The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest is an animated action/adventure television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and broadcast on Cartoon Network from August 26, 1996 to April 16, 1997. A revival of the 1960s Jonny Quest franchise, it features Jonny and Hadji as teenage protagonists and a new character, Race Bannon's daughter, Jessie. The creators staged the show around Dr. Quest's investigations of strange phenomena, legends, and mysteries in exotic locales, which bring him into conflict with villains. Action also took place in the virtual realm of QuestWorld, a three-dimensional cyberspace domain rendered with computer animation.
Conceived in the early 1990s, Real Adventures suffered a long and troubled development. Hanna-Barbera dismissed the original creative team in 1996 and hired new producers to finish the show. One team finished the previous team's work, while the other wrote new episodes with reworked character designs akin to classic Quest . Each team produced half of fifty-two episodes. The first team crafted stories of real-world mystery and exploration, while later writers devised more liberal science fiction and paranormal plots.
Turner Entertainment supported the show through a massive marketing campaign with thirty-three licensees. Real Adventures debuted with an unprecedented wide release on Cartoon Network, TBS Superstation, and TNT, airing twenty-one times a week. Critics debated the merits of the animation, writing, and show's spirit compared to classic Quest . Real Adventures failed to gain high ratings with its targeted demographics and its merchandise performed poorly, leading to its cancellation after fifty-two episodes. Eight VHS and two laserdisc episodes were released in 1996, and reruns appeared until September 24, 1999 on Toonami, on other Cartoon Network formats until December 14, 2002, and on CNX until 2003. Turner released the first thirteen episodes on DVD in 2009.
Development and history
Hanna-Barbera (H-B) created The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest in the early 1990s as part of Turner Entertainment's plan to revive old brands. After acquiring H-B in 1991, Turner planned a series of year-long "Turner-wide initiatives" to capitalize on old characters and create new franchises. The factors in the Quest revival included copious fan mail and phone inquiries, and "incredibly high" marketing Q Scores. The show was also H-B's most popular venture in the action/adventure genre, and, at that time, no other animated series featured realistic children enjoying life-like adventures. With William Hanna and Joseph Barbera's blessings, the company planned a new series, live action film, and two telefilms— Jonny's Golden Quest and Jonny Quest vs. The Cyber Insects . Combined with a substantial marketing campaign, the project would be their largest corporate initiative undertaken since Turner acquired Hanna-Barbera. Turner Home Entertainment President Philip I. Kent claimed Quest would be a "consumer-products bonanza". Turner executives regarded Real Adventures as the linchpin of the Quest revival, considering the planned live-action movie a reinforcement of the animated series. Real Adventures , the live-action film, and release of classic episodes on VHS would constitute a "Year of Jonny Quest " marketing blitz. Delayed until 1996, the project echoed 1994's "Year of the Flintstones " and 1995's "Year of Yogi Bear ".
Production on Real Adventures commenced in 1993. Turner hired a team led by director Dick Sebast, writer Peter Lawrence, and art director Takashi Masunaga. Sebast and Lawrence decided to make the series as realistic as possible through accurate physics and depictions of machinery. Lawrence emphasized believability, eschewing "ridiculous...laser guns" for real sidearms. Immediate departures from the classic series included new character designs and the introduction of a new character to the Quest family. Takashi designed Jonny to be edgy and handsome—"rather than the cute kid he used to be", and rendered characters in the style of Japanese animation to differentiate from prevailing American superhero cartoons. The team used a new character—Race's daughter, Jessie Bannon—to create conflict with Jonny. She previously debuted in the 1986 The New Adventures of Jonny Quest episodes as a general's daughter, and appeared in the telefilms as Race's daughter by Jezebel Jade. The creative team researched child psychology, ensuring they could depict realistic action and consequences without fueling nightmares. H-B Chief Fred Seibert touted Quest as the " Home Alone of adventure", with "high-tech, multicultural themes" that would appeal to contemporary youth. The show's promoters assured that the new Quest would avoid "mindless violence, chauvinism, xenophobia and insensitivity", addressing historical criticisms of the classic series. A Turner executive claimed that Quest was developed for both boys and girls—"Traditionally, action adventure animation may be stronger with boys, but in this case, storylines are being developed to draw girls in...we're really hoping for a wide berth of viewership."
Turner appointed Stephanie Sterber head of a Jonny Quest task force in the first quarter of 1994, and held meetings involving all company functions—"ad sales, consumer products, licensing and marketing, production, promotions, educational services and international". Lawrence initially titled the show Jonny Quest's Extraordinary Adventures , changed in 1995 to its final name. Intended for a 1995 release with sixty-five episodes, Real Adventures fell into development hell; roughly thirty scripts and only eight reels were in progress by March 1995. Hanna-Barbera axed Lawrence and Takashi in 1996, hiring John Eng and Cosmo Anzilotti to finish the first twenty-six episodes. Turner insisted on a prompt completion, but the work was exhaustive because some sequences needed heavy revisions. A new team led by David Lipman, Davis Doi, and Larry Houston would finish twenty-six more for broadcast as a separate series named The New Jonny Quest with alternate character design. Time Warner's acquisition of Turner negated the separate series idea, leading to the episodes' release as the second season of Real Adventures .
