The Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series based on the 1984 film
GhostbustersGhostbusters is a 1984 science-fiction comedy film written by co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984 and like several films of the era, teamed Aykroyd and/or...
. The series ran from 1986 to 1991, and was produced by
Columbia Pictures TelevisionColumbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
,
DiC EntertainmentDIC Entertainment was an international American film and television production company which was founded in 1971 as DIC Audiovisuel by Jean Chalopin in Luxembourg, as a subsidiary of Radio-Television Luxembourg...
and
Coca-ColaCoca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines internationally. The Coca-Cola Company claims that the beverage is sold in more than 200 countries...
. "The Real" was added to the title over a dispute with
FilmationFilmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
and its Ghost Busters properties. The series continues the adventures of paranormal investigators Dr.
Peter VenkmanPeter Venkman, Ph.D. is a fictional character from the Ghostbusters franchise. He is a parapsychologist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters...
, Dr.
Egon SpenglerEgon Spengler is a fictional character appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters and later Extreme Ghostbusters. He is a member of the Ghostbusters, and one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team...
,
Winston ZeddemoreWinston Zeddemore is a fictional character appearing in the Ghostbusters films, TV series, and video games. He was played by Ernie Hudson in both movies and was voiced by Arsenio Hall in the first two seasons of The Real Ghostbusters. Buster Jones provided Winston's voice in the remaining seasons,...
, Dr. Ray Stantz, their secretary
Janine MelnitzJanine Melnitz is a fictional character in the Ghostbusters series. She is the Ghostbusters' secretary and confidante.-Importance to the Ghostbusters:...
and their mascot ghost Slimer.
There also were two ongoing
Real Ghostbusters comicsThe Real Ghostbusters animated series was spun off into two comic series of the same name, published by Marvel UK and NOW Comics.-Marvel UK:Marvel UK published a magazine-sized comic for 193 issues and 4 annuals starting on March 28, 1988...
, one published monthly by
Now ComicsNOW Comics was a comic book publisher founded in 1985 as a sole-proprietorship.-History:During the four years after its founding, NOW grew from a one-man operation to operating in 12 countries publishing almost 1000 comics books...
in USA and the other published weekly (originally biweekly) by
Marvel ComicsMarvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.It now forms part of Panini...
in the United Kingdom, and a popular toy line manufactured by
KennerKenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located....
.
A short pilot episode was produced, but never aired in full.
The Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series based on the 1984 film
GhostbustersGhostbusters is a 1984 science-fiction comedy film written by co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984 and like several films of the era, teamed Aykroyd and/or...
. The series ran from 1986 to 1991, and was produced by
Columbia Pictures TelevisionColumbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
,
DiC EntertainmentDIC Entertainment was an international American film and television production company which was founded in 1971 as DIC Audiovisuel by Jean Chalopin in Luxembourg, as a subsidiary of Radio-Television Luxembourg...
and
Coca-ColaCoca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines internationally. The Coca-Cola Company claims that the beverage is sold in more than 200 countries...
. "The Real" was added to the title over a dispute with
FilmationFilmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
and its Ghost Busters properties. The series continues the adventures of paranormal investigators Dr.
Peter VenkmanPeter Venkman, Ph.D. is a fictional character from the Ghostbusters franchise. He is a parapsychologist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters...
, Dr.
Egon SpenglerEgon Spengler is a fictional character appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters and later Extreme Ghostbusters. He is a member of the Ghostbusters, and one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team...
,
Winston ZeddemoreWinston Zeddemore is a fictional character appearing in the Ghostbusters films, TV series, and video games. He was played by Ernie Hudson in both movies and was voiced by Arsenio Hall in the first two seasons of The Real Ghostbusters. Buster Jones provided Winston's voice in the remaining seasons,...
, Dr. Ray Stantz, their secretary
Janine MelnitzJanine Melnitz is a fictional character in the Ghostbusters series. She is the Ghostbusters' secretary and confidante.-Importance to the Ghostbusters:...
and their mascot ghost Slimer.
There also were two ongoing
Real Ghostbusters comicsThe Real Ghostbusters animated series was spun off into two comic series of the same name, published by Marvel UK and NOW Comics.-Marvel UK:Marvel UK published a magazine-sized comic for 193 issues and 4 annuals starting on March 28, 1988...
, one published monthly by
Now ComicsNOW Comics was a comic book publisher founded in 1985 as a sole-proprietorship.-History:During the four years after its founding, NOW grew from a one-man operation to operating in 12 countries publishing almost 1000 comics books...
in USA and the other published weekly (originally biweekly) by
Marvel ComicsMarvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.It now forms part of Panini...
in the United Kingdom, and a popular toy line manufactured by
KennerKenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located....
