Red Planet (miniseries)
A 1994 animated miniseries adapted from Robert A. Heinlein's novel.
In 1994, Gunther-Wahl Productions released Red Planet, an animated miniseries of three half-hour episodes. Julia Lewald wrote the teleplay, adapting Robert A. Heinlein’s 1949 novel. Disney gained ownership of the series in 2001 through its purchase of Fox Kids Worldwide.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Based on
- Red Planet, Robert Heinlein
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Network
- Fox Kids
- First aired
- 14 May 1994
- Last aired
- 28 May 1994
- Seasons
- 1
Facts from the source article.
Plot summary
Jim Marlowe, voiced by Benny Grant, and his little sister Phillis Jane "P.J." Marlowe, voiced by Haven Hartman, are teenagers living on the mining world of New Aries, a red-desert planet with harsh climate, severe weather, and dangerous creatures such as three-headed Cerberus Hounds, swift Water Seekers, and the rare, near-legendary Locals. Jim acquires a small, furry, playful pet called a "roundhead" named Willis, voiced by Pat Fraley, which can mimic speech, record conversations, extend limbs to move quadrupedally, climb anything, and survive both on the planet's surface and in the colony's Earth-like atmosphere. Willis has an empathic connection with the Locals. As Jim and P.J. are about to be sent to boarding school, their mother, the colony's medical officer voiced by Marcia Mitzman Gaven, discovers a substance in the mines that is killing miners. The school's headmaster Marcus Howe, voiced by Roddy McDowall, and the colony leader, voiced by Nick Tate, a Beta Earth Mining Company man, plot to steal Willis for medical experiments to create a serum. Willis records their conversation, prompting Jim, Willis, and P.J. to escape into the desert. With life-support failing, they take shelter inside a carnivorous plant that generates oxygen through photosynthesis. The Locals find them and, angered by the attempted capture of Willis, threaten the colony. Jim and Willis's friendship ultimately saves the colony from destruction by the intelligent, advanced subterranean Locals.
Differences from novel
The miniseries relocates the story from Mars to the fictitious planet New Aries, which has higher gravity than Mars, closer to Earth's. Jim's little sister P.J. serves as the main supporting character, replacing his classmate Frank Sutton from the novel. The central conflict changes: in the novel, the colonial governor sought to keep miners working through harsh winters and avoid costly annual migration; in the miniseries, the problem is missed work caused by a poison in the mine slowly killing the miners. Willis's confiscation also differs: in the novel, the headmaster takes Willis for breaking pet rules, and colony leader Beecher plans to sell him to the London Zoo; in the miniseries, both the headmaster and colony leader conspire to steal Willis to study his physiology for an antidote to the mine poison.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Red Planet (miniseries) are there?
Red Planet has 3 episodes across 1 season.
When did Red Planet (miniseries) first air?
Red Planet first aired on 14 May 1994.
When did Red Planet (miniseries) end?
Red Planet last aired on 28 May 1994.
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