{"id":31407,"date":"2019-07-01T00:01:50","date_gmt":"2019-07-01T04:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=31407"},"modified":"2019-07-01T00:22:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-01T04:22:40","slug":"remembering-1994s-spider-man-the-animated-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/01\/remembering-1994s-spider-man-the-animated-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering 1994\u2019s \u201cSpider-Man: The Animated Series\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Before 1994 our only real animated Spider-Man fix was the 1981 series \u201cSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends.\u201d Intent on rethinking the Spider-Man mold for the nineties, FOX forked over a ton of money to New World Corporation (and then Saban) to create Spider-Man: The Animated Series. With a completely different animation style, and small uses of computer animation, \u201cSpider-Man: The Animated Series\u201d premiered in 1994 with the episode \u201cNight of the Lizard\u201d and managed to take off as a ratings boom for FOX in the wake of similar successes like \u201cX-Men\u201d and \u201cMighty Morphin Power Rangers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This time around Peter Parker was drawn to resemble Nicholas Hammond, star of the live action Spider-Man TV series from the 70s. Voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes (The Brady Bunch Movie), Peter is a young science student who is bitten by a radioactive spider and given the abilities of a spider. Building his own web shooters, he decides to fight crime when a moment of selfishness opens the door for his beloved Uncle Ben\u2019s murder. This is rarely mentioned beyond Peter blaming himself for being so selfish and constantly vowing to make Uncle Ben proud.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll get to that soon enough.<\/p>\n

FOX\u2019s \u201cSpider-Man\u201d garnered a slew of wonderful voice talent for its all-star cast of Spider-Man characters, offering up their own versions of famous Spider-Man storylines. The great Ed Asner took on the role of J. Jonah Jameson, while folks like Martin Landau, Eddie Albert, and David Warner came on for recurring roles, with the series including banner Spider-Man allies and rogues like Venom, Morbius, Doctor Octopus, Blade, Mysterio, Daredevil, Kingpin, and The Green Goblin. Looking back on it, Spider-Man: TAS is still a very beloved series, but hasn\u2019t aged all that well.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The animation varies from mediocre to terrible, while the acting (especially from Barnes) is hammy and immensely over the top. To top it off, the series was vastly watered down from the comics, and movie that continues to baffle fans, considering how boldly the hit show Batman: The Animated Series walked the lines of violence. According to producers, the FOX censors had a field day with the series, toning it down to an immense degree (apparently a reaction to complaints from parents, thanks on Power Rangers). Some of the series most absurd guidelines included:<\/p>\n

The term \u201cradioactive\u201d could not be used during the series and was replaced with the word \u201cneogenics;\u201d the use of the word during the lyrics are accidental.<\/p>\n

The Sinister Six were re-named the Insidious Six, because FOX thought the word Sinister would scare children.<\/p>\n

The words murder, death, or kill could never be mentioned.<\/p>\n

No crashing glass was allowed on the show.<\/p>\n

No fire was allowed on the show.<\/p>\n

No children were allowed to be in danger.<\/p>\n

Blood was referred to as plasma or essence.<\/p>\n

No one was allowed to punch during the series. Hence why when Captain America battles Red Skull, they grapple like schoolyard kids.<\/p>\n

Vampires were not allowed to suck blood<\/p>\n

No direct reference to Uncle Ben being murdered<\/p>\n

No direct reference at all to Punisher\u2019s family being murdered during a shoot out<\/p>\n

Whenever Spider-Man landed on a ledge he was not allowed to disturb or harm pigeons in any way.<\/p>\n

Guns were not supposed to resemble guns, or sound like actual shooting guns, and could only shoot lasers or variations like darts or nets, etc.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d be right to assume this wasn\u2019t the only series to feature such absurd guidelines. A \u201cFantastic Four\u201d animated series removed Human Torch from the show and replaced him with a robot, because producers were afraid kids would light themselves on fire to imitate Johnny Storm\u2019s powers. Even in spite of the intense censorship, Spider-Man: TAS flourished for five whole seasons and became a cultural touchstone for Marvel and comic book fans across the country. Marvel compensated by including guest spots from major heavyweights in the Marvel Universe with a popular crossover with the \u201cX-Men,\u201d and even offered a truncated version of the controversial \u201cSecret Wars.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the same vein as the 1967 animated series, the storylines became much more surreal and fantasy based. Spider-Man went from battling criminals and crime lords to fighting intergalactic beings and space snakes. Most of the final season included Mary Jane returning from her \u201cportal death\u201d only to discover she was a water clone birthed from Hydro Man with convenient amnesia. The final few episodes left a dimension-hopping Spider-Man fighting alongside a group of Spider-Man variations (including the infamous Scarlet Spider-Man) to stop the evil Spider-Carnage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>When the show finally ended in 1998, it did so with Peter Parker traveling in to a dimension where Spider-Man exists, but only in fiction. There he discovers a man named Stan Lee (voiced by the late, great Lee himself) who informs Spider-Man that he\u2019s a creation of the artist. By that meeting \u2013 and an awkward series of scenes featuring Stan riding on webs with Spidey \u2013 Peter and Spider-Man gain a new sense of purpose for his life as a superhero. The gimmick was pure fan service and even featured a sly in-joke when Lee marvels at the beauty of Madame Webb (Lee\u2019s wife, Joan Lee, voiced the sentient Webb). Its hokum, sure, but still the kind of hokum fan boys loved. Toward the end of the 90s, Marvel ran into financial issues and FOX subsequently cancelled the series.<\/p>\n

In spite of its inherent faults and downfalls in terms of production, Spider-Man: TAS remains one of the most celebrated series of the 90\u2019s. When all is said and done, I wouldn\u2019t call myself a fan of the series per se, but I definitely wouldn\u2019t turn down a viewing of \u201cNight of the Lizard\u201d if ever offered a chance. It\u2019s packed with nostalgia and sentimental value. Plus, it\u2019s tough to beat that awesome theme song.<\/p>\n