Dino-Riders

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dino-Riders Dino-Riders Dino-Riders Product logo Format Created by Starring Animation Paul Kirchner (story) Charles Adler Jack Angel Cam Clarke Townsend Coleman Joe Colligan Peter Cullen Ike Eisenmann Dan Gilvezan Noelle North Rob Paulsen Patrick Pinney Frank Welker United States 14 their struggle. The Valorians used their telepathy for taming dinosaurs to ride and for domestic use. The Rulons captured dinosaurs with ’brain boxes’. These were large metal helmets which fit onto dinosaur’s heads and control their brains. Both Valorians and Rulons would often fit dinosaurs with huge arrays of laser and weapon platforms, upon which people could ride, and attack one another. Battles were mostly motivated by the Rulons’ desire to steal the S.T.E.P. from the Valorians, and almost always inconclusive, seldom accomplishing more for either side than restoring the status quo from the beginning of the episode. One of the recurring trends throughout the series was the Tyrannosaurus Rex getting de-brain boxed by the Dino-Riders. Overview As the Valorians are attempting to evade the Rulon forces who are chasing them throughout space, Questar announces that their only hope of survival is to use the Space Time Energy Projector, colloquially referred to as the S.T.E.P. The Valorians are being chased by a fairly large fleet of Rulons, and their ship, along with the S.T.E.P, has come under considerable fire. Turret explains that they may not make it due to the amount of damage but proceeds with the course of action. When attempting to use the S.T.E.P, they come to the realization that they do not have enough power for the operation. However, the Rulons lock on to their ship with a tractor beam, thinking they are about to escape. With the tractor beam locked onto their ship, though, the Valorians use it as a source of energy, allowing them to make the jump through time, and unknowingly dragging the main Rulon ship with them. The Valorians make a crash landing, soon encounter numerous dinosaurs roaming the land that surrounds them, and realize that they have traveled back to prehistoric earth. The Rulons, having landed further away, in a darker and what appears to be volcanic environment, have not yet discovered that they have traveled through time and have spent two days trying to contact Rulon forces in the area. Numerous beings curiously approach their grounded spaceship. Thinking that they are Valorians, Krulos orders that they are to be fired upon, until he sees that it is a pack of Deinonychus. The Rulons then see that there are dinosaurs everywhere; Krulos curses Questar for dragging him through time. He then vows to get the Valorians’s precious S.T.E.P, so he can return to his empire in the present day. He announces that they must destroy the Valorians. The Rulons make plans to Country of origin No. of episodes Production Running time Broadcast Original channel Original run approximately 23 min (per episode) Syndication October 2, 1988 – December 1988 Dino-Riders is a cartoon television series that aired in the late 1980s, primarily as a promotion to launch a new Tyco toy line. Only fourteen episodes were produced, thirteen of which were aired as part of the Marvel Action Universe. Episodes were also released as a collection of Dino-Riders VHS tapes, which are sometimes sought after as collectors’ items. The series told the story of the Valorians, a peaceful race of telepathic humans whose home planet was conquered by the Rulon Empire. 400 survivors escaped on a space ship and time traveled to prehistoric Earth using the experimental Space-Time Energy Projector (also known as the S.T.E.P). But Emperor Krulos and his lead commanders accidentally followed them into the past when a tractor beam locked onto the Valorians’ ship during the time jump. Stranded in the past, the two groups recruited the planet’s dinosaur population into 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia brain-box powerful dinosaurs so they can defeat the Valorians and steal the S.T.E.P, thus allowing them to return to the present day. Upon hearing laser shots outside the valley area, the Valorians find out that they are not alone and prepare their own dinosaurs for a Rulon attack. In regards to the dinosaur (and other animal) species present, the series is extremely anachronistic, showing late Cretaceous species like Tyrannosaurus rex alongside species from earlier eras, including the Permian genus Dimetrodon, which actually lived 200 million years earlier, before dinosaurs had evolved. However, these anachronisms only emerged with the second wave of DinoRiders toys; the first wave included mostly dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period (exceptions are Diplodocus and Pterodactylus, both from Jurassic period), which coincided with the official statement that the series took place 65 million years in the past. • • • • • • Resident kid. Military advisor. Dinosaur trainer. Pilot; Yungstar’s rival. Repair tech. : Caveman from Ice Age. Dino-Riders Dino-Rider Commandos • • • • • • Leader of the commandos. Specialty is crossing rocky terrain. Specialty is air support. Specialty is explosives. Specialty is wildlife and recon. Specialty