The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat is an American animated television series produced by Film Roman. The series first aired on September 16, 1995[1] on CBS Saturday mornings lasting for two seasons with the final episode airing on April 12, 1997. The first season consists of 13 episodes and the second and final season consists of 8 episodes.
The show has Spanish-dubbed episodes of the series aired on Saturday mornings on Univision in the United States from September 16, 2000 to September 8, 2001 as part of the ¡De Cabeza! block as Los Nuevos Cuentos de Felix el Gato.[3] It also has Spanish-dubbed episodes of the series aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings on Telefutura in 2003 as part of Toonturama as Las Nuevas Aventuras de Felix el Gato along with Bruno the Kid and Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm.
History
The show was a modern take of the original 1958–1962 series produced by Otto Messmer's former assistant, Joe Oriolo. His son, Don Oriolo, was involved in the creation of this series as well.[4]
In many ways, the show reverts to the silent era of shorts with surreal settings and offbeat character depictions. Felix is also more like his original mischievous adult form, rather than the young and innocent depiction from the 1936 Van Beuren shorts, the 1959 TV series and Felix the Cat: The Movie. It does, however, contain some elements from the 1950s series such as Felix's Magic Bag of Tricks and the characters Poindexter, the Master Cylinder, the Professor and Rock Bottom (though the latter two are actually parodies of the original characters, with their names being the Mad Doctor and Lead Fanny, respectively). The series had a Fleischer Studios-inspired art style.
The series starred Thom Adcox-Hernandez as the voice of Felix the Cat, but since Adcox-Hernandez's voice was apparently a temporary role while the producers kept looking for a more suitable actor by the first season's run, he was replaced by Charlie Adler in Season 2. It was produced by Phil Roman and Timothy Berglund and is reputed to have been one of the most expensive cartoons ever made by Film Roman. Martin Olson and Jeremy Kramer, two comedy writers known for pushing the envelope into the bizarre, wrote both outlines and scripts for the series. The main theme was composed by Don Oriolo, while the musical score and closing theme were composed and performed by the Club Foot Orchestra.
Characters
Felix the Cat: The main character and star of the show. He has many adventures with his magic bag of tricks that often helps in dangerous situations (voiced by Thom Adcox-Hernandez in season 1 and Charlie Adler in season 2).
Allies
Rosco (voiced by Phil Hayes) – Felix's dim-witted best friend.
Candy Kitty (voiced by Jennifer Hale) – Rosco's older sister and Felix's love interest.
Sheba Beboporeba (voiced by Cree Summer) – Felix's friend.
Shamus T. Goldcrow (voiced by Tony Pope) – an anthropomorphic crow.
Skiddoo the Mouse (voiced by Susan Silo) – one of Felix's friends.
Bermuda Triangle: He is an anthropomorphic version of the location of the same name. He wreaks havoc because of his stupidity. He caused all sorts of chaos in New York City until he fell in love with Times Square. The two ended up getting married.
Nastasshia Slinky (voiced by Jane Singer) – an actress who Felix is obsessed with. She however, never returns the feelings. In fact, she hates Felix and wants nothing to do with him, not showing him even the slightest grip of affection.
Poindexter (voiced by Cam Clarke): He is the nerdy young nephew of the Professor and is Felix's other best friend. He is depicted as a stereotypical scientist; he is very intelligent and always wears thick Coke-bottle glasses, a lab coat, and a mortarboard. A button on the chest of his lab coat acts as a control for whatever device the plot calls for. Despite the Professor being his uncle, he is also one of Felix's best friends. Whenever he talks to Felix, he refers to him as "Mr. Felix".
Fufu Gauche (voiced by Brad Garrett) – a disgraced fashion designer who tries to get revenge on the city by replacing everyone's clothes with his tacky fish costumes.
Oscar (voiced by Jeffrey Tambor) – a minor villain whose sole appearance was in the episode "Phoney Phelix", serving as one of the most pathetic foes Felix has ever faced. A wannabe cartoon star who met failure at every step of the way, Oscar sought to climb his way to stardom by hijacking Felix's own cartoon, despite being a painfully obvious impersonator.
