This page may contain some of the same content as the Marvel Database article. A more complete and current article is at the Marvel Comics Database Pryde of the X-Men. |
Episodes
Season 1
HistoryEdit
Pryde of the X-Men is a one-shot animated television pilot from 1989 featuring the X-Men. A series, for which this episode was intended as a pilot, never materialized. The title is a pun based on the name of Kitty Pryde, one of the characters. Marvel Productions/Sunbow Productions produced the pilot X-Men episode for NBC. The single episode aired infrequently in syndication during the Marvel Action Universe series and was later released on video.
Reaction
The pilot met with mixed reaction. While the animation was of an extremely high quality for television (especially for the late eighties) as the pilot was made to garner interest in a potential series, several points were criticized
- Kitty Pryde was constantly portrayed as a hapless damsel in distress, in stark contrast to her comic counterpart: the 1985 mini-series Kitty Pryde and Wolverine, a well-known watershed moment for Kitty, had changed Kitty from an innocent, carefree teen into a responsible, strong young woman.
- Wolverine spoke with a thick Australian accent, although his history is Canadian. His constant insertion of Australianisms like "dingo" and "crikey" irritated many fans. This was a continuation though of the Australian depiction of Wolverine in the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode Pryde of the X-Men. Incidentally, two of the actors who have played Wolverine, Scott McNeil (in X-Men: Evolution) and Hugh Jackman (in the X-Men movies) are Australian, although both play the character without a distinct accent.
However, after the success of X-Men and X-Men: Evolution, fans have been kind to Pryde of the X-Men, seeing it as a well-meant prelude for things to come.
Notes
- In 1992, Konami produced an X-Men arcade game that served as an expansion of the Pryde of the X-Men pilot.
- Frank Welker, who provided the voices of Nightcrawler, Toad and Lockheed in Pryde of the X-Men previously provided the voice of Iceman on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.
- In 1990, Marvel published a graphic novel titled X-Men Animation Special adapted from Pryde of the X-Men. The panels were images from the cartoon rather than newly drawn art.
Links
- Detailed negative review
- Detailed positive review
- Snooze Jersey Productions—X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men
- 80sxchange.com—Pryde of the X-Men (1989)
- Pryde of the X-Men Theme (RA)
- Retro Junk—Show Info
- YouTube—Pryde of the X-Men
- X-Men Retrospective, Episode Two: Pryde of the X-Men
- “Pryde of the X-Men” Talkback (Spoilers)
- Marvel Animation Age—Pryde of the X-Men Review and Media by Stu
- The X-Men cartoon Marvel hid from you
- The X-Men on TV
- Pryde of the X-Men at TVRage
- Pryde of the X-Men at Marvel Animated Universe Wiki
References