Teen Wolf (1986 TV series)
Teen Wolf, known as The Cartoon Adventures of Teen Wolf in the United Kingdom, is an animated American television series broadcast from 1986 to 1987 that was produced by Southern Star Productions and Hanna-Barbera Australia in association with Clubhouse Pictures in the first season and Atlantic/Kushner-Locke in the second season. It was based on the 1985 live-action film, Teen Wolf.
Summary
The series is about a teenage boy and his family who can transform into werewolves, focusing on themes of coming of age and fitting in. While generally keeping true to the main ideas, this version made some changes from the film.Scott Howard and his family now live in the fictional town of Wolverton, a small town constantly drawing tourists because of its history of werewolf sightings.
Despite the youth audience, the cartoon series delivered very powerful critiques of disability as civil rights. Freely invoking an asthma attack or seizure, the series centered on how Scott felt "weird" immediately before and during his werewolf transformation.
Although he never hurt anybody while he was a werewolf, Scott was conscious of his difference from other teenagers and had to make accommodations for himself. He also expressed frustration that the residents of this town had stereotyped "his people".
A jock named Mick who now also attends Wolverton High constantly picks on Scott for being the "outsider". Mick attended a different high school in the film. Pamela is a cheerleader in the cartoon while in the film she really did not have much school spirit.
Characters
- Scott Howard, the main protagonist; he constantly chases local cheerleader and popular girl Pam, while being thwarted by Pam's boyfriend Mick McAllister, a mean jock. Scott spends much of his time worrying about social acceptance and the possibility of people finding out he's a werewolf.
- Harold Howard, Scott's widower father; a laid-back hardware store owner, generally uninterested in the social problems of his son. He seldom transforms.
- Lupe Howard, Scott's younger sister is one of the new characters added for the animated series. She is not old enough to know whether she is a werewolf or not, but she desperately wants to be one. In one episode, she is able to transform because of a magic spell, but since the spell turns anyone into a werewolf temporarily, she still does not know her true status.
- Grandpa Howard, Scott's grandfather is an immigrant from Transylvania. He spends most of his time in his werewolf form, only assuming a completely human appearance when he must. He is a constant source of embarrassment to Scott, because he is always running around on all fours, chasing cats, and getting into trouble with the neighbors.
- Grandma Howard, Scott's grandmother; also from Transylvania and, like Grandpa, she stays in werewolf form most of the time. She is not as embarrassing to Scott because she is better behaved than Grandpa. She becomes Scott's ally in his attempts to keep Grandpa's behavior under control. She is sometimes represented as a fortune teller similar to a stereotypical Gypsy, and has sometimes performed other magic, such as brewing potions, making her seem similar to a witch in some ways.
- Rupert "Stiles" Stilinski, Scott's best friend; in on the werewolf secret, Stiles is supportive but often gets under-appreciated in Scott's quest to be "in" with the cool crowd. Like Lupe, he wishes to be a werewolf and is upset that Scott doesn't appreciate the "gift".
- Lisa "Boof" Marconi, a friend of Scott's, and is also in on his family's werewolf secret alongside Stiles. She is romantically interested in him, but he seems oblivious of this, chasing after Pam instead.
- Pamela Wells, the most popular girl in Wolverton High and serving as a cheerleader, she is Scott's romantic interest. She is the girlfriend of Mick McAllister, who sometimes thwarts Scott and picks on him for being an outsider. Pam is unaware that Scott is a werewolf like his family before him, like everybody in Wolverton who doesn't know the Howard family's secret.
- Mick McAllister, a mean jock at Wolverton High, he is the boyfriend of Pamela Wells who thwarts Scott and picks on him for being an outsider in Wolverton. Mick, like Pam and everybody else in town, is unaware that Scott and his family are werewolves.
- Mrs. Seslick, the Howard family's nosy neighbor who is always a step away from figuring out the family's secret and outing them to the community.
Cast
- Sheryl Bernstein – Frieda the Housekeeper
- Townsend Coleman – Scott Howard
- Brian Cummings
- Jeannie Elias – Lisa "Boof" Marconi
- June Foray – Grandma Howard, Mrs. Seslick
- Ellen Gerstell - Pamela Wells
- James Hampton – Harold Howard
- Stacy Keach, Sr. – Grandpa Howard
- Kenneth Mars – Mayor Marconi
- Mona Marshall
- Don Most – Stiles
- Will Ryan – Chubs
- Craig Sheffer – Mick McAllister
- Frank Welker – Valor, Daisy, Mayor Marconi
History
Episodes
Season 1 (1986)
Season 2 (1987)
Changes from the film
The town, named "Beacontown" in the film, is now called "Wolverton" in the series.Scott's supernatural status, which was common knowledge to the public in the movie, is known only to his family, Stiles, and Boof in the series.
In the movie Scott is an only child who only lives with his dad Harold Howard. Scott's grandparents and a younger sister named Lupe, also live with them in the cartoon.
Harold sported grey fur while transformed in the movie, however he is dark-furred in the series.
Mick, who attended a rival high school at age 21 in the movie, now attends Wolverton High with the other teens. The prison background and being several years older is removed.
Pam is a light-haired blond in the movie who is into drama. In the cartoon, she is a dark-haired blonde who is a cheerleader for Wolverton High.
There is a hangout for the teens called "Wolf Burgers" in the cartoon.
Home media
Video releases
United Kingdom
United States
DVD releases
In 2017 Shout! Factory was set to release the entire Teen Wolf Animated Series on DVD-Video in Region 1 for the very first time in September of that year. However, on 29 June 2017 Shout! Factory announced via Twitter that the release was delayed pending the resolution of a previously unforeseen legal issue.| Title | Episodes | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | Notes |
| Teen Wolf: The Complete Animated Series | 1–21 | Delayed Indefinitely | – | 18 April 2008 | Three disc box set |