Fuzzy Bunny (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – a cutesy toy rabbit who manages to replace Felix's own show and become a nationwide sensation, thanks to how cute he is. In truth however, he is actually a gruesome thug in a rabbit suit.
Froggy and Fuzzyman (voiced by Jeff Bennett) – Fuzzy Bunny's henchman.
Bet a Billion Bill (voiced by Daran Norris) – a smooth-talking and arrogant hotshot playboy gambler.
Mad Doctor (voiced by Pat Fraley): He is a parody of the Professor from the 1958–60 Felix the Cat series.
Leadfanny (voiced by Billy West): He is a parody of Rock Bottom from the 1958–60 Felix the Cat series. He is a stereotypically gay dog whose voice is an imitation of actor Harvey Fierstein. Leadfanny is Mad Doctor's assistant.
Some of the episodes were released on VHS and DVD by BMG Video in North America, and several DVD releases of episodes were available in Hong Kong under the title "The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat II".[7] A 3-DVD box set of the entire series was released on April 26, 2013, exclusively in Germany, containing 21 episodes or 58 individual segments, this release being the first complete collection with an English soundtrack. As of 2020, the series is available to stream on the NBCUniversal streaming service, Peacock.
Felix is captured by the owner of Gut Bombs, who wishes to grind him into meat for his customers. A guardian angel is sent to rescue Felix, but ends up putting Felix in more trouble.
Martin Olson, Lynne Naylor, Stephan DeStefano, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson
September 16, 1995 (1995-09-16)
When Felix takes the wrong train in the subway, he encounters the Time Twister and his magic box, which can control time and space. Chaos ensues when Felix decides to steal the box.
1c
1c
"Don't String Me Along"
Robin Steele
Jeremy Kramer, Robin Steele, Christian Roman, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Jeremy Kramer
September 16, 1995 (1995-09-16)
After Felix's vacuum cleaner quits cleaning up the mess in his house, our feline hero takes it up himself to do the tidying. When he encounters a loose string and pulls it off, he finds himself unraveling all sorts of things around the world.
2a
2a
"The Sludge King"
Timothy Berglund
Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund (Also Story)
September 23, 1995 (1995-09-23)
2b
2b
In this two-parter, Felix meets Rosco's sister Candy on the Big Deal Animation Studios. When the three head out for lunch, Rosco's donut falls into the sewer, and when he tries to catch it, he gets kidnapped by the eponymous Sludge King, and it's up to Felix to save him.
Jeremy Kramer, Milton Knight, and Michael Polcino Story by : Jeremy Kramer
September 23, 1995 (1995-09-23)
While desperate to find something to eat, Felix is tricked into taking a trip to Mars where he is forced to take on slave labour by the locals.
3a
3a
"Step Right Up"
Dominic Polcino
Jeremy Kramer, Dominic Polcino, and Chris Moeller Story by : Jeremy Kramer
September 30, 1995 (1995-09-30)
This episode introduces recurring villain Peking Duck and his henchmen, Moo-Shoo and Two-Ton. The villainous trio tries to steal Felix's Magic Bag of Tricks in a carnival.
3b
3b
"Now Playing – Felix"
Lynne Naylor
Jeremy Kramer, Lynne Naylor, and Stephan DeStefano Story by : Jeremy Kramer and Timothy Berglund
September 30, 1995 (1995-09-30)
When Felix goes to watch the premiere of a movie starring his favorite actress, he accidentally finds himself inside the movie, and he's now craving to steal a kiss from the main star.
3c
3c
"Jailhouse Shock"
Phil "Wild Brain" Robinson
Jeremy Kramer, Phil Robinson, Bob Koch, and Timothy Björklund Story by : Jeremy Kramer and Timothy Björklund
September 30, 1995 (1995-09-30)
Felix and Rosco are apprehended by a jailhouse where everyone is insane, and must find a way to break out.
4a
4a
"The Manhattan Triangle"
Blair Peters
Martin Olson Story by : Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund
October 7, 1995 (1995-10-07)
The Bermuda Triangle comes to life and travels to Manhattan, where it causes the laws of physics and logic to fall apart, right during Felix's first date with Candy.
