''¡Mucha Lucha!'' (known as ''¡Mucha Lucha!: Gigante'' during its third and final season) is an American

animated television series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

that premiered on

Kids' WB Kids' WB (stylized as Kids' WB!) was an American children's programming service and brand of The WB that aired on the network from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006. The block moved to The CW (a result of the merger of Time Warner's The W ...

Teletoon Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...

, and Canal 5 from August 17, 2002, to February 26, 2005. It was created by Eddie Mort and Lili Chin and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is the first

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

intended for children created with

Adobe Flash Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a multimedia software platform used for production of animations, rich web applications, desktop applications, mobile apps, mobile games, and embedded web browser video players. Flash ...

, a program which became widely used as a medium for animation in the years. On January 4, 2005, the direct-to-video feature film '' ¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El Maléfico'' was based on the series.

Premise

The show is set in Luchaville, a fictional town in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

centered on ''

lucha libre Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...

'' where nearly everyone in that town wears a mask (which they are never seen without) and costume and has a well-known move. The series mainly centers on three friends, Rikochet, Buena Girl, and the Flea, as they struggle through the ''Foremost World-Renowned International School of Lucha'', where they study.

Episodes

Characters

* Rikochet (voiced by

Carlos Alazraqui Carlos Jaime Alazraqui (born July 20, 1962) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Deputy James Garcia on '' Reno 911!'' and for his voice acting roles. His extensive ...

and

Jason Marsden Jason Christopher Marsden (born January 3, 1975) is an American actor, director, producer and YouTuber, who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He has been the official voice of ...

)– A young wrestler who is the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

. He considers himself the bravest of the group, but sometimes leaps before he finds. * Buena Girl (

Kimberly Brooks Kimberly D. Brooks (née Lawson) is an American voice actress who works in the voice-over, film, video games, and theatre industry. She has voiced in video games since the mid-1990s. She has played Ashley Williams in the ''Mass Effect'' serie ...

)– A smart, young female wrestler who always plays by the rules. She can also be very arrogant and obnoxious at times. * The Flea (voiced by

Candi Milo Candyce Anne Rose "Candi" Milo (born January 9, 1961) Timestamps: (00:27:12-00:27:45) Milo states that she is "firmly 51". (00:06:40-00:06:47) Milo states that she was born in Palm Springs. (00:16:23-00:16:25) She says her birthday is in Januar ...

)– A friend of Rikochet and Buena Girl who is always dirty and refers to himself in the third person. As well as having a few disgusting habits, he is also the most nervous but often proves to be a useful ally. * El Rey (voiced by

Michael Donovan Michael Donovan is a Canadian voice actor and director known for his roles as Suikotsu in ''Inuyasha'' and Zoken Mato in ''Fate/stay night''. He has also directed many animated series and feature films. Roles Animation * ''3-2-1 Penguins!''K ...

)– An action figure which represents Rikochet's conscience. He carries him in a backpack, but he can move and talk on his own as if he were alive. It is stated that this action figure is just part of a large merchandising euphoria related to a supreme undefeated Mexican wrestler with the same name (an allusion to Santo). Alongside the series, several other El Rey toys appear and often causes trouble with Rikochet.

Production

''¡Mucha Lucha!'' was the brainchild of Eddie Mort and Lili Chin for

. Mort began his animation career working for

Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is the television animation production arm of Disney Branded Television, a sub-division of the Disney Ge ...

in Sydney before leaving to work at Nickelodeon in Australia, where he animated several shorts for the network, including ''the Adventures of Hot Chunks'' and ''Snout''. Lili Chin worked as an assistant animator on '' The Silver Brumby'', and as a clean-up artist for '' Skippy: Adventures in Bushtown''. Chin and Mort launched Fwak! Animation, a Sydney-based animation studio, in 2000. Through Fwak!, Mort and Chin made the short ''Lucha School'' in 2001, which featured a fourth character that never made it into the series "Psiclone". ''Lucha School'' would then be pitched to Warner Bros. Animation and

Bardel Entertainment Bardel Entertainment, Inc. is a Canadian animation studio founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1987. The studio's name comes from its founders, Barry Ward and his wife Delna Bhesania. Bardel is involved in the acquisition, developmen ...

in the early 2000s. Bardel Entertainment would later produce the animation for shows like '' Teen Titans Go!'' and ''

Rick and Morty , creator = Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon , developer = , voices = {{plainlist, * Justin Roiland * Chris Parnell * Spencer Grammer * Sarah Chalke * Kari Wahlgren , composer = Ryan Elder , count ...

