''Mutant League'' is an animated series based on the video games ''
Mutant League Football
''Mutant League Football'' is a video game that was originally released in 1993 for the Sega Genesis. The game was designed using the '' Madden '93'' engine, and features a different take on football, where the games resemble a war as much as a ...
'' and ''
Mutant League Hockey'' which aired from July 2, 1994 to February 24, 1996.
The show ran for two seasons, with the second typically incorporating more poignant stories and issues, while the first seemed somewhat hodgepodge with little regard for continuity (the Monsters have one win streak that ends twice, for instance). There are forty episodes in all, thirteen in Season 1 and twenty-seven in Season 2. The series was distributed by
Claster Television
Claster Television, Inc. was a Baltimore, Maryland–based television distributor founded in 1953 by Bertram H. (Bert) Claster and Nancy Claster (Goldman) as Romper Room Inc. It was originally a producer of the children's show '' Romper Room'', o ...
and Produced by Franklin/Waterman 2 Productions in association with
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
.
Plot
During a
football game, an
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
reveals buried toxic waste, and the fumes cause all of the attendees and players to mutate, including young Bones Justice (Bones Jackson in the games) a sports federation based around the superhuman beings, the Mutant League is formed and Bones grows up to play for the Midway Monsters. Corrupt league commissioner Zalgor Prigg constantly schemes to get the popular athlete to play for any one of the four teams he owns (Slayers, Evils, Derangers or Ooze), or if nothing else discredit him for refusing to join. Bones' search for his father and his personal quest to bring order to the league, are subplots throughout the series. Several other characters from the games such as Razor Kidd, Mo and Spew, K.T. Slayer, Grim McSlam and Coach McWimple regularly appear in the show.
Unlike the games, players did not die from their unique approach to contact sports; though frequently maimed to the point of losing body parts, through treatments in a machine called the Rejuvenator which bathed them in toxic chemicals, they would soon be as returned to health. The show also has no robot players (except in one episode where K.T. Slayer was benched by robotic clones of himself) and only five teams; the Monsters, the Slayers, the Ooze, the Derangers and the Screaming Evils. It also has the teams competing in all manner of sports, not just the ones seen in the games. Most commonly Football, but also
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
,
soccer,
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
,
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
and even
monster truck
A monster truck is a specialized off-road vehicle with a heavy duty suspension, four-wheel steering, large-displacement V8 engines and oversized tires constructed for competition and entertainment uses. Originally created by modifying stock p ...
races and
sumo wrestling. As with the video games, all of these sports were modified with deathtraps and loose rules on violence to accommodate the near-indestructible nature of the players. Some episodes end with a "grudge match" between two particular players.
A line of action figures was released based on the show, but went virtually unknown.
Rumors of a Mutant League wrestling league surfaced featuring such characters as the Polluter, the Toxic Teacher and "Dad" (or possibly Butch Justice) but apparently never entered production.
Characters
Midway Monsters
* Bones Justice: The main
protagonist of the series, an
animated human skeleton. Bones joined the Monsters because it was the only team in the Mutant League that Prigg does not own. Bones seeks out Prigg to learn the truth about his father Butch Justice. He never takes off his shade and his eyes glow red when angered. In one episode, it is also said that he does not need to breathe when the arena is sabotaged by poisonous gas He is voiced by
Dan Petronijevic
Daniel Petronijevic (born March 28, 1981 in Scarborough, Ontario), known professionally as Dan Petronijevic, is a Canadian actor who has appeared in various feature films, including the '' American Pie'' franchise, and in TV shows such as '' 19- ...
.
* Razor Kidd: A mutant
Lizard who was dumped by the Slayers and joined the Monsters. He and Bones begin as rivals but become close friends He is Voiced by
Ian James Corlett
Ian James Corlett (born August 29, 1962) is a Canadian voice actor, animator, and author. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series ''Being Ian'' and ''Yvon of the Yukon''. One of his best-known animation roles was the first En ...
in Season 1 and
Richard Yearwood
Richard Yearwood is a British-Canadian actor, television host, director and producer, who is best known for providing the voice of Donkey Kong in '' Donkey Kong Country''.
Career
Yearwood began his acting career in 1980, in the television ser ...
in Season 2.
* Mo and Spewter: Twin
troll
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...
brothers with superior brawn, but minimal intelligence. They literally share a single brain, which they keep in either one of their flip-top skullcaps.
* Darkstar: A tough
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
who loves to fight anyone, because of his brutality and after inadvertently knocking down Prigg, as punishment, he was sent to the Monsters where he butts heads with Bones until he learned to play fair. Though he plays fair, he is still brutal to those who threaten his teammates
Scott McCord
William Scott McCord is a Canadian actor. He is known for his versatility and character work in film, television, animation and on stage. He is a Lifetime Member of ''The Actors Studio''. On television he has appeared in series regular, recurri ...
