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Gargoyles is an American animated series created by Greg Weisman. It was produced by Greg Weisman and Frank Paur and aired from October 24, 1994 to February 15, 1997. Gargoyles is known for its dark tone, complex story arcs and melodrama. Character arcs were heavily employed throughout the series, as were Shakespearean themes.
A small but loyal fanbase supported the property after television syndication. The first season and part of season two are available on DVD. The Gargoyles storyline continued from 2006–2009 in a comic book of the same name, written by Weisman and produced by Slave Labor Graphics.
Premise[]
The series features a species of nocturnal creatures known as Gargoyles that turn to stone during the day, focusing on a clan led by Goliath. In the year 994, the clan lives in a castle in medieval Scotland alongside humans until many of them are killed by betrayal, and the remainder are magically frozen in stone until the castle "rises above the clouds." A millennium later, billionaire David Xanatos purchases the Gargoyles' castle and has it reconstructed atop his New York skyscraper, awakening the six remaining Gargoyles. In trying to adjust to their new world they are aided by a sympathetic NYPD officer, Elisa Maza, and quickly come into conflict with the machiavellian Xanatos. In addition to dealing with the Gargoyles' attempts to adjust to modern New York, the series also incorporated various supernatural threats to their safety and to the world at large.
Cast[]
- Thom Adcox-Hernandez - Lexington
- Edward Asner - Hudson, Jack Danforth
- Brigitte Bako - Angela
- Jeff Bennett - Brooklyn, The Magus, Owen Burnett, Vinnie
- Keith David - Goliath, Thailog, Officer Morgan
- Bill Fagerbakke - Broadway
- Jonathan Frakes - David Xanatos, Coyote
- Salli Richardson - Elisa Maza, Salli
- Marina Sirtis - Demona, Margot Yale
- Frank Welker - Bronx, Boudicca, Cagney, Gilgamesh, Gilly
Recurring cast members[]
- Monica Allison - voice of Beth Maza
- Diedrich Bader - voice of Jason Canmore (Jason Conover), Charles Canmore
- Michael Bell - voice of Martin Hacker, Pal Joey
- James Belushi - voice of Fang
- Xander Berkeley - voice of Coldsteel
- Clancy Brown - voice of Hakon, Wolf, Tomas Brod
- Rocky Carroll - voice of Talon, Glasses
- Cam Clarke - voice of Young Gillecomgain
- Robert Culp - voice of Halcyon Renard
- Jim Cummings - voice of Dingo, Hunter, Mr. Acme
- Tim Curry - voice of Anton Sevarius
- J. D. Daniels - voice of Young Tom, Young Canmore I, Young Jason, Young Jon, Adult Jon Canmore
- Neil Dickson - voice of Griff, Duncan
- Michael Dorn - voice of Coldstone, Taurus
- Sheena Easton - voice of Finella, Banshee, Robyn Canmore
- Matt Frewer - voice of Jackal
- Ed Gilbert - voice of the Captain of the Guard, Bodhe
- Gerrit Graham - voice of Adult Tom - the Guardian
- Richard Grieco - voice of Anthony "Tony" Dracon
- Charles Hallahan - voice of Macduff, Travis Marshall
- Michael Horse - voice of Peter Maza
- Clyde Kusatsu - voice of Dr Arnada, Kai
- Terrence Mann - voice of Oberon
- Kate Mulgrew - voice of Titania, Anastasia Renard
- Nichelle Nichols - voice of Diane Maza
- C. C. H. Pounder - voice of Desdemona, Coldfire
- Gregg Rainwater - voice of Natsilani, Coyote
- John Rhys-Davies - voice of Macbeth
- Emma Samms - voice of Gruoch-Lady Macbeth
- Laura San Giacomo - voice of Fox (Laura San Giacomo is the only cast member whose name never appeared in any of the credits for episodes she worked on)
- Ruben Santiago-Hudson - voice of Gabriel
- Peter Scolari - voice of Preston Vogel
- W. Morgan Sheppard - voice of Petros Xanatos, Odin, King Kenneth
- Kath Soucie - voice of The Weird Sisters, Princess Katharine, Maggie "the Cat" Reed, Ophelia
- Brent Spiner - voice of Puck
- John St. Ryan - voice of King Arthur Pendragon
- Cree Summer - voice of Hyena
- Rachel Ticotin - voice of Maria Chavez
- David Warner - voice of The Archmage
- Thomas F. Wilson - voice of Matt Bluestone
- Paul Winfield - voice of Jeffrey Robbins
- Alan Cummings - voice of John Castaway
Guest stars[]
- James L. Avery, Sr. - voice of the Shaman
- Lawrence Bayne - voice of Raven
- Gregg Berger - voice of Leo
- Avery Brooks - voice of Nokkar
- LeVar Burton - voice of Anansi
- Scott Cleverdon - voice of Rory Dugan/Cuchulain
- Sarah Douglas - voice of Una
- Hector Elizondo - voice of Zaphiro
- Dorian Harewood - voice of Boreas, Talos
- Tony Jay - voice of Anubis
- Colm Meaney - voice of Mr. Dugan
- Roddy McDowall - voice of Proteus
- Rob Paulsen - voice of Helios
- Tony Shalhoub - voice of the Emir
- Charles Shaughnessy - voice of Douglas Bader
Episodes[]
A total of 78 half-hour episodes were produced. The first two seasons aired in the Disney Afternoon programming block. The controversial third and final season aired on Disney's One Saturday Morning format on ABC as Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles. With the exception of the first episode of the season, "The Journey," these episodes were produced without the involvement of series creator Greg Weisman and are not considered canonical by him.
Influences[]
Series creator Weisman, a former English teacher, has often cited his goal of ideally incorporating every myth and legend into the series eventually. Many Shakespearean characters and stories found their way into the show's storylines, particularly Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream. The series was also influenced by medieval Scottish history.
Weisman has cited the influences of Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears and Hill Street Blues on the series. The latter in particular inspired the ensemble format of the series and the 30-second "Previously, on Gargoyles…" recap found at the beginning of later episodes. The former was an influence on the original comedy development of the show, which was subsequently made darker and more serious before production.