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Lots of fun. Amazing how James is keeping the He-Man historical legend alive! Even as one of the writers on the series I never knew any of this! …Rowby.
That commercial is terrific, I only recent stumbled on it earlier in the year on TH-cam, but bonus points for including it here as well as your analysis of it. I think Skeletor flying straight at the viewer towards the end with those damining crimson eyes would have been quite frightening for me as a kid if I'd ever seen it, but that's the hardcore living we were subjected to with loads of 80s animation (and some live films too)
Yeah, for the longest time the commercial was only available via a video that someone filmed at the San Diego Comic Con (Mattel were showing it at their booth), so it was a bit shaky and you had the glare of the screen - Kindly, Scott Neitlich sent it to me, and that's the quality version that has ended up on-line over the years! :)
Oh, this brings back memories. Now I was a Star Wars kid, even today it’s my favorite franchise. But back when Return of the Jedi came out, Star Wars was done. A few months later, He-Man came out and quickly became my favorite everything! With the recent She Ra series and both He Man shows on Netflix, with a blu ray release of the original shows on the way …. It’s a wonderful time to be a fan!
Two things I love about this video - one is the subject matter itself, but also finally seeing a clear photograph of Linda Gary! 😍😍 For my money one of the greatest voice actresses of all time!
Love me some He-Man content. It's amazing how globally successful it was. I think I never again saw anything quite like it, generation defining and this enduring. Probably it was partly because back then we didn't have so many studios producing so much content as we have now. We were probably one of the last generations that grew up watching some of the same cartoons their parents grew up with too. Now there's so much more to consume. Everything is more ephemeral, nothing is meant to last, everything is about this instant (and disposable) satisfaction.
VERY wise words, especially when you say that these days "nothing is meant to last" - I will say this, I think Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was just as big, if not bigger than Masters of the Universe during the eighties - Don't get me wrong, He-Man received a LOT of coverage...but Ninja Turtles was a juggernaut of a franchise...it was everywhere! :)
@@cerealgeekTV True, here too they were huge and I loved them as well. Their movies were more successful too, even when they were subject to puritanical America infantilizing them, being afraid of the ninja weapons and all. The toys were everywhere too, even in my little town. While to get the MOTU action figures we had to go to the capital. So I see what you mean, perhaps MOTU paved the way but the turtles phenomenon was probably bigger.
As I mentioned in one of my Ninja Turtles videos, the franchise was SO huge than the BBC covered it in one of their news reports...NO other cartoon had THAT much traction in the eighties and nineties in the UK! :)
I mean....to be fair, we're talking about one of the most impactful lines of the 1980s...and many *weren't* ; do you think most of the companies put as much effort into *those* as Mattel did into He-Man? Honestly, our parents were making the same comparisons *back then* ; just saying.
It's always amazing to see instances where Filmation stepped up their game, and put more effort into their animation. Hard to believe that Filmation actually produced the animation for this commercial. The fact that Gwen Wetzler was A former Disney animator explains how impressive the animation looks. Over the years, however, I've seen stuff from Filmation before 'He-Man' that look surprisingly fluid for the time. Including 'Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure Of All', and 'Journey Back To Oz' which Don Bluth actually worked on.
BraveStarr: The Legend and Flash Gordon's "The Greatest Adventure Of All" are probably Filmation's best work outside of this commercial (hence why I mention the latter in this video) - The fact is that Filmation could produce quality like this with the talent they had, especially during the eighties - However, they were already spending more on a single episode of TV than any other cartoon of the eighties (as the other studios were sending their work overseas, where it was cheaper to produce)...
@@cerealgeekTV That also explains why producing animation in the states is more expensive, and illustrates the difference between producing A series, and producing A feature film.
Sadly, it would've cost an absolute fortune to make an animated movie with THIS much detail and movement...and Filmation were already spending more than any other studio at the time on a single half hour of animation! :)
I love your history lessons, James! I always assumed it was John Erwin's voice in this commercial. I had no idea it is still undetermined? Very interesting.
I think, based on the voice cast, it's more than likely that it was Burr Middleton...if you hear his performance as Captain Marvel they certainly sound more than alike with certain inflections! :)
The one advert I remember trying to recreate was the one that featured Jitsu and Stridor - Like the advert I made an actual cardboard cage (I'll bet my effort looked awful) and had He-Man trapped inside by Jistu! :)
Correct - I only learned that watching an episode of Filmation's Archie series about a decade ago...caught me completely off guard to hear John Erwin's voice! :)
If only Mattel were making a billion dollars a year, the TV series could have looked just as fluent and detailed as this commercial, but I'm grateful for what we got from the show nonetheless, stock system and all. :) It was also cool finding out Gwen Wetzler worked on this commercial. Her and her team did a fine job despite time being against them. Yay, good ol' Jon Talpur does it again. Glad he got a shout out in one of these videos, the guy is amazing. :)
Well, Mattel did make a billion or two during the height of He-Man...but even then, Filmation were spending more on a single episode of TV animation than any other studio in the eighties - To maintain the quality seen in this commercial would've cost...actually...it makes me shudder to think how much it would've cost! :)
I found it interesting that Alan Oppenheimer's voice for Skeletor here in the commercial more closely matched his voice as The Overlord on Blackstar. I guess that goes with the Blackstar music they ended up using, since they hadn't hired Shuki Levy and Haim Saban yet for the series. Man-at-Arms' voice in the commercial, sounds like Oppenheimer's Battle Cat voice in the series, while the vocalizations for Battle Cat in the commercial sound like the generic stock "panther/leopard snarl" used widely in Filmation cartoons, including Tarzan Lord of the Jungle, and the He-man episode "The Search for the VHO", as the sound of the horned feline beast near the end. It was surprising just how much John Irwin's He-man sounds like Burr Middleton's He-Man. Without this knowledge, a person could legit think it had been John Irwin.
