From the animation company who gave us Transformers in the 80s and 90s incarnations of Marvel Comics's X-men and Spiderman on the small screen, TMS Entertainment made a follow-up to Transformers, in response to its success on TV and its popular toy line, titled: Visionaries- Knights of the Magical Light.
Two sets of enemies: one good, one bad- the good being the Spectral Knights, the other the Darkling Lords, with Merklyn the great wizard maintaining order, do battle against each other. Each member possesses their own weapon and is acquired with a set of special powers that enable them to magically transform into animals, best represented by the holographic emblems- or be it totems on their chest. They are also assigned to a particular animal, such as a lion, whale, a grizzly bear and a wolf to name for example. Thus, the animal also tends to, but not always reflect and connote the personality of each group member.
The series combines medieval shivery with futuristic special effects, which is and was the first of its kind to do so- think 'King Arthur' mixed with elements from Transformers, Jayce and the Wheeled warriors and Galaxy Rangers and you'll get the picture.
The dialogue was impressive, the concept is original and something that has never been attempted before for an animated show. The quality of the animation was faultless and the characters were well designed; and whereas they were often complex and detailed, the plots were unique, interesting and well- devised. As for the voice-acting, it was one of the best from any animated series.
The fact that it only lasted 13 episodes- which frankly equals to one measly season was criminal; given as this doesn't do this franchise any justice whatsoever. Visionaries was a very under-rated cartoon and one of the most overlooked ones, back in the 80s.
This is one of the many cartoons that deserve to make a comeback and be possibly remade for older and future generations of fans and admirers of Visionaries (and if it does so, to retain the original premise, design and feel of the show). I may have been a little girl at the time when this came out over 20 years, but I loved the action-packed cartoons the 80s had- and Visionaries was no exception. As it is an underrated gem.
It deserves to be released on DVD in the UK.
Two sets of enemies: one good, one bad- the good being the Spectral Knights, the other the Darkling Lords, with Merklyn the great wizard maintaining order, do battle against each other. Each member possesses their own weapon and is acquired with a set of special powers that enable them to magically transform into animals, best represented by the holographic emblems- or be it totems on their chest. They are also assigned to a particular animal, such as a lion, whale, a grizzly bear and a wolf to name for example. Thus, the animal also tends to, but not always reflect and connote the personality of each group member.
The series combines medieval shivery with futuristic special effects, which is and was the first of its kind to do so- think 'King Arthur' mixed with elements from Transformers, Jayce and the Wheeled warriors and Galaxy Rangers and you'll get the picture.
The dialogue was impressive, the concept is original and something that has never been attempted before for an animated show. The quality of the animation was faultless and the characters were well designed; and whereas they were often complex and detailed, the plots were unique, interesting and well- devised. As for the voice-acting, it was one of the best from any animated series.
The fact that it only lasted 13 episodes- which frankly equals to one measly season was criminal; given as this doesn't do this franchise any justice whatsoever. Visionaries was a very under-rated cartoon and one of the most overlooked ones, back in the 80s.
This is one of the many cartoons that deserve to make a comeback and be possibly remade for older and future generations of fans and admirers of Visionaries (and if it does so, to retain the original premise, design and feel of the show). I may have been a little girl at the time when this came out over 20 years, but I loved the action-packed cartoons the 80s had- and Visionaries was no exception. As it is an underrated gem.
It deserves to be released on DVD in the UK.