free King Arthur from the Cave of Glass has been found. Merlin creates an impenetrable tunnel to send Arthur, Gallup, and Phil most of the way to retrieve it, but Morgana is aware of the extreme use of magic so reasons whom has used it and why. She sends Lord Viper and the Warlords to Crownhorn, the village it's ended up near, just after the knights stand up for Orin, a villager in a misunderstanding with an army of gnomes then are offered hospitality by him and his wife Kate. Suspecting the knights are in the home of Orin or a neighbor, they kidnap Kate with orders for Orin to bring a knight to him to ransom her. | ||||
| 5 | 5 | "Assault On Castle Morgana" | October 11, 1992 | |
| The Warlords make a failed attempt on Camelot, though do cause a fire. Lug is having self-esteem issues since he fears the dangers faced in battle and is still equipment manager, just in a different time and leading squires as well. Lord Viper and Blackwing succeed in capturing a unicorn for Morgana that she may use its power over all animals to beat the knights to finding the Keys of Truth. Merlin learns of this when the balance of magic is out of order as a result, and sees it as a cure for the restlessness of most of the knights. He sends Arthur, Breeze, Wally, Trunk, and Lug to free it, but they accidentally end up taking along Tyronne, who fell asleep in Arthur's wagon. | ||||
| 6 | 6 | "Quest for Courage" | October 18, 1992 | |
| The magician Cryslin requests Arthur's help in freeing her father, Merlin's sorcerer friend Rigis, from a sea serpent. He accepts and goes with Lance, Tone, Breeze, Trunk, Gallup, and Everett, but Everett's falling off the wagon she turned invisible reveals them soon after. The Warlords attack the knights near a village where a group of boys assist them in the victory. But the men in the village fear the Warlords, who vow vengeance on them. The knights stay behind to defend it against their promised attack while Arthur, despite learning from Crislin that she was leading him into a trap in exchange for her father's life, goes with her anyway to defeat the serpent and rescue Rigis. | ||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Warlord Knight" | October 25, 1992 | |
| Lance and Breeze are attacked by Warlords on their way back to Camelot from a mission, and Lucan succeeds in forcing Lance off a high cliff. While the Knights of Justice try to get over the shock of his loss, the Warlords learn he is actually alive but with amnesia when he approaches them. They take him to Morgana, who realizes that his tumble into the River of Forgetfulness will let them trick him into thinking he is one of them. They claim he is the Warlord Sir William, twin to Lancelot who just defected from King Arthur, whom she convinces him is evil, Everyone is overjoyed when Lance returns to Camelot, but don't know that his surprisingly distant behavior masks that he intends to deliver them into Morgana's hands. | ||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Challenge" | November 1, 1992 | |
| Breeze is wounded during a battle with the Warlords. Determined to let none of the other Knights of Justice come to harm at his side, Arthur challenges Viper to single combat, and has Zeke deliver it with other Warlords as witnesses so he'll have to keep his word. But everyone else's misgivings about Arthur's plan prove well-founded when Viper employs treachery in the duel. | ||||
| 9 | 9 | "To Save A Squire" | November 8, 1992 | |
| 10 | 10 | "The Surrender" | November 15, 1992 | |
| 11 | 11 | "Darren's Key" | November 22, 1992 | |
| 12 | 12 | "Viper's Phantom" | November 29, 1992 | |
| 13 | 13 | "The Way Back" | December 6, 1992 | |
Season 2 (1993)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "A Matter of Honor" | September 12, 1993 |
| 15 | 2 | "What the Key Unlocked" | September 19, 1993 |
| 16 | 3 | "Tyronne and Everett Alone" | September 26, 1993 |
| 17 | 4 | "The Dark Side" | October 3, 1993 |
| 18 | 5 | "The Quitter" | October 10, 1993 |
| 19 | 6 | "Camelot Park" | October 17, 1993 |
| 20 | 7 | "The High Ground" | October 24, 1993 |
| 21 | 8 | "The Island" | October 31, 1993 |
| 22 | 9 | "Quest for the Book" | November 7, 1993 |
| 23 | 10 | "Enter Morgana" | November 14, 1993 |
| 24 | 11 | "The Cure" | November 21, 1993 |
| 25 | 12 | "Winter Campaign" | November 28, 1993 |
| 26 | 13 | "Tone's Triumph" | December 12, 1993 |
Video game
[edit]A video game based on the series was produced by Enix for the Super NES platform in 1995. The game features a final confrontation between King Arthur and Morgana, in the form of a giant dragon, providing a finale to the series where the Knights football team were able to return to their own time.
Merchandise
[edit]Mattel released a handful of 51/2" action figures and vehicles/accessories based on the show.[3] Marvel Comics released a three-part comic book miniseries written by Mike Lackey in 1993.[4] A new comic book by Mad Cave Studios is to be published in April 2024.[5]
Home releases
[edit]Maximum Entertainment released the complete series of King Arthur and the Knights of Justice on Region 2 DVD in the UK. In 2010, after several various partial VHS and DVD releases, Image Entertainment released the complete series as a boxed set in North America with all 26 episodes in a three-DVD set King Arthur and the Knights of Justice: The Complete Animated Series.
For some time during late 2000s, the whole series has been made available for free watching through Internet streaming at the Lycos' SyncTV service and on Kidlet. Between 2012 and 2014, it has been also available for instant streaming on Netflix. In 2016, Golden Films released it via Amazon.com.[6] As of 2019, the series is available from the subscription service Watch It Kid!.[7] The series is also available on tubi.
Reception
[edit]The show has been ranked first on the lists of "The 10 Most Ridiculous Adaptations of Arthurian Legend" (2009) and the "8 Mostly Forgotten '90s Cartoons" (2011) by website Topless Robot,[8][9] as well as "15 Most WTF Adaptations of King Arthur" by ScreenRant in 2017.[10] Conversely, writer Mark McCray gave it a positive review "thanks to Chalopin's creative touches, which included a great premise, exceptional storytelling, and beautifully drawn animated characters."[11]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b BMI listing for King Arthur and the Knights of Justice
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 476. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ . 11 July 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110711000658/http://www.figurerealm.com/checklists.php?SID=127&figures=kingarthurandtheknightsofjustice. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "King Arthur And The Knights Of Justice (Marvel comic book) - 3 issues". 24 July 2012. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012.
- ^ "King Arthur and the Knights of Justice - Maverick".
- ^ "King Arthur and the Knights of Justice". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ "King Arthur & The Knights of Justice". Watch It Kid!. Archived from the original on 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
- ^ "The 10 Most Ridiculous Adaptations of Arthurian Legend". Topless Robot. 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
- ^ "8 Mostly Forgotten '90s Cartoons". Topless Robot. 2011-03-16. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
- ^ "15 Most WTF Adaptations Of King Arthur". ScreenRant. 2017-04-21. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ^ McCray, Mark (2015-10-26). The Best Saturdays of Our Lives. iUniverse. ISBN 9781491755075.
External links
[edit]- Official website (BKN International)
- Official website (Golden Films)
- King Arthur and the Knights of Justice at IMDb