''Wildfire'' is a 1986

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

animated series produced by

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

about the adventures of Sara, a 13-year-old girl growing up in the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

as she discovers her true identity as a princess-in-hiding from another realm who is destined to fight the evil witch Lady Diabolyn. The show was first broadcast on CBS for 13 episodes from September 13 to December 6, 1986.

Plot

As a baby, Princess Sara (voiced by Georgi Irene) of Thurinia was saved from the clutches of the evil Lady Diabolyn (voiced by Jessica Walter) by a mystical talking horse named Wildfire (voiced by John Vernon) following the death of Sara's mother Queen Sarana (voiced by

Amanda McBroom Amanda McBroom (born August 9, 1947) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Notable among the songs she has written is "The Rose (song), The Rose", which Bette Midler sang in the The Rose (film), film of the same name, and which has been ...

). Wildfire took her away from the planet Dar-Shan and deposited her in Montana where she is taken in by a farmer named John Cavanaugh (voiced by

David Ackroyd David Ackroyd (born May 30, 1940) is an American actor, who first came to prominence in soap operas such as ''The Secret Storm'' and '' Another World''. Early life On May 30, 1940, Ackroyd was born in East Orange, New Jersey; he moved to Wayn ...

). Lady Diabolyn was a stepsister to Queen Sarana, whom she always considered weak and unfit to rule. To gain her "rightful" throne, she learned dark magic and allied herself with the demonic Spectres. Twelve years later when Sara was ready to fight evil, Wildfire brought her back to Dar-Shan to regain her kingdom. Wildfire summons Sara through her magic amulet and transports her across dimensions to her real home in Dar-Shan. Sara joins with her friends consisting of a sorcerer named Alvinar (voiced by

René Auberjonois René Murat Auberjonois (; June 1, 1940 – December 8, 2019) was an American actor and director. He was best known for portraying Odo on '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1993–1999). He first achieved fame as a stage actor, winning the Tony Aw ...

), a young boy named Dorin (voiced by

Bobby Jacoby Robert Jayne (born July 16, 1973), also known as Bobby Jacoby, is an American actor, real estate developer and professional blackjack player. Career Starting his career as a child actor, he has appeared in many television series as well as film ...

), and his cowardly colt Brutus (voiced by

Susan Blu Susan Maria Blue, better known as Sue Blu, is an American voice-actress, voice-director, and casting-director in American and Canadian cinema and television. She most notably voiced Arcee in '' The Transformers: The Movie'' and Seasons 3 and 4 of ...

) in order to thwart her wicked step-aunt. John and Sara's Indian friend Ellen (voiced by Lilly Moon) provide moral support on Earth. Lady Diabolyn is helped by the Goons, mischievous creatures consisting of Dweedle (voiced by

Billy Barty Billy Barty (born William John Bertanzetti, October 25, 1924 – December 23, 2000) was an American actor and activist. In adult life, he stood tall, due to cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism. Because of his short stature, he was often cast ...

), Nerts, Booper, Mudlusk (voiced by

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

), and Thimble. They were formerly Diabolyn's personal guards until they gained their monstrous appearances by the Spectres upon opening the urn containing them when Diabolyn told them not to. Each episode revealed more and more of the mythical world of Dar-Shan and gave its audience a new puzzle piece to help reason out the past events that led up to the current state of affairs. It was later revealed that Sara's adopted father John was actually her biological father Prince Cavan sent to Earth to protect him from the curse which Lady Diabolyn and the Spectres had placed on Dar-Shan. Sara and Wildfire are the only ones who know John's true identity which has been kept secret even from him.

Episodes

Voice cast

as John Cavanaugh / Prince Cavan *

as Alvinar *

as Dweedle *

as Brutus * Townsend Coleman as Goon * Georgi Irene as Princess Sara *

as Dorin *

Lilly Moon Lilly may refer to: * an archaic spelling of lily, a flowering plant Arts and entertainment * Lilly (film), ''Lilly'' (film), a 1958 Malayalam film * Lilly (album), ''Lilly'' (album), by Antonello Venditti, 1975 * "Lilly", a song by Pink Martin ...

as Ellen *

Rob Paulsen Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956) is an American voice actor, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program and three Anni ...

as Goon * John Vernon as Wildfire * Jessica Walter as Lady Diabolyn *

as Mudlusk

Additional voices

Remy Auberjonois Rémy-Luc Julian Michel Auberjonois (born January 21, 1974) is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role as Mr. Albin in the television series '' Weeds'' and as Dr. Emerson on the television series ''Mad Men''. Career Auberjonois ...

Victoria Carroll Victoria Carroll (or Victoria Carrol-Bell; born Mary Carol Lee Ford on January 21, 1941) is an American actress and artist. Best known as Marie Massey in '' Alice'' (1978-1984). Early life Born Mary Carol Lee Ford on January 21, 1941 in Los Angel ...

