The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest

TBS in the nineties aired some pretty cheesy shows like "Captain Planet" but in 1996 it reinvented itself with this outstanding television show. Like the title says it, this were the REAL adventures because in the original Dr. Quest and Race Bannon seemed to be doing all the work. While in this show Jonny and Hadji were the stars. This was also a much superior show with outstanding plots and characters! Too bad the show was canceled so soon.

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest was killed off right before it got the chance to realise its potential. Yes this was a 90s remake of a cult classic, and yes you could argue that nothing beats the original Jonny Quest; however, as an 80s born kid growing up as a teen in the 90s, the only version of this show that I was practically familiar with, was this one, 'The Real Adventures of...'.

Plot-wise, the story revolved around a teenager named Jonny Quest- a computer whizz kid, who battles international criminals with the help of a computer generated program, known as 'Questworld'. Joining Jonny on his quest are Jessie Bannon and her father Race Bannon, his Indian friend, Hadji and Jonny's father, Dr Benton Quest.

The voice cast were made up of some of the most recognisable names in TV and film; Rob Paulsen, Frank Welker, Robert Patrick (he of The X-files and Terminator 2 fame), George Segal (Just Shoot Me)and Mark Hamill (Star Wars)to name.

I remembered seeing at the time a few promos of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, on Cartoon Network's part, courtesy of Hanna Barbera in the lead up to its debut on the channel in 96'. Design-wise, the character designs had more of a dimension to them, in contrast to its 60s counterparts. The use of computer generated effects really brought this show to life almost. At times, it looked very flashy- although I have to say that whilst the computer graphics looked impressive back then, these days, I personally think they look rather dodgy. In addition, a female character by the name of Jesse was introduced in this particular series- although she was not an original member of the 60s Quest team.

I still don't understand why this cartoon series was cancelled; in fact, the best post- 60s Hanna Barbera cartoons which were cancelled, such as 'The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest', 'Johnny Bravo' and 'The Pirates of Dark Water' to name, were all short-lived and were brilliant shows in their own right.

The stories in this show were inventive, interesting and well written; the dialogue was superb, the animation was spot-on and the music was great too. I cannot really compare this Jonny Quest to the 60s version, given my unfamiliarity with the latter show, but The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest ranks up there with the very best.

Such a shame however that it never really got the respect it warranted.

I loved this show and was <i>so disappointed</i> when it was cancelled after only two seasons. I loved the plots of each episode, and the characters were far more interesting than they had been in previous versions of the show. I'm so glad to be able to enjoy it on DVD since my old recordings of the episodes are incomplete and wearing down. I can only hope that there will soon be a new incarnation of Jonny Quest's adventures because they get better each time, especially with the inclusion of Race's daughter, Jessie, and the addition of Quest World, which would be far more interesting and cheaper to produce with today's technology. Oh well, I do miss it.

When I first saw "The Matrix," I was immediately reminded of the opening graphics of this high-quality cartoon show. This show never disappointed me with its smart writing, very good animation, and its storyline. . .it has a more or less continuous plot, at least towards the end. My favorite two episodes were "Less than Zero," where the team seeks after ghosts in a huge Venetian island mansion (kind of a fusion between "Ghostbusters" and "The Shining") and an episode where the team lands on an island that has, again, a haunted house. Johnny and Jesse become possessed by two dead lovers, and in a very cute scene, find themselves kissing as the spirits leave their bodies. It's a shame that the lowgrade animation and lowest common denominator catchphrase spewing humor of shows such as Powerpuff girls and Dexter's Laboratory are what we get these days. P.S. It may be sacrilage, but I daresay that "Real adventures" was BETTER than the original Johnny Quest.

This was such a great show! Johnny is the perfect character for a 90's teen adventure show. TRAoJQ had the great action-adventure feel of the 60's show, but gave it a cool 90's, sci-fi spin. Not everyone agreed with stuff like the introduction of Jesse and the new Dr. Zinn, but I thought they were great. Jesse was a awesome character and Johnny's equal in every way. Plus the romantic tension between them was fun. The new Dr. Zinn was much better than the 60's one. I was never afraid of the old man version.

Anyway, this is a great cartoon that meet its end way to early. Watch if you get the chance.