Road Rovers
Encyclopedia
Road Rovers is an American
2D
animated television series written and produced by Warner Bros. Animation
that premiered on Kids' WB
on September 7, 1996. It lasted one season and ended on February 22, 1997. Reruns continued to air until September 6, 1997. It was then on Cartoon Network
from February 7, 1998 until 2000. Much of the humor contained in the show was derived from popular culture
of the mid 1990s.
The show follows the adventures of the Road Rovers, a team of five super-powered crime-fighting anthropomorphic dog
s, known as "cano-sapiens". The leader of the rovers is Hunter, a golden retriever mix from the United States
. The Rovers' boss is a scientist known as "The Master" who oversees their operations and supplies them with equipment from their subterranean headquarters.
(one year prior to the formation of the Road Rovers), Professor Shepherd is attacked by a man named General Parvo
, who demands the professor's experimental transdogmafier (a play on the term transmogrifier) technology in exchange for his lost dog. Shepherd gives in but is tricked by Parvo, who gives him a bomb that destroys his laboratory. The next year, as normal dogs begin to mutate into monsters, Shephard, who miraculously survived the attack, realizes it is Parvo who is behind it and decides to stop him.
Shepherd selects five dogs from around the world to combat this new threat. Once they arrive at his new, secret underground lab, he uses his new transdogmifier on the five, turning them into "Cano-sapiens" look like normal clothed humans except that they have retained all the trademark aspects of the dogs they came from, such as a tail, fur, distinctive ears and head, etc. Their personality before the transformation also remains intact. They can also speak English
and possess super abilities that normal humans do not.
When not fighting crime, they revert back to their original dog form, and reside in the homes of the leaders of their country of origin; Hunter goes to the President of the United States
, Colleen to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
, Blitz to the Chancellor of Germany, Exile to the President of Russia, and Shag to the President of the Swiss Confederation.
It is later discovered