Zorro: Generation Z
Encyclopedia
Zorro: Generation Z is an animated series that began in 2007. Former Marvel Studios development executive, Rick Ungar
, developed the original series in association with BKN
, G7 Animation and Pangea Corporation
. Scripts produced by Danish comics producer Cool Comics for the mini-series "The Mantle of Zorro" bore a resemblance to the concept of a teenage Zorro of the future. Zorro Productions, Inc. had licensed the rights to Cool Comics, but cancelled it. The programming deal and concept for the new series was developed by Ungar, G7 and Pangea and underwritten partially by a master toy license with Brazilian toy company, Gulliver Toys. Writers at Cool Comics, Neil Southwell and Hans Christian Vang, despite having worked on their comic book and art for nearly a year, were not able to release the material, due to the similar subject matter. The idea of a teenage Zorro had previously been shopped and considered at Sony Pictures, following their acquisition of live action rights in 1995. What made the Ungar-BKN show unique were the plethora of high tech gadgets (which were first designed as toy products then interpolated into the series) and the conceit of having the young Zorro ride his motorcycle, Tornado, the name of the classic Zorro's steed. The show has been aired in the UK
on POP! on 7 April 2008 and was shown on Kix!
on 19 May 2008. This version of the Zorro story features a descendent of the original Zorro, also named Diego De La Vega, fighting crime and the corrupt government of Pueblo Grande in a near-future setting. Zorro: Generation Z has yet to air in the USA
. The series has already been shown in the Philippines via Hero TV.
The second season of 26 episodes of the series was announced in 2009, entitled Zorro Generation Z: HD but were not fully completed or released for broadcast, despite a press statement from Nicola Andrews, Managing Director of BKN New Media Ltd in London: 'We have already commissioned and produced Season II for 2009." In fact, BKN filed for insolvency in the middle of 2009 and was acquired by Cookie Jar Entertainment in 2010. Some of the assets of BKN are under the control of Emba Media Management International.
, in turn wears the mask, with a black suit, weapons, and signs the "Z" to establish justice in the metropolis of Pueblo Grande, California
.
, and is quick to take over the family role. He rides a motorcycle called the Tornado–Z (after the original Zorro's horse) and wields the Z–Weapon, a multi–purpose laser
weapon which can act as a gun, sword or whip.
of Pueblo Grande Martinez is Zorro's greatest enemy. In addition to imposing high taxes and secretly running Pueblo Grande's organised crime he is a business rival of the De La Vega family and often targets Alejandro's company with his criminal schemes. He is based on the corrupt alcalde
s in earlier versions of Zorro and bears a strong resemblance to Alcalde Quintero in the 1974 film The Mark of Zorro
.
until near the end of the final episode in Season 1 "Poll Axed". She is somewhat similar to Lolita Quintero in the 1940 version of The Mark of Zorro
or Theresa in the 1974 version — both of whom are Zorro's love interest and the Alcalde's niece. Her masked identity may be based on the title character of Zorro's Black Whip
. According to series bible originally her costumed identity was going to be the Black Whip rather than the Scarlet Whip.
s and flashback
s giving Diego advice about how to be Zorro.
and, like Diego's grandfather, has died before the series begins but appears in dream sequences as a young girl who offers cryptic advice. She is probably based on the character White Owl from some recent re–tellings of the Zorro story. She only appears in "The Perfect Fox Hunt".
s research. When Augusto offered his service to Mayor Martinez, in exchange for releasing his brother, Martinez demands Augusto destroys Zorro first. When Augusto's plan was initially successful in stopping Zorro the mayor changed his terms to demand he destroys Scarlet Whip as well. With Zorro's equipment infected by nanites Zorro turns to an old barn for a horse and antique weapons to fight Alfredo. Zorro breaks into Alfredo's lab and captures Alfredo.
Rick Ungar
Richard "Rick" Ungar is a writer/executive producer in the world animation industry. His first creation, Biker Mice From Mars, which began its first run in the United States and the United Kingdom in 1993, became one of the most successful animated television programs of its time, spinning off...
, developed the original series in association with BKN
BKN
Bohbot Kids Network was a syndicated animation block created and distributed by Bohbot Entertainment, an animation production company founded by Allen J...
, G7 Animation and Pangea Corporation
Pangea Corporation
Pangea Corporation is an entertainment development and creative services company that specializes in the animation and toy industries. The company was part of the original creative team that launched the wildly popular "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" for Playmates Toys and Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, the...
