Martin Mystery
Teen stepsiblings investigate the paranormal for a secret organization.
Martin Mystery is an animated television series based on the Italian comic book of the same name by Alfredo Castelli. Produced by Marathon Animation, Rai Fiction, and Image Entertainment Corporation, it premiered on YTV in Canada on 1 October 2003. The show shares an art style similar to Japanese anime with its sister series Totally Spies!.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Horror
- Comedy drama
- Mystery
- Science fantasy
- Action-adventure
- Creator
- Vincent Chalvon-Demersay; David Michel
- Based on
- Martin Mystère, Alfredo Castelli
- Developer
- David Michel
- Séverine Vuillaume
- Vincent Chalvon-Demersay
- Director
- Stephane Berry; Gregory Panaccione
- Voices
- Sam Vincent
- Kelly Sheridan
- Teryl Rothery
- Dale Wilson
- Opening theme
- "Martin Mystery Theme"
- Composer
- Fabrice Aboulker; Pascale Stive
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The series re-imagines the comic's main characters Martin Mystery and Diana Lombard as teenage stepsiblings attending Torrington Academy, a boarding school in Sherbrooke, Quebec. They work for a secret organization called The Center, which covertly protects Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats. Their allies include Billy, a small green-skinned alien, and Java, a caveman from 200,000 years ago who works as a janitor at the school. Martin's vast knowledge of the supernatural and his intuition compensate for his huge ego and clumsiness, while Diana often resents his lack of seriousness but respects him.
Characters
Martin Mystery is a 16-year-old Canadian boy with a passion for monsters and the paranormal. He works as a paranormal investigator for The Center, but is immature, hyperactive, and zany, constantly bursting with energy. He is an underachiever at school, once scoring 106 out of 902 on a pre-college aptitude test. Impulsive and impatient, he often leaps into danger without thinking, yet proves to be a quick thinker and clever. He loves everything slimy, sloppy, and gooey, and enjoys taunting Diana with practical jokes. A running gag involves his constant flirting with beautiful girls, who usually reject him. He jumps to conclusions based on horror movies or his subscription to Paranormal Monthly. As the trio's leader, he is the only one who wears a U-Watch. His first monster was Venoso, a female chameleon monster that can shape-shift. In a crossover episode of Totally Spies!, he is smitten with Clover, though she is uninterested; later Clover shows interest, but Martin bonds with Alex over comics and video games. He describes Sam as a 'really lame buzz-kill' but does not lash out at her due to her composed demeanor. Diana Lombard, also 16, is Martin's stepsister and his complete opposite. She is a rigid overachiever who often struggles to keep her cool with Martin. Their arguments frequently end in bets that Diana usually loses. Though timid at times, she shows great courage when needed. Her intelligence aids their missions, and she relies on logic rather than jumping to conclusions.
Broadcast
From 2003 to 2006, Canadian viewers could catch Martin Mystery on YTV and Discovery Kids in English, or on Vrak in French. In the United States, FoxBox aired the first seven episodes in May and June 2004. Nickelodeon then took over, moving the show to Nicktoons Network from July 4, 2005, to April 27, 2008, after a short run on its main channel. Across Europe, the series appeared on M6 in France, Rai 2 in Italy, and Jetix in most countries except Italy and Poland. Additional European broadcasters included SVT1 and SVT Barnkanalen in Sweden, NRK Super in Norway, Yle TV2 in Finland, Alter Channel in Greece, VT4 in Belgium, and ZigZap in Poland. In the Philippines, it aired on GMA Network and Q, while Sri Lanka’s Channel Eye of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation carried it. For the Middle East, MBC 3, Ajyal TV, and ART 3 broadcast an Arabic dub featuring Mo’awad Ismail as Martin and Mariam El Khesht as Diana. Home video releases came from PolyGram and MK2 in France, 01 Distribution in Italy, and an English season 1 set in Canada and the U.S., which has since become hard to find.
Crossovers with other series
Background characters resembling Martin, Diana, and Marvin have appeared on other Marathon and Image series such as Team Galaxy, Totally Spies!, and The Amazing Spiez!. In 2007, a year after the series ended, Martin and M.O.M appeared in a fifth-season episode of Totally Spies! titled 'Totally Mystery Much?', where Martin helps investigate Yeti sightings in Antarctica. Diana was mentioned in the episode, but no other Martin Mystery characters appeared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Martin Mystery?
Martin Mystery was created by Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel.
How many episodes of Martin Mystery are there?
Martin Mystery has 66 episodes across 3 seasons.
When did Martin Mystery end?
Martin Mystery last aired on 27 March 2006.
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