''Cadillacs and Dinosaurs'' is an animated television series produced by De Souza Productions, Galaxy Films and Nelvana, which aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

as part of its Saturday morning children's lineup in the United States from 1993 to 1994, lasting for one season of 13 episodes. Based on '' Xenozoic Tales'' by Mark Schultz, the show was created by screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, who acquired the TV rights after producing the video game '' Cadillacs and Dinosaurs'', which was also based on Schultz's comic. The show dealt with many strong ecological and political issues that were central to the plot development.

Plot

The series chronicles the exploits of Jack Tenrec and his crew of ecological freedom fighters known as the "Mechanics". Set in the year 2513, the series takes place in a post-apocalyptic jungle in the vicinity of the ruins of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

(now known as "The City in the Sea"); societies have had to re-learn 20th-century technology, lost due to a never-explicitly-stated catastrophe, and have only been partially successful in doing so, though the Mechanics have maintained much "Old World" technology and knowledge. His often-reluctant companion is Hannah Dundee, an ambassador from Wasoon, somewhere further south, which is technologically much further behind than the City in the Sea is. She hires Jack as a liaison, while she attempts to create clear communication between her land and the modern civilization. Since the catastrophe, much of the former United States has gone wild, with many species of

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

s spontaneously reappearing after going extinct. Together, Jack and Hannah confront the serious issues facing the futuristic environment that humanity has come to inhabit. Jack also has Hermes, a juvenile "cutter" that Jack hand-reared after the latter's mother's death. Gentle with Jack and Hannah, he can still be rather fierce when angered. The show also includes a race of intelligent lizards called "Griths". Jack and his crew square off against opposition, including the triumvirate Council of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

s, particularly Jack's archenemy Wilhelmina Scharnhorst, and Hammer Terhune's gang.

Cast

* Jack Tenrec (voiced by David Keeley) – A survival-savvy garage

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...

who is a member of the Old Blood Mechanics. Jack has a passion for restoring classic car shells (mainly those of Cadillacs) which the Mechanics use as their mode of transportation. * Hannah Dundee (voiced by

Susan Roman Susan Roman (born April 17) is a Canadian voice actress and voice director, best known for voice acting the role of Lita/Sailor Jupiter in the Canada DiC (and later Cloverway/CWi) dub of the anime, ''Sailor Moon''. She is one of the few voice ...

) – A foreign ambassador from Wasoon who is Jack's constant companion and love interest. She is often on a mission to stop Jack from running his enemies into his neighbors' territory. * Mustapha Cairo (voiced by Bruce Tubbe) – Jack's companion who often helps Jack in his endeavors. He is an engineer. * Kirgo (voiced by David Fox) – A ferryman associated with the City in the Sea and a friend of Jack. * Hermes – A juvenile "Cutter" (''

Allosaurus ''Allosaurus'' () is a genus of large carnosaurian theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 145 million years ago during the Late Jurassic epoch ( Kimmeridgian to late Tithonian). The name "''Allosaurus''" means "different lizard" alludin ...

'') that was raised by Jack. Although he is gentle towards Jack and Hannah, Hermes can still be rather fierce when angered. * Council of Governors – A council that rules the City in the Sea. ** Governor Wilhelmina Scharnhorst (voiced by Dawn Greenhalgh) – Corrupt, power-hungry, masculine, and uncaring of the balance of nature, Wilhelmina is one of the three governors in the City in the Sea, and Jack's nemesis. Wilhelmina has hired Hammer Terhune and his gang to do her dirty work. Despite her callous nature and disdain for Jack, whom she sees as an obstacle to her rise to power and to humanity's dominance as a whole, Wilhelmina only wants what's best for her city and knows when to respect Jack, though it's usually only when doing so will benefit her interests as well. ** Governor Dahlgren (voiced by Kristina Nicoll) – A female who is the voice of reason to the governors. Her governing styles are said to have been heavily influenced by Jack. Dahlgren has a bad habit of flirting with any man and is implied to have a crush on Jack, much to Hannah's chagrin. ** Governor Toulouse (voiced by Philip Williams) – Toulouse is the public relations man of the governors. His concerns all lie on the morale and attitude of the public regarding potential problems. Even though Toulouse means well, he is not used to the outdoor lifestyles of Jack Tenrec. ** Nock (voiced by Don Dickinson) – The Captain of the Guards in the City in the Sea. He is one of the people who have a dislike for Jack Tenrec. Nock is a sycophant and a very corrupt officer, obeying Scharnhorst without caring if she is wrong, lying any time and to anyone he deems convenient, and even trying to pull off scams. * Dr. Fessenden (voiced by John Stocker) – A

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or " insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly a ...

who would often invent some technology for Wilhelmina to use, particularly

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

-based gadgets (his name coming from radio pioneer

Reginald Fessenden Reginald Aubrey Fessenden (October 6, 1866 – July 22, 1932) was a Canadian-born inventor, who did a majority of his work in the United States and also claimed U.S. citizenship through his American-born father. During his life he received hundre ...