Yeah, I always look at this commercial as Filmation almost seeing what would work going forward for an animated series - And, thinking about it, THIS was the short that Filmation took to trade shows in order to sell the show into syndication! :)
@@cerealgeekTV did you notice that in early season He-man, the voice of Cringer was more like Oppenheimer's voice for Mr. Tawky Tawny in Shazam? I think they got Alan to pitch Cringer's voice higher later on so people wouldn't get confused.
@@shebakoby - I think it was more a case of just the actor playing with the role...same with Skeletor - Even John Erwin alters his He-Man voice, as he's rather "shouty" in those earlier episodes recorded ("She-Demon of Phantos", "Like Father, Like Daughter", etc.) :)
This commercial is one of my favorite pieces of animation, ever. It captures the version of MOTU lore from my childhood brain…a blend of Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings, Milius’ Conan the Barbarian, and the animated Dungeons & Dragons. Your breakdown is fantastic. Thank you for such great content. Your work is definitely the quality I aspire to on my channel. ✌🏾➕✊🏾
"Milius’ Conan the Barbarian" This predates the movie's release. Albeit many of the staff were familiar with Marvel's Conan the Barbarian comics. (Also predates D&D animated series)
There's always more He-Man and She-Ra! :) - However, please do check out my other videos...given how many talented people worked on these shows, there's always a connection in some way...like the guy that storyboarded "Creatures From The Tar Swamp" appearing in the first episode of The Transformers! :)
Been a fan of He-man since I was a kid and now that they came out with the orgins line , it's been fun collecting all of them. Made me try to recreate some of those old commercials of my own lol. Great job on the video 💯
Filmation definitely could've made a movie in this style! :) - As for a series, no studio could've made a series in this style, it would've required too much work - If the deadline was two year ahead MAYBE a studio could create a series using this detailed style of animation...:)
Great choice of content for this episode, James. It's incredible how similar He-Man's voice in this commercial is to John Erwin's more familiar take on our favourite hero - so much so, I had always assumed it was Erwin having not quite settled on the softer, friendlier vocals from the Filmation series that followed. Happy to be re-educated! ;)
Fantastic video James! This is such a well done commercial. Everything had such a barbaric/mysterious feel to it. The attention to detail was amazing. This one of my favorite episodes you have done! Keep up the great work my friend.
Thank you for the kind words - There's much MORE to come on this channel - Also, there may be another video in the works about this very commercial...because I recently obtained something that would make for a very cool follow-up...:)
Thank you so much for sharing this. I for love nor money remember seeing Teela on Battlecat as a child, but through out watching the original run, and the show in syndication, never remember seeing it again. All though my memory isnt always dependable. The ad was a masterpiece, then and now. Thank you for giving it the spotlight and recognition it so thoroughly deserves. And your commentary, superlative!
I knew this already, and (not however) I enjoy the retelling of it, + your perspective is genuinely unique and worth seeing and hearing. Oh and I enjoyed this video🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Yeah, through my research back in the day (and thanks to the ol' Episode Review Website I co-ran) I was the one that uncovered all of this information in the first place (along with finding out the dates) - There are still people that believe that I fabricated all of this...although I'm not sure how I was able to get director Gwen Wetzler to pretend that she directed something that never existed! :)
Fabulous video. It's funny that DC Comics borrowed the scene where Teela saves He-Man from falling through the trap door in issue #3 of their Masters of the Universe mini-series (titled "Within these Walls... Armageddon!").
Cool video! Thank you! I don't know if you -- or anyone else for that matter -- has ever addressed this, but Linda Gary also voices Teela on the record that came with the Point Dread & Talon Fighter set, doesn't she? The voice seems nearly identical, and it stands out, because none of the other voices on that record are recognisable Filmation actors.
YUP - That is indeed Linda Gary in that record you refer to...and I think myself and a friend figured out that the the guy that plays He-Man is Corey Burton (Spike/Shockwave from The Transformers) - This would also make a lot of sense as the pair were part of a radio adventure series in the seventies! :)
BTW the statue of Ming the Merciless in the Filmation animated Flash Gordon (not so much the live-action version of the character) bears some pre-emptive similar features to G1 Scourge (beard, collar, brow and a few other features). I wonder if Floro Derey or someone like that incorporated hints of Ming into Scourge's design/animation model.