.
* Thrasher: Daughter of Malone. She resembles a
gargoyle
In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...
with orange skin and a yellow fin that drapes over the top of her head like hair. She and Darkstar usually have arguments. Her entrance, as the first female player into the Mutant League, was controversial both for Prigg and the Monsters, but she eventually proved herself to the team. Another episode revolved around one of her stalkers She is voiced by
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The New Batman Adventure ...
.
* Elanore McWhimple: Owner of the Monsters He is voiced by
Brian Drummond
Brian Drummond (born August 10, 1969) is a Canadian voice actor. He formerly served on the board of directors for the New Westminster-based Urban Academy along with his wife, Laura Drummond, also a voice artist. Usually working in Vancouver, h ...
.
* Malicious Malone: Former Mutant League player-turned Head Coach of the Midway Monsters
Scott McNeil
Scott McNeil is an Australian-born Canadian actor. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the best-known Canadian voice actors of all time, McNeil has provided voices to many characters in animated shows, most notabl ...
.
* George McWhimple: Husband of Elanore McWhimple he is voiced by
Rob Paulsen.
* Slick Toxin: A mutant high-school star athlete recruited by Bones Justice. He is the center of a single episode where, after being heart-to-heart to Bones, he decides to quit the league and return to school He is voiced by
Vincent Tong.
* Cannonball: A mutant that served as the Monsters' baseball pitcher He is voiced by
James Arnold Taylor
James Arnold Taylor (born July 22, 1969), also known by his initials JAT, is an American voice actor, writer, producer and podcaster. He is known for portraying Ratchet in the '' Ratchet & Clank'' franchise, the main character Tidus in '' Final ...
.
Slay City Slayers
* K.T. Slayer: A troll with brute force and a vicious take-no-prisoners attitude. Slayer is also Prigg's right-hand mutant and team captain of the Slayers. He is the primary rival of Bones and will do almost anything to put Bones out of commission He is voiced by
Jess Harnell
Jess Harnell (born December 23, 1963) is an American voice actor and singer. His notable roles include Captain Hero in the animated TV series '' Drawn Together'', Wakko Warner in '' Animaniacs'', Ironhide in the first three ''Transformers'' fil ...
* Jackie LaGrunge: A dangerous 9-year veteran, LaGrunge has become even more deadly as this former hybrid evolves into a whiptoid He is voiced by
Dorian Harewood
Dorian Harewood (born August 6, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing Jesse Owens in '' The Jesse Owens Story'' (1984), Paul Strobber on '' Strike Force'' (1981–1982), and Rev. Morgan Hamilton in '' 7th Heaven'' (1996–2003).
E ...
Derangers
* Joe Magician: A mutant obviously punned after
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Comeback Kid", ...
, team captain of the Derangers He Voiced by
Jim Cummings.
* Grim McSlam: A mutant with 4 arms and punned after
Jim McMahon He is Voiced by
Quinton Flynn
Quinton Flynn is an American voice actor and comedian, who has provided the English voices of video game characters such as Raiden in the ''Metal Gear'' series, Marcus Damon in ''Digimon Data Squad'', Lea and Axel in the '' Kingdom Hearts'' se ...
.
Screaming Evils
* Madman: A demented
hyena man, team captain of the Evils He is voiced by
Aron Tager
Aron Tager (June 30, 1934 – February 28, 2019) was an American actor, poet, artist and sculptor.
Career
As an artist, Tager had numerous exhibitions of his work and has sculptures installed at the following locations: Mount Anthony Union Hi ...
.
* Madboy: Son of the demented hyena man Madman He is voiced by
Daniel DeSanto
Daniel DeSanto is a Canadian actor.
Early life
Raised in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke, DeSanto made his acting debut at the age of 8 as the lead protagonist in ''Brown Bread Sandwiches'' (a.k.a. ''La famiglia Buonanotte''), a film about Ita ...
.
Ooze
* Liquid Lazer: The team captain of the Ooze. Among team captains, the most reluctant to follow Prigg's orders. His body can liquify and reassemble at will He is voiced by
Thom Adcox-Hernandez.
Other characters
* Bob Babble: Main announcer for MLSN ''(Mutant League Sports Network)'', often seen at times, and frequently heard. He has a voice reminiscent of famed sports announcer
Howard Cosell
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
He is voiced by
Nick Jameson
Nicholas Jameson (born December 5, 1950) is an American actor, musician and producer, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Russian president Yuri Suvarov over three seasons on the show '' 24''. He currently resides in Reykjavík doing live c ...
