Mighty Max

Of all the short-lived cartoons I enjoyed, this one takes home the gold. Along with Road Rovers, Batman Beyond, and Godzilla: The Series, this stands up there with them. Each episode details an actual plot and a rather kick-ass theme, be it science-fiction, fantasy, action-adventure, or horror. And you know what? It worked.

We get Rob Paulsen (of Animaniacs), Richard Moll (of Night Court), and the late but great Tony Jay (of Sierra's King's Quest VI and Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame) as the main characters. If any cartoon in this day and age deserves a reboot this should be on the list. A few years ago I watched some clips of the show on YouTube and it's just as good as I remember it. And the guest stars are so outstanding too. You've got Jim Cummings, Charles Adler, and even Tress MacNeille and Frank Welker. What a mix! And a little of Kath Soucie too. What else is there to say? Give it a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Mighty Max, based primarily upon a micro-sized toy line, was a terrific animated series which died prematurely but will always be remembered. Max, a young pre-teen, is the "Cap Bearer", a mystical warrior who is transported all over the world in order to combat evil in many forms. Along for the ride is Virgil, a Lemurian and a sentient owl, and Norman, a Nordic warrior, voiced excellently by Richard Moll. This series was well-animated and acted, and presented good storylines and memorable villains including Skullmaster, maliciously voiced by Tim Curry. The series ender was very peculiarly made, in that it ends with Max and his comrades beginning their adventures all over again, making the show seem seamless, but nonetheless sad. I was privileged to view Mighty Max on a Canadian satellite wild-feed, and taped much of the series, but true fans should petition channels such as Cartoon Network to present Mighty Max to its fans and potential viewers.

I discovered this as an adult, but, amongst the wasteland of cheesy toy commercials, it shone like a supernova. It was the usual limited animation, but there were was actual intelligence on display in the writing. (Quality writing appears to be less expensive than quality animation, in regards to this show, and many others. Too bad there isn't more of it around.) I really fell in love with it, when an episode showed up, that incorporated aspects of the Cthulhu mythos, only the 2nd cartoon I've ever seen do so. (the other was "The Real Ghostbusters", where Peter Venkman and crew, faced off against Cthulhu itself!). I always appreciate Lovecraft overtones, but this had so much more, even touching on the Arthurian mythology. A good blend of ideas and action. Put my vote in for a revival on "Cartoon Network", "Boomerang", or anybody that could show it. We Want Max!

--Judex.1--

All the characters in this cartoon were hilarious. Norman the Viking guardian had some memorable phrases and the skull master, the bad guy, would always be vowing to kill Max with some insane cackling. The writing is the best.

I was glued to the set when this would come on when I was younger. If they came out with a DVD of all the episodes they made I would be forced to buy it. This and a Conan the Barbarian cartoon are the ones I miss the most from childhood. I think these cartoons are the most unappreciated out of all the great cartoons. I used to watch these cartoons on channel 13 in the Los Angeles Area.

I remember the owl was always afraid, warning Max that he was in trouble and that he was the chosen one. Max didn't believe that he was the chosen one and always gave the owl trouble. Norman was less talkative but his simplicity was funny. He would say things like "I eat monsters for breakfast" when he was battling them. And then when he was battling zombies he would say "I eat zombies for...nevermind." Classic cartoon comedy and action.

I vote that they re-air Mighty Max.

Even as a 19 year old I love animation. I grew up on it and apart from some bad ones have been impressed by those with beautiful animation, great memorable music, writing that amuses and touches you, likable characters and stories that thrill you. I have had several favourites over the years, but there were also some I shamefully forgot. Mighty Max was one such show.

Thank goodness for YouTube, who are so good usually with finding or re-discovering new gems. Mighty Max is a wonderful and very underrated show that is quite unique and kept me thrilled right until the end. As for the ending of the show, I have seen some controversy. I personally loved it not just for its dark tone but also how truly thrilling it was.

The animation does have some limited spots with some episodes lacking fluidity in the backgrounds or with the odd static movement, but I always noticed some impressive visuals in the action, the characters in general look great especially Skullmaster and there are some lively, ethereal colours.

I love the music too. The opening for Mighty Max sets the tone for each episode wonderfully, and the incidental music never feels out of place. The writing is one of the strongest assets of Mighty Max, it is funny, scary, moving, thoughtful and what's more quite educational too. Top hats also for some very well-thought out and engaging story lines.

The characters are delightful. Max is not bland or obnoxious, he has real steel and is very brave such as when he says "I'll die trying!", something I don't hear many animated kids saying now. Virgil is noble and wise, Norman makes me smile with his understated simplicity and Skullmaster is a terrific villain, smooth yet very malevolent.

Other than the writing and characters, I also have to highly praise the voice acting. Rob Paulsen is wonderful as Max, and never feels like he's overdoing it. Tony Jay matches him in every way as Virgil, while Tim Curry's menacing and distinctive intonation as Skullmaster is pitch perfect.

All in all, a wonderful show. 10/10 Bethany Cox