is electronics and artillery. Valorian Dinosaurs • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Diplodocus Deinonychus Stegosaurus Protoceratops Pachycephalosaurus Dimetrodon Struthiomimus Quetzalcoatlus Torosaurus Pterodactyl Chasmosaurus Edmontonia Pachyrhinosaurus Rhamphorhynchus (included with Brontosaurus) Styracosaurus Brontosaurus Smilodon Giant Ground Sloth Entelodont (identified as Killer Warthog) Woolly Mammoth Characters The plot for the Dino-Riders television show is the continual struggle between the good Valorians and the evil Rulons. The Valorians were a peaceful, super-human race who were driven out of their home planet Valoria by the Rulons. The Rulons are a tyrannical race of various species. The Valorians are a rebel band of survivors from the planet Valoria. They are led by the heroic and compassionate Questar. Questar assumed the leadership position of the team of remaining Valorians primarily because of his reputation as one of the planet’s greatest leaders. The characters that appear prominently in the Valorian group alongside Questar are Yungstar, Serena, Gunner, Turret, and Mind-Zei. They all play different roles and have varying abilities. The residents of the Rulon ship Dreadlock, which was pulled through time along with the escapee Valorian ship, are led by Krulos, the ruler of the Rulon Empire. Their ranks are filled with various species, notably Vipers (a species resembling a Cobra), Hammerheads and Ants. Rulons • Ruler of the evil Rulon Empire. He is a frog-like alien, who always lives in an exo-suit filled with water. If his body does not stay in contact with water, he will die. Whilst in battle, he rides a Triceratops or he commands the Rulons from the top of the Tyrannosaurus rex. His ultimate goal is to capture the S.T.E.P., enslave the Valorians and return to the present. His three main commanders are Rasp, Hammerhead and Antor. In the cartoon, he was voiced by Frank Welker. • Commander of the Vipers. Rasp is a viper-like alien. He’s vicious and always willing to stab Krulos, the Rulon emperor, in the back. In battle, he normally flies a pterodactyl. He was voiced by Charlie Adler. • Commander of the Sharrkurs. He looks like a hammerhead shark and leads a race called the sharkpeople. He is the most competent of all Rulon Dino-Riders (Valorians) • Leader of the Dino-Riders. Questar is the leader of the Valorians. He flees the evil forces of the Rulons and wants to rebuild a peaceful civilization on prehistoric earth. In the cartoon he rides a Deinonychus or he commands his troops from the Diplodocus’s command pod. • Pilot and dare-devil. • Pilot and healer. • One of the lead warriors and trainers. • Scientist. • Blind advisor to Questar; Serena’s grandfather. 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia commanders. Normally he follows his emperor Krulos, but he helps him if he makes any mistakes. He hates Rasp, because Rasp always wants to topple Hammerhead and Krulos. He also hates the Valorian Yungstar, but this is never explained in the cartoon. He usually commands his men from a Triceratops. He was voiced by Charlie Adler. Commander of the Antmen. He is the fourth in command of the Rulon empire, after Krulos, Rasp and Hammerhead. He is an ant-like alien. He is the least competent of all commanders and he leads the ant-men. Normally he rides a Deinonychus in battle. He was voiced by Peter Cullen. Krulos’ Second-in-command? Krok’s Sidekick. Voiced by Frank Welker Lower-level Rulon commander. Dino-Riders Toys The reason for production of the animated series was to launch a Dino-Riders toy line. It was expected that the toys would be produced at a high level of quality. The toys were met with high praise, in particular the detail of the models proved to be beneficial to the line.[1] The toys were based on a simple concept of combining two themes within popular toys - dinosaurs and futuristic weaponry. Every dinosaur product came with body gear which generally included fitted weapons and stations - each being specific to every individual dinosaur. Each dinosaur also came with at least one action figure, in some cases numerous figurines - depending on the size of the dinosaur. Each dinosaur came in a box that was covered in detailed art which depicted scenes of the Dino-Rider story. Every toy, along with an instruction manual came with an exclusive comic book. The advertisements for the toy line could be seen at the beginning of the Dino Riders home videos, in which the toys were seen in a real environment, usually battling each other, being handled by kids. The toys were divided into a three part series along with other special releases such as the Ice-Age editions. Product Dynamics Ltd worked with Tyco in creating the toys. The toys were also released in Japan, where the boxes had variations. Imitation Dino-Riders toys were also produced, and were available in places like Europe. They looked very similar to the original, except for some obvious mistakes such as screws being more visible and so on. The known imitations produced include variations of the Torosaurus, Stegosaurus and a Brontosaurus. In 1990 the toy-line came to an end. However, the Smithsonian Institution was so impressed with the technical accuracy of the toys they contacted Tyco, and teamed up with them to re-release the dinosaur models.