Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (TV series)

Did You Know?

• Esther Sinclair, UCLA associate professor of psychiatry and bio-behavioral sciences, analyzed the show's message, noting Jack is altruistic, resists temptation, and respects all life forms.
• Dr. Fessenden's name comes from radio pioneer Reginald Fessenden.

Plot

The series follows Jack Tenrec and his crew of ecological freedom fighters called the Mechanics, set after the year 2627 in a post-apocalyptic jungle near the ruins of New York City, known as The City in the Sea. Societies have had to relearn 20th-century technology lost in an unspecified catastrophe, with the Mechanics retaining much Old World knowledge. Jack's reluctant companion is Hannah Dundee, an ambassador from Wasoon, a technologically less advanced region to the south. She hires Jack as a liaison to improve communication between her land and the modern civilization. Since the catastrophe, dinosaurs have spontaneously reappeared across much of the former United States. Jack and Hannah confront environmental issues, while Jack also cares for Hermes, a juvenile Allosaurus he raised. The show includes intelligent lizard-like Griths. Jack opposes the Council of Governors, especially his archenemy Wilhelmina Scharnhorst, and Hammer Terhune's gang.

Characters

Heroes: Jack Tenrec (voiced by David Keeley) is a survival-savvy garage mechanic and member of the Old Blood Mechanics, passionate about restoring classic car shells, especially Cadillacs. Hannah Dundee (voiced by Susan Roman) is a foreign ambassador from Wasoon, Jack's constant companion and love interest, often trying to prevent him from driving enemies into neighboring territory. Mustapha Cairo (voiced by Bruce Tubbe) is an engineer and Jack's companion who helps him. Kirgo (voiced by David Fox) is a ferryman associated with the City in the Sea and a friend of Jack. Hermes is a juvenile Cutter (Allosaurus) raised by Jack, gentle with him and Hannah but fierce when angered. Governor Wilhelmina Scharnhorst (voiced by Dawn Greenhalgh) is corrupt, power-hungry, and uncaring of nature's balance, Jack's nemesis who hires Hammer Terhune's gang. She wants what's best for her city but respects Jack only when it benefits her. Governor Dahlgren (voiced by Kristina Nicoll) is a voice of reason, her governing styles influenced by Jack. Governor Toulouse (voiced by Philip Williams) handles public relations, concerned with morale, but is unused to outdoor lifestyles. Nock (voiced by Don Dickinson) is the corrupt Captain of the Guards, a sycophant who obeys Scharnhorst and runs scams. Dr. Fessenden (voiced by John Stocker) is a mad scientist who invents technology, especially radio-based gadgets, for Wilhelmina.

Production

Each episode cost $430,000 and contained 20,000 more animation cels than comparable cartoons of the time. Xenozoic Tales creator Mark Schultz said attempts to adapt the comic had been made for years before he and publisher Denis Kitchen signed with Galaxie Entertainment to bring the series to other media. Galaxie took the property to animation companies, with Nelvana showing the greatest understanding. Executive producer Steven E. de Souza wrote the series bible and pilot episode, which CBS approved. Kitchen and Schultz were heavily involved with Nelvana; Schultz had creative veto power but rarely used it, trusting the staff. His only adamant point was that dinosaur designs avoid older tail-dragging depictions and instead show them as more horizontal.

Release

The show had its initial U.S. run on CBS, starting in September 1993 and ending in March 1994. It later aired on the USA Network as part of their cartoon lineup during the 1994-95 season. By February 1994, its future was uncertain because CBS’s coverage of the Winter Olympics had caused several preemptions. Executive producer Sasha Harari blamed the network’s focus on prime-time shows, arguing they neglected their children’s programming compared to competitors like Fox and ABC. When USA Network acquired the reruns, they showed interest in ordering a second season. In Canada, YTV began airing it in October 1993. The series reached Ireland on RTÉ Two from August 1995 into 1996. Latin American viewers could watch it for years on HBO Family, either dubbed in Spanish or in English. In 2002, Spanish-dubbed episodes appeared on Telefutura’s Toonturama block until 2003. Sony Wonder released selected episodes on VHS during the 1990s. In the United States, only the first two episodes are available on Amazon Video; in Canada, it was streamed on Shomi until that service shut down. The complete series was posted for free on the Nelvana Retro YouTube channel in 2015, which later became YTV Direct and then Keep It Weird, but it was eventually removed. In 2019, the channel Retro Rerun uploaded all episodes.