. Scripts produced by Danish comics producer Cool Comics for the mini-series "The Mantle of Zorro" bore a resemblance to the concept of a teenage Zorro of the future. Zorro Productions, Inc. had licensed the rights to Cool Comics, but cancelled it. The programming deal and concept for the new series was developed by Ungar, G7 and Pangea and underwritten partially by a master toy license with Brazilian toy company, Gulliver Toys. Writers at Cool Comics, Neil Southwell and Hans Christian Vang, despite having worked on their comic book and art for nearly a year, were not able to release the material, due to the similar subject matter. The idea of a teenage Zorro had previously been shopped and considered at Sony Pictures, following their acquisition of live action rights in 1995. What made the Ungar-BKN show unique were the plethora of high tech gadgets (which were first designed as toy products then interpolated into the series) and the conceit of having the young Zorro ride his motorcycle, Tornado, the name of the classic Zorro's steed. The show has been aired in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on POP! on 7 April 2008 and was shown on Kix!
Kix (TV channel)
Kix! is a free-to-air children's and teen's television channel in the UK, broadcasting between 06:00 to 23:30, showing cartoons, extreme sports and music videos. It is owned by CSC Media Group, and was launched on 19 May 2008, replacing a one-hour timeshift of sister channel Pop. Kix! is aimed at...
on 19 May 2008. This version of the Zorro story features a descendent of the original Zorro, also named Diego De La Vega, fighting crime and the corrupt government of Pueblo Grande in a near-future setting. Zorro: Generation Z has yet to air in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The series has already been shown in the Philippines via Hero TV.
The second season of 26 episodes of the series was announced in 2009, entitled Zorro Generation Z: HD but were not fully completed or released for broadcast, despite a press statement from Nicola Andrews, Managing Director of BKN New Media Ltd in London: 'We have already commissioned and produced Season II for 2009." In fact, BKN filed for insolvency in the middle of 2009 and was acquired by Cookie Jar Entertainment in 2010. Some of the assets of BKN are under the control of Emba Media Management International.
Plot
In 2015, teenager Diego De La Vega, the five times great-grand-son of the first ZorroZorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
, in turn wears the mask, with a black suit, weapons, and signs the "Z" to establish justice in the metropolis of Pueblo Grande, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Diego De La Vega/El Zorro
As a teenager, De La Vega returns to Pueblo Grande when his father is kidnapped by Mayor Martinez, to prevent him from standing in the election. Diego grows up listening to his grandfather's stories about ZorroZorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
, and is quick to take over the family role. He rides a motorcycle called the Tornado–Z (after the original Zorro's horse) and wields the Z–Weapon, a multi–purpose laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
weapon which can act as a gun, sword or whip.
Bernardo
Diego's best friend and a technological genius — the mute Bernardo maintains Zorro's equipment, does online detective work and occasionally wears the costume when Diego and Zorro need to appear together. He is based on Don Diego's mute manservant Bernardo from the original novel.Mayor Horace Martínez
The corrupt mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Pueblo Grande Martinez is Zorro's greatest enemy. In addition to imposing high taxes and secretly running Pueblo Grande's organised crime he is a business rival of the De La Vega family and often targets Alejandro's company with his criminal schemes. He is based on the corrupt alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
s in earlier versions of Zorro and bears a strong resemblance to Alcalde Quintero in the 1974 film The Mark of Zorro
The Mark of Zorro (1974 film)
The Mark of Zorro is a 1974 television film and also a backdoor pilot for a TV series which ABC-TV declined to pick up. It was a remake of the 1940 film version of the story, with a teleplay based on John Taintor Foote's 1940 screenplay, and Alfred Newman's 1940 score with incidental music...
.
María Martínez/The Scarlet Whip
The daughter of Mayor Martinez, Maria, adopts a costumed identity to fight against him using two laser–whips. She and Diego are at college together and have a friendly rivalry. Neither knows the other's secret identitySecret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
until near the end of the final episode in Season 1 "Poll Axed". She is somewhat similar to Lolita Quintero in the 1940 version of The Mark of Zorro
The Mark of Zorro (1940 film)
The Mark of Zorro is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox. The action movie stars Tyrone Power as Don Diego Vega , Linda Darnell as his love interest, and Basil Rathbone as the villain...
or Theresa in the 1974 version — both of whom are Zorro's love interest and the Alcalde's niece. Her masked identity may be based on the title character of Zorro's Black Whip
Zorro's Black Whip
Zorro's Black Whip is a 1944 Republic Pictures film serial starring Linda Stirling. The film was made after the popular 1940 20th Century-Fox remake of The Mark of Zorro and Republic was unable to use the character himself, but still wanted to capitalize on it. However, and despite the title,...
. According to series bible originally her costumed identity was going to be the Black Whip rather than the Scarlet Whip.