[2] The partnership was advantageous for Tyco, who had excess figurines from the Dino-Riders series. There were few noticeable differences between the original Dino-Riders toys and the Smithsonian ones; a darker paint scheme, and a removal of motorized walking action. The molds used, however, were kept the same, and were sold sans weaponry. There were 20 dinosaurs released, as well as ice age toys. Some dinosaurs had name changes to reflect better accuracy. In 1993 the same figures were used on another Tyco line, Cadillacs & Dinosaurs. The character Rex in Disney’s Toy Story is based on the Tyrannosausus Rex character’s toy (List of Toy Story characters). The character Bix in the Dinotopia series is likewise modeled after the Dino-Riders Protoceratops toy.[3] • • • • Rulon Dinosaurs • Tyrannosaurus rex • Triceratops • Pteranodon • Ankylosaurus • Deinonychus • Monoclonius • Placerias • Saurolophus • Kentrosaurus • Quetzalcoatlus In many episodes of the cartoon (and in the comic books included with the sets) the Valorians ride dinosaurs which don’t belong to their ranks in the toyline. For example: Serena often flyes with a Pteranodon instead of the usual Quetzalcoatlus; both in the first comic book and in the pilot episode, Valorians ride Monoclonius instead of Styracosaurus but harness and weapons are the same. Episodes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. The Adventure Begins (1) Revenge of the Rulons (2) The Rulon Stampede The Blue Skies of Earth Toro, Toro, Torosaurus T-Rex Krulos Tagg, You’re It! Thanksgiving To Lose the Path Enter the Commandos Battle for the Brontosaurus (1) One to Lead Us (2) Ice Age Adventure 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dino-Riders Riders run on television. These were primarily children-orientated products, such as colouring books, puzzles and crayons. Tyco also released a number of Super Dough play sets. In addition to these products, Dino-Riders clothing, kites, stickers and costumes were produced. • Tyrannosaurus-Riding Dinoriders had a cameo in the South Park episode Imaginationland Episode III marching with the evil characters. Comics Apart from the miniature comics that came with a purchase of one of the Dinosaur toys, Marvel released a three part mini series of Dino-Rider comics. The comics had different story lines to the cartoon and were considered to be much darker than the cartoon as well. A ’Dino-Riders Annual’ was later released as a hardcover book that contained both the first and second issues in the one collection. The Marvel comic books were released in 1989, the first issue, The Path being released in February, being 23 pages long. International titles • The series was dubbed in European and Asian countries under the same title with the exception of France, where it was renamed Dino Riders, and Japan, Busou kyouryou dainozu -dinoraidāzu- (???????? ~???? ????~ "armed dinosaures dinos ~dinoriders~"). The toy line was distributed by Epoch Inc. (????, epokku) in the archipel. Cast • Charlie Adler - Hammerhead • Jack Angel • Renee Barkan • Joe Colligan • Cam Clarke • Townsend Coleman • Peter Cullen - Antor, Bomba, Gunner • Steven Dorff • Ike Eisenmann • Dan Gilvezan - Questar • Noelle North - Serena • Rob Paulsen - Faze, Kameelian • Patrick Pinney • Frank Welker - Glyde, Krulos, Rasp, Skate NOTE: In the Dino-Riders cartoon, both Krulos and his most powerful commander Rasp were voiced by Frank Welker. Questar, the heroic leader of the Valorians was voiced by Dan Gilvezan, and the Valorian soldier Gunner was voiced by Peter Cullen. Welker, Gilvezan and Cullen also did voices for the Transformers cartoon, as well as Adler, Angel, and Coleman. It is a popular, but incorrect, belief that Rasp was voiced by Chris Latta, to the extent that it was stated in ToyFare magazine - in truth, Latta had no role in the series. References [1] [2] "Dino Riders: The Toys". toyarchive.com. http://www.toyarchive.com/DinoRiders/ DinoRidersToys.html. Retrieved on 28 September 2006. "Dino Riders: The Smithsonian Institution Dinosaur Collection (1992)". toyarchive.com. http://www.toyarchive.com/DinoRiders/Smithsonian/ Smithsonian.html. Retrieved on 28 September 2006. http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/11/bixmaquettes.html [3] External links • • • • • • • • Dino-Riders at the Internet Movie Database Dino-Riders at TV.com Dino-Riders at the Big Cartoon DataBase A complete list of aired episodes dinoriders.com A Dino-Riders fan site Toy and video information Comic book credits Dino-Riders by Tyco at www.figure-archive.net Other Media • In addition to the toys and comics, there were a number of other products released during the DinoRetrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dino-Riders" Categories: Action figures, Dinosaurs in fiction, Toys of the 1980s, 1988 television series debuts, 1980s American animated television series, Science fiction television series, Marvel Comics animation, Marvel Comics titles, 1988 television series endings, First-run syndicated television programs in the United States This page was last modified on 13 May 2009, at 20:13 (UTC). 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