Movies - Inspector Gadget spinoff incarnations

Home > Listing Index > Movies > Inspector Gadget spinoff incarnations

	Movies - Inspector Gadget spinoff incarnations

Since the cancelation of the original DiC cartoon series, Inspector Gadget, in 1986, there have been many attempts to recapture its popularity. These attempts have included the same characters and premises, to using completely different characters in completely different premises. Despite all the attempts, none have been as remarkably successful as the original. This article gives descriptions about these various projects.

Animation

Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas

Dr. Claw has locked up Santa Claus at the North Pole and hypnotized his elves. Christmas will be finished unless Dr. Claw is stopped. Inspector Gadget, Penny, and Brain travel to the North Pole in an attempt to stop Dr. Claw and save Christmas. This special was nominated for an emmy.

Don Adams, Frank Welker, Erica Horn and Maurice LaMarche provide the voices for the characters.

Gadget Boy & Heather

(aka Gadget Boy)

() One of the many series to involve younger versions of famous cartoon franchises, this series is about the bumbling inspector as a kid, Gadget Boy. Instead of Penny, Gadget Boy was assisted by none other than the resourceful Heather. Just as maladroit as his uncle was, Gadget Boy was usually bailed out of situations by the more practical Heather, though he was also helped greatly by his myriad high-tech gadgets and extendable arms and legs. In this series, traditional nemesis Dr. Claw was replaced by the villainous villainess Spydra. In addition, the chief, Strombolli, had a "fax tie" that exploded after the mission was read.

The series debuted in 1995 and only a single season was produced, besides the Historical Special, Gadget Boy's Adventures in History (q.v.), which aired on The History Channel. The main title song was written and performed by Mike Piccirillo. The musical underscore composers were Mike Piccirillo and Jean-Michel Guirao.

Inspector Gadget's Field Trip

In this 1996 series, Gadget takes students around the world in this series of 50 field trips. Adams returns as the voice of Gadget. The main title song was written and performed by Mike Piccirillo. The musical underscore composer was Mike Piccirillo.

Gadget Boy's Adventures in History

Following the adventures of Gadget Boy & Heather, they now have to stop Spydra across time.

The series debuted in 1998 on The History Channel. This also marks the last time Don Adams would perform a voice role for the animated Gadget series.

Inspector Gadget: Gadget's Greatest Gadgets

Released in 1999, it is a direct-to-video story in which Gadget has a flashback to his past adventures in the original TV series, using footage from episodes 'The Capeman Cometh', 'Prince of the Gypsies', and 'Gadget's Gadgets'. Maurice LaMarche did the voice of Gadget in the modern segment and in the segments 'The Capeman Cometh' and 'Gadget's Gadgets'. Cree Summer voiced Penny in the modern segment.

Gadget and the Gadgetinis

In 2001-2003, DiC also developed and made 52 episodes of the spinoff Gadget and the Gadgetinis, which aired in 2003.

In it, Gadget is a lieutenant, and a member of an organization called "WOMP" (World Organization of Mega Powers). He is aided in his work by Penny (who is now twelve years old), as well as the new robot characters Digit and Fidget, invented by Penny.

The quality of this production is clearly better than many other spinoffs (such as Gadget Boy and Inspector Gadget's Field Trip); it was made by the original crew, and follows the same plot as the original series, with the clumsy Inspector attempting to fight crime on his own, while Penny and her helpers do all the work. However, the music and the animation style were somewhat edgier than the original series. Doctor Claw - who in some stories were replaced by other villains or aliens - was provided with relatives in some of the episodes, a move has been criticized as detracting from his mystery.

Gadget's voice was provided by Maurice LaMarche rather than Don Adams. LaMarche is most well-known for voicing Brain, the large-headed megalomaniacal lab mouse on Animaniacs (not related to the dog Brain from Inspector Gadget). The main title song was written and performed by Mike Piccirillo. The musical underscore composers were Mike Piccirillo and Jean-Michel Guirao.

Inspector Gadget's Last Case

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Inspector Gadget spinoff incarnations ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Inspector Gadget spinoff incarnations; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay