Teela is pissed.

It is sometimes surprising to find the words that pop up in the scripts and storyboards of the He-Man and She-Ra series. Bob Forward rightly indicates that Teela "is pissed" in this highly memorable scene from "Into the Abyss". What I love about Bob's illustration is that, while simple, you can see the expression on Teela's face; two eyes with a furrowed brow indicating her displeasure at Prince Adam, who lazes before her with Cringer...


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The Iron Master attacks!

Here is a very dramatic illustration from the Ladybird book "The Iron Master" by Robin Davies. I love the angle on this illustration in which we see the heroes atop Castle Grayskull looking down towards the Iron Master, as it chases He-Man and Battle Cat towards the jaw-bridge. There is a great deal going on in this illustration. First we have Teela firing a beam from her Kobra staff, striking the Iron Master; secondly we have the Iron Master's eyes creating shafts of harsh red light; and thirdly He-Man and Battle Cat racing into the castle.


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Whooooaaaaahhh!

As I have showcased before on this Blog, Rich Chidlaw's storyboards for the season one He-Man episode "The Region of Ice" are beautifully illustrated. In this particular piece we see Orko being sucked through an underground tube! There are so many things to admire in this illustration. Firstly, the detail overall; secondly, the expression of Orko in each pose; and thirdly, the stunning use of hatching to illustrate the cavern walls either side of Orko. Also, I should mention that the way in which Orko's hands are illustrated makes me chuckle every time...


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Leech's hands.

Leech was by far the most underused of the Evil Horde villains. Even though Modulok made fewer appearances, at least that particular character was fleshed out! The simple fact is that Leech was the Tri-Klops of the Evil Horde; a character that the writers could do little with. Even though he had little screen presence, his suction cup hands made him unforgettable. It is worth mentioning that in his debut appearance in "Into Etheria" he displayed the ability to change between his suction cup hands and a pair of quite normal hands! Sadly, the character was so rarely used that we never got to see this again.


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TV spot alternate takes #4

Prior to the debut of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe airing, two differing TV spots were created by Filmation in order to promote series. The cel sequences and backgrounds used in these TV spots primarily came from the episodes "Diamond Ray of Disappearance", and "The Dragon Invasion", as they were two of the first episodes to near completion! In this, the fourth of four posts, I shall highlight the notable differences between the footage used in the TV spots with the actual completed episodes themselves.

In this sequence from the TV spot we see Trap Jaw on the War Sled firing laser blasts and destroying buildings at the Royal Palace. The final piece of animation appears in "Diamond Ray of Disappearance", and was reshot to take place during the day.

On the left-hand side is the footage from the TV spot, while on the right-hand side is the footage as it was produced for the series.






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In this piece from the TV spot we see the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe logo in front of an outerspace background. The final piece of animation used during the introduction sequence has the text appear on a black background.

On the left-hand side is the footage from the TV spot, while on the right-hand side is the footage as it was produced for the series.


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Tuskador shoots water?

As many of you will know, I am a fan of The New Adventures of He-Man. However, Tuskador is one character I could care less about. I thought the original action figure was a joke, and his appearances in the cartoon were often forgettable. Imagine then my horror when in the public service announcement that accompanied the episode "The Nemesis Within" he demonstrated the ability to shoot water from his trunk! Just when I thought the character could not lose any more of my respect, he did.


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TV spot alternate takes #3

Prior to the debut of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe airing, two differing TV spots were created by Filmation in order to promote series. The cel sequences and backgrounds used in these TV spots primarily came from the episodes "Diamond Ray of Disappearance", and "The Dragon Invasion", as they were two of the first episodes to near completion! In this, the third of four posts, I shall highlight the notable differences between the footage used in the TV spots with the actual completed episodes themselves.

In this piece from the TV spot we see He-Man throw a dragon out of shot. The final piece of animation appears in "The Dragon Invasion", in which the background is different. Oddly, in the TV spot it makes much more sense as the damaged wall should have appeared behind He-Man and the dragon in the episode produced!