''. The pitch was a success, and Kids' WB gave the show the green light afterwards. It was often regarded as one of the first fully-made flash cartoons produced for television. However, it is not the first flash animated television series in general; as that honor went to the 2001 short-lived television series ''

John Callahan's Quads! ''John Callahan's Quads!'' (or simply ''Quads!'') is an adult animation, adult cartoon produced by Nelvana. It was created by and based upon the work of John Callahan (cartoonist), John Callahan, who also created another Nelvana-produced cartoon, ...

'', which was exclusive to

and the

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Wor ...

. The second flash television series was ''

Max & Ruby ''Max & Ruby'' is a Canadian children's animated television series produced by Nelvana, Nelvana Limited based on the book series by Rosemary Wells. The series debuted on Treehouse TV on May 3, 2002, in Canada and on Nick Jr. on October 21, 2002 ...

'', another Canadian animated series. However, ''¡Mucha Lucha!'' was still considered the first fully-made flash animated series for American television, and was also the first truly successful flash television series. During production, the entire series was produced in widescreen. However, it was aired with an SD format. The widescreen version was never released to the public until it became available for streaming. Several show creators did end up working on the show before moving on to other projects, including

Ciro Nieli Ciro Nieli is an American director, producer and designer of animated television series. He is known as the creator and executive producer of the animated series ''Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!'', and as the showrunner and executive produc ...

, who would later create '' Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!'' and ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (also known as ''Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' for its fifth and final season) is an American computer-animated television series developed by Ciro Nieli, Joshua Sternin, Jennifer Ventimilia, and b ...

'', as well as Julie McNally-Cahill and

Timothy Cahill Tim Cahill (born 1979) is an Australian former footballer. Tim Cahill may also refer to: *Tim Cahill (politician) (born 1959), Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; 2010 candidate for Governor of Massachusetts * Tim C ...

, who later created ''

My Gym Partner's a Monkey ''My Gym Partner's a Monkey'' is an American animated television series created by Tim Cahill and Julie McNally Cahill for Cartoon Network. It aired from December 26, 2005, to November 27, 2008, ending with a total of four seasons and 56 episode ...

'' and '' Littlest Pet Shop (2012)'', as well as Sandra Equihua and

Jorge R. Gutierrez Jorge R. Gutierrez (born 1975) is a Mexican animator, director, painter, writer, voice actor, and production designer. He co-created (with wife, Sandra Equihua) the Annie and Emmy Award-winning Ni cktoon '' El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Ri ...

, who later created '' El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera''. By season 2, the series marked Peter Hastings' return to Warner Bros. During the first season, ''¡Mucha Lucha!'' would provide morals at the beginning of episodes through title cards. Rikochet, Buena Girl, and the Flea would give viewers statements on what a true luchador would do. For example, Rikochet gives a true luchador statement in the first episode "Back to School", and the statement goes like this: "A True Luchador knows the only thing to fear is fear itself. Oh, and bullies." These statements were not shown in the following seasons.

Music

Original music score

The theme song was performed by

Chicos de Barrio Chicos de Barrio is a Mexican musical group formed in 1995 in Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico. The group has 11 members, of which the percussion, harmony and swing are predominant. The group's music combines urban, hip hop, salsa, vallenato, reggae an ...

, with a remixed version done by Mambotron for season 3. During its first two seasons, the show also features music by Michael Tavera, who previously made music for Cartoon Network's ''

Time Squad ''Time Squad'' is an American animated television series created by Dave Wasson for Cartoon Network and the 10th of the network's Cartoon Cartoons. It follows the adventures of Otto Osworth, Buck Tuddrussel, and the robot Larry 3000, a trio of h ...

