''Van-Pires'' is a 1997 computer animated children's television series with live-action segments. It was produced by Abrams/Gentile (New York), with CGI animation being produced under MSH (San Francisco). The show was syndicated by
The Summit Media Group
The Summit Media Group Inc. was an American New York City based subsidiary of 4Kids Entertainment, and formerly of Leisure Concepts. This subsidiary served print and broadcast media–planning and buying services for clients in the children's t ...
.
''Van-Pires'' also had portions of its soundtrack written and performed by John Entwistle of the rock band
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
and Steve Luongo, Entwistle's long-time friend, producer, and drummer in The John Entwistle Band with
Alberto Rosende
Alberto Carlos Rosende (born February 14, 1993) is an American actor and singer, known for his role as Simon Lewis in the Freeform supernatural drama '' Shadowhunters'' from 2016 to 2019. In 2019, he began starring as Firefighter Candidate Blake ...
and
Noam Kaniel
Noam Kaniel, also known as Noam, ( he, נועם קניאל; born August 18, 1962) is an Israeli musician, singer and composer, who has sold over 8 million records, and is known for composing or performing the theme songs of many animated series ...
.
''Van-Pires'' centers on a group of human teenagers who protect and defend the world from evil anthropomorphic junkyard vans and vehicles known as the "Van-Pires" by transforming into robotic anthropomorphic cars, calling themselves the "Motor-Vaters".
Characters
Motor-Vaters
Four ordinary teens were accidentally caught in the path of a falling meteor. The meteor transformed them into heroic robotic guardians to protect the night from the evil forces of Tracula (a reference to " Dracula") and the rest of the Van-Pires. Each Motor-Vater has the ability to fly and they also share the same weaknesses as their enemies; like the Van-Pires, the Motor-Vaters require gas to sustain themselves and must avoid the sun at all costs. To transform, each hero gets into the driver's seat of his or her Carfin (a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordscar" and " coffin") and shouts, "Mission Ignition!"
* Axle (Jason Hayes) – The leader of the Motor-Vaters. He takes his role seriously and does what it takes to keep the team together. However, Axle can be too serious with his responsibilities either causing self-doubt when something goes awry or alienating one of the other Motor-Vaters. In his Motor-Vater form, Axle's color scheme is yellow with red fire designs. These colors are the same as his Carfin, which resembles a Lincoln convertible.
* Snap (Garikayi Mutambirwa) – Snap is a very laid back person but is ready to jump into action when trouble rises. Unlike the other Motor-Vaters (who speak exclusively in car
pun
A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...
s), he speaks exclusively in a mangled form of
African American Vernacular English
African-American Vernacular English (AAVE, ), also referred to as Black (Vernacular) English, Black English Vernacular, or occasionally Ebonics (a colloquial, controversial term), is the variety of English natively spoken, particularly in urba ...
. His Motor-Vater form is blue with a purple trim. Snap's Carfin is a blue hippie van.
* Nuke (Marc Schwarz) – Nuke is the team's strongman and thrill seeker. He has mastered the art of weaponized flatulence. His Motor-Vater form is green and modeled after a
tow truck
A tow truck (also called a wrecker, a breakdown truck, recovery vehicle or a breakdown lorry) is a truck used to move disabled, improperly parked, impounded, or otherwise indisposed motor vehicles. This may involve recovering a vehicle damaged ...
, complete with hook and crane. Nuke's Carfin is also a green tow truck.
* Rev (Melissa Marsala) – Rev is a tomboy, but she gets down and dirty just like the rest of the guys. Sometimes, Rev is not afraid to show off her feminine side. She is the target of both Nuke and Tracula's romantic affections, but she ignores them both because of her special relationship with her mentor Van He'llsing. In her Motor-Vater form, she is a red and armed with a fire hose and axe. Her Carfin is a
fire truck
A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an i ...
.
Allies
* Van He'll Sing (Unknown as the character is credited as playing himself) – The Motor-Vaters' friend and advisor. Van is an old hippie that runs Sunrise Salvage, a junkyard in which the gang works and hangs out. His name is derived from the famous Bram Stoker character
Van Helsing
A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...
.
* Gypsy – An old female gypsy cab with mufflers for arms. She shows up at random times and gives the Motor-Vaters advice in the form of riddles.