). * Hammer Terhune (voiced by Ted Dillon) – A burly poacher who would often attack Jack Tenrec. Although he was hired by Wilhelmina Scharnhorst, he shows no respect to her unless she has some technology for him to use and would betray her if he sees a chance. ** Wrench Terhune (voiced by Colin O'Meara) – Hammer's younger brother who wears a headband. ** Vice Terhune (voiced by Frank Pellegrino) – Hammer's younger brother who wears a ponytail. ** Mikla (voiced by

Lenore Zann Lenore Zann (born November 22, 1959) is a Canadian actress and former politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Cumberland—Colchester in the House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Liberal Party. Before ...

) – A female who is a member of Hammer's gang. * Griths – A race of

lizard men Reptilian humanoids, or anthropomorphic reptiles, are fictional creatures that appear in folklore, fiction, and conspiracy theories. In folklore In South Asian and Southeast Asian mythology, the Nāga are semi-divine creatures which are ha ...

who reside in caverns. ** Hobb (voiced by Don Francks) – A Grith who serves as Jack's translator to the Griths due to his telepathy. ** Wild Boy – A wild child raised by the Griths that wears a loincloth and animal hide boots. He does not speak any human language, but can communicate with the dinosaurs. The Griths raised the Wild Boy ever since saving him from the cave hyenas. He first appears in "Wild Child" where Jack and Hanna discover him and try to keep him out of Hammer Terhune's clutches while returning him to the Griths. In "Duel", the Wild Boy later brings Jack and Hannah to the Griths at the time when Jack's old friend Sean has stolen their lifestone.

Creatures

Many of the dinosaurs (commonly referred to as "slithers") and other prehistoric creatures featured in this series are referred to by different names: * Cutter – ''

'' * Shivet – ''

Tyrannosaurus ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...

'' * Mack – ''

Triceratops ''Triceratops'' ( ; ) is a genus of herbivorous chasmosaurine ceratopsid dinosaur that first appeared during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, about 68 million years ago in what is now North America. It is one ...

'' * Sandbuck – ''

Apatosaurus ''Apatosaurus'' (; meaning "deceptive lizard") is a genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic period. Othniel Charles Marsh described and named the first-known species, ''A. ajax'', in 1877, ...

'' * Tri-colored Sandbuck – ''

Diplodocus ''Diplodocus'' (, , or ) was a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaurs, whose fossils were first discovered in 1877 by S. W. Williston. The generic name, coined by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878, is a neo-Latin term derived from Greek δι� ...

'' * Wahonchuck – ''

Stegosaurus ''Stegosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been fou ...

'' * Whiptail – ''

Nothosaurus ''Nothosaurus'' ("false lizard", from the Ancient Greek (), "illegitimate", and (), "lizard") is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile from the Triassic period, approximately 240–210 million years ago, with fossils being distributed fro ...

'' * Thresher – ''

Mosasaurus ''Mosasaurus'' (; "lizard of the Meuse River") is the type genus (defining example) of the mosasaurs, an extinct group of aquatic squamate reptiles. It lived from about 82 to 66 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian sta ...

'' * Zeek – '' Pteranodon'' * Bonehead – '' Pachycephalosaurus'' * Tree Grazer – ''

Brachiosaurus ''Brachiosaurus'' () is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic, about 154to 150million years ago. It was first described by American paleontologist Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in th ...

'' * Hornbill – '' Parasaurolophus'' * Crawler – ''

Ankylosaurus ''Ankylosaurus'' is a genus of armored dinosaur. Its fossils have been found in geological formations dating to the very end of the Cretaceous Period, about 68–66 million years ago, in western North America, making it among the last of the n ...

'' * ''

Deinonychus ''Deinonychus'' ( ; ) is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur with one described species, ''Deinonychus antirrhopus''. This species, which could grow up to long, lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 115–108 million y ...

'' * ''

Velociraptor ''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the p ...

'' * '' Dimetrodon'' * ''

Glyptodon ''Glyptodon'' (from Greek for 'grooved or carved tooth': γλυπτός 'sculptured' and ὀδοντ-, ὀδούς 'tooth') is a genus of glyptodont (an extinct group of large, herbivorous armadillos) that lived from the Pleistocene, around 2.5 m ...

'' * Cave hyena *

Woolly mammoth The woolly mammoth (''Mammuthus primigenius'') is an extinct species of mammoth that lived during the Pleistocene until its extinction in the Holocene epoch. It was one of the last in a line of mammoth species, beginning with '' Mammuthus s ...

* ''

Peramus ''Peramus'' is an extinct genus of cladotherian mammal. It lived in the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of Europe and North Africa. Species There are three known extinct species in the genus: * '' Peramus dubius'' Lulworth Formation, Unit ...

'' * ''

Phorusrhacos ''Phorusrhacos'' ( ) is an extinct genus of giant flightless terror birds that inhabited Argentina during the Miocene epoch. ''Phorusrhacos'' was one of the dominant land predators in South America at the time it existed. It is thought to have ...