.
Production
A short pilot episode was produced, but never aired in full. The full four minute promo was released on Time Life's DVD set in 2008. Scenes of the pilot can be seen in TV promos that aired prior to the beginning of the series. Among differences seen in the promo pilot, the Ghostbusters wore the beige jumpsuits they had worn in the film instead of the color coded jumpsuits they would wear in the finished series, and the character design for Peter Venkman bore more of a resemblance to actor
Bill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live, and went on to star in films including Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.-Early years:Murray, the fifth...
than the character design seen in the finished series. When he auditioned for the voice of
Egon SpenglerEgon Spengler is a fictional character appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters and later Extreme Ghostbusters. He is a member of the Ghostbusters, and one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team...
,
Maurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarche is a Canadian-born voice actor and former stand up comedian. He is best known for his voicework in Futurama, as Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters, and The Brain in Animaniacs/Pinky and The Brain....
, noted that while he was asked not to impersonate
Harold RamisHarold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes ; Ramis also co-wrote both films...
, he did so anyway and eventually got the part. LaMarche also noted that
Bill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live, and went on to star in films including Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.-Early years:Murray, the fifth...
complained that Lorenzo Music's voice of
Peter VenkmanPeter Venkman, Ph.D. is a fictional character from the Ghostbusters franchise. He is a parapsychologist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters...
sounded more like
GarfieldGarfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
(who was also voiced by Lorenzo Music at the time).
Ernie HudsonErnest Lee "Ernie" Hudson is an American actor known for his roles as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters film series, Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's Oz and Sergeant Albrecht in the cult movie The Crow.-Early life:...
was the only actor from the films who auditioned to play his character in the series, however the role was given to
Arsenio HallArsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994. He is also well known for his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights. Hall is single and has never been married...
.
At the same time
The Real Ghostbusters was being created,
FilmationFilmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
was making a cartoon known simply as "
Filmation's Ghostbusters", which was a revamp of Filmation's 1970s series
The Ghost BustersThe Ghost Busters was a live-action children's television series that ran from 1975 to 1976, about a team of bumbling detectives who would investigate ghostly occurrences. Only 15 episodes were created....
. The character designs by
Jim McDermottJim McDermott is a New Hampshire-based artist who has illustrated for animation, magazines and comic books....
, were dramatically redesigned from the way the same characters looked in the movie.
Although the "Ghostbusters" concept was tinkered with, the finalized show does feature many tie-ins from the films. The
Stay-Puft Marshmallow ManThe Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is a fictional mascot and monster seen in the movie Ghostbusters, the animated series The Real Ghostbusters, and Ghostbusters: The Video Game...
made numerous appearances. During the third season, Walter Peck, the Environmental Protection Agency antagonist from the original film, reappeared. The uniforms and containment unit were redesigned, and Slimer was changed from a bad ghost to a resident, events which are explained in the episode "Citizen Ghost" that flashbacks to what happened to the Ghostbusters right after the movie's events. Gozer is also mentioned repeatedly throughout the series, usually in comparison to a ghost they are currently battling.
In the second season, some of the character designs were modified. Ray's character design was slimmed down to give the character a less overweight appearance and Slimer was given a tail instead of the formerly rounded bottom. The biggest change was to the character of Janine, whose hair was completely changed from being short and spiky to long and straight. Her overall design was softened, as was her personality. Her voice was also softened with
Kath SoucieKatherine Eleanor Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie or Kath Eleanor Soucie.-Notable roles:...
taking over the voice role from
Laura Summer- Anime Roles :* Digimon: Digital Monsters - Patamon * Flint the Time Detective - Princess Hightower* Mirmo! - Ponta* Hello Kitty - Mimi- Live TV roles :* Grace Under Fire* Night Court* The Facts of Life...
.
At the start of the series' third season in 1988, the series was retitled to
Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters. The opening was completely redone to center around Slimer. Eventually the episodes were expanded from their original half-hour format to last an hour and the overall feel of the show was changed to be more youthful, with episodes having a lighter tone to be less frightening. When
Ghostbusters IIGhostbusters II is a 1989 sci-fi comedy film and sequel to Ghostbusters. Produced and directed by Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters II follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities . The sequel was originally to be called...
was released, the character of Louis Tully was introduced to the show, with his voice provided by
Rodger BumpassRodger Cleveland Bumpass is an American character actor and voice actor with many credits in animated films, animated television series, and video games. Bumpass' voice acting credits go back as far a 1962 episode of The Jetsons...
, and later episodes referenced events from the film.
With the departure of writer
J. Michael StraczynskiJoseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer/producer. He works in a variety of media, including films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas...
, more changes were also made.