'', and would later make music for shows such as '' Lilo & Stitch: The Series'', ''

Yin Yang Yo! ''Yin Yang Yo!'' is a flash-animated television series created by Bob Boyle for Jetix. Produced by Jetix Animation Concepts as the third Jetix original series, it first aired on August 26, 2006, as a sneak peek and premiered on September 4, 2006 ...

'', and ''

The Secret Saturdays ''The Secret Saturdays'' is an American animated television series created by Canadian cartoonist Jay Stephens for Cartoon Network. It debuted on October 3, 2008 in the United States. The series follows the adventures of the Saturdays, a family of ...

''. By season 3, under ''Gigante'', Tavera would not have any involvement, as he was replaced with Mambotron for the music, consisting of Nicolas Barry, Tomas Jacobi, Rene Garza Aldape, and Chuy Flores.

Licensed music

The show also featured some licensed songs. All of which, along with the show's theme song. would be released as part of the show's official soundtrack. *Café Quijano - Desde Brasil *Los Miserables - Punk Rock Y Subversion *Celso Piña - Cumbia Poder *Tito Nieves - Shut Up *Frankie Negron - So Wonderful *Plastiko - Esfera De Cristal *Pesado - Entre Mi Corazón Tu Y Yo *El Tri - Nosotros Los Latinos *SNZ - Me Protejo *Bacilos - Bésela Ya *Charlie Cruz - Un Chin Chin *Volumen Cero - Hollywood

Broadcast

The show was also seen on

in the United States,

in Canada, Kix in the United Kingdom, and Canal 5 in Mexico from August 17, 2002, until February 26, 2005. It also premiered on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

internationally in 2003, and in U.S in 2004. In March 2007, the show began its first rerun on Miguzi, and was later replaced with

Ben 10 ''Ben 10'' is an American media franchise created by Man of Action Studios, produced by Cartoon Network Studios and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The series centers on a boy named Ben Tennyson who acquires the Omnitrix, an alien device resem ...

for the last slot before Miguzi was shut down in the same year. The final rerun of the show lasted from 2008 to 2009, and it was removed from the lineup in 2010.

Home media

In Region 1,

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

has released one compilation on DVD and VHS that contained the first six segment-episodes from season one, titled ''Heart of Lucha'', on August 23, 2003. The

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...

movie ''The Return of El Maléfico'', was released on October 5, 2004, exclusively at Walmart, while other retailers released it on January 4, 2005, during the third and final season. In 2019, ¡Mucha Lucha! was available remastered for the first time in High Definition for home viewers and became available on demand through Amazon Prime. In 2022, The show became available for streaming on HBO Max in Latin American countries, also using the High Definition remasters.

Merchandise

A toy line based on the show was released by Jakks Pacific in 2004. In this toy line included "Mix-a-Lot" action figures; these had removable body parts that could be placed on the bodies of other action figures in the series. "Signature Move" action figures were also put out, along with a toy wrestling ring. However, the second series of the toy line was canceled. During the summer of 2003,

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

published a three-issue mini-series of

comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...

based on ''¡Mucha Lucha!'' All three of the stories featured in these comic books were written by Eddie Mort, and have even been occasionally referenced in the TV series. # El Rey, Come Home! # It's All Buena! # Limbo of the Lost Luchadores! The show was licensed for a

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...

, ''Mascaritas of the Lost Code'', in late 2003, and also a

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on ...

, ''Mysterioso Grande'', was slated for release, but was cancelled around 2004 as the creators could not find a publisher.

Proposed revival

In 2014, a revival called ''¡Mucha Lucha! Para Siempre'' was proposed which would have centered on Rikochet, Buena Girl, and the Flea as teenagers.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mucha Lucha ¡Mucha Lucha! Lucha libre 2002 American television series debuts 2005 American television series endings 2000s American animated television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated action television series American children's animated sports television series American flash animated television series Warner Bros. Television Studios franchises Television series by Warner Bros. Animation Cartoon Network original programming Kids' WB original shows Television shows set in California Television shows set in Mexico The WB original programming Television shows adapted into comics Television shows adapted into video games Animated television series about children English-language television shows Latino sitcoms Hispanic and Latino American television Spanish-language television programming in the United States Hispanic and Latino American culture