The Pink Panther is an American animated television series starring the Pink Panther and his co-stars from the original cartoon shorts in a series of brand new stories. The program was credited as being a co-production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng and United Artists, though only the former was responsible for its production, as the other properties either ceased to exist or were transferred to MGM a decade before it was aired. It was distributed by Claster Television and not MGM Television, despite MGM owning The Pink Panther. Unlike other animated series featuring the Pink Panther, this is the only series where he and the Little Man have the ability to speak. The show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1994 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition.
Premise
The 1993 incarnation of The Pink Panther starred the legendary hip feline in series of brand new adventures, in which he dealt with different situations in a manner similar to the original Looney Tunes shorts, ranging from modern day situations such as working as a delivery boy to outlandish situations like living in caveman days. Unlike previous television series and almost the entire theatrical run, the series was produced with the Panther capable of speaking throughout the episodes, to allow more interaction with other characters. Voiced by Matt Frewer, he was given a humorous American accent in order to appeal to younger children, which was in sharp contrast to the sophisticated British accent supplied by impressionist Rich Little who voiced the Panther briefly in two 1965 cartoon shorts, Sink Pink and Pink Ice. Alongside the Pink Panther, a number of his co-stars from the original theatrical shorts appear in the series, including: The Inspector, who the Panther assists in the guise of an American police officer; The Ant and the Aardvark, with John Byner reprising the role of both characters; The Dogfather and his henchdogs Pugg and Louie, who were redesigned for this series; The Muscle Man from the 1968 cartoon Come On In! The Water's Pink; The Witch from the 1969 cartoon Pink-A-Rella; and "The Little Man", who like the Panther, was also designed to speak in the series, with Wallace Shawn providing his voice. The series also featured new characters, including a mask-wearing tribal witch doctor named Voodoo Man, a little red-headed girl named Thelma, and a sweet old lady named Mrs. Chubalingo and her pet parrot Jules.
Cast
Matt Frewer as Pink Panther, The Whistler, News Anchor
In 1992, MGM/UA decided to produce new Pink Panther cartoons with a twist that he would be able to speak, hoping to bring new life to the panther. That same year, MGM/UA met with its licensees to explain the changes that were made to the character and arm them with essential artwork needed to spring the panther for the brand-new series. This decision was controversial and unpopular, and the Panther turned out to be a blabbering fool, despite the animation being well-done. During this time, Marvel Productions was on the brink of merging with New World Pictures.
Casting
In 1993, Rich Little, who voiced the character in the original cartoons, was approached to reprise his role as the pink feline. However, Little did not recall voicing the character at all and turned down the offer saying giving the panther a voice would ruin the character. Producer David DePatie felt that giving the panther a voice would "compromise the integrity of the character." But once the producers saw Matt Frewer fill in the lines for the panther, it was fantastic and they accepted it.
A DVD box set called "Der rosarote Panther - Die neue Show" was released in Germany on February 21, 2006 through MGM. This set contains the first 40 Episodes in English, French and German on four DVDs. The set was then released in the UK from MGM and Fox on February 2, 2009; the remaining 20 episodes are yet to be released.