Dave CoulierDavid Alan "Dave" Coulier is an American stand-up comedian, impressionist, television and voice actor, and television host. He is well-known for his role as Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom Full House, which ran from 1987 to 1995....
took over the role of voicing Peter from
Lorenzo MusicLorenzo Music , was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. He was perhaps best known to audiences for providing the voice of the animated cartoon cat Garfield and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
and
Buster JonesEdward L. "Buster" Jones is an American voice actor.His roles include:*Black Vulcan in Super Friends*Blaster in The Transformers*Doc in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero*Lothar in Defenders of the Earth...
replaced
Arsenio HallArsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994. He is also well known for his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights. Hall is single and has never been married...
as the voice of Winston. The show was canceled in 1991, with Straczynski returned to the series to write a few of the episodes in the final season in 1990. The only voice actors to remain for the entire series were
Frank WelkerFranklin W. "Frank" Welker is a veteran American actor, who specializes in voice acting. He is responsible for a broad spectrum of character voices and other vocal effects that have appeared over the last 40 years in American television and motion pictures.Welker is listed as number one on the...
and
Maurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarche is a Canadian-born voice actor and former stand up comedian. He is best known for his voicework in Futurama, as Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters, and The Brain in Animaniacs/Pinky and The Brain....
.
Cast
- Peter Venkman
Peter Venkman, Ph.D. is a fictional character from the Ghostbusters franchise. He is a parapsychologist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters...
- Lorenzo MusicLorenzo Music , was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. He was perhaps best known to audiences for providing the voice of the animated cartoon cat Garfield and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
(seasons 1-2), Dave CoulierDavid Alan "Dave" Coulier is an American stand-up comedian, impressionist, television and voice actor, and television host. He is well-known for his role as Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom Full House, which ran from 1987 to 1995....
(seasons 3-7)
- Egon Spengler
Egon Spengler is a fictional character appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters and later Extreme Ghostbusters. He is a member of the Ghostbusters, and one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team...
- Maurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarche is a Canadian-born voice actor and former stand up comedian. He is best known for his voicework in Futurama, as Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters, and The Brain in Animaniacs/Pinky and The Brain....
- Ray Stantz
Raymond "Ray" Stantz, is a fictional scientist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, and Casper and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters . He is one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team, along with Dr. Peter Venkman...
, Slimer - Frank WelkerFranklin W. "Frank" Welker is a veteran American actor, who specializes in voice acting. He is responsible for a broad spectrum of character voices and other vocal effects that have appeared over the last 40 years in American television and motion pictures.Welker is listed as number one on the...
- Winston Zeddemore
Winston Zeddemore is a fictional character appearing in the Ghostbusters films, TV series, and video games. He was played by Ernie Hudson in both movies and was voiced by Arsenio Hall in the first two seasons of The Real Ghostbusters. Buster Jones provided Winston's voice in the remaining seasons,...
- Arsenio HallArsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994. He is also well known for his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights. Hall is single and has never been married...
(seasons 1-3), Buster JonesEdward L. "Buster" Jones is an American voice actor.His roles include:*Black Vulcan in Super Friends*Blaster in The Transformers*Doc in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero*Lothar in Defenders of the Earth...
(seasons 4-7)[Winston's last name was alternately spelled "Zeddemore", as in the movies, and Zeddmore.]
- Janine Melnitz
Janine Melnitz is a fictional character in the Ghostbusters series. She is the Ghostbusters' secretary and confidante.-Importance to the Ghostbusters:...
- Laura Summer- Anime Roles :* Digimon: Digital Monsters - Patamon * Flint the Time Detective - Princess Hightower* Mirmo! - Ponta* Hello Kitty - Mimi- Live TV roles :* Grace Under Fire* Night Court* The Facts of Life...
(seasons 1-2), Kath SoucieKatherine Eleanor Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie or Kath Eleanor Soucie.-Notable roles:...
(seasons 3-7)
- Louis Tully - Rodger Bumpass
Rodger Cleveland Bumpass is an American character actor and voice actor with many credits in animated films, animated television series, and video games. Bumpass' voice acting credits go back as far a 1962 episode of The Jetsons...
(seasons 5-6)
Broadcast
The show originally aired on
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
for its full run, except for the third season which ran on
syndicationIn broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in countries where television is scheduled by networks with local affiliates, particularly in the United States...
at the same time as the second season ran on ABC. Later, reruns of the show appeared on
USA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1977. The channel shows a variety of original and second-run programming, from syndicated TV series to edited movies...
(from 1993 to 1996) ,
Fox FamilyFox Family may refer to:* The Fox Family, a 2006 South Korean film* Fox Family, a former name of American television cable network ABC Family...