'' * ''

Troodon ''Troodon'' ( ; ''Troödon'' in older sources) is a wastebasket taxon and a dubious genus of relatively small, bird-like dinosaurs known definitively from the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous period (about 77 mya). It includes at leas ...

'' * ''

Eoraptor ''Eoraptor'' () is a genus of small, lightly built, basal sauropodomorph. One of the earliest-known dinosaurs, it lived approximately 231 to 228 million years ago, during the Late Triassic in Western Gondwana, in the region that is now northwes ...

'' * ''

Machairodus ''Machairodus'' (from el, μαχαίρα , 'knife' and el, ὀδούς 'tooth') is a genus of large machairodontine saber-toothed cats that lived in Africa, Eurasia and North America during the late Miocene. It is the animal from which the su ...

'' * ''

Compsognathus ''Compsognathus'' (; Ancient Greek, Greek ''kompsos''/κομψός; "elegant", "refined" or "dainty", and ''gnathos''/γνάθος; "jaw") is a genus of small, bipedalism, bipedal, carnivore, carnivorous theropoda, theropod dinosaur. Members o ...

'' * ''

Coelophysis ''Coelophysis'' ( traditionally; or , as heard more commonly in recent decades) is an extinct genus of coelophysid theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 228 to 201.3 million years ago during the latter part of the Triassic Period fro ...

'' * ''

Struthiomimus ''Struthiomimus'' (meaning "ostrich mimic", from the Greek στρούθειος/''stroutheios'' meaning "of the ostrich" and μῖμος/''mimos'' meaning "mimic" or "imitator") is a genus of ornithomimid dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous of No ...

'' * ''

Protoceratops ''Protoceratops'' (; ) is a genus of small protoceratopsid dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous, around 75 to 71 million years ago. The genus ''Protoceratops'' includes two species: ''P. andrewsi'' and the larger ''P. hellenik ...

'' * ''

Mixosaurus ''Mixosaurus'' is an extinct genus of Middle Triassic ( Anisian to Ladinian, about 250-240 Mya) ichthyosaur. Its fossils have been found near the Italy– Switzerland border and in South China. The genus was named in 1887 by George H. Bau ...

'' * ''

Stegoceras ''Stegoceras'' is a genus of pachycephalosaurid (dome-headed) dinosaur that lived in what is now North America during the Late Cretaceous period, about 77.5 to 74 million years ago (mya). The first specimens from Alberta, Canada, were descri ...

Episodes

Release

Broadcast

In Canada, the show premiered on October 2, 1993, on YTV. The show aired in the Republic of Ireland on

RTÉ Two (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

from 29 August 1995 to 1996. In addition, the series has aired for many years on

HBO Family Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is bas ...

in Latin America, where the episodes can be viewed dubbed in Spanish or in their original English. In 2002, the series has Spanish-dubbed aired on Telefutura, as part of

Toonturama ''Toonturama'' is an American children's programming block that airs on the Spanish-language television network UniMás (formerly known as Telefutura Network) which debuted on January 15, 2002 ("Mi Tele") and January 19, 2002 ("Toonturama" and " ...

block until 2003.

Home media

Select episodes were released on VHS in the 1990s by Sony Wonder. Only the first two episodes of the show are available in the United States through the video retailer

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

, and in Canada it was available through the streaming video service

Shomi Shomi (pronounced "show me") was a Canadian subscription video on demand service jointly owned by Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications. The service was viewed as a Canadian-based competitor to Netflix, with a library of 1,200 films and 1 ...

until the service was cancelled. In 2015, the entire series was made available for free viewing through the Nelvana Retro channel on YouTube, renamed YTV Direct in 2016. YTV Direct was renamed to Keep It Weird in 2018 and no longer features the show. In 2019, Retro Rerun uploaded all of the episodes on their YouTube channel.

Reception

Critical response

Esther Sinclair, UCLA associate professor of psychiatry and bio-behavioral sciences, analyzed the message of the show: "Jack is altruistic, does not have aggressive impulses, resists temptation and is sympathetic toward others. . . . The viewer may draw an analogy to other endangered species such as eagles and condors. . . . There is an emphasis on the interconnection of all living things. Jack respects all life forms".

References

External links

*
''Cadillacs and Dinosaurs''
on

TV.com TV.com was a website owned by Red Ventures that covered television series and episodes with a focus on English-language shows made or broadcast in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Origin ...

''Cadillacs and Dinosaurs''
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia.
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
at Flying Omelette.com
''Cadillacs and Dinosaurs''
on Allmovie
''Cadillacs and Dinosaurs''
on

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

at 123 car games.com

{{Children's programming on CBS in the 1990s 1993 American television series debuts 1994 American television series endings 1990s American animated television series 1993 Canadian television series debuts 1994 Canadian television series endings 1990s Canadian animated television series American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated science fantasy television series Cadillac Canadian children's animated action television series Canadian children's animated adventure television series Canadian children's animated science fantasy television series CBS original programming English-language television shows Post-apocalyptic animated television series Television shows based on comics Animated television series about dinosaurs Television series by Nelvana Television series set in the 26th century Television series created by Steven E. de Souza