''Mission Odyssey'' is a French-German animated TV series about the adventures of the ancient

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

hero

Ulysses Ulysses is the Latin name for Odysseus, a legendary Greek hero recognized for his intelligence and cunning. He is famous for his long, adventurous journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, as narrated in Homer's Odyssey. Ulysses may also refer ...

. The series is a production of BAF Berlin Animation Film GmbH & Co. Productions KG, Marathon Filmproduction,

Marathon Animation Banijay Kids & Family (formerly known as Zodiak Kids, Zodiak Kids Studios and Zodiak Kids & Family) is a French television production company owned by Banijay Entertainment based in Neuilly-sur-Seine. The company was originally founded in Februa ...

, and M6 Metropole Television. Character design was created by David Gilson. Distribution rights were acquired in 2009 by the Your Family Entertainment AG, which is now holding indefinite broadcast rights including ancillary rights for almost all countries. Its global premiere took place on the French network M6 on 6 September 2002. In Germany, the show was launched on 22 February 2008 on

KIKA Kika may refer to: People * Kika de la Garza (1927–2017), American politician * Kika Edgar (born 1985), Mexican actress and singer * Kika Karadi (born 1975), American contemporary artist * Kika Markham (born 1940), English actress * Kika M ...

Plot

After Agamemnon's army besieges Troy for 10 years, losing the best warrior Achilles,

builds the Trojan horse and captures the city. After the destruction of

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

and his men leave for home without paying proper respect to

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

. For this, the Sea God punishes Ulysses to roam the seas and be unable to return home to

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

. Poseidon has made a bet with

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

that Ulysses and his crew will never make it home on their own. To achieve this

interferes in every episode of the series, with Athena constantly reminding Poseidon that direct intervention violates their rules. The series covers the most important stages of Homer's Odyssey but is simplified and re-worked in a child-friendly manner. Occasionally characters from other

Greek legends Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories concern the ancient ...

are used.

Characters

Main characters

: As Ithaca's famous hero, he left 10 years ago to help the Greeks in the Trojan War which they won thanks to his tricks. He plans to return home, but did not count on Poseidon, who will not lose his bet against Athena. He is voiced by Dan Green. * Nisa: A perpetually

barefoot Being barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. There are health benefits and some risks associated with going barefoot. Shoes, while they offer protection, can limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot and can lead ...

13-year-old girl who is implied to have been a slave from Troy and Turkish due to her skin tone, and one of Ulysses' loyal comrades. She has the ability to have horrific vision of imminent doom, but none of the others believe her, or even pay attention to her warnings, because she is a little girl (in a similar way to Cassandra of myth). She is voiced by

Liza Jacqueline ''Winx Club'' is an animated television series co-produced by Rainbow and, later, Nickelodeon. It was created and directed by Italian animator Iginio Straffi. It premiered on 28January 2004, becoming a ratings success in Italy and on Nickelodeo ...

. *

Diomedes Diomedes (Jones, Daniel; Roach, Peter, James Hartman and Jane Setter, eds. ''Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary''. 17th edition. Cambridge UP, 2006.) or Diomede (; ) is a hero in Greek mythology, known for his participation in the Trojan ...

: A member of the crew who set off with Ulysses and the gang to seek to return to Ithaca, he is the oldest one in the group, and is determined to protect them from danger during the journey. He always has some advice to the others, due to his combat experience. He is voiced by

James Carter Cathcart James Carter Cathcart (born March 8, 1954), also known as Jimmy Zoppi, is an American retired voice actor, script adaptor, voice director, pianist and vocalist known for providing the English voice for James, Meowth and Professor Oak in the '' ...

. * Dates: The owner of the ship and a member of the crew, he is greedy and is always on the lookout to make more money. *

Titan Titan most often refers to: * Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn * Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology Titan or Titans may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities Fictional locations * Titan in fiction, fictiona ...

: One of Ulysses' closest friends and the most powerful members of the crew, he comes from the isle of Cronos, where he was to be crowned king, but he let his brother have the throne when he joined Ulysses. * Philo: A member of the crew, Philo is always worried about dangers and easily frightened. He is voiced by

Darren Dunstan Darren Dunstan is a Canadian voice actor and director based in New York City. Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he has provided voice-over and voice direction on several properties of 4Kids Entertainment, as well as DuArt Film and Vide ...

. *

Zephyr In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind. Zephyr may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional characters * Zephyr (comics), in the Marvel Comics univers ...