(from 1998 to 2000) before moving to
NickelodeonNickelodeon is an American cable television channel owned by Viacom. Since the mid-1990s and early 2000s Nickelodoen as a brand has expanded into other territories including Europe, the Middle-East, Russia and Asia.It is often referred to by its shortened name, Nick, a practice that dates back to...
from 1996 to 1999 and on Cartoon Network from 1999 to 2002. Teletoon aired episodes of the series in the month of October beginning in 1998, but has not done so in recent years.
Reception
In
January 2009January 2009 was the 1st month of the current year. It began on a Thursday and ended after 31 days on a Saturday.-International holidays:* January 1 - New Year's Day* January 7 - Christmas * January 14 - Old New Year...
,
IGNIGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games...
named The Real Ghostbusters as the 22nd best show in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows.
Media
In 2004 and again in 2006
SonySony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in 1978 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment....
released bare bones episode compilations in the United Kingdom and United States respectively. The DVD release of
Ghostbusters IIGhostbusters II is a 1989 sci-fi comedy film and sequel to Ghostbusters. Produced and directed by Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters II follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities . The sequel was originally to be called...
also included two episodes of the series as bonus features, "Citizen Ghost", a story focusing on events set immediately after the
first movieGhostbusters is a 1984 science-fiction comedy film written by co-stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984 and like several films of the era, teamed Aykroyd and/or...
, and "Partners in Slime", which featured the psycho-active slime from
Ghostbusters II and a brief mention of its villain Vigo the Carpathian.
On May 27, 2008,
Time-LifeTime Life is one of the world's creators and direct marketers of books, music, video/DVD, and multimedia products. Its products are sold throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia through television, print, retail, the Internet, telemarketing, and direct sales.Time-Life was founded in...
announced they would be responsible for the complete series' release on DVD in the Fall of 2008. That July they allowed fans the chance to vote between two variations of an outer box for the set—one designed to look like the main characters firehouse headquarters and the other all black with different images on each side. Both featured
lenticular printingLenticular printing is a technology in which a lenticular lens is used to produce images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles...
, the firehouse version to show the Ecto-1 and the black version to have oozing "slime". Released on November 15, 2008, the set spans 25 discs containing all 147 episodes of the series.—later changed to the November 25—with the Firehouse case winning the fan voting which holds five steelbook volumes. The company then began releasing the individual volumes, with the first released March 31, 2009.
On June 3, 2009, The Complete First season was released in Australia on DVD. and on June 15, 2009 in the U.K.
Slimer!
At the start of the third season in 1988, with the series renaming, it was given an hour long time slot. In addition to the regular thirty-minute
Real Ghostbusters episode, a half-hour
Slimer sub-series was added that included 2-3 short animated segments focusing on the character Slimer. At the end of its six season run, 147 episodes had aired, including the syndicated episodes and 13 episodes of
Slimer, with multiple episodes airing out of production order. The segments added several characters as friends of Slimer, including the character Professor Norman Dweeb—
mad scientistA mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if they even have...
accompanied by a poodle named Elizabeth who wanted to capture Slimer to experiment on him. The Professor Dweeb also made infrequent appearances in the main series. One of the ghosts from the
Slimer cartoons, the Sleaze, also reappeared in
The Real Ghostbusters to be captured a second time.
Extreme Ghostbusters
In 1997, a sequel cartoon entitled
Extreme GhostbustersExtreme Ghostbusters is an animated television series and a follow-up to the animated series The Real Ghostbusters. It is a part of the film/TV Ghostbusters franchise...
, was created by
Columbia TriStar TelevisionColumbia TriStar Television was the third name of the television studio Screen Gems, named after its then-current 1991 home video division....
and
Adelaide ProductionsAdelaide Productions is an animation division of Sony Pictures Television.Originally named Columbia TriStar Children's Television, Adelaide has produced numerous animated television series including The Spectacular Spider-Man, Men in Black: The Series , Channel Umptee-3 , Jackie Chan...
. It premiered on September 1, 1997 and ran for forty episodes until its conclusion on December 8, 1997. Set several years after the end of
The Real Ghostbusters, the series opened by saying the team has disbanded due to a lack of supernatural activity. Only Egon remains in the firehouse, along with Slimer, to care for the containment system and teaching classes at a local university. When supernatural events begin occurring in New York, Egon recruits four of his university students as a new team of Ghostbusters, and Janine, also one of Egon's students, returns to manage the office. The original Ghostbusters return for the season two-episode finale to celebrate Egon's 40th birthday, leading to them reluctantly working together with the younger generation to solve one last case.
External links
- The Real Ghostbusters at TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The service was launched on June 1, 2005 and replaced the popular TV Tome website.- Format :...
- Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters at TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The service was launched on June 1, 2005 and replaced the popular TV Tome website.- Format :...