Never knew that Teela always had that design. Every toy photo I ever saw of her as a child always had that snake headdress on and I never saw her without it making me wonder why she stood out. I never saw her toy without it on.
That commercial was quite the doozy when I first saw it, as it was weird to see He-Man animated by Filmation with all that detail & refinement that the cartoon series couldn’t have for time & budget reasons. Reminds me of those early GI Joe animations for the commercials for the toys & comics. Like how Cobra Commander & Destro’s voice weren’t finalized at that point and there being more refined movement. And there’s a extended version that’s currently lost to the public? Hope the lost media community can help find that someday.
Over the years, as you may have seen with my Friday Night Trivia series (th-cam.com/play/PL5pZXPaqz9y7l9d5ybEtk5-EXPdRKAIYv.html) I've managed to uncover a LOT...even to this day! :)
I remember hearing that one of the reasons Hasbro made the G.I. Joe comic book was so they could use animation in their advertisement, as it wasn't allowed in toy commercials at the time, but that restriction didn't apply to comic books. Was this He-Man commercial made after that?
It is interesting that Skeletor in the commercial and with the toy had red eyes, but not in the Filmation series. Never saw the commercial, but better late than never, I guess. He-man is extremely expressive with his face. It's an excellent commercial.
@@cerealgeekTV I actually heard or read somewhere that the cartoon was banned in France, because Skeletor scared the kids. If he had red eyes, imagine how many kids that would've freaked out ?
I've only ever found some evidence of this over the years - Storyboard artist, animator, and director Tom Sito has spoken about it before - It certainly is interesting...if true! :)
Filmation never worked on Heavy Metal...but the animators that worked on this had worked for Disney - Also, Filmation did have a wealth of talented animators - The stock system and desire to stay on-model above everything else resulted in a similar style throughout many of their productions...:)
I must say 3 seconds in and I'm blown away by the quality of the clips used in the intro. Did you happen to us AI upscale them or just run them through something like After Effects? Brought here by @NostalgAK
My (evil but talented) associate Dušan Mitrović upscaled the animation for this video essay - I acquired the commercial directly from Mattel back in 2013, but sadly, the only version they have is a VHS quality one - Many years ago I used to frequent the warehouse in Los Angeles where all the Filmation material was housed...and the original reel for the commercial was almost definitely stored there - There IS a chance that the reel is located inside a warehouse over here in the UK...maybe one day I'll get my hands on it! :) - Be sure to check out the other videos on this channel...I always try and bring something new to the geeky table...
The closest we ever came were the appearances of the Blackstar statue ("Temple of The Sun") and the reuse of Warlock ("The Remedy") in the He-Man series...and we came close to Mara being reused as Shakra ("The Caregiver") in the She-Ra series...:)
Very odd, I thought He-Man was definitely John Irwin in this commercial and Skeletor was totally different actor than Alan O. Odd that the opposite is apparently true.
I think some fans would argue that this isn't the real He-Man...just a blonde Conan knockoff - My favorite of the earlier versions of He-Man was the one that appeared in the seven DC-produced minicomics - Those adventures were spectacular! :)
Of all the MotU toy commercials I've seen, this one seems to feature the most out of touch clueless kids ever. What are they even doing with the toys? XD
@@cerealgeekTV Thanks. It's not like I was even looking for this. I just remember the other commercials having the children always play with the toys in a way that made me want to do the same. It made me jealous which is exactly how it should work. Here they are just pushing the toys around gently as if they don't want to be there. I found it kinda funny once I noticed it.^^
I'm always jealous of the kids pictured in the photos with the original Lords of Power prototypes - They held figures that made history (and would be worth an absolute fortune now)! :)
The other thing that makes this better than the cartoon (besides the amazing animation) is that it is based on the story created by the mini comics. I was so disappointed when the cartoon came out, and they had gotten rid of the battle ax and added the weird Adam secret identity thing. For me, He-Man is better as a barbarian who left his home to go on adventures.
The "weird Adam secret identity thing" happened before the cartoon...in 1982! :) - If you enjoy stories of a barbarian going on adventures, I HIGHLY recommend the 1970s Conan comics by John Bucema...those are utterly FANTASTIC! :)
@@cerealgeekTV yes, and I believe the change was to avoid potential copyright issues with Conan. It's justifiable, but as a kid I didn't know any of that stuff, so I was mad.