.
* Sherry Steele: MLSN's human female reporter and a secret ally of the Monsters. She becomes close friends with Bones, and often serves as his moral center, particularly in an episode where Bones is temporarily left wheelchair-bound. As the series progresses, she falls in love with Bones, which she admits to in the series finale, just before Bones travels underground in search of his father She is voiced by
Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
.
* Zalgor Prigg: Corrupt commissioner of the Mutant League and owner of the Slay City Slayers. He was once a power-hungry businessman when he was human. The main
antagonist of the series, he eats live spiders that come out of a humidor-shaped box on his desk. He also is somewhat self-conscious of a set of "knobs" that grow out of the top of his head, in a manner similar to hair plugs He is voiced by Martin Roach.
* Kang: A
werewolf
In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely ...
with a
Don King
Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups. He has been a controversial figure, partly due to a manslaughter conviction and civil cases against him, as well a ...
hairdo, Prigg's personal assistant. He is frequently pounded on by Prigg for delivering bad news, but his worst fear is being tossed into a fiery pit of demonic lawyers He is voiced by
Brad Garret.
* Jukka: A scientist working for Prigg. He is purple-skinned and always wears dark goggles. He runs the rejuvenation tanks, despite being employed by Prigg, he is often neutral, and has even helped the Midway Monsters from time to time He is Voiced by
Jennifer Hale
Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', '' Mass Effect'', '' Metal Gear Solid'', '' BioShock Infinite'', '' Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Sta ...
.
Episodes
There are forty episodes altogether: 13 in season one, 27 in season two.
Season 1 (1994)
#"Opening Kick-Off" (Jul. 2, 1994)
#"Frightening Disease" (Jul. 9, 1994)
#"The Fugitive" (Jul. 16, 1994)
#"The Teammate" (Jul. 23, 1994)
#"Head of the Coach" (Jul. 30, 1994)
#"Troublemakers" (Aug. 6, 1994)
#"Collision Course" (Aug. 13, 1994)
#"The Sumo Match" (Aug. 20, 1994)
#"The Prize of Fame" (Aug. 27, 1994)
#"Boneheads Whodunnit?" (Sep. 3, 1994)
#"The Loser" (Sep. 10, 1994)
#"Breakdown" (Sep. 17, 1994)
#"All-Star Battle Royale" (Sep. 24, 1994)
Season 2 (1995–1996)
#"She's a Girl!" (Aug. 26, 1995)
#"Razor's Wedge" (Sep. 2, 1995)
#"The Great Madman" (Sep. 9, 1995)
#"The Bones Justice Story" (Sep. 16, 1995)
#"The Retirement" (Sep. 23, 1995)
#"Until You Walked in My Shoes..." (Sep. 30, 1995)
#"Scandalous Cad: Part 1" (Oct. 7, 1995)
#"Scandalous Cad: Part 2" (Oct. 14, 1995)
#"The Ultimate Breed" (Oct. 21, 1995)
#"The Recruit" (Oct. 28, 1995)
#"Enter the Skeletoid" (Nov. 4, 1995)
#"Hooked on Buzz" (Nov. 11, 1995)
#"Shoeless Lazer" (Nov. 18, 1995)
#"All-Star Game" (Nov. 25, 1995)
#"The Outing" (Dec. 2, 1995)
#"The Mental Game" (Dec. 9, 1995)
#"Role Model" (Dec. 16, 1995)
#"Strike" (Dec. 23, 1995)
#"The Fanatic" (Dec. 30, 1995)
#"Ultra Fear" (Jan. 6, 1996)
#"City Course" (Jan. 13, 1996)
#"The Comeback" (Jan. 20, 1996)
#"Love Story" (Jan. 27, 1996)
#"In My Father's Name: Part 1" (Feb. 3, 1996)
#"In My Father's Name: Part 2" (Feb. 10, 1996)
#"Sudden Death" (Feb. 17, 1996)
#"The Hall of Pain Awards" (Feb. 24, 1996)
Release
Home video
A 69-minute
VHS tape of the show was released in 1996 by Columbia TriStar Home Video, featuring episodes edited together into what was called ''Mutant League: The Movie''.
Streaming
In 2022,
Sony Pictures'
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
channel
Throwback Toons began uploading episodes of the series.
References
External links
*
* {{amg movie, 178026
''Mutant League'' art director Dwayne Ferguson's websiteSPTI's Anime & Animation Brochure: ''Mutant League''
1990s American animated television series
Animated series based on video games
Television series about mutants
1994 American television series debuts
1996 American television series endings
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Works based on Electronic Arts video games
Television series by Sony Pictures Television
American children's animated sports television series
Animated television series about monsters
Television series by Claster Television
Mutant League series