The Care Bears Family is an animated series produced by Nelvana based on the American franchise of the same name, and is the successor series to the series produced by DIC Entertainment. It was originally broadcast from September 13, 1986 on ABC to November 25, 1988[1] on the Global Television Network in Canada. In the United States, the first two seasons were broadcast on ABC and the third was aired on the Global Television Network.[2]
| The Care Bears Family | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Slapstick |
| Created by | Linda Denham Elena Kucharik |
| Written by | John de Klein |
| Directed by | Joseph Sherman Laura Shepherd |
| Starring | Jim Henshaw Chris Wiggins John Stocker Terri Hawkes Sunny Besen Thrasher Noam Zylberman Tracey Moore |
| Country of origin | Canada United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 49 (78 segments + 1 three-part special) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Lenora Hume |
| Producers | Michael Hirsh Patrick Loubert Clive A. Smith |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production companies | Nelvana C.B.I.S. Productions American Greetings |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC (U.S. seasons 1–2) Global Television Network (Canada season 3) |
| Release | September 13, 1986 – November 25, 1988 |
| Related | |
| Care Bears Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-lot | |
Synopsis
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (January 2017) |
The Care Bears live in a faraway place up in the clouds called Care-a-Lot, which constitutes a part of the Kingdom of Caring. With the help of the Cousins and their Buddies, they go all around the world on Missions in Caring thwarting the evil plans of Lord No Heart.[3][4]
Episodes
edit| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | |||
| Specials | 2 | April 22, 1983 | April 6, 1984 | N/A | |
| DIC series | 11 | September 14, 1985 | November 23, 1985 | Syndication | |
| 1 | 13 | September 13, 1986 | December 6, 1986 | ABC (U.S.) | |
| 2 | 6 | September 26, 1987 | October 31, 1987 | ||
| 3 | 30 | September 12, 1988 | November 25, 1988 | Global (Canada) | |
Voice cast
editSeason 1
- Jim Henshaw – Tenderheart Bear
- Bob Dermer – Grumpy Bear
- Dan Hennessey – Brave Heart Lion[5]
- Chris Wiggins – No Heart
- John Stocker – Beastly
- Eva Almos – Friend Bear
- Patrice Black – Share Bear
- Melleny Brown – Cheer Bear, Baby Tugs Bear
- Jayne Eastwood – Birthday Bear
- Anni Evans – Champ Bear
- Paulina Gillis – Swift Heart Rabbit
- Luba Goy – Gentle Heart Lamb, Lotsa Heart Elephant
- Janet Laine-Green – Wish Bear
- Nonnie Griffin – Funshine Bear
- Terri Hawkes – Baby Hugs Bear
- Ellen Ray Hennessey – Proud Heart Cat, Bedtime Bear
- Marla Lukofsky – Good Luck Bear, Playful Heart Monkey
- Eric Peterson – Noble Heart Horse
- Pauline Rennie – Cozy Heart Penguin, Grams Bear
- Billie Mae Richards – Bright Heart Raccoon
- Carolyn Scott – True Heart Bear
Additional voices
- Laurie Waller Benson – Polite Panda
- Alyson Court
- Victor Erdos
- Michael Fantini – Adam
- Don Francks – Dr. Fright
- Ray Jafelice
- Keram Malicki-Sanchez
- Donald McManus - Sour Sam
- Barbara Redpath
- Eric Richards
- Cree Summer Francks – Gay
- Greg Swanson – Perfect Panda
- Tina Teggart
- Sunny Besen Thrasher – Dale
- Lee-Max Walton
- Jason Whitebread
- Noam Zylberman – Charles
Season 2
- Dan Hennessey – Brave Heart Lion
- John Stocker – Beastly
- Eva Almos – Champ Bear
- Billie Mae Richards – Bright Heart Raccoon
- Luba Goy – Treat Heart Pig
- Tracey Moore – Cheer Bear
- Bob Dermer – Grumpy Bear
- Pauline Rennie – Grams Bear
- Chris Wiggins – No Heart
- Terri Hawkes – Baby Hugs Bear, Shreeky
- Melleny Brown – Baby Tugs Bear
Additional voices
editSeason 3
- Melleny Brown – Cheer Bear, Baby Tugs Bear
- Tara Charendoff
- Bob Dermer – Grumpy Bear
- Luba Goy – Lotsa Heart Elephant, Treat Heart Pig
- Dan Hennessey – Brave Heart Lion, Announcer, Additional Voices
- Jim Henshaw – Tenderheart Bear
- Tracey Moore – Baby Hugs Bear, Shreeky
- Pauline Rennie – Grams Bear
- Billie Mae Richards – Bright Heart Raccoon, Tenderheart Bear
- Susan Roman – Champ Bear
- Adam Simpson
- John Stocker – Beastly
- Sunny Besen Thrasher
- Chris Wiggins – No Heart
Additional voices
edit- Eva Almos
- Jayne Eastwood – Bedtime Bear
- Paulina Gillis – Swift Heart Rabbit
- Keith Hampshire – Songfellow Strum
- Terri Hawkes
- Keith Knight
- Noam Zylberman
Home media
editSelect episodes of the Nelvana series were released on VHS in the late 1980s by Kideo Video (distributed by Lorimar Home Video) and Fries Home Video in the United States.
In 2002, the Care Bears toy line was reintroduced by Play Along Toys and featured plush toys that came with a VHS featuring either one or two episodes from the series.
In Region 1, Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released many episodes on DVD in various single-disc collections from 2004 to 2008. In total, 12 collections have been released, each featuring random episodes from the series.
On October 9, 2012, Lionsgate released Care Bears: The Original Series Collection on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[6] The 6-disc set features the majority of episodes from the series (from the previously released discs excluding King of the Moon and Give Thanks) as well as the bonus feature Care Bears Nutcracker Suite.
In Region 4, Magna Entertainment released all 52 episodes (in chronological order) on DVD in Australia in 2004 in 12 separate volumes.
References
edit- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 185–187. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 802–804. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ Chris Richards Young People, Popular Culture and Education 1441107355 p 111 – 2011 "It may be that there is a distinction here between the power used against No Heart, similar to that used by many other superheroes... "
- ^ Barbara Kruger Remote Control: Power, Cultures, and the World of Appearances 1994 0262611066 "... "in order to punish the Care Bears, a scary villain named No Heart concocts a not unfamiliar scheme — he floods "the Forest of Feelings" and forces its non-Care Bear denizens to join the Care Bears' closed colony."
- ^ https://www.tmz.com/2024/11/19/cartoon-voice-actor-dan-hennessey-dead/
- ^ Care Bears: The Original Series Collection