Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is an American/Canadian animated television series produced by De Souza Productions, Galaxy Films and Nelvana, which aired on CBS Kids in the United States from 1993 to 1994, lasting for one season of 13 episodes. Based on the 1987-1996 comic book of the same name by Mark Schultz, the show was created by screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, who acquired the TV rights after producing the video gameCadillacs and Dinosaurs, which was also based on Schultz's comic. The show dealt with many strong ecological and political issues that were central to the plot development.
Plot
The series followed the exploits of Jack Tenrec and his crew of ecological freedom fighters known as the "Mechanics". His often-reluctant companion is the foreign ambassador Hannah Dundee. She hires Jack as a liaison, while she attempts to create clear communication between her land and the modern civilization. Together, they confront the serious issues facing the futuristic environment that humanity has come to inhabit. Jack also has Hermes, a juvenile "cutter" that Jack hand-reared after the latter's mother's death. Gentle with Jack and Hannah, he can still be rather fierce when angered. The show also includes a race of intelligent lizards called "Griths". Jack and his crew square off against opposition, including the Council of Governors and Hammer Terhune's gang.
Characters
Jack Tenrec – A survival-savvy garage mechanic who is a member of the Old Blood Mechanics. Jack has a passion for restoring classic car shells which the Mechanics use as their mode of transportation.
Hannah Dundee – A foreign ambassador from Wasoon who is Jack's love interest. She is often on a mission to stop Jack from running his enemies into his neighbors' territory.
Mustapha Cairo – Jack's companion who often helps Jack in his endeavors. He is an engineer.
Kirgo – A ferryman associated with the City in the Sea and a friend of Jack.
Hermes – A juvenile "Cutter" that was raised by Jack. Although he is gentle towards Jack and Hannah, Hermes can still be rather fierce when angered.
Council of Governors – A council that rules the City in the Sea.
* Governor Wilhelmina Scharnhorst – Corrupt, power-hungry, and uncaring of the balance of nature, Wilhelmina is one of the three governors in the City in the Sea. To deal with Jack Tenrec, Wilhelmina has hired Hammer Terhune and his gang to do her dirty work. Despite her callous nature, Wilhelmina only wants what's best for her city and knows when to respect Jack.
* Governor Dahlgren – A female who is the voice of reason to the governors. Her governing styles are said to have been heavily influenced by Jack. Dahlgren has a bad habit of flirting with any man.
* Governor Toulouse – Toulouse is the public relations man of the governors. His concerns all lie on the morale and attitude of the public regarding potential problems. Even though Toulouse means well, he is not used to the outdoor lifestyles of Jack Tenrec.
Noc – The Captain of the Guards in the City in the Sea. He is one of the people who have a dislike for Jack Tenrec. Noc is a very corrupt officer, obeying Scharnhorst without caring if she is wrong, lying any time and to anyone he deems convenient, and even trying to pull off scams.
Dr. Fessenden – A mad scientist who would often invent some technology for Wilhelmina to use.
Hammer Terhune – A burly poacher who would often attack Jack Tenrec. Although he was hired by Wilhelmina Scharnhorst, he shows no respect to her unless she has some technology for him to use and would betray her if he sees a chance.
* Wrench Terhune – Hammer's younger brother who wears a headband.
* Vice Terhune – Hammer's younger brother who wears a ponytail.
* Mikla – A female who is a member of Hammer's gang.
Griths – A race of lizard men who reside in caverns.
* Hobb – A Grith who serves as Jack's translator to the Griths due to his telepathy.
* Wild Boy – A wild child raised by the Griths that wears a loincloth and animal hide boots. He does not speak any human language, but can communicate with the dinosaurs. The Griths raised the Wild Boy ever since saving him from the cave hyenas. He first appears in "Wild Child" where Jack and Hanna discover him and try to keep him out of Hammer Terhune's clutches while returning him to the Griths. In "Duel," the Wild Boy later brings Jack and Hannah to the Griths at the time when Jack's old friend Sean has stolen their lifestone.
Creatures
Many of the dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures featured in this series are referred to by different names:
The show aired in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ Two from 29 August 1995 to 1996. In addition, the series has aired for many years on HBO Family in Latin America, where the episodes can be viewed dubbed in Spanish or in their original English.
Home media
Select episodes were released on VHS in the 1990s by Sony Wonder. The show is available in the United States through the video retailer Amazon Video, and in Canada it was available through the streaming video service Shomi until the service was cancelled. In 2015, the entire series was made available for free viewing through the Nelvana Retro channel on YouTube, renamed YTV Direct in 2016. YTV Direct is now only archived on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine and is no longer featured on YouTube due to renaming the channel to Keep It Weird in 2018. However, Retro Rerun has uploaded all of the episodes on their YouTube channel.
Reception
Esther Sinclair, UCLA associate professor of psychiatry and bio-behavioral sciences, analyzed the message of the show: "Jack is altruistic, does not have aggressive impulses, resists temptation and is sympathetic toward others.... The viewer may draw an analogy to other endangered species such as eagles and condors.... There is an emphasis on the interconnection of all living things. Jack respects all life forms."
