The Karate Kid (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Karate Kid was a twelve episode animated series which debuted on NBC's Saturday morning lineup. It starred Joey Dedio, Robert Ito, and Janice Kawaye. It was based on the popular Karate Kid series of films. Hoping to build from the franchise's popularity, DiC Entertainment premiered an animated Karate Kid on NBC's 1989 Saturday morning schedule.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The show retained apprentice Daniel Larusso and his mentor Mr. Miyagi, but abandoned the karate tournament motif for an adventure/quest setting. A miniature shrine with healing powers had been taken from its resting place on Okinawa, and it was up to Miyagi and Daniel to recover it. Together with Okinawan girl Taki, the karatekas searched the globe and, naturally, encountered several opportunities to chop and kick their way out of trouble.
[edit] Episode formula
The episodes typically followed a similar formula: Mr. Miyagi would obtain a lead on the shrine's location in some exotic corner of the world. Daniel and Taki would follow up on it, and in the process encounter some villains who had either obtained or were seeking to obtain the shrine for their own evil purposes. After engaging, and of course, defeating the villains, Daniel would come within a hair's breadth of retrieving the shrine, only to have it escape from his grasp by random chance, (for example, drifting away after being tied to a bunch of balloons, or being swept into the ocean) thus ensuring that the search would continue into the next episode.
[edit] Cancellation
Unfortunately, the show came on the tail end of the franchise's popularity, lacking the fan base necessary to overcome heavyweight opposition from Pee-Wee's Playhouse on CBS and The Real Ghostbusters on ABC.
[edit] Episode titles
| episode# | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | All the World His Stage | September 11, 1989 |
| 2 | The Homecoming | September 18, 1989 |
| 3 | My Brother's Keeper | September 25, 1989 |
| 4 | The Greatest Victory | October 2, 1989 |
| 5 | The Paper Hero | October 9, 1989 |
| 6 | Over the Rainbow | October 16, 1989 |
| 7 | The Return of the Shrine | October 23, 1989 |
| 8 | Walkabout | October 30, 1989 |
| 9 | East Meets West | November 6, 1989 |
| 10 | The Hunt | November 13, 1989 |
| 11 | The Gray Ghosts | November 20, 1989 |
| 12 | The Tomorrow Man | November 27, 1989 |
[edit] External links
Categories: 1980s American cartoons | Martial arts television series | NBC network shows | Television programs based on films | 1989 television program debuts | DiC Entertainment | Television series by Sony Pictures Television | The Karate Kid | 1989 television program cancellations | Short-lived television shows
