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X-Menis one ofMarvel’s most popular brands and properties. They’ve been featured prominently in comic books, video games, movies, TV shows, and much, much more. In 1992, many people were introduced to X-Men through the popular animated series, X-Men: The Animated Series, which ran for five seasons until September 1997.
X-Men: The Animated Series was, for many, the definitive depiction of X-Men. Its score, animation, voice acting, and depiction of certain characters are now iconic. However, the show came to an end without a conclusion. X-Men ’97 is the revived continuation of that show, made forDisney +.
X-Men: The Animated Series — Behind The Scenes
X-Men The Animated Series was the second attemptat an animated X-Men series, after the prior attempt failed to get picked up in 1990. It was the work of several studios that finally made the show a possibility.
Saban Entertainment was contracted by the Fox Children’s Network to produce the show, and they, in turn, hired Graz Entertainment to create it, because Saban lacked the personnel to do it themselves. Graz wrote, designed, and storyboarded each episode, with AKOM doing the bulk of the animation, and the voice work being conducted in Canada.
The start of the show was a rocky one.AKOM was slow to produce results, and when they did,there were errors in the animation.Errors that were later corrected after AKOM refused to fix them. The first episode was therefore launched and broadcast in an unfinished form. With the errors not being fully altered until a 1993 re-run. Later episodes suffered similar setbacks.
The show was a ratings and critical hit, and was soon granted a second season. But, throughout its run, the production suffered from budget restraints, and cuts, attempts to alter the series’ tone and mood, and quality control issues too.When Marvel went bankrupt, the series was forced to undergo cuts.
What Is X-Men: The Animated Series?
While based upon the famed comic books,much of the story and episodes were original ideas. There were, however, many arcs and stories loosely adapted from the comics, such as Days of Future Past.
Leading this iteration of the X-Men, was Professor Charles Xavier, aka Professor X. Wheelchair bound, Professor X possessed telekinetic abilities, and he encouraged his students and X-Men to never lose sight of what was important.On missions, Cyclops led the team, with a strong personality and a rivalry with fellow X-Man, Wolverine.
A lot of the animated series emphasized the relationships between characters, mixing in action, comedy, and strong social commentary.This social critique would often relate to real-world events and issues, like those that influenced the original comic books, such as the civil rights movement.
The show came to an abrupt endwhen it was canceled amid production issues and budget cuts. The final episode featuredthe death of Professor X, leaving viewers on a bit of a cliffhanger. Who would lead the X-Men now? Was this the end of the story? Would it ever return? These questions and many more would not be addressed fully until 27 years later, in the 2024 TV Series, X-Men ’97.
What Is X-Men ’97?
For many years, a revival of the series was discussed behind closed doors at Disney and Marvel. With the success of theMarvel Cinematic Universe, and the introduction of Disney+, the possibilities of a revival increased.In 2021, Disney and Marvel officially announced X-Men ’97, a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series.
Beau DeMayo was hired to write, direct, and run the show. Having previously handled the Moon Knight series for Disney+.Many of the original cast members were brought backto voice their now iconic characters, with some new additions and replacements too.
The animation this time was created by Studio Mir, with the intention of replicating the style and design of the original show. Notably,this was Marvel and Disney’s first attempt at adapting anything X-Men-relatedsince their re-acquisition of the X-Men license and brand from 21st Century Fox in 2017.
Like the original show it continued from, it had its fair share of behind-the-scenes issues, as Beau DeMayo was fired after his work on the first two seasons, for being hard to work with.
The show picks up one year after the death of Professor X.Cyclops is now the leader of the X-Men, with new challenges, both personally, professionally, mentally, and physically presenting themselves. Humans and mutants are still at odds, replicating the state of the world today, and the enemy of the X-Men, Magneto, has turned a new leaf after the loss of his one-time friend.