"is that it is based on the story created by the mini comics." Not a single scene in the animated segment matches any moment from the mini comics. "I was so disappointed when the cartoon came out" Of course you were. "and they had gotten rid of the battle ax" A sword is a better weapon than an ax. "and added the weird Adam secret identity thing" As James pointed out, that was added BEFORE the cartoon, done by DC comics. The revisions they made formed the basis for Filmation's animated series. "For me, He-Man is better as a barbarian who left his home to go on adventures." The home which promptly gets forgotten... adventures which boil down to fighting over a patch of dirt. What's at stake in the early minicomics? One single TINY tribe?! What adventures did happen in first four minicomics? WHEN was the last time you read any of it?! Oh, and BTW, going on adventures wasn't He-Man's reason to venture out... " yes, and I believe the change was to avoid potential copyright issues with Conan. It's justifiable, but as a kid I didn't know any of that stuff, so I was mad." MOTU was never ever going to be Conan (there's documentation to back that up). It's internet BS much like Lion King being Kimba the White Lion.
@@Grim2 everything you put in your comments to me is personal opinion, except the copyright thing, which sounds right when you say it, but also who cares? In the end, you can like the sword more and I can like the ax more and just leave it at that. Also, you are arguing with the opinions of the 6 year old version of me, so, there is that to consider.
Cool detailed video! Question: are those drawings at 11:58 the origin Filmation's character study on He-Man from this commercial to the cartoon final version?
Yup. Those are all pre-final designs next to the final one. From Alcala to two He-Men derived from Filmation's Hercules to Curt Swan (the legendary Superman artist who also did the two MOTU crossovers) inspired one. :)
@@cerealgeekTV Yes!💪🏻 Those are new things to me. To me, the behind the scenes work and the studies are as interesting as the final product itself. I bet those meetings at Filmation, back then, were a goldmine of ideas.
If you want to see episodes of cereal:geek TV and He-Man/She-Ra Friday Night Trivia MANY months in advance (and be able to vote on the channel's Clip of the Week) please consider supporting me on Patreon! :) - www.patreon.com/jameseatock
The art in that commercial was amazing.
Yeah, Gwen Wetzler and her team did AMAZING work! :)
Lots of fun. Amazing how James is keeping the He-Man historical legend alive! Even as one of the writers on the series I never knew any of this! …Rowby.
Gonna have to get you involved in our documentary on James and Filmation!
Awww...thank you, Rowby - You're the best! :)
That commercial is terrific, I only recent stumbled on it earlier in the year on TH-cam, but bonus points for including it here as well as your analysis of it. I think Skeletor flying straight at the viewer towards the end with those damining crimson eyes would have been quite frightening for me as a kid if I'd ever seen it, but that's the hardcore living we were subjected to with loads of 80s animation (and some live films too)
Yeah, for the longest time the commercial was only available via a video that someone filmed at the San Diego Comic Con (Mattel were showing it at their booth), so it was a bit shaky and you had the glare of the screen - Kindly, Scott Neitlich sent it to me, and that's the quality version that has ended up on-line over the years! :)
Oh, this brings back memories. Now I was a Star Wars kid, even today it’s my favorite franchise. But back when Return of the Jedi came out, Star Wars was done. A few months later, He-Man came out and quickly became my favorite everything! With the recent She Ra series and both He Man shows on Netflix, with a blu ray release of the original shows on the way …. It’s a wonderful time to be a fan!
You'll enjoy the Blu-ray...we put a LOT of love into that release! :)
Two things I love about this video - one is the subject matter itself, but also finally seeing a clear photograph of Linda Gary! 😍😍 For my money one of the greatest voice actresses of all time!
Yeah, Linda Gary's versatility and talent was simply astounding! :)
Love me some He-Man content. It's amazing how globally successful it was. I think I never again saw anything quite like it, generation defining and this enduring. Probably it was partly because back then we didn't have so many studios producing so much content as we have now. We were probably one of the last generations that grew up watching some of the same cartoons their parents grew up with too. Now there's so much more to consume. Everything is more ephemeral, nothing is meant to last, everything is about this instant (and disposable) satisfaction.
VERY wise words, especially when you say that these days "nothing is meant to last" - I will say this, I think Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was just as big, if not bigger than Masters of the Universe during the eighties - Don't get me wrong, He-Man received a LOT of coverage...but Ninja Turtles was a juggernaut of a franchise...it was everywhere! :)
@@cerealgeekTV True, here too they were huge and I loved them as well. Their movies were more successful too, even when they were subject to puritanical America infantilizing them, being afraid of the ninja weapons and all. The toys were everywhere too, even in my little town. While to get the MOTU action figures we had to go to the capital. So I see what you mean, perhaps MOTU paved the way but the turtles phenomenon was probably bigger.
As I mentioned in one of my Ninja Turtles videos, the franchise was SO huge than the BBC covered it in one of their news reports...NO other cartoon had THAT much traction in the eighties and nineties in the UK! :)
I mean....to be fair, we're talking about one of the most impactful lines of the 1980s...and many *weren't* ; do you think most of the companies put as much effort into *those* as Mattel did into He-Man? Honestly, our parents were making the same comparisons *back then* ; just saying.
It's always amazing to see instances where Filmation stepped up their game, and put more effort into their animation. Hard to believe that Filmation actually produced the animation for this commercial. The fact that Gwen Wetzler was A former Disney animator explains how impressive the animation looks. Over the years, however, I've seen stuff from Filmation before 'He-Man' that look surprisingly fluid for the time. Including 'Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure Of All', and 'Journey Back To Oz' which Don Bluth actually worked on.
