''Monster Force'' is a 13-episode

animated television series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

created in April 9, 1994 by

Universal Cartoon Studios Universal Animation Studios LLC, formerly known as Universal Cartoon Studios, is an American animation studio and a division of Universal 1440 Entertainment, an home entertainment division of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, which in tur ...

and

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

studio

Lacewood Productions Lacewood Productions was a Canadian animation studio and production company based in Ottawa, Ontario.Wise, Wyndham (2001), p. 9. ''Take One's Essential Guide to Canadian Filmmaking''. . University of Toronto Press. Accessed April 14, 2007. Founde ...

. The story is set approximately in 2020 and centers on a group of

teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated wi ...

s who, with help of

high tech High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the state of the art, cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the ...

weaponry, fight off against classic

Universal Monsters The Universal Monsters (also known as Universal Classic Monsters and Universal Studios Monsters) is a media franchise comprising various horror film series distributed by Universal Pictures. It consists of different horror creature characters o ...

and spiritual beings threatening

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

ity. Some of the crew have personal vendettas (e.g., one has the ''"curse of the Wolfman"'' that has been handed down through generations and another had a family member taken away from her by Dracula), while others fight for mankind out of a sense of

altruism Altruism is the concern for the well-being of others, independently of personal benefit or reciprocity. The word ''altruism'' was popularised (and possibly coined) by the French philosopher Auguste Comte in French, as , for an antonym of egoi ...

. The series aired in syndication alongside another Universal animated series, ''

Exosquad ''Exosquad'' is an American science fiction animated television series created by Universal Cartoon Studios for MCA TV's Universal Family Network syndicated programming block. The series ran for two complete seasons in syndication from 1993 to ...

''.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment LLC (UPHE) is the home video distribution division of Universal Pictures, an American film studio owned by NBCUniversal, the entertainment unit of Comcast. UPHE is the home video distributor for all of the ...

released the first seven episodes to DVD on September 15, 2009.

Story

In the distant future of 2020, six college students and their professor have formed the Monster Force, a squad dedicated to keeping the world safe from the likes of

Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered the prototypical and archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some to have been i ...

The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places * Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States * Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in P ...

and an evil legion of

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

criminals known as the creatures of the night.

Characters

The "good guys" bear the name of ''"Monster Force"'' and are led by Dr. Reed Crawley. ''Creatures of the Night'' (de facto led by

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

, the greatest vampire in history) represent the "bad guys".

Monster Force

* Dr. Reed "Doc" Crawley (voiced by Lawrence Bayne) is a young yet brilliant

scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

who is also the main tactician and strategist of the team. He has once been Dracula's captive and since then vowed to end his reign of terror. Apparently, he is the inventor of the entire cutting-edge weaponry and equipment used by Monster Force. One of his most brilliant inventions is the EMACS (''Energized Monster Armed Containment Suit'') or simply ''power suit'', which allows normal humans to fight superhuman dark powers at the same level. * Luke Talbot / the Wolfman (voiced by

Paul Haddad Paul Haddad (May 20, 1963 – April 11, 2020) was a Canadian actor. He was the original voice actor of Leon S. Kennedy in the ''Resident Evil'' franchise, voicing the character in ''Resident Evil 2'' (1998). Other voice over roles included Uncle A ...

) is the only

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...

in the team, and doesn't utilize high-tech devices invented by Doc. He is actually a good-natured young man affected by lycanthropy, which has been the curse of his family for generations. During the full moon when he cannot control the curse, his teammates have to restrain him. Otherwise, his Wolfman form makes him nearly invincible in a monster-to-monster fight. He is descended from

Larry Talbot Lawrence Stewart Talbot, also known as the Wolf Man, is the title character of the 1941 Universal film '' The Wolf Man'' and its sequels, created by Curt Siodmak. He was portrayed by Lon Chaney Jr. In the 2010 remake of the film, he is portr ...

, the original Wolfman. * Tripp Hansen / the Martial Artist (voiced by

Philip Akin Philip Akin (born April 18, 1950) is a Canadian actor. Akin has been acting and directing for over 40 years. He has had roles in major American films such as ''The Sum of All Fears'', '' S.W.A.T.'', and '' Get Rich or Die Tryin. He has also d ...

) is a man of action and a self-confident

optimist Optimism is the attitude or mindset of expecting events to lead to particularly positive, favorable, desirable, and hopeful outcomes. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass filled with water to the halfway poin ...

who enjoys fighting itself. A

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

specialist, when aided by his power suit he becomes even more powerful and deadly. He also possesses a special technique called ''Storm Strike''. His motto is "One monster at a time!" * Lance McGruder / Powerhouse Marksman (voiced by

David Hewlett David Ian Hewlett (born 18 April 1968) is an English-Canadian actor, writer and director, known for his role as Dr. Rodney McKay in the ''Stargate'' science-fiction franchise. He first gained fame for his roles as Grant Jansky in the Canadian ...