Alejandro De La Vega
Diego's father, and the owner of De La Vega Industries. He is unaware of the family secret and until recently assumed Zorro was a myth. He still unsure that a masked crusader is what the city needs. He worries a lot about Diego's lack of responsibility assuming his son is out all night partying. Based on Don Alejandro De La Vega in previous versions.Mrs. McAllister
The De La Vegas' housekeeper. She knows Diego's secret and approves of what he's doing.Sergeant García
The mayor's aide, Sergeant Garcia, is corrupt enough to turn a blind eye to his boss' actions most of the time but not enough to actually get involved. His role is usually to tell the police not to investigate. He is clumsy and always eating and usually spilling it. Based on Sergeant Garcia in the 1950s TV series Zorro.Gustavo De La Vega/El Zorro
Diego's grandfather was the Zorro before him, now he often appears in dream sequenceDream sequence
A dream sequence is a technique used in storytelling, particularly in television and film, to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. The interlude may consist of a flashback, a flashforward, a fantasy, a vision, a dream, or some other element. Commonly, dream sequences appear in many...
s and flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
s giving Diego advice about how to be Zorro.
Alejandro's grandmother
Alejandro's grandmother is a Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
and, like Diego's grandfather, has died before the series begins but appears in dream sequences as a young girl who offers cryptic advice. She is probably based on the character White Owl from some recent re–tellings of the Zorro story. She only appears in "The Perfect Fox Hunt".
Alfredo Catalano
A scientist who invented an earthquake machine. After his invention was discovered by Maria and Diego he was hired by Mayor Martinez for city demolition jobs. However his first job under the mayor was foiled by Zorro and Scarlet Whip and he is subsequently arrested.Fearsome Four
Are criminals hired by Mayor Martinez to destroy Zorro but they end up unleashing mayhem in Pueblo Grande and try to take over the city themselves. They are eventually defeated by Zorro.Augusto Catalano
Alfredo's twin brother specialising in naniteNanorobotics
Nanorobotics is the emerging technology field of creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the scale of a nanometer . More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, with devices ranging in size from...
s research. When Augusto offered his service to Mayor Martinez, in exchange for releasing his brother, Martinez demands Augusto destroys Zorro first. When Augusto's plan was initially successful in stopping Zorro the mayor changed his terms to demand he destroys Scarlet Whip as well. With Zorro's equipment infected by nanites Zorro turns to an old barn for a horse and antique weapons to fight Alfredo. Zorro breaks into Alfredo's lab and captures Alfredo.
Gloria Sheffield
Founder and CEO of Sheffield Industries. After Alejandro De La Vega had dropped out of mayor elections Gloria Sheffield planned a series of city-wide sabotages to destroy Horace Martinez's reputation in order to overtake the mayoral position in the election. Gloria ended up being the new mayor of Pueblo Grande despite Zorro's attempt to help Horace.Jack Sheffield
Gloria Sheffield's son is disguised as a dumb jock at Pueblo Grande College. However he was the technical genius behind the city-wide sabotages and the retina recognition program to uncover the true identities of Zorro and Scarlet Whip. Later Zorro is able to work out Jack's role in the city-wide sabotage and discovers the potential identity leak. Bernardo was eventually able to intercept Jack's retina recognition program by replacing the final image with the Sheffields.The Dons
Are a group of criminal hoodlums hired by Mayor Martinez to take charge of various criminal businesses in Pueblo Grande. When Gloria Sheffield runs for Pueblo Grande mayor they ended up being hired by her.Season 1
- A New Generation: Part I
- A New Generation: Part II
- The Fearsome Four
- Sins Of The Father
- Mayor For A Day
- Wanted: Part Time Hero
- The Perfect Fox Hunt
- Hostile Takeover
- The Underground
- Masquerade
- Double Date
- That Old School Spirit
- "Don Payaso"
- The Earthquake Machine
- A 'Z' In Time
- Crush or Be Crushed
- The Wounded Fox
- Persona Non Grata
- Diego's Cousin
- Crime Wave
- Z-Virus
- Mad About You
- The Rival
- The Golden Dragon
- The New Arrivals
- Poll Axed (the finale of Season I)
Movies
- Zorro: Return to the Future is a feature that includes the first 3 episodes of the series.
- Zorro and Scarlet Whip Revealed! is a feature that includes The Earthquake Machine, Z-Virus, and Poll Axed.
Cast
- Ben SmallBen SmallBenjamin Small , is a British character actor and voice actor.Small provided the voice of Thomas in the later episodes of the children's television series Thomas and Friends....
as Diego Dela Vega/El Zorro - Jules de JonghJules de JonghJules de Jongh , born in California, United States is an American voice actress, singer, television and radio presenter...
as Maria Martinez/Scarlet Whip - Janet Brown as Mrs. McAlistair
- Morgan Deare as Mayor Martinez
External links
- BKN Kids Zorro: Generation Z, Generation Z: HD, Return to the Future, Zorro and Scarlet Whip Revealed!
- News for Zorro: Generation Z
- BKN Announces Release Of Two New Films
- BKN announces the first ratings on its 'Zorro: Generation Z'(TM) property on Clan TV in Spain - Show rates #2 on the entire schedule ahead
- BKN International AG - BKN Signs Master Toy Licensee : NON-REG