* Greaspot – The Motor-Vaters' pet. He is a neon-colored plastic tricycle with the behavioral instincts of a puppy. It is never explained why Greaspot does not thirst for fuel (though it is possible that, because he's a tricycle, he simply has no need for fuel) or why he does not turn to dust in the sun.
Van-Pires
The titular villains of the series. Unlike the Motor-Vaters, they do not have human forms. Led by Tracula, they terrorize the night with a never-ending thirst for gasoline. Like vampires, Van-Pires feed off of vehicles and can sire other Van-Pires to accomplish their evil goals.
* Tracula (Jonathan Davis) – The leader of the Van-Pires, and the main villain of the series. Tracula is a purple
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 ...
that demands obedience from his minions.
* Cardaver – A rusty and decrepit hunchbacked Van-Pire modeled after a
hearse
A hearse is a large vehicle, originally a horse carriage but later with the introduction of motor vehicles, a car, used to carry the body of a deceased person in a coffin at a funeral, wake, or memorial service. They range from deliberately a ...
.
* Ambula (Donna Daley) – A female ambulance with six arms modeled after the
Bride of Frankenstein
''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring Boris Kar ...
. She is armed with an assortment of surgical tools and anaesthesia. She has an
Electra complex
In neo-Freudian psychology, the Electra complex, as proposed by Carl Jung in his ''Theory of Psychoanalysis'', is a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father. In the course of her psychosexual development, the ...
(with Tracula playing the role of
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; grc-gre, Ἀγαμέμνων ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Greeks during the Trojan War. He was the son, or grandson, of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the ...
and Rev playing the role of
Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra (; grc-gre, Κλυταιμνήστρα, ''Klytaimnḗstrā'', ), in Greek mythology, was the wife of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, and the twin sister of Helen of Troy. In Aeschylus' '' Oresteia'', she murders Agamemnon – said by E ...
).
* Automaniac – An
ice cream truck
An ice cream van ( British) or ice cream truck (North American) is a commercial vehicle that serves as a mobile retail outlet for ice cream, usually during the spring and summer. Ice cream vans are often seen parked at public events, or ne ...
with a clown motif. Automaniac appears goofy and harmless, but his arsenal of ice cream and balloon animals shows otherwise.
* Alucart (
Andrew Francis
Andrew Michael Scott Francis is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in many television shows and films including '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' as Shining Armor, '' MegaMan NT Warrior'' as MegaMan.EXE, '' Hero 108'' as Lin Chung, '' L ...
) – Tracula's son, constructed out of leftover auto parts and meant to be Tracula's heir. He befriends the Motor-Vaters, who dub him Alucart because it is his father's name backwards (in the same way that " Alucard" is Dracula spelled backwards). He only appeared in one episode and is based on Frankenstein’s Monster.
Production
All 13 episodes of the show had total budget of $5.2 million.
Episodes
#"Those Who Have the Fuel Shall Rule" (written by Anthony Gentile and John Gentile)
#"Unleaded Zeppelin" (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, and
Lisa Morton
Lisa Morton (born December 11, 1958) is an American horror author and screenwriter.
Biography
Morton was born in Pasadena, California, and entered the film industry in 1979 as a modelmaker on Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In 1988 she co-wr ...
)
#"A Few Good Cars" (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, Peter Stone, and Ron Kaehler)
#"Mission Demolition" (AKA "Night of Destruction") (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, Peter Stone, and Ron Kaehler)
#"Bride of Tracula" (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, and Ron Kaehler)
#"Tailpipes from the Crypt" (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, Peter Stone, and Ron Kaehler)
#"Bad to the Cone" (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, Peter Stone, and Ron Kaehler)
#"Nukenstein" (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, and Ron Kaehler)
#"A Car is Born" (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, and Lisa Morton)
#"The Swarm Storm" (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, Peter Stone, and Ron Kaehler)
#"Revel Without a Car" (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, and Ron Kaehler)
#"One Million Miles B.C." (written by Anthony Gentile, John Gentile, Peter Stone, and Ron Kaehler)
#"Uncool Fuel" (written by Anthony Gentile and John Gentile)
Soundtrack
In 2000, the John Entwistle Band released '' Music from Van-Pires'' as an official album and soundtrack to the series. It was John Entwistle's last solo album before his death two years later.