On the left-hand side is the footage from the TV spot, while on the right-hand side is the footage as it was produced for the series.



(click on the images to see them at full-size)

In this piece from the TV spot we see Skeletor's laughing head over Castle Grayskull. The final piece of animation appears in "The Dragon Invasion", but was reshot so that the jaw-bridge was open.

On the left-hand side is the footage from the TV spot, while on the right-hand side is the footage as it was produced for the series.



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A brief review #022 - "Song of Celice"

As many of you will know, in 2010 I published The unofficial cartoon guide to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. At 300+ pages the book features 700+ pieces of trivia, 460+ deleted scenes, 360+ examples of animation reuse, 380+ quotes, 50+ abandoned episodes, and a LOT more! It is the book that NO fan of the Filmation series can live without! BUY IT NOW!

As an incentive, here is my brief review and rating (as they appear in the book) for "Song of Celice"...

This episode has all the makings of a great one, but somehow it falls short. The basic premise itself is wonderful, but too many opportunities are passed by. Instead of seeing more of Celice and the danger Tahryn faces by her absence, we are treated to an out of place sub-plot involving Teela attempting to find and rescue her father. The scenes at Snake Mountain with Celice falling under the command of Skeletor are good, but by contrast the scenes of He-Man and his friends following Yog are not. The final confrontation at Castle Grayskull should feel like an event, but it feels like something is missing. Yog's all-too-brief brief battle with He-Man pretty much sums up the episode. 4/10

Now, may I ask; what is YOUR rating?

TV spot alternate takes #2

Prior to the debut of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe airing, two differing TV spots were created by Filmation in order to promote series. The cel sequences and backgrounds used in these TV spots primarily came from the episodes "Diamond Ray of Disappearance", and "The Dragon Invasion", as they were two of the first episodes to near completion! In this, the second of four posts, I shall highlight the notable differences between the footage used in the TV spots with the actual completed episodes themselves.

In this piece from the TV spot we see Teela leap onto a Sky Sled within the grounds of the Royal Palace and take to the skies. The final piece of animation appears in "Diamond Ray of Disappearance", but not within the grounds of the palace. Notice that in the TV spot the background of the Royal Palace is missing an entire layer behind the archway.

On the left-hand side is the footage from the TV spot, while on the right-hand side is the footage as it was produced for the series.




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In this piece from the TV spot we see Stratos swoop through the shot. The final piece of animation appears in "The Dragon Invasion", but takes place inside Castle Grayskull with Trap Jaw's laser blasts just missing the winged warrior.

On the left-hand side is the footage from the TV spot, while on the right-hand side is the footage as it was produced for the series.



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Bruce Timm designs Mally.

During the She-Ra series the now-legendary Bruce Timm was one of the many character design artists. He would often design a group of new supporting characters should the script so request it. The season one episode "Unexpected Ally" was one of the episodes he worked on to create the supporting cast for. Here we see two illustrations by Bruce as he designs the character of Mally. Once more the artist showcases his amazing ability to draw incredibly beautiful women! The note on the top right is interesting; is states that the final character model should use the body of the first design with the head of the second. If you examine the final character model of Mally in the episode you will see that this actually came to pass!


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TV spot alternate takes #1

Prior to the debut of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe airing, two differing TV spots were created by Filmation in order to promote series. The cel sequences and backgrounds used in these TV spots primarily came from the episodes "Diamond Ray of Disappearance", and "The Dragon Invasion", as they were two of the first episodes to near completion! In this, the first of four posts, I shall highlight the notable differences between the footage used in the TV spots with the actual completed episodes themselves.

The first piece of footage we see in the two TV spots features what most would believe to be the same animation as seen in the introduction sequence. However, in the TV spot the background effects are different, and He-Man's mouth does not move, whereas in the sequence produced for the series it is synced to his dialogue.

On the left-hand side is the footage from the TV spot, while on the right-hand side is the footage as it was produced for the series.






(click on the images to see them at full-size)