: The youngest member of the crew, voiced by

Jason Griffith Jason Adam Griffith is an American actor. Best known for his voice acting work, he portrayed Sonic the Hedgehog and Shadow the Hedgehog for the 4Kids Entertainment English dub of the anime ''Sonic X'', and reprised both roles for ''Sonic the Hedg ...

. *

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or , ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius (Spartan), Icarius and ...

is Odysseus' wife, waiting for her husband to return to Ithaca. She is voiced by Collen Clinkenbeard. *

Telemachus In Greek mythology, Telemachus ( ; ) is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, who are central characters in Homer's ''Odyssey''. When Telemachus reached manhood, he visited Pylos and Sparta in search of his wandering father. On his return to Ithaca, ...

is Odysseus and Penelope's son, voiced by Allison Viktorin. *

Owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

is sent by Athena to observe Ulysses' journey. He usually scouts ahead the ship on the lookout for danger.

Olympian Gods and Titans

: A Goddess of wisdom, handcraft, and warfare who guides Ulysses and the gang, along with her pet Owl, to return to his hometown Ithaca. She also ensures that Poseidon does not directly intervene to stop them. Athena is voiced by

Kathleen Barr Kathleen Barr is a Canadian voice actress. She is best known for voicing Marie Kanker and Kevin in ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'' and Trixie Lulamoon and Queen Chrysalis in '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic''. She also voiced Henri Richard Maurice ...

. *

is the older brother of both Zeus and Hades, and second oldest of his other siblings behind Demeter, Hera, and Hestia. Poseidon is the main antagonist, though other gods sometimes also hinder Ulysses, usually not through direct action but rather as a result of their egotism and uncontrollable fits of anger. Poseidon commands most of the other villains and antagonists throughout the series, or manipulates them to attack Ulysses. Poseidon is voiced by Stuart Zagnit. *

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

is god of the Underworld and brother of Zeus and Poseidon. *

Hestia In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Hestia (; ) is the virgin goddess of the hearth and the home. In myth, she is the firstborn child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, and one of the Twelve Olympians. In Greek mythology, newborn Hestia, alo ...

is goddess of family and the hearth, sister of Zeus. *

Gaia In Greek mythology, Gaia (; , a poetic form of ('), meaning 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea (), is the personification of Earth. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthenogenic—of all life. She is the mother of Uranus (S ...

is the goddess of Earth. She gives Cronus - her son - the Stones of Life and tells him to use them for creating the Universe. She is voiced by

Diane Delano Diane Delano (January 29, 1957 – December 13, 2024) was an American character actress. She was known for her numerous roles in films and television, such as Sergeant Barbara Semanski on the CBS television series ''Northern Exposure'' and Rober ...

. *

Cronus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Cronus, Cronos, or Kronos ( or ; ) was the leader and youngest of the Titans, the children of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky). He overthrew his father and ruled dur ...

is primordial god and father to Zeus, Poseidon and their siblings. He was defeated and imprisoned by his offspring and cast down.

Others

Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

Aeolus In Greek mythology, Aiolos, transcribed as Aeolus (; ; ) refers to three characters. These three are often difficult to tell apart, and even the ancient mythographers appear to have been perplexed about which Aeolus was which. Diodorus Siculus m ...

(voiced by Mei Brooks) * Gildor (voiced by Matthew Wood) *

Hephaestus Hephaestus ( , ; wikt:Hephaestus#Alternative forms, eight spellings; ) is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes.Walter Burkert, ''Greek Religion'' 1985: III.2. ...

(voiced by

Brian McFadden Brian Nicholas McFadden (born 12 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer and television presenter. He rose to fame in 1998 as a member of the Irish boy band Westlife. Following his departure from the group in 2004, McFadden released his debut solo ...

) *

Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hesiod related it, each god cooperated by giving her unique gifts. Her other name—inscribed against her figure on a white-ground '' ky ...

(voiced by Emma Main) * Calypso (voiced by

Laura Bailey Laura Bailey (born May 28, 1981) is an American voice actress. She made her voice acting debut as Trunks (Dragon Ball), Kid Trunks in the Funimation dub of ''Dragon Ball Z'' and has since voiced List of Gunslinger Girl characters#First Generati ...

) *

Nausicaa Nausicaa (; , or , ), also spelled Nausicaä or Nausikaa, is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey''. She is the daughter of King Alcinous and Arete (mythology), Queen Arete of Scheria, Phaeacia. Her name means "burner of ships" ( 'ship'; 'to burn' ...

