Gargoyles was an action cartoon on the Disney Afternoon about a group of gargoyles living in 20th century New York City. It was noted for its dark ambience, contrary to Disney's usual cheery style. The final season was entitled "The Goliath Chronicles", and dug even further into the characaters' personalities.
Characters[]
- Goliath- the serious leader of the Manhattan Clan.
- Hudson- the elder of the Clan
- Broadway- the fat, good-natured member of the Clan
- Bronx- a canine member of the Clan
- Angela- daughter of Goliath and Demona
- Brooklyn- Goliath's second in command. Has a sarcastic attitude, but is an expert strategist.
- Demona- Goliath's former mate. Turned evil.
- Elisa- a detective working for the New York Police Department. She is a major friend of the Clan.
- Xanatos- a billionaire who purchases Castle Wyvern, where the Gargoyles reside, and places the statues on his estate. Obsessed with obtaining immortality and is often ruthless and amoral. He may be named after Thanatos, the Greek god of death.
Premise[]
The gargoyles had been erected to defend a Scottish Gothic cathedral from attacking invaders. Unlike most gargoyles, these beasts actually came to life. The gargoyles, however, were eventually cursed. They were turned to stone for a millennium, after which they awoke to find themselves (somehow) in modern-day New York City. They quickly adapted to their new home, taking the names of its boroughs and befriending a few of its inhabitants as well as learning modern English.
Video Game[]
A game was released for the Genesis. A Super Nintendo release was planned, but never came to fruition.
Trivia[]
- Although unconfirmed, Gargoyles may have been created in response to the popularity of Batman: the Animated Series on the Saturday morning block Fox Kids.
- Keith David provided the voice of Goliath. He is also known for voicing Captain David Anderson in the Mass Effect series of action RPGs. He also had minor roles in Aladdin, Hercules, and Timon and Pumbaa.
- Popular internet reviewer Nostalgia Critic praised the show during his review of the Disney Afternoon
- The late, great Tony Jay had a minor role in the series
- A wyvern is a legendary creature with a dragon's head and wings, a reptilian body, two legs, and a tail often ending in a diamond- or arrow-shaped tip. There is no Castle Wyvern in real life, however.
- the cartoon series Freakazoid had a sketch known as "Lawn Gnomes" which parodied Gargoyles
- Demona was voiced by Marina Sirtis, who also played Deanna Troi in Star Trek: the Next Generation and voiced Matriarch Benezia in the action RPG Mass Effect
- The first episode was done in a five-parter. It begins in tenth century Scotland.
- The warriors speak modern English when in fact they would be speaking Gaelic, as Scotland and England were separate at the time. If they did speak English, it would be more like that found in Beowulf.
- Angela is still depicted in modern human female fashion.
- The Gargoyles do not act paranoid by the modern world
- Goliath acts as if he was expecting to meet Xanatos