The New Adventures of Speed Racer
A 1993 reboot of Speed Racer with merchandising resurgence.
The New Adventures of Speed Racer is a 1993 update of the original Speed Racer animated series, produced as a single 13-episode season. It was designed with the intent of launching a feature film adaptation, though the film was not realized due to issues with Warner Bros. holding the live-action rights. The series provided a major merchandising reboot for the franchise, including a toy line, comic books, and novelties.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- David Wise
- Director
- Bill Wolf
- Producer
- Michael Algar
- Executive Producer
- Fred Wolf
- Music
- Dennis C. Brown · Maxine Sellers · Larry Brown
- Based On
- Speed Racer · Tatsuo Yoshida
- Voices
- Michael Gough · Thom Pinto · Susan Blu · Jeannie Elias · Tony Pope · Jim Cummings
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Network
- First-run syndication
- First Aired
- 1993-09-18
- Last Aired
- 1993-12-11
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series concept originated from a pitch by PANGEA to then property-owners John and James Rocknowski of Speed Racer Enterprises, Inc. Fred Wolf of Fred Wolf Films had also pitched the notion of rebooting the franchise. PANGEA, having worked with Playmates Toys and Fred Wolf Films on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, collaborated with Speed Racer Enterprises on series development and merchandising. The show was designed as a single 13-episode season, with the first episode titled 'The Mach 5's First Trial'. A new theme song was written for the series. The series proved popular with the Russian audience. The title 'The New Adventures of Speed Racer' comes from official documents used for TV listings; the show itself is referred to onscreen as simply 'Speed Racer'. Coincidentally, Speed Racer X is known in Brazil as 'As Novas Aventuras de Speed Racer', which translates to 'The New Adventures of Speed Racer'.
Reader's Guide
The New Adventures of Speed Racer is significant as a 1993 attempt to revive the Speed Racer franchise for a new generation, though it only lasted one season. Its primary legacy lies in its massive merchandising reboot, which included a major toy line from Ace Novelty Toys, comic books from NOW Comics, and novelties from NJ Croce. This merchandising resurgence helped maintain the intellectual property's visibility until the 2008 live-action film. The series also demonstrated international appeal, particularly in Russia. The show's development involved key figures from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, linking it to a broader trend of 1990s animated revivals. Despite the failure to launch a feature film due to rights issues with Warner Bros., the series remains a notable chapter in Speed Racer's history.
Did You Know?
- Issues with Warner Bros. having the live-action rights forestalled negotiations and investments for the film.
- The series provided a massive merchandising reboot, including a toy line from Ace Novelty Toys, comic books by NOW Comics, and novelties by NJ Croce.
- The show is referred to onscreen as simply 'Speed Racer', with 'The New Adventures' used only in official TV listings.
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