(voiced by

Veronica Taylor Kathleen Charlotte McInerney, known professionally as Veronica Taylor, is an American voice actress known for her dubbing work in English-language adaptations of Japanese anime, in particular for voicing Ash Ketchum and his mother Delia in the ...

) * Peleas (voiced by Philip Philmar) *

Erinyes The Erinyes ( ; , ), also known as the Eumenides (, the "Gracious ones"), are chthonic goddesses of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes them as "the Erinyes, that under earth tak ...

(voiced by Tish Hicks) *

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

(not voice actor) *

Agamemnon In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans during the Trojan War. He was the son (or grandson) of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of C ...

(not voice actor)

Monsters and creatures

* Aglaope (voiced by Colleen Clinkenbeard) * Mira (voiced by

Lucy Fry Lucy Elizabeth Fry (born 14 March 1992) is an Australian actress. She is known for portraying Zoey in '' Lightning Point'', Lyla in '' Mako: Island of Secrets'', and Lissa Dragomir in the film ''Vampire Academy''. Fry was also cast in Hulu's ei ...

) *

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

(voiced by Kathleen Barr) *

Fates The Fates are a common motif in European polytheism, most frequently represented as a trio of goddesses. The Fates shape the destiny of each human, often expressed in textile metaphors such as spinning fibers into yarn, or weaving threads on a ...

Lachesis Lachesis ( ; ; from , 'to obtain by lot, by fate, or by the will of the gods'), in ancient Greek religion, was the middle of the Three Fates, or Moirai; the others were her sisters, Clotho and Atropos. Normally seen clothed in white, Laches ...

(voiced by ( Carole Shelly) **

Atropos Atropos (; "without turn"), in Greek mythology, was the third of the Three Fates or Moirai, goddesses of fate and destiny. Her Roman equivalent was Morta. Atropos was one of the Three Fates and was known as "the Inflexible One." It was Atro ...

(voiced by

Amanda Plummer Amanda Michael Plummer (born March 23, 1957) is an American actress. She is known for her work on stage and for her film roles, including '' Joe Versus the Volcano'' (1990), ''The Fisher King'' (1991), ''Pulp Fiction'' (1994), and '' The Hunge ...

) **

Clotho Clotho (; ) or Klotho, is a mythological figure. She was one of the Three Fates or Moirai. In ancient Greek mythology, she spins the thread of human life, her sisters draw out ( Lachesis) and cut ( Atropos) the thread. She also made major dec ...

(voiced by

Maya Rudolph Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress and comedian. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). During her tenure on the show, she appeared in supporting roles in ...

) *

Chimera Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to: * Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals * Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilicia ...

* Kystal and Droplet (voiced by Alexandra Pic) * Lycaon * Telios (voiced by

Scott McNeil Scott McNeil is an Australian actor based in Canada, known for his live-action work as well as his roles in animation. His voice roles include Ace the Bat-Hound in '' Krypto the Superdog'', Voltar in '' League of Super Evil'', Jetfire, Backstop ...

) * Aurel (voiced by

Sam Vincent James Samuel Vincent (born May 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He is the current coach of MBB of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Vincent was Mr. Basketball of Michigan in 1981, while playing with ...

) * Hardix (voiced by Scott McNeil) *

Polyphemus Polyphemus (; , ; ) is the one-eyed giant son of Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclopes described in Homer's ''Odyssey''. His name means "abounding in songs and legends", "many-voiced" or "very famous". Polyphemus first ap ...

Episode list

# The Eye of the Cyclops # Charybde and Scylla # A Trip to the Underworld # The Song of the Sirens # Circe # Memories # The Curse of the Strygons # Looking for Pegasus # The Gorgon Sisters # Wind Palace # The Forge of Hephaestus # Duel of the Centaur # I Married a Harpy # The Flame of Eternity # Lotus Eaters # Queen of the Amazons # King of the Titans # The Mirror of Attraction # Atlantis Ascending # The Wishing Well # Enchanted Lyre # Cronos' Revenge # Dazed in the Maze # The Golden Fleece # Hercules' Columns # Ulysses' Bow

References

External links

*
''Mission Odyssey'' bei BAF

Episodenführer mit Bilder
{{Odyssey 2002 French television series debuts 2008 German television series debuts 2000s French animated television series Odysseus French children's animated fantasy television series Television shows based on the Odyssey