Freakazoid!
Freakazoid! is an American superhero comedy animated television series created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and developed by Tom Ruegger for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title character, Freakazoid, a crazy teenage superhero who fights crime in Washington, D.C. It also features mini-episodes about the adventures of other superheroes. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Television, being the third animated series produced through the collaboration of Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. Animation after Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs.
Freakazoid! | |
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Also known as | Steven Spielberg Presents Freakazoid! |
Created by | Bruce Timm Paul Dini |
Developed by | Tom Ruegger |
Voices of | Paul Rugg David Kaufman Edward Asner Craig Ferguson Jonathan Harris Tracy Rowe David Warner |
Narrated by | Joe Leahy |
Theme music composer | Richard Stone |
Composers | Richard Stone Steven Bernstein Julie Bernstein Gordon Goodwin Tim Kelly Carl Johnson |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 24 (49 segments) (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer | Steven Spielberg |
Producers | Mitch Schauer (season 1) Paul Rugg Tom Ruegger (senior producer) Rich Arons John P. MacCann |
Running time | 22 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | Kids' WB |
Release | September 9, 1995 – June 1, 1997 |
Bruce Timm, best known as a producer of the DC Animated Universe, originally intended for the series to be a straightforward superhero action-adventure cartoon with comic overtones, but executive producer Steven Spielberg requested it to be a flat-out comedy. The show is similar to fellow Ruegger-led programs such as Animaniacs, having a unique style of humor that includes slapstick, fourth wall breaking, parody, surreal humour, and pop culture references.
The series debuted on Kids' WB on September 9, 1995 alongside Animaniacs, The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, and Pinky and the Brain. The series lasted for two seasons across 24 episodes, with the final episode being broadcast on June 1, 1997. Although the series originally struggled in ratings, reruns on Cartoon Network and a fan following elevated it to become a cult hit. Warner Bros. considered renewing the series for a third season, but deemed it to be too expensive. The show also ranked #53 on IGN's Top 100 Animated Series list.