''Pocket Ninjas'' is an

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

starring

Robert Z'Dar Robert James Zdarsky (June 3, 1950 – March 30, 2015), better known by his stage name Robert Z'Dar, was an American character actor and film producer, best known for his role as officer Matt Cordell in the cult horror film ''Maniac Cop'' (1988) ...

, Richard Rabago, and

Gary Daniels Gary Edward Daniels (born 9 May 1963) is an English actor and martial artist. Originally a kickboxer fighting out of London and Tampa Bay, Daniels earned his first acting credits with Philippine companies. He gained wider recognition in the mang ...

. Based on a screenplay by Mark Williams, the film was directed by Donald G. Jackson, David Huey and Dave Eddy.

Cast

as Cobra Khan * Richard Rabago as "Spike" *

as The White Dragon * Sondi as Tanya * Brad Bufanda as Steve (credited as Bradley Joseph) * Joseph Valencia as Damien *

Mel Novak Milan Mrdjenovich (, ''Milan Mrđenović''; June 16, 1934 – April 9, 2025), known as Mel Novak, was an American actor who was best known for villainous roles in '' Black Belt Jones'', ''Game of Death'', and '' An Eye for an Eye''. He was also k ...

as Mr. Kaufman * Rick Rabago as Cubby Khan (credited as Rick Rubago) * Lelagi Togisala as "Slag" (credited as Lelegi 'Butch' Togisla) * Suzanne Henningar as Suzanne Simmons * Donna Simoneau as Harpy / Amy * Ron Hall as Black Knight / Commando Dragon * William Christopher Ford as Blue Ninja (credited as Chris Ford) * Luther Yee as Mr. Moto * Keri Sutman as Schoolgirl * Nadia Nassar as Schoolgirl * Kerisha Revis as Schoolgirl

Development

Pocket Ninjas was originally entitled ''Skate Dragons'' and the original screenplay was by Mark Williams. The film was made by Cine Excel Entertainment, who also made ''

Future War Invasion literature (also the invasion novel or the future war genre) is a literary genre that was popular in the period between 1871 and the First World War (1914–1918). The invasion novel was first recognised as a literary genre in the UK, ...

''. The film was intended to be a children's version of ''

The Roller Blade Seven ''The Roller Blade Seven'' is a 1991 cult martial arts film directed by Donald G. Jackson, written by Jackson and Scott Shaw, produced by Jackson and Shaw, and starring Shaw, Frank Stallone, Karen Black, Joe Estevez, Don Stroud, and William Smi ...

'' that would showcase Jacksons' "Roller Cam" cinematography and "Zen Film-making" style. However, Jackson was replaced when executive producer Huey felt the "Zen Film-making" style was not working. Eddy was brought in to create a wrap around for the Jackson and Huey footage.

Release history

''Pocket Ninjas'' was first released to the foreign markets in 1994. It was released on

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

in the United States in 1997 by Screen Pix Home Video. The DVD was released by

Simitar Entertainment Simitar Entertainment, Inc. was an American media company that sold music, videos, DVDs, and computer software. The company specialized in compilation albums, special interest video, and urban media. Simitar also distributed its own label. Hist ...

in 1999 and re-released by Universal Music and Video Distribution in 2004.

References

External links

* *
parody/comedy Review
at Somethingawful.com
Review at wearemoviegeeks.com
American children's films 1997 action films American independent films American martial arts films 1997 martial arts films 1990s English-language films Films directed by Donald G. Jackson 1990s American films English-language action films {{martialart-film-stub