He’s the greatest, he’s fantastic, and he gave a popular electronic musician his name, but he hasn’t been around on television in new adventures since 1992. British cartoon series Danger Mouse was a staple of the 1980s, and if you had Nickelodeon here in the US you surely know his name. The adventures of a suave, cycloptic white mouse secret and Penfold, his nervous hamster sidekick, operating from a secret layer underneath a red post box, were an equal mix of action, adventure, and absurdism as our heroes took down foes like Baron Greenback. Now, it looks as though this much beloved series is getting an update courtesy of CBBC.
According to Den of Geek, Cosgrove Hall, the animation house that created the series, will produce 52 new eleven-minute Danger Mouse episodes to debut in 2015 and be shown on the BBC’s children’s station, CBBC. Horrible Histories‘ Ben Ward is leading the team of writers and the show’s co-creator, Brian Cosgrove, will serve as a consultant. No word yet if actor David Jason will reprise his titular voice role, but since he’s 74 years old now, I imagine he doesn’t sound quite the same.
Evidently, the new series will be “upgraded” in some fashion, using “a mixed-media approach to give the show a unique look and feel,” whatever that might mean. Danger Mouse’s lair will also be full of impressive techno gadgetry and his trademark eye patch will now be an iPatch. So that’s something new. No word if he’ll face the fearsome Count Duckula in this new series either, but we can only hope.
For those unfamiliar with Danger Mouse, here’s a quick montage of moments set to the hero’s iconic theme tune.
This isn’t the first cartoon series this week that’s been announced for a reboot (see Powerpuff Girls), but it seems that children’s TV is following in the footsteps of everything else getting updated. Do you all remember Danger Mouse? Is this a sacred cow that should be left to graze, or is it high time it get made into a new animated steak? Talk about it down below. The comments, I mean, not in Hades.
I Think If This Reboot Of DM Becomes A Hit I Can Think One Kids & Teens Television Network In The US Would Be Perfect To Welcome Him Home.
Duckula made his first appearance in this
This was an awesome series, watched it as an adult with my kids. Hillarious! Really psyched to see it again, but “mixed media” sounds vaguely like, “cheap animation.” I hope it’s not.
Corry blimey!
This is awesome news. But, Deadmau5 got his name from a story he told on an online forum, not from Dangermouse, if that was the implication at the beginning…
Crumbs, there is also a Danger Mouse musician, color me embarrassed
True, but “popular electronic musician” sounds much more like they’re describing Deadmau5. Danger Mouse plays actual instruments.
Deadmau5 is also a producer and he would be the first to tell you that.
“Mixed Media” brings to mind CN’s Gumball series. Glad to hear they’re not going the full CG route like the new Inspector Gadget and TMNT series. That said I don’t have any memories of this show as a kid but I did like Count Duckula.
Best news!
Dangermouse got me through the worst of my adolescent years. I still talk about this show, although the typical response is the blank stare. I agree with David–theme song must stay or it just ain’t Dangermouse.
Personally, I couldn’t be happier! I admit that I don’t really have too terribly high hopes with it being updated, but who knows. I would like to be pleasantly surprised. It just makes me happy to hopefully get a new generation interested in what I loved as a kid.
They damn well better keep the theme song (updated of course)!