4b
4b
"The Petrified Cheese"
Chris Bartleman
Martin Olson Story by : Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund
October 7, 1995 (1995-10-07)
Detective Shamus T. Goldcrow narrates a story about trying to solve a case without his disappeared sidekick, and enlists Felix to help.
5a
5a
"Middle Aged Felix"
Pamela "Spam" Stalker
Timothy Björklund, Pamela Stalker, and Susan Crossley Story by : Jeremy Kramer and Timothy Björklund
October 14, 1995 (1995-10-14)
Felix and Sheba find a spell book in the latter's grandma's garage, which transports them to the middle ages, but the magician recognizes said book and wants it back.
5b
5b
"Felix in Psychedelicland"
Robin Steele
Martin Olson, Robin Steele, Christian Roman, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund
October 14, 1995 (1995-10-14)
Felix and Sheba travel to Pittsburgh to attend a haunted Rock N Roll museum. When Sheba is trapped in a giant jukebox, Felix must come to her rescue.
6a
6a
"Order of the Black Cats"
Dominic Polcino
Jeremy Kramer, Dominic Polcino, and Chris Moeller Story by : Jeremy Kramer
October 28, 1995 (1995-10-28)
On Halloween night, Felix is dragged into a cult of multiple people wearing black cat costumes, in which they don't realize he's a real cat.
Jeremy Kramer, John Stevenson, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Jeremy Kramer
October 28, 1995 (1995-10-28)
Felix and Sheba are trapped in a board game after the latter states that she finds it boring, and they must reach the finish line in one piece.
6c
6c
"Felix Breaks the Bank"
Lynne Naylor
Jeremy Kramer, Lynne Naylor, and Stephan DeStefano Story by : Jeremy Kramer
October 28, 1995 (1995-10-28)
It's Candy's birthday and Felix needs money to buy her a present, but when he fails to break open his piggy bank, he imagines Candy leaving him for someone richer.
7a
7a
"Noah's Nightclub"
Robin Steele
Martin Olson, Robin Steele, Timothy Berglund, and Christian Roman
November 4, 1995 (1995-11-04)
Felix attends a nightclub that is themed after Noah's Ark, including the heavy rain.
7b
7b
"Felix's Gold Score"
Milton Knight
Jeremy Kramer, Milton Knight, and Michael Polcino Story by : Jeremy Kramer
November 4, 1995 (1995-11-04)
During the gold rush, Felix must protect all the gold he has mined from bandits.
7c
7c
"Forever Rafter"
Milton Knight
Jeremy Kramer, Milton Knight, and Michael Polcino Story by : Jeremy Kramer
November 4, 1995 (1995-11-04)
Felix takes Sheba to watch a game of the New York Giants on her birthday, but a sudden flood might drown their plans.
8a
8a
"The Earth Heist"
Blair Peters
Martin Olson, Blair Peters, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson
November 11, 1995 (1995-11-11)
While Felix is exploring outer space, he sees that the Earth has been stolen by velcro-obsessed aliens and must find a way to retrieve it.
8b
8b
"Attack of the Tacky"
Chris Bartleman
Martin Olson, Jeremy Kramer, Chris Bartleman, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson and Jeremy Kramer
November 11, 1995 (1995-11-11)
Detective Goldcrow and Felix investigate a case where a crazy fashion designer replaces everyone's clothes with ridiculous fish costumes.
9a
9a
"Felix in Nightdrop Land"
Jim Schumann
Martin Olson, Larry Swerdlove, Jim Schumann, and Timothy Berglund Story by : Martin Olson and Timothy Berglund
November 18, 1995 (1995-11-18)
When Felix tries to sleep inside of a video rental store, he ends up inside some of the movies after he gets swallowed by a VCR.
The series first aired on September 16, 1995[1] on CBS lasting for two seasons with the final episode airing on April 12, 1997. The first season consists of 13 episodes and the second and final season consists of 8 episodes. It also has Spanish-dubbed episodes of the series aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings on Telefutura in 2003.
