Buffy: Willow, short of the Apocalypse, nothing's gonna keep us from that party tonight.
Giles: Ahh, Buffy, good. We're having an Apocalypse.
Poor Buffy can't catch a break but it seems we have. Remember Buffy the Animated Series? Well, neither do I. That would be because it never aired.
Initially developed in 2001, Buffy the Animated Series was to be produced by Joss Whedon and Jeph Loeb for Fox Kids. Unfortunately, after Fox Kids ceased development no other network was willing to purchase the series which would have been set during the latter half of Season 1 with Dawn included in continuity.
A few years later Fox tried again to create interest for the show and even went so far as to create a four minute pilot with the original actors providing the voices for Giles, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Angel, Principal Snyder, Joyce and Dawn. The voice of Buffy was recorded by Giselle Loren who voice Buffy in two video games. This pilot has just surfaced online for the first time. Here it is via YouTube:
Looks like a lot of fun right? Joss Whedon thought so too. In 2003 he told the Hollywood Reporter, "We had a great animation director, great visuals, six or seven hilarious scripts from our own staff - and nobody wanted it. I was completely baffled. I felt like I was sitting there with bags of money and nobody would take them from me." Maybe with a little luck it could get made now, especially since the comic is doing so well.
With our first look at this new genre of Buffy some fans have decided it's worth pulling for. Check out the Buffy the Animated Series Facebook page and of course the comments over at Whedonesque to see just how far their willing to go.
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In continuing Ghostbusters news, (no, not about the video game) come November Time Life will release the complete collection of the Ghostbusters animated series. No, not Filmation's Ghostbusters, The Real Ghostbusters. It's a 25-disk set that includes all 147 episodes plus an amazing twelve hours of bonus features.
Are they trying to bribe us now for the whole no-video-game-thing? Who cares?!
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Last, but certainly never least, Princess Diana a.k.a. Wonder Woman, is going to kick some major mythological ass in her animated DVD movie! Some heroes were made. This one was born.
9 comments:
The only interest I have is regarding the Wonder Woman animated movie. Looks and sounds good. Let's hope DC/Warner Bros. gets off their duff and starts the ball rolling on the live-action movie, WITHOUT the "invisible plane", thank you very much. I agree with your sentiment regarding all the great DC animated series.
Glad you posted the Buffy Animated pilot. I ran across that this weekend, but was too busy/lazy to post it. Does anybody know why it suddenly surfaced? Kind of smells like a viral marketing attempt on the part of Team Whedon doesn't it? I suspect that somebody is carefully watching the YouTube stats and blog mentions, and deciding what the next step should be.
Regardless, I'd love it if this project found new life.
I still worry greatly about a live action Wonder Woman film. So many things could go wrong, example, the invisible plane or her origin story. I hope they skip both.
I'd imagine your thinking as to why the Buffy pilot emerged is probably right Geekboy. Maybe someone mentioned it to him at comic con and he realized it was still a good idea. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I don't know whether or not to hate Filmation's Ghostbusters. And that game better come out - it was going to change my life!
I can't decide if I like or dislike the girl who is doing Buffy. But obviously the writing supercedes her voice. I LOVED it!
I also wonder how this ties in to the fact that Issue #20 of the Buffy comic will deal with the animated series ...
http://www.whedon.info/Buffy-Season-8-Comic-Book-Issue-20.html
I know Kevin! I'm dying to be a Ghostbuster!
Yeah Tara, it's weird. She's sorta got the Buffy inflection but then not. I don't care, I WANT BUFFY ANIMATED!
Geekboy, is that for real?! How strange!
Yup. The issue will be written by none other than Jeph Loeb. Dark Horse editor Scott Allie had this to say:
"It's Buffy sort of revisiting her high school life, but drawn in the style of the animated series that never happened." Should be cool!
And have you heard who's returning in issues 26-30?
Ahh, cool. Very interesting idea.
No, I haven't heard who's returning. I usually try to avoid comic spoilers when possible which is why I hadn't seen that cover yet. Not that anything was spoiled with that one. I like getting to the last page and going "holy shit!" :)
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