BraveStarr: The Legend and Flash Gordon's "The Greatest Adventure Of All" are probably Filmation's best work outside of this commercial (hence why I mention the latter in this video) - The fact is that Filmation could produce quality like this with the talent they had, especially during the eighties - However, they were already spending more on a single episode of TV than any other cartoon of the eighties (as the other studios were sending their work overseas, where it was cheaper to produce)...
@@cerealgeekTV That also explains why producing animation in the states is more expensive, and illustrates the difference between producing A series, and producing A feature film.
I was always amazed by all details in the commercial as a child and till this day. Imagine if we got an animated movie with this much detail. 😳
Sadly, it would've cost an absolute fortune to make an animated movie with THIS much detail and movement...and Filmation were already spending more than any other studio at the time on a single half hour of animation! :)
you cant see any detail in it, re removed it all by fucking running it though a garbage upscaler
Hey, it's not that bad an upscale - I have the video master and trust me, this is better than the actual video master! :)
@@cerealgeekTV it isnt. i know it isnt better lmfao. you cant pull the wool over my eyes dude.
There's no fooling you - You're the best! :)
I love your history lessons, James! I always assumed it was John Erwin's voice in this commercial. I had no idea it is still undetermined? Very interesting.
I think, based on the voice cast, it's more than likely that it was Burr Middleton...if you hear his performance as Captain Marvel they certainly sound more than alike with certain inflections! :)
How that was a breakdown and a half. Excellent work there to all at Crealgeek TV.
Always loved seeing the Masters of the Universe commercials, really made an impact to go buy the toys!!
It would be interesting to know if this particular commercial generated any sales...:)
Man. I always loved the backdrops in the MOTU commercials. I always tried to recreate them in my backyard
Speaking of which.. it's odd how long it took for those to be featured in the ads. For first few years it was nothing but living rooms and backyards.
The one advert I remember trying to recreate was the one that featured Jitsu and Stridor - Like the advert I made an actual cardboard cage (I'll bet my effort looked awful) and had He-Man trapped inside by Jistu! :)
I can’t get enough that original commercial. Imagine a feature length film in that style!
Would've been interesting for sure! :)
The voice Oppenheimer used for Man-At-Arms literally is Battle Cat. 😅
Yup! :) - Not entirely sure that would've worked for Skeletor across an entire series...
The guy who did the voice of He Man also did the voice of Filmation version of "Dick Tracy"...
Correct - I only learned that watching an episode of Filmation's Archie series about a decade ago...caught me completely off guard to hear John Erwin's voice! :)
If only Mattel were making a billion dollars a year, the TV series could have looked just as fluent and detailed as this commercial, but I'm grateful for what we got from the show nonetheless, stock system and all. :) It was also cool finding out Gwen Wetzler worked on this commercial. Her and her team did a fine job despite time being against them. Yay, good ol' Jon Talpur does it again. Glad he got a shout out in one of these videos, the guy is amazing. :)
Well, Mattel did make a billion or two during the height of He-Man...but even then, Filmation were spending more on a single episode of TV animation than any other studio in the eighties - To maintain the quality seen in this commercial would've cost...actually...it makes me shudder to think how much it would've cost! :)
@@cerealgeekTV Sounds like they needed trillions just to make it look like the commercial, that thought alone is very scary.
I found it interesting that Alan Oppenheimer's voice for Skeletor here in the commercial more closely matched his voice as The Overlord on Blackstar. I guess that goes with the Blackstar music they ended up using, since they hadn't hired Shuki Levy and Haim Saban yet for the series. Man-at-Arms' voice in the commercial, sounds like Oppenheimer's Battle Cat voice in the series, while the vocalizations for Battle Cat in the commercial sound like the generic stock "panther/leopard snarl" used widely in Filmation cartoons, including Tarzan Lord of the Jungle, and the He-man episode "The Search for the VHO", as the sound of the horned feline beast near the end. It was surprising just how much John Irwin's He-man sounds like Burr Middleton's He-Man. Without this knowledge, a person could legit think it had been John Irwin.
Yeah, I always look at this commercial as Filmation almost seeing what would work going forward for an animated series - And, thinking about it, THIS was the short that Filmation took to trade shows in order to sell the show into syndication! :)
@@cerealgeekTV did you notice that in early season He-man, the voice of Cringer was more like Oppenheimer's voice for Mr. Tawky Tawny in Shazam? I think they got Alan to pitch Cringer's voice higher later on so people wouldn't get confused.
@@shebakoby - I think it was more a case of just the actor playing with the role...same with Skeletor - Even John Erwin alters his He-Man voice, as he's rather "shouty" in those earlier episodes recorded ("She-Demon of Phantos", "Like Father, Like Daughter", etc.) :)
@@cerealgeekTV that's likely the case, although occasionally voice directors (like Wally Burr on Transformers) could get a little more picky.