- Mrs. Ashworth * Louise Chamis - Stubb's Mom (in "Dragons of Dar-Shan") * Philip Clarke - Lord Samson * Gino Conforti *

Keene Curtis Keene Holbrook Curtis (February 15, 1923 – October 13, 2002) was an American character actor. Early life Curtis was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (poli ...

- Mr. Specs (in "Where the Dreams Come From") * Jennifer Darling * Jerry Dexter * George DiCenzo - Aragon (in "The Highwayman") * Paul Eiding *

Dick Erdman Richard Erdman ( John Richard Erdmann; June 1, 1925 – March 16, 2019) was an American character actor and occasional film and television Film director, director. He appeared in more than 160 films and television productions between 1944 and ...

* Bernard Erhard - Rothadode (in "Wildfire: King of the Horses") * Melanie Gaffin * Dick Gautier * Barbara Goodson - Nerissa (in "The Name is the Game") *

Scott Grimes Scott Christopher Grimes (born July 9, 1971) is an American actor and singer. Some of his most prominent roles include appearances in the 1984 cult classic ''The Night They Saved Christmas'', '' ER'' as Dr. Archie Morris, ''Party of Five'' as Wil ...

Noah Hathaway Noah Leslie Hathaway (born November 13, 1971) is an American actor and a former teen idol. He is best known for his roles as Atreyu in the 1984 film ''The NeverEnding Story'' and for portraying Boxey on the original television series ''Battlestar ...

Darryl Hickman Darryl Gerard Hickman (born July 28, 1931) is an American former actor, screenwriter, television executive, and acting coach. He started his career as a child actor in the Golden Age of Hollywood and appeared in numerous TV serials as an adult. ...

* Laura Jacoby *

Lauri Johnson Lauri Denise Johnson (''née'' Smith; born December 27, 1949) is an American character actress. Early life Johnson was born in Santa Monica, California, in 1949. She is the daughter of vocalist Annette Warren and jazz pianist Paul Smith. Caree ...

Aron Kincaid Aron Kincaid (born Norman Neale Williams II; June 15, 1940 – January 6, 2011) was an American actor, known for voicing Killer Croc on '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and Sky Lynx on '' The Transformers''. He also voiced characters for ''T ...

* Ron Leibman * Marilyn Lightstone - Jude (in "Secret of Sinti Magic") * June Lockhart - Vesta * Kenneth Mars * Janet May *

- Queen Sarana (in "A Meeting in Time") * Marissa Mendenhall * Michael Mish *

Daniel O'Herlihy Daniel Peter O'Herlihy (May 1, 1919 – February 17, 2005) was an Irish actor of film, television, and radio. With a distinguished appearance and rich, resonant speaking voice, O'Herlihy's best known-roles included his Oscar-nominated portraya ...

- Jovar *

Diane Pershing Diane Pershing (born May 27, 1943) is an American voice actress. She began her singing career as a back-up singer for Johnny Mathis and went on to appear in the show group, The Establishment, on tour and on TV. She also voiced Poison Ivy in th ...

- Lady Aura (in "Strangers in the Night") * Brock Peters - Thunderbolt (in "Wildfire: King of the Horses") * Peter Renaday * Peter Mark Richman * Bob Ridgely * Josh Rodine - Stubb (in "Dragons of Dar-Shan") * Roger Rose - Halavax (in "The Highwayman") * Neilson Ross * Will Ryan * William Schallert * Brandon Stewart * Alexandra Stoddart - Sheriel (in "The Ogre's Bride") *

Andre Stojka Andre Stojka is an American voice actor. He is best known for his role as the voice of Owl in the Winnie-the-Pooh franchises starting with ''Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin'' inheriting the role from Hal Smith after hi ...

* Jeffrey Tambor - Oberon (in "A Visit to Wonderland") * Les Tremayne - Bildad (in "Dragons of Dar-Shan") * Ginny Tyler *

Ted Zeigler Theodore Lee Zeigler (June 3, 1926 - December 12, 1999) was an American actor, voice actor and comedian. Early life Born in Chicago, the last of 11 children, Zeigler was the son of a union organizer who was killed by the mafia in the 1930s. His ...

Reception

According to the '' Los Angeles Times'', "despite the hackneyed writing and poor animation (the artists don't understand how a horse moves), ''Wildfire'' is sure to be a hit with little girls, its obvious audience".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wildfire (1986 TV Series) 1980s American animated television series 1986 American television series debuts 1986 American television series endings 1980s American science fiction television series American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated science fantasy television series CBS original programming Animated television series about horses Hanna-Barbera superheroes Television series by Hanna-Barbera Television shows set in Montana