Gargoyles

Quite simply, Gargoyles was wonderful. No other word could possibly describe it. A great plot that continued to grow; characters that matured, lost innocence, and grew up; simply beautiful animation, even better acting on the part of the voice actors; and, most important of all, an absolutely original idea. There will never be another one like Gargoyles, ever. There can be no dispute. I don't think I will ever run out of praise for Gargoyles, nor have anything but. Everything about it was pure genius on the part of the shows creator Greg Weisman. In fact, to this day, I am certain that Gargoyles do exist because of the sheer realness of the show. And believe me, Gargoyles was very real. People died, trust was betrayed, central characters were changed forever by events in the story. One example of this is the vengeful agenda of the main "bad guy" (quotes are around the term "bad guy" because in Gargoyles, no one was truly evil, with the possible exception of the non-Fox members of The Pack.) Demona. The former love of Goliath, the leader of the clan of gargoyles that forms most of the central characters, Demona is an immortal gargoyle who was deeply hurt when her entire clan, save Goliath and his five friends, were smashed during their daytime sleep, during which they are stone statues. Betrayed, hurt, and angry, Demona has dedicated her life to the destruction of humanity. This is but one example of how the characters were developed and changed by events in the entire chronology of the series. Gargoyles is no longer on TV anymore. It could not compete commercially with Power Rangers, may they endure a thousand torments, and had to be cancelled. But, it's legacy will always live on in the hearts of those of us whose lives were touched by it and who will always keep a special place in our hearts for it. However, I may have mispoken myself. Gargoyles may be not be on TV any longer, but, they still thrive in the form of fan fiction. They are great stories, and they are written in such a way that you do not have to have seen the entire series to fully understand what is going on, although it helps slightly. And, if you wish to see Gargoyles in it's televised form, some of the very early episodes can be found in any video store in the cartoon section. Watch it. Trust me, you will never be the same once you've looked through the eyes of a gargoyle.

Having lived in the New York metropolitan area my entire life, Gargoyles was even more fun to watch since many of the landmarkings were places I've hung out at) The animation in itself is mindblowing. The sights and sounds of the show are true to life of Manhattan, even if you've never been there, it makes you feel like you're there.

The storylines were great. Mythology, elves, sorcery, and modern day New York, London, Japan, and Scotland (and even gay Paris!) come together to form a wonderful series that would have made Walt Disney proud. While many former Disney creations had very obvious morals (and quite a few "And they lived happily ever afters ..."), Gargoyles is the first to show a distinctiveness I've never seen, from Disney or otherwise. The emotions are real, the stories realistic (as far as you can see realistic about elves, anyway), and storylines reappear again and again. The animation and the gargoyles draw the kiddies, while the history, mythology, and more mature storylines will definitely keep the adults glued to the TV.

The show gives lessons on gun control, dealing with blindness, death, family, love, and life, without the artificial and often unrealistic way of going about it (examples including Cinderella, Barney, and lots of other shows and movies I can mention). It's not just for kids. Disney has done for Gargoyles what Warner Bros. did for the Batman Animated Series. I could watch this show with my grandmother (who doesn't like ANYTHING made after 1960) and she enjoyed it thoroughly and is now a die-hard fan. Watch it with your kids.

Sad to see the show having been canceled though. Maybe if enough people email Disney or write letters, it can be brought back. If you have the time, write an email to Disney and tell how much you love the show. Gargoyles live.

"Gargoyles" was a series released during the "Disney Afternoon" block of the mid-nineties. What makes it so unique is that it's still the only dramatic animated series Disney TV has ever produced. It stunned people at the time with its tragic plots, realistic weapons, and clear consequences to characters' actions. It's definitely not for young children (the Y7 rating is a good guideline), but don't think it's just another brainless afternoon shoot-'em-up designed to sell action figures. The backbone of this saga is what all timeless fiction must contain: plot and character development. The writing is taut, the acting fantastic, and the animation beautiful, but they are all mere servants to the story, which stays interesting and moderately serialized throughout the entire series (just the first season has been released on DVD, 13 of 65 episodes).

Overall, I think this is the best animated television series to ever come out of this country. If you at all appreciate the art form, you'll wonder where this show has been all your life. In a time when comedies are saturating both the primetime and daytime cartoon markets, it's nice to find a gripping animated drama without needing to set your sights to the other side of the Pacific. Highly recommended.

Gargoyles was very different from the Disney stuff we're used to and that was a good thing. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against Disney but I do like it when a cartoon goes into a dramatic plot, has lots of character development, and where when one thing happens in an episode it can affect what happens in later episodes. I actually didn't know that this was a Disney show until I saw it on a cover of Disney Magazine. Most of the episodes in Gargoyles were well thought out, most of the characters have back-stories to them and there was historical accuracy in many flashbacks being truth or popular legendary. Unfortunately Gargoyles didn't have a very long run and almost as soon as it ended it was pulled from most networks and had retreated to channels Disney owned. But if you ever get the chance to see Gargoyles on TV take it.

The plot of Gargoyles is like a well paved street: no holes. The creators took exceptional care to ensure a growing and continuing plot line that involved all of the characters. The idea was very innovative and inspiring. It involved a clan of Gargoyles, stone by day/flesh by night, that were betrayed by humans in 994. They were frozen in stone by a magic curse for a millenium until a multi-billionaire broke the curse. They awoke to a new world in a foreign land completely dominated by humans that were unaware of their existence. After befriending a courageous police officer, Elisa Maza, and being betrayed by the man that broke their curse and a fellow clan member, they triumphed over their enemies and became Manhattan's guardian angels. The rest of the series continued to be interesting. Incorporating Arthurian legends and mythological deities, the show always took fictional constructs and shaped them into tougher versions that were really cool. Most impressive, Gargoyles included Shakespearean characters, with a twist. Macbeth had been alive for over 900 years, and had a grudge for gargoyles. A Midsummer Night's Dream's Oberon and Titania were powerful beings that possessed powerful, and often destructive magic. With a unique blend of villains and allies, and villains that became allies, the plot of Gargoyles was ever changing and continuous. As for action scenes, I have never seen better ones. Scenes of epic sword fights, aerial combat, and hand-to-hand fighting made the fight scenes exceptional. I would like to describe the action better, but I find it hard to express in words how intense, creative, and simply awesome the scenes really are. Ultimately, Gargoyles is the greatest animated series I have ever seen, and I advise any action lover to see it. Whether you like action, plot line, creativity, or even Shakespeare, you will find all of that in Gargoyles: The Best Animated Series Ever!