Taking fourteen months from conception to completion, once again the Cosgrove Hall mark of quality shows through. This cartoon special tells a wonderful magical tale in the Walt Disney tradition with that extra punch that has been lacking in all the recent Disney features.
The characters are many in this cartoon but each holds his own.
The Cockatrices are real bullyboys, but no match for Penelope and bet sidekicks, Parrot and Ethelred. All the action takes place against some of the best background artwork I have seen in a cartoon for some tine.
THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN KREMMEN
Top disc jockey Kenny Everett is a ‘zany’ character who is very talented at making tape introductions to records he plays on his radio show on Capital Radio, London. Included as part of his radio show was the serial, The Adventures of Captain Kremmen. Captain Elvis Brandenburg Krennen is a space super hero and the alter ego of Everett. With the success of his radio show, Kenny Everett was offered a TV series and it was no surprise that he wanted Captain Kremmen as a feature of the TV. Show, so in stepped Cosgrove Hall.
The Adventures of Captain Kremmen is perhaps the speediest job that Cosgrove Hall have had to produce. Working from the finished soundtrack that Kenny Everett sends in, they complete the final cartoon in as quickly as two or three weeks. That’s fast work on this adult cartoon series. Though the cartoons only filled a small part in the weekly Kenny Everett Video Show, they were always funny.
A featurette cartoon was made of Captain Kremmen, but this was made under Licence for the copyright characters by another company.
DANGERMOUSE
OCCUPATION: Hero
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Black Eye Patch
BACKGROUND: The greatest Secret Agent in the world. He’s had many a narrow squeak! Has saved England from disaster more times than he’s had hot dinners. A superb athlete who climbs the world’s highest mountain every morning to keep in trim.
Thames Television plan to spend £1,000,000 to extend the initial 13 episode run of the rodent super-sleuth’s adventures to 133 episodes. Merchandising deals have been signed for Dangermouse; wallpaper, soap, slippers, T shirts, jigsaws, comic strips, and many other items.
Dangermouse is a hero in the James Bond tradition. His boss is Colonel K of the Secret Department. Dangermouse is helped on his missions by Penfold, his faithful assistant, whose code name is Jigsaw because he always goes to pieces.
Dangermouse’s arch-enemy is Baron Silas Greenback, whose object in life is to rule the world. Greenback is based on Bond’s adversary Blofeld who is always shown stroking a white cat, but Greenback being a toad has a white caterpillar called Nero as a pet. (He’s a creep!!) Also with Greenback is henchman Stiletto Mafiosa (a crow), who, despite his name is far from sharp.
The scripts for Dangernouse are very sharp and witty, making the series both entertaining for children and adults. The first series started in September 1980 with ten-minute complete episodes, then changed to five-minute serialized adventures, with five episodes telling one complete story.
Cosgrove Hall still remains in its original premises and is hoping to extend them in 1984. The majority of the staff have joined from school or college. Each production they have undertaken has been of the highest quality. Long may this continue.
Originally printed in Animator’s newsletter Issue 8 (Spring 1984)