Fantastic Voyage (1968-1969)
Plot
Fantastic Voyage is an American animated science fiction TV series based on the famous 1966 film directed by Richard Fleischer. The series consists of 17 episodes each running 30 minutes. It was run on ABC-TV from September 14, 1968 through January 4, 1969. The series was produced by Filmation Associates in association with 20th Century Fox. It was later shown in reruns on Sci Fi Channel's Cartoon Quest.
The complete series was released as a 3-disc DVD set in the United Kingdom by Revelation Films on November 21, 2011. However, in the United States, there are currently no plans to release the series on DVD and/or Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Fantastic Voyage is the story of the C.M.D.F. (Combined Miniature Defense Force), a secret United States government organization which possessed the ability to reduce people to microscopic size.
The main characters were Commander Jonathan Kidd; biologist Erica Lane; scientist Busby Birdwell; and a "master of mysterious powers" known as Guru. The team was reduced in size—for 12 hours only—and traveled around in a microscopic flying submarine, the Voyager, doing battle against the unseen, unsuspecting enemies of the free world (both criminal and germinal matter). The series featured the voices of Marvin Miller, Jane Webb, and Ted Knight. The producers were Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott, the director was Hal Sutherland, and the music was provided by Gordon Zahler.
Changes from the film, aside from the ship's crew, include the duration of miniaturization (60 minutes in the film) and the acronym (here D is "Defense", there it is "Deterrent").
Voyager Model
While the series was in production, Aurora Model Company developed a plastic model of the Voyager, releasing it only months before the series cancellation was announced. Due to the short run of the show, this kit received only one press run, and as a result is one of the rarest kits to find of the Aurora line. A contributing factor to this scarcity is that most of the kits were bought for use as toys (by fans of the show) rather than as static display or collectors' items, thus were lost, broken or disposed of long before they became "collectables."
Unbuilt, in-box kits have been sold on eBay for prices between $300–700 USD. Assembled and partially assembled models in varied conditions from "acceptable" to "well-worn" have been sold for over $100, depending on condition.
Polar Lights, a company which owned the rights to re-produce the kit, passed on re-releasing the subject. Company director Dave Metzner stated that they had to produce much more in-demand subjects in order to be able to afford even considering the production of such niche products.
However, Moebius Models has retooled from an original kit, and gone into production on a reproduction Voyager kit (including the original distinctive delta-shaped stand used for Aurora aircraft models).
Episode List
"Gathering of the Team" – September 14, 1968
"The Menace from Space" – September 21, 1968
"The Magic Crystal of Kabala" – September 28, 1968
"The Atomic Invaders" – October 5, 1968
"The Master Spy" – October 12, 1968
"The Mind of the Master" – October 19, 1968
"Gone Today, Here Tomorrow" – October 26, 1968
"The Day the Food Disappeared" – November 2, 1968
"Revenge of the Spy" – November 9, 1968
"The Hobby House" – November 16, 1968
"The Spy Satellite" – November 23, 1968
"First Men on the Moon" – November 30, 1968
"The Great Busby" – December 7, 1968
"The Barnacle Bombs" – December 14, 1968
"The Perfect Crime" – December 21, 1968
"The World's Fair Affair" – December 28, 1968
"The Most Dangerous Game" – January 4, 1969
