''Rescue Heroes'' is an animated television series produced by

Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

. Based on the

Fisher-Price Fisher-Price is an American company that produces educational toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. The company was founded in 1930 during the Great Depression by Herman Fisher, Irving Price, Helen ...

toy line of the same name, the television series tracks the adventures of a team of emergency responders who rescue people from various disasters. The series premiered in Canada on

Teletoon Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...

on October 2, 1999, and ran for three seasons. On November 18, 2003, a film titled '' Rescue Heroes: The Movie'' was released, but became a final episode for the series. In the U.S., the series aired on both CBS, as part of the

CBS Kidshow The ''CBS Kidshow'' (originally known as ''Think CBS Kids'') was an American Saturday morning children's programming block that aired on CBS from September 13, 1997 to September 9, 2000. Originally a network-programmed block, Nelvana took over ...

from 1999 to 2000; and

Kids' WB Kids' WB (stylized as Kids' WB!) was an American children's programming service and brand of The WB that aired on the network from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006. The block moved to The CW (a result of the merger of Time Warner's The W ...

, from 2001 to 2003. Repeats aired on

Qubo Qubo ( ; stylized as qubo) was an American television network for children between the ages of 5 and 14. Owned by Ion Media, it consisted of a 24-hour free-to-air television network often mentioned as the "Qubo channel" (available as a digital ...

in 2009 until it ceased in 2021.

Overview

''Rescue Heroes'' focuses on a group of rescue personnel who aim to save lives around the world from both natural and man-made disasters. The headquarters, also known as the Mountain Action Command Center, is where team leader Billy Blazes, along with team members Wendy Waters, Jake Justice, Jack Hammer, Ariel Flyer, and Rocky Canyon, reside. Calls for help come into the command center through Warren Waters, the director and chief dispatcher of the Rescue Heroes. The television series aims to show how to handle emergency situations, as well as how to deal with personal issues, such as disagreements. At the end of most episodes the Rescue Heroes would give safety tips and discuss how to handle the conflict presented in the episode. The episode would then usually conclude with the motto "Think like a Rescue Hero, think safe."

Characters

Main

* Billy Blazes (voiced by

Norm Spencer Norman Spencer (23 February 1958 – 31 August 2020) was a Canadian voice and television actor best known for his work on Saturday-morning cartoons in the 1990s. He performed several roles for Marvel Comics characters, most famously Cyclops in ' ...

) - Billy, a Canadian

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions als ...

hailing from

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, is the leader of the Rescue Heroes who helped choose the other members of the team. He has a younger brother named Bobby, as well as a father. Billy had an uneasy relationship with his father. This was because Bobby chose to become a firefighter like Billy, instead of being a construction worker like his father. It was revealed in the episode "Flashback to Danger" that Billy was chosen to be a Rescue Hero after saving a group of children trapped in a

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival t ...

ride that was set ablaze. * Wendy Waters (voiced by Lenore Zann) - Wendy, a firefighter, is effectively the second-in-command. Her father, Warren, is a Rescue Hero who works at a

space station A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station ...

. It was through a news report about a factory being set ablaze that lead to her being chosen to try out for the Rescue Heroes. * Jake Justice (voiced by Martin Roach) - Jake, a

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

, was chosen to try out for the Rescue Heroes when he caught a wanted criminal after a televised car chase that made national headlines. It is revealed in the revival that he has a daughter named Sky Justice. * Richmond "Rocky" Canyon (voiced by Joseph Motiki) - Rocky, a

mountain climbing Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, ...

specialist, is the youngest member of the Rescue Heroes. When Billy had once considered quitting the Rescue Heroes it was ultimately Rocky, through an audition video, who convinced him to stay, cementing Billy's decision to hire Rocky. The episode "Twister" revealed that his hometown is in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

, and that his father had died. * Ariel Flyer (voiced by Lisa Messinger in season one,

Deborah Odell Deborah Lee O'Dell (born October 5, 1973) is a Canadian actress and singer. She has appeared in various films and TV series. Early life Deborah O'Dell was born in St. John's, Newfoundland on October 5, 1973. Career Deborah made her acting debu ...

in seasons two and three) - Ariel, a bilingual flight and wildlife specialist, was once a stunt pilot who had a rival named Avery Ator. However, Avery's lack of concern for safety has led to Ariel rescuing him on two occasions. * Jack Hammer (voiced by Rod Wilson) - Jack, a

construction worker A construction worker is a worker employed in the physical construction of the built environment and its infrastructure. Definition By some definitions, workers may be engaged in manual labour as unskilled or semi-skilled workers; they may be sk ...

hailing from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, was originally a contractor hired to build the Rescue Heroes' base of operations, but had saved a fellow construction worker in a crane accident. Because of this, he was given the opportunity to try out for the Rescue Heroes. Jack has a younger sister named Jill, who is a member of the Texas Fire Brigade.

Minor

* Aiden Assist (voiced by)- Paramedic. * Al Pine (voiced by Edward Glen) - Arctic Rescue Specialist, with his St. Bernard, Windchill. * Ben Choppin (voiced by Robert Bockstael) - Lumberjack. * Bill Barker (voiced by Kent Sheridan) - Ground Patrol Specialist and K-9 Unit. * Bob Buoy - Scuba Diver and Submarine Operator. * Bob Sled (voiced by Andrew Sabiston) - Arctic Rescue Specialist and Snowmobile Operator. * Brandon Irons - Cowboy. * Captain Cuffs (voiced by) - Police Officer. * Cliff Hanger (voiced by Adrian Hough) - Birdwing Operator and Hang glider. * Gil Gripper (voiced by Paul Essiembre) - Scuba Diver and Jet Ski Operator. * Hal E. Copter (voiced by Tony Daniels) - Heli-pack Operator. * Kenny Ride (voiced by

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 ...

) - Bicycle Police Officer. * Matt Medic (voiced by Andrew Pifko) - Physician. * Maureen Biologist (voiced by Jane Luk) - Ocean Rescue Specialist and Safety Diver. * Pat Pending (voiced by Donald Burda) - Chief Equipment Designer of the Rescue Heroes. * Perry Chute (voiced by James Rankin) - Parachuter. * Rip Rockefeller (voiced by Cathal J. Dodd) - Construction Worker and Mountaineer. * Rock Miner - Safety Spelunker. * Roger Houston (voiced by Christopher Earle) - Astronaut and Communications Officer. * Sam Sparks (voiced by Vince Corazza) - Firefighter. * Sandy Beach (voiced by

Jesse Collins Jesse Collins (born December 9, 1961) is a Canadian actor and director. He is best known for starring in the television series ''Katts and Dog''. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2000 for his direction of the PBS series ''Zoboomafoo'' ...

) - Lifeguard and Surfing Specialist. * Sergeant Siren (voiced by Dean McDermott) - Police Sergeant. * Seymour Wilde (voiced by Cedric Smith) - Animal Wrangler. * Warren Waters (voiced by John Bourgeois) - Director and Chief Dispatcher; also the father of Wendy Waters. * Willy Stop (voiced by Paul Haddad) - Traffic Officer and Crowd Control Specialist.

Series overview

Episodes

Pilot (1998)

Season 1 (1999–2000)

*This is the only season to use cel animation.

Season 2 (2001)

*This is the first season to use digital ink-and-paint animation.

Season 3 (2002)

*This is the last season to use digital ink-and-paint animation.

Revival

On April 16, 2019,

revived the ''Rescue Heroes'' series exclusively for

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 ...

. Each five minute episode aired on

channel. The revival introduced several new characters while maintaining two characters from the original TV show - Billy Blazes and Rocky Canyon.

Characters

Main

* Billy Blazes (Jason Paquettee) - The team leader of the Rescue Heroes. Billy hails from

. * Carlos Kitbash (Patrick Pedraza) - A rescue cadet, who is also a mechanic, that hails from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

. * Forrest Fuego (Giorgio Cavalli) - A fire rescue cadet hailing from

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

. His favorite sport is soccer. * Reed Vitals (Peter Kim) - A medical rescue cadet hailing from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. * Richmond "Rocky" Canyon (Wellington Saygbay) - No longer the rookie, Rocky, a

specialist, is now a Mountain Rescue Hero. * Sandy O'Shin (Stephanie McKeon Riabko) - A water rescue cadet hailing from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. * Sky Justice (Nzinga Blake) - An air rescue cadet hailing from

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

; she is the daughter of former Rescue Heroes member Jake Justice. * Al Valanche - A seasoned snowboarder hailing from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He has a pet lynx named Claws. * A.R.I.N (Katherin Kennard) - The artificial intelligence of the Rescue Heroes who gives them their missions.

Episodes

Telecast and home media

''Rescue Heroes'' premiered in Canada on

on October 2, 1999, until its final episode (as a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

) aired on November 18, 2003. It ran for three seasons. In the U.S., the series aired on both CBS, as part of the

from 1999 to 2000; and

, from 2001 to 2003. Repeats aired on

in 2009 until it ceased in 2021. It also briefly aired on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

in 2004. In the 2000s, Fisher-Price released all volumes on VHS with the episode "Lava Alarm", Fisher-Price released volumes on DVD under the title "Adventure Collection". As of 2022, the series is now streaming on

Tubi Tubi is an American over-the-top content platform and ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In January 2021, Tubi reached 33 million monthly ...

References

External links

*
Nelvana's profile on the TV series
{{Nelvana 1990s Canadian animated television series 2000s Canadian animated television series 1999 Canadian television series debuts 2003 Canadian television series endings Canadian children's animated action television series Canadian children's animated adventure television series Canadian children's animated superhero television series CBS original programming English-language television shows Kids' WB original shows Teletoon original programming Television series by Nelvana Television shows based on Mattel toys