Animation and music
Peter Lawrence described a need to go "beyond cartooning and into animated film-making" to facilitate the show's storytelling and use of mystery. Producers contracted seven studios to animate the first season, including Pacific Animation Co. in Japan and Toon's Factory in France. An international team handled digital post-production and QuestWorld scenes, while Japanese and Korean animators drew traditional cel sequences and added color. A team in Paris specialized in computer editing and post-production. Over a quarter of the first season's footage was digitally inked and painted to enhance the background and atmospheric elements. Producers applied the process in excess of twenty hours per episode, adding light effects, rain, snow, glitter, reflections, and fog to heighten realism. Hanna-Barbera also implemented a new computer system to help combine manual animation with digital paint and provide camera movement flexibility, creating a partial three-dimensional effect. Lawrence and animation director Takashi described the system's advantages in 1995:
Japan-based Mook Studios exclusively animated the second season. Despite censoring of death by firearms (replaced with darts) in the second season, Real Adventures maintained the classic show's realistic violence, featuring off-screen deaths of villains and allies. The show's format dictated that titles be aired first, then a short introduction, the first act, and the second act with commercial breaks in between. Producers originally intended to air the teaser before the titles. Bodie Chandler directed music for Quest , while several composers wrote incidental music and cues—including Gary Lionelli, Thomas Chase, Stephen Rucker, Lawrence H. Brown, Guy Moon, Kevin Kiner, Christophe Beck, and Mark Koval. Gary Lionelli conceived and wrote a new main theme based in part on the original '60s Jonny Quest theme by Hoyt Curtin. Composer Guy Moon considered working for the show the "hardest thing I've done in my life" due to the producers' demands for epic music: "They want a big orchestra with a good synth rig...It's great because they push me so much I'll probably replace my whole demo reel with Jonny Quest music...It's hip and it's current." Stephen Rucker attributed the invention of MIDI to greater ease in scoring Real Adventures . Partner and show composer Thomas Chase considered it an important tool for tweaking musical ideas, noting that, "For many kids, animation music is their first exposure to orchestral music."
QuestWorld
Producers cultivated an element of virtual reality through QuestWorld, a cyberspace simulation rendered with three-dimensional computer animation and motion capture. QuestWorld was designed as a futuristic application of contemporary technology, similar to the classic series' high-tech lasers, satellites, and robots. Seibert traced its origin to "the same problem that James Bond ...When you look at even his newest gadgets, they're somewhat quaint." Planners derived ins
7Seas Fishing Game: OpenSeas Content List -- Build, Share, and Sell
(CC) UltraRare Fish: New Card Shark (opal bling on teeth) ... Falln Rare Fish: Holiday Goldfish Candle (discontinued) ... (R&L) SuperUltraRare Stuff: Black Spot Boat (boxed)
Holiday Art Card Catalog
Holiday Art Cards 5x7 Folded Card & Envelope $2.50 each Retail Boxed Sets of 10 cards of one Image $14 ... build a snowman... Happy Holidays! Bear's Surprise EZ BESX Inside: Wishing you ...
Corporate Holiday Cards > More | HolidayClassics
Polar Bears (7) Wildlife (10) Cities (116) Boston (11) ... Each corporate holiday card is printed on high quality paper and ... you how our commitment to quality will help you build and ...
Giant Valentine Bear - Giant Teddy Bear at CuddleWorks
Holiday Bears; Stocking Stuffers; Teddy Bears; Big ... Build Your Bear; Dressed Bears; Bear Families; Wholesale ... bear One decorative red rose One boxed Russells Fine Chocolates A greeting card ...
Christmas Cards by Evon Zerbetz
Bear in Orbit (BEO) inside message: "Season's ... kings" Joyous Holiday: We Can Build a Snowman (WEC) ... Boxed Holiday Cards - 8 5 x 7 cards and 8 envelopes one ...
Birthday Party Ideas and Games | Tiny Prints
Teddy Bear Party. Most children love teddy bears. A fun ... A favorite is the fake draw bridge that you can build ... Valentine's Day Photo Cards; Boxed Holiday Cards; Personalized Stationery
Greeting Cards, Holiday Cards, Stationery, Note Cards
Contact us for greeting cards, holiday cards ... NEW: BUILD YOUR OWN BOX OF NOTE CARDS. P lease bear with us as we add a variety of ... This includes both individual cards and boxed sets ...
Amazon.com: "spectacled bear": Key Phrase page
Key Phrase page for spectacled bear: Books containing the ... on your holiday essentials; Sponsored by Rachael Ray ... coca eradication, main bus terminal, boxed text (see more)
Holiday Greeting Cards : Polar Bears > More | HolidayClassics
Holiday Boxed Cards; E-Cards; More. Holiday Greeting Cards ... every order for business greeting cards and holiday ... Holiday Greeting Cards: Polar Bears
Google Directory - Shopping > Gifts > Stationery > Greeting Cards ...
A gallery of bear photos on a greeting/note card ... http://www.card-art.com Pet themed boxed notecards featuring dogs and cats, as well as holiday themes ... Help build the largest ...