The Incredible Crash Dummies (TV special)
The Incredible Crash Dummies is a 1993 computer-animated television special. It was produced in 1993. In the United States, it originally aired on Fox Kids.[1] It was later repacked as a video to be sold with two of the Crash Dummy action figures (Ted and a "purple/gold" repainted Junkman) as well as a mail-in offer to order. Like the TV ad the series was based on the "You Could Learn a Lot from a Dummy" PSAs, episodes would have the characters announcing at the end "Don't you be a dummy, buckle your safety belts...and leave the crashing to us!" It was the first full-length television cartoon created using computer graphics.[2][3]
| The Incredible Crash Dummies | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated TV Special |
| Developed by | Savage Steve Holland Bill Kopp |
| Written by | Savage Steve Holland Bill Kopp |
| Directed by | Mark Mariutto |
| Voices of | John Stocker Dan Hennessey James Rankin Michael Caruana Lee MacDougall Richard Binsley Paul Haddad Susan Roman |
| Theme music composer | Jim Morgan Ray Parker Tom Szczesniak |
| Composer | Acrobat Music |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Michael Hirsch Patrick Loubert Clive A. Smith Larry Lamb |
| Producers | Pam Lehn Stephen Hodgins |
| Animators | Mark Mariutto Ron Pitts |
| Editor | Al Maciulis |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | Nelvana Lamb&Company Tyco Industries |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox Kids |
| Original release | May 1, 1993 |
Plot
Dummyland is a fictional world inhabited only by living crash dummies. Many make a living testing cars, just like the real ones.
The story begins with crash dummy professor Dr. Zub has creating a new "uncrashable" prototype armor called the Torso 9000 and is testing it with the help of crash dummy Ted. Unfortunately the initial trial run goes awry and Ted's head is severed from his body. The following night however, Ted is accidentally replaced with the head of the evil Junkman, who can now harness the power of the Torso 9000 and manages to break free from the Crash Test facility.[4]
Plotting to destroy the crash dummies, the Junkman sets up his base near an abandoned scrap heap and creates an army of killing machines out of spare car parts. When a valuable disc of information on the Torso 9000 is stolen, and finally Dr. Zub himself is kidnapped, heroes Slick & Spin step in to save the day.
Cast
- John Stocker as Dr. Zub/Horst
- Dan Hennessey as Junkman
- James Rankin as Slick/Jackhammer[5]
- Michael Caruana as Spin
- Lee MacDougall as Ted
- Richard Binsley as Spare Tire/Pistonhead
- Paul Haddad as Bull/Daryl
- Susan Roman as Computer Voice
Production
Computer Hardware & Software
Silicon Graphics workstations were used in production utilizing Wavefront Technologie's modeling and animation software
References
- Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. p. 322. ISBN 978-0-8160-6600-1.
- Cortada, James W. (November 3, 2005). The Digital Hand: Volume II: How Computers Changed the Work of American Financial, Telecommunications, Media, and Entertainment Industries. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0190290188. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- Baker, Christopher W. (1994). Computer illusion in film & TV, Volume 5. Alpha Books. p. 93. ISBN 1567614221.
- "Cartoon Car Spotlight: Falling to Pieces over 'The Incredible Crash Dummies'". The News Wheel. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- Terrace, Vincent (February 12, 2013). Encyclopedia of Television Pilots, 1937-2012. McFarland. p. 138. ISBN 978-0786474455.