This commercial is one of my favorite pieces of animation, ever. It captures the version of MOTU lore from my childhood brain…a blend of Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings, Milius’ Conan the Barbarian, and the animated Dungeons & Dragons. Your breakdown is fantastic. Thank you for such great content. Your work is definitely the quality I aspire to on my channel. ✌🏾➕✊🏾
"Milius’ Conan the Barbarian"
This predates the movie's release. Albeit many of the staff were familiar with Marvel's Conan the Barbarian comics. (Also predates D&D animated series)
Thank you for the kind words! :)
Terrific as always - love the shot of Mark Taylor from PoG!
That footage is golden! :)
More He-man Please!!!!!! Great video! Always Amazing Work James!
There's always more He-Man and She-Ra! :) - However, please do check out my other videos...given how many talented people worked on these shows, there's always a connection in some way...like the guy that storyboarded "Creatures From The Tar Swamp" appearing in the first episode of The Transformers! :)
Details♥️ thanks for your loving work♥️🍀
Glad to hear it, sir! :)
I love this! Thanks James! It's so cool to see Filmation's work before the beloved series.
Glad you enjoyed it, sir! :)
Been a fan of He-man since I was a kid and now that they came out with the orgins line , it's been fun collecting all of them. Made me try to recreate some of those old commercials of my own lol. Great job on the video 💯
Thank you for the kind words...and I hope you continue to enjoy collecting! :)
I know a series like this would've been too much for Filmation but could you imagine a movie like this? That would've been awesome.
Filmation definitely could've made a movie in this style! :) - As for a series, no studio could've made a series in this style, it would've required too much work - If the deadline was two year ahead MAYBE a studio could create a series using this detailed style of animation...:)
Great choice of content for this episode, James. It's incredible how similar He-Man's voice in this commercial is to John Erwin's more familiar take on our favourite hero - so much so, I had always assumed it was Erwin having not quite settled on the softer, friendlier vocals from the Filmation series that followed. Happy to be re-educated! ;)
I do what I can - Glad you enjoyed this video essay! :)
Fantastic video James! This is such a well done commercial. Everything had such a barbaric/mysterious feel to it. The attention to detail was amazing. This one of my favorite episodes you have done! Keep up the great work my friend.
Thank you for the kind words - There's much MORE to come on this channel - Also, there may be another video in the works about this very commercial...because I recently obtained something that would make for a very cool follow-up...:)
Such a great commercial the art and detail. Great review James.
Thank you - Wait until you see the follow-up video (probably a year or so from now) in which I showcase the rather glorious storyboards! :)
Thank you so much for sharing this. I for love nor money remember seeing Teela on Battlecat as a child, but through out watching the original run, and the show in syndication, never remember seeing it again. All though my memory isnt always dependable. The ad was a masterpiece, then and now. Thank you for giving it the spotlight and recognition it so thoroughly deserves. And your commentary, superlative!
Well, Teela does ride Battle Cat in the season two episode "Day of the Machines"...so that may be where that memory is coming from! :)
@@cerealgeekTV Thank you. I found the episode and the scene.
Great video. Thank you James Eatock.
My pleasure! :)
I like to think the Masterverse 40th anniversary He-Man is based on this advert. Great work.
It's a nice theory...:)
I knew this already, and (not however) I enjoy the retelling of it, + your perspective is genuinely unique and worth seeing and hearing. Oh and I enjoyed this video🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Yeah, through my research back in the day (and thanks to the ol' Episode Review Website I co-ran) I was the one that uncovered all of this information in the first place (along with finding out the dates) - There are still people that believe that I fabricated all of this...although I'm not sure how I was able to get director Gwen Wetzler to pretend that she directed something that never existed! :)
Happy you’re finally able to talk about this commercial, I remembered back when you were on the official Heman channel and you touched on this.
Yeah, I think I began writing the earliest version of the script for this episode back in 2014...:)
Another astounding video full of insights and thank you as always for sharing with us my friend
My absolute pleasure, C to the V! :)
Excellent video! Love the breakdown you did of this commercial. I didn't know it had been Filmation who made these commercials.
Glad you enjoyed it - Yeah, Gwen and her team of Disney animators certainly worked their asses off! :)
That was awesome James.
Thanks for posting 👍
My absolute pleasure - Hope you're doing well, sir! :)
@@cerealgeekTV all good here. Keep up the good work my friend 👍
Fabulous video. It's funny that DC Comics borrowed the scene where Teela saves He-Man from falling through the trap door in issue #3 of their Masters of the Universe mini-series (titled "Within these Walls... Armageddon!").
Yeah, that scene appears to pop up in a few canons here and there! :)
Cool video! Thank you!
I don't know if you -- or anyone else for that matter -- has ever addressed this, but Linda Gary also voices Teela on the record that came with the Point Dread & Talon Fighter set, doesn't she? The voice seems nearly identical, and it stands out, because none of the other voices on that record are recognisable Filmation actors.
YUP - That is indeed Linda Gary in that record you refer to...and I think myself and a friend figured out that the the guy that plays He-Man is Corey Burton (Spike/Shockwave from The Transformers) - This would also make a lot of sense as the pair were part of a radio adventure series in the seventies! :)
This was genuinely fascinating 👏
Thank you! :)
BTW the statue of Ming the Merciless in the Filmation animated Flash Gordon (not so much the live-action version of the character) bears some pre-emptive similar features to G1 Scourge (beard, collar, brow and a few other features). I wonder if Floro Derey or someone like that incorporated hints of Ming into Scourge's design/animation model.
I DO like that idea! :)
Great work. Enjoyed it.
Thank you - Be sure to check out the other Masters of the Universe-related videos on the channel! :)
Great explanation
I'm glad you enjoyed my latest Masters of the Universe video, sir - Glad to see you're still around after all these years, He-Bro! :)
@@cerealgeekTV Yep, still hangin' on :)
I still remember your stop motion videos - They were some of the first He-Man-related videos on-line! :)
@@cerealgeekTV Yes, I long time ago. Have you seen my latest He-Man related one?
Type in "To save Duncan 1080p" in the search
AWESOME! :)
A real treasure 👏👏
Damn right! :)
Amazing video James!
Thank you - SO much more awesome content on the way - I promise you! :)
Never knew that Teela always had that design. Every toy photo I ever saw of her as a child always had that snake headdress on and I never saw her without it making me wonder why she stood out. I never saw her toy without it on.
There's always something you can learn on this channel! :)
That commercial was quite the doozy when I first saw it, as it was weird to see He-Man animated by Filmation with all that detail & refinement that the cartoon series couldn’t have for time & budget reasons.
Reminds me of those early GI Joe animations for the commercials for the toys & comics. Like how Cobra Commander & Destro’s voice weren’t finalized at that point and there being more refined movement.
And there’s a extended version that’s currently lost to the public? Hope the lost media community can help find that someday.
Over the years, as you may have seen with my Friday Night Trivia series (th-cam.com/play/PL5pZXPaqz9y7l9d5ybEtk5-EXPdRKAIYv.html) I've managed to uncover a LOT...even to this day! :)
I remember hearing that one of the reasons Hasbro made the G.I. Joe comic book was so they could use animation in their advertisement, as it wasn't allowed in toy commercials at the time, but that restriction didn't apply to comic books. Was this He-Man commercial made after that?
G.I. Joe adverts began by the time this one debuted (was being made in late 1981 whilst Joe adverts were airing).
Burr Middleton's voice is like a combination of Adam West (Batman) and John Erwin (He-Man).
If only it had been Adam West! :) - THAT would've been rather fascinating...
Awesome!!! I have yet to find or even know of anyone that has a cel with Beastman and/or Merman. Haw you ever seen it or know of someone that does?
Oh yeah, I've seen them pop up here and there over the years...foolishly I never pulled the trigger on them...:(
It is interesting that Skeletor in the commercial and with the toy had red eyes, but not in the Filmation series. Never saw the commercial, but better late than never, I guess. He-man is extremely expressive with his face. It's an excellent commercial.
Yeah, as I say in the video, giving Skeletor red eyes would be an expensive and time consuming process! :)
@@cerealgeekTV Ah yes. Thanks James.
It would've been bloody cool for Skeletor to have had red eyes throughout...or at least seen in moments of utter rage! :)
@@cerealgeekTV I actually heard or read somewhere that the cartoon was banned in France, because Skeletor scared the kids. If he had red eyes, imagine how many kids that would've freaked out ?
I've only ever found some evidence of this over the years - Storyboard artist, animator, and director Tom Sito has spoken about it before - It certainly is interesting...if true! :)
Love it.
Thank you! :) - Be sure to check out the other videos on this channel...
@@cerealgeekTV Absolutely!!!
The animation is so fluid it reminds me of some of the animation from the animated movie heavy metal did filmation work on any of that?
Filmation never worked on Heavy Metal...but the animators that worked on this had worked for Disney - Also, Filmation did have a wealth of talented animators - The stock system and desire to stay on-model above everything else resulted in a similar style throughout many of their productions...:)
I coulda sworn for the longest time that was John Erwin. Those two guys could've doubled for each other.
They're close for sure! :)
Blackstar is highly underrated. So is Thundarr the Barbarian and Galtar.
AGREED - I've barely ever seen much of Galtar...so that's definitely on my watch list! :)
I must say 3 seconds in and I'm blown away by the quality of the clips used in the intro. Did you happen to us AI upscale them or just run them through something like After Effects?
Brought here by @NostalgAK
My (evil but talented) associate Dušan Mitrović upscaled the animation for this video essay - I acquired the commercial directly from Mattel back in 2013, but sadly, the only version they have is a VHS quality one - Many years ago I used to frequent the warehouse in Los Angeles where all the Filmation material was housed...and the original reel for the commercial was almost definitely stored there - There IS a chance that the reel is located inside a warehouse over here in the UK...maybe one day I'll get my hands on it! :) - Be sure to check out the other videos on this channel...I always try and bring something new to the geeky table...
