Capitol Critters

Capitol Critters is an animated television series about the lives of mice, rats, and roaches who reside in the basement and walls of the White House in Washington, D.C. The series was produced by Steven Bochco Productions and Hanna-Barbera Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC, which aired seven out of the show's 13 episodes from January 31, 1992 to March 14, 1992. Cartoon Network later aired all 13 episodes in 1995. The series was part of a spate of attempts by major networks to develop prime time animated shows to compete with the surprise success of Fox's The Simpsons, alongside CBS's Fish Police and Family Dog. The latter two and Capitol Critters proved unsuccessful and were quickly cancelled.

Plot
Begininng on a Nebraska farm, which was also home to a family of mice, including a young mouse named Max. While Max was on a trip outside to gather some corn, exterminators arrived to eliminate the mice. Once Max noticed the exterminators from a distance, he quickly returned to the basement only to witness the death of his entire family. Before Max's mother was killed after a failed rescue attempt, she told him to leave for Washington D.C., where his cousin Berkeley could be found. Upon his arrival in the nation's capital Max encountered a rat named Jammett who resided along with Berkeley in the White House basement. After meeting Berkeley, Max met a former lab rat named Muggle and Jammett's mother Trixie, who allowed him to share her son's room.

A new set of cats called the Presidential Cats (named "President" and "Vice President") were just beginning to be a nuisance for the mice before Max's arrival. Also, the familiar sight of rat poison was a part of Max's life in his new home. When death appeared to be his fate, a cockroach named Moze came to his aid and brought him outside the White House basement. When Max returned to the basement, the sight of Muggle unconscious brought back terrible memories that caused him to run outside toward a presidential helicopter preparing to take off. Jammett managed to join Max on the helicopter before returning to the White House, giving the two plenty of time to know each other better.

Principal cast

 * Neil Patrick Harris - Max
 * Charlie Adler - Jammett
 * Patti Deutsch - Trixie
 * Jennifer Darling - Berkeley
 * Dorian Harewood - Moze
 * Bobcat Goldthwait - Muggle
 * Frank Welker - Presidential Cats

Additional voices

 * Pamela Adlon - Violet
 * Lewis Arquette -
 * Michael Bell - Roach Husband, Various
 * Gregg Berger -
 * Earl Boen -
 * Sorrell Booke -
 * Hamilton Camp -
 * Brian Cummings -
 * Jim Cummings - Cockroach Gang Leader, Various
 * Tim Curry - Senator
 * Jeff Doucette -
 * Nancy Dussault -
 * Paul Eiding - Max's Father
 * Richard Erdman -
 * Takayo Fischer - Miko's Mother
 * Linda Gary -
 * Joan Gerber - Roach Wife
 * Ed Gilbert -
 * Dan Gilvezan -
 * Danny Goldman - Opie the Squirrel
 * Arlene Golonka -
 * Whitby Hertford -
 * Gordon Hunt -
 * Helen Hunt -
 * Robert Ito - Miko's Father
 * David Jolliffe -
 * Janice Kawaye - Miko
 * Jarrett Lennon -
 * Anndi McAfee -
 * Scott Menville -
 * Brian Stokes Mitchell -
 * Rob Paulsen - Janitor, Pigeon, Various
 * Robert Picardo -
 * Peter Renaday -
 * Robert Ridgely -
 * Neil Ross - Newscaster
 * Beverly Sanders -
 * Jeffrey Tambor -
 * Mark L. Taylor -
 * Russi Taylor -
 * Marcelo Tubert -
 * Chick Venerra -
 * B.J. Ward - Max's Mother
 * Lee Wilkof -
 * Eugene Williams -
 * William Woodson -
 * Patric Zimmerman - Felix

Crew

 * Lynne Batchelor - Talent Coordinator
 * Davis Doi - Supervising Producer
 * Gordon Hunt - Recording Director
 * David Kirschner - Co-Executive Producer
 * Kris Zimmerman - Animation Casting Director

Reception
Capitol Critters was cancelled after less than two months. In its short run, the series dealt with such topics as politics, racial segregation, drug addiction, and mortality. In his review of the series, Variety critic Brian Lowry wrote that "at its best, the show seems to ape the work of film director Ralph Bakshi by using an animated setting to explore adult themes", and that "the bland central character and cartoonish elements [...] will likely be off-putting to many adults, who won't find the political satire biting enough to merit their continued attention. Similarly, kids probably won't be as smitten with the cartoon aspects or look." Despite the show's short run, Capitol Critters inspired Burger King Kids Club toys in 1992, which featured Jammet, Max, Muggle, and a Presidential Cat sitting on or emerging from miniature Washington D.C. monuments.

International airings
Capitol Critters was also shown in Germany as Mäuse an der Macht, and in Japan as Kyapitoru Mausu Daibouken (キャピトルマウス大冒険).

Super NES version
Also in 1992, Nintendo had planned to release a Super NES version of Capitol Critters, but it was never released.