) is the long-range weapon specialist of the team since his power suit contains the greatest amount of firepower and is capable of shooting beams of cold, heat, electricity, as well as other elements. In the normal life, he is a modest, rather shy but always good-spirited and curious young man. * Shelley Frank / the Psychic (voiced by Caroly Larson) is the infiltration and intelligence specialist of the team. She is the only female member of Monster Force, as well as the only one whose power suit enables her to fly above the ground, but she had to sacrifice most of her power suit's firepower for this ability. She is also capable of limited

telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

. Apparently, one of her family members has been killed by Dracula. Her name is a play off

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

, author of the novel ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

''. * Frankenstein / the Monster (voiced by Howard Jerome) is the same monster that was created by

Victor Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein is a fictional character who first appeared as the titular main protagonist of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. He is an Italian-born Swiss scientist who, after studying chemical proces ...

in the

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

under the same name. In this series, he is a heroic member of Monster Force. He possesses incredible superstrength and endurance as well as extremely resilient skin. Moreover, once killed, he can be resurrected if approximately 20 kV is applied to his body. Frankenstein also has some familial ties to Shelley Frank.

Creatures of the Night

(voiced by Robert Bockstael), also known as the Prince of Darkness, is the archenemy of Monster Force team and Dr. Crawley who serves as the primary antagonist of the series. He is a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

and a Master of Evil but holds the façade of being polite, charming and noble. His abilities include metamorphosis, hypnotic powers, illusion and summoning spells, as well as great tactical and strategic capabilities that match Reed Crawley's talents. **

Renfield R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''.

(voiced by

Dean Hagopian Dean Hagopian is a Canadian actor, voice actor, former radio personality, musician and record producer. Biography Starting in the 1960s, Hagopian worked at numerous radio stations including CKOY in Ottawa, CFOX, where he worked the morning sh ...

) is Count Dracula's loyal servant. *

Creature from the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

, also referred to simply as the Creature, the Creature from the Black Lagoon is a mysterious

amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

being that has destroyed entire villages throughout the decades. It can survive both above and below the water, possesses immense physical strength and a special ability of supersonic shrill vocalizations that shatters objects. The Creature from the Black Lagoon appears and disappears ominously. * HoTep / the Mummy (voiced by Robert Bockstael) is based upon the classic Universal Monster played by

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

. HoTep was a priest in

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

who loved Princess Ananka and when she died, tried to resurrect her. For his transgressions, he has been cursed and entombed for thousands of years, but modern

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

s accidentally revived him. As an undead sorcerer, he possesses various powers including superstrength, limited invulnerability, the ability to command

sandstorm A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transported b ...

s, and shapeshifting into a dust devil. Moreover, he is able to cast a super cold breath that instantly freezes objects and people. HoTep is voiced by Robert Bockstael. * Niles Lupon / Bela the Werewolf (voiced by Rob Cowan) is a seemingly harmless older man who inflicted the curse of lycanthropy upon the Talbot family starting with Lawrence Talbot, who was Luke Talbot's grandfather. His harmless façade fooled just about all of the Monster Force members until the wolf-headed

cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick, or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking * Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance * White cane, a mobility or safety device used by blind or visually i ...

he always carried with him was recognized from Lawrence's journal. Though old, his werewolf form is extremely powerful with super strength, speed, and invulnerability to all but silver and energy weapons. Though his name technically references actor

Béla Lugosi Blaskó Béla Ferenc Dezső (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), better known by the stage name Bela Lugosi ( ; ), was a Hungarian–American actor. He was best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the horror film classic ''Dracul ...

, who played the werewolf responsible for infecting Lawrence Talbot with lycanthropy in the 1941 '' Wolf Man'' film, he was credited as a character also named Bela. * The Bride is the female monster created by Dr. V. Frankenstein to be a companion for his original creature. Not truly evil, she simply wants to be left alone by everyone including her intended husband who still loves her deeply. She has the same powers as the Monster.

Episodes

References

External links

*
''Monster Force'' fansite
{{Universal Animation Studios Action figures 1990s American animated television series 1990s American children's television series 1990s American horror television series 1994 American animated television series debuts 1994 American television series endings Television series set in 2020 American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated science fantasy television series American children's animated horror television series 1990s Canadian animated television series 1990s Canadian children's television series 1994 Canadian television series debuts 1994 Canadian television series endings Canadian children's animated action television series Canadian children's animated adventure television series Canadian children's animated science fantasy television series Canadian children's animated horror television series Dracula television series Playmates Toys Animated television series set on fictional planets Television series by Universal Animation Studios Television series about werewolves American English-language television shows Vampires in television Animated television series about monsters Gill-man Universal Monsters American teen animated television series Canadian teen animated television series Frankenstein television series