"I sure do hate to be the one to have to do it, but sometimes a things just gotta be done." ..Teddy ..RawHide
Erwin's wise words! :)
So cool that they used blackstar music, makes u wonder if they would of used blackstar crossover w heman
The closest we ever came were the appearances of the Blackstar statue ("Temple of The Sun") and the reuse of Warlock ("The Remedy") in the He-Man series...and we came close to Mara being reused as Shakra ("The Caregiver") in the She-Ra series...:)
@@cerealgeekTV funny cause both are great eps especially remedy that is classic. Sadly not to many talk about it!
Also, in "The Remedy", Mitro was originally going to be a character reuse (one of the Trobbits from Blackstar)...but sadly, it was changed...:(
The axe suits He Man.😄
I highly recommend the seven minicomics illustrated by Mark Texeira - LOTS of axe-based action in those wonderful action-packed stories! :)
Very odd, I thought He-Man was definitely John Irwin in this commercial and Skeletor was totally different actor than Alan O. Odd that the opposite is apparently true.
Yeah, Oppenheimer is doing his Battle Cat voice for both Skeletor and Man-At-Arms...though deeper for Skeletor! :)
This is the REAL he-man! Before orko, cringer, Adam and all the other cheesy stuff. (The sorceress was a cool addition though)
I think some fans would argue that this isn't the real He-Man...just a blonde Conan knockoff - My favorite of the earlier versions of He-Man was the one that appeared in the seven DC-produced minicomics - Those adventures were spectacular! :)
Of all the MotU toy commercials I've seen, this one seems to feature the most out of touch clueless kids ever. What are they even doing with the toys? XD
Good point! :)
@@cerealgeekTV Thanks. It's not like I was even looking for this. I just remember the other commercials having the children always play with the toys in a way that made me want to do the same. It made me jealous which is exactly how it should work. Here they are just pushing the toys around gently as if they don't want to be there. I found it kinda funny once I noticed it.^^
I'm always jealous of the kids pictured in the photos with the original Lords of Power prototypes - They held figures that made history (and would be worth an absolute fortune now)! :)
The other thing that makes this better than the cartoon (besides the amazing animation) is that it is based on the story created by the mini comics. I was so disappointed when the cartoon came out, and they had gotten rid of the battle ax and added the weird Adam secret identity thing. For me, He-Man is better as a barbarian who left his home to go on adventures.
The "weird Adam secret identity thing" happened before the cartoon...in 1982! :) - If you enjoy stories of a barbarian going on adventures, I HIGHLY recommend the 1970s Conan comics by John Bucema...those are utterly FANTASTIC! :)
@@cerealgeekTV yes, and I believe the change was to avoid potential copyright issues with Conan. It's justifiable, but as a kid I didn't know any of that stuff, so I was mad.
"is that it is based on the story created by the mini comics."
Not a single scene in the animated segment matches any moment from the mini comics.
"I was so disappointed when the cartoon came out"
Of course you were.
"and they had gotten rid of the battle ax"
A sword is a better weapon than an ax.
"and added the weird Adam secret identity thing"
As James pointed out, that was added BEFORE the cartoon, done by DC comics. The revisions they made formed the basis for Filmation's animated series.
"For me, He-Man is better as a barbarian who left his home to go on adventures."
The home which promptly gets forgotten... adventures which boil down to fighting over a patch of dirt. What's at stake in the early minicomics? One single TINY tribe?! What adventures did happen in first four minicomics? WHEN was the last time you read any of it?! Oh, and BTW, going on adventures wasn't He-Man's reason to venture out...
" yes, and I believe the change was to avoid potential copyright issues with Conan. It's justifiable, but as a kid I didn't know any of that stuff, so I was mad."
MOTU was never ever going to be Conan (there's documentation to back that up). It's internet BS much like Lion King being Kimba the White Lion.
@@Grim2 everything you put in your comments to me is personal opinion, except the copyright thing, which sounds right when you say it, but also who cares? In the end, you can like the sword more and I can like the ax more and just leave it at that. Also, you are arguing with the opinions of the 6 year old version of me, so, there is that to consider.
I need to make a sequel video to this, as I have a few new things relating to it! :)
Cool detailed video! Question: are those drawings at 11:58 the origin Filmation's character study on He-Man from this commercial to the cartoon final version?
Yup. Those are all pre-final designs next to the final one. From Alcala to two He-Men derived from Filmation's Hercules to Curt Swan (the legendary Superman artist who also did the two MOTU crossovers) inspired one. :)
@@Grim2 Never saw those drawings. Thank you for the info.👍🏻
I'll hopefully showcase them better in another video! :)
@@cerealgeekTV Yes!💪🏻 Those are new things to me. To me, the behind the scenes work and the studies are as interesting as the final product itself. I bet those meetings at Filmation, back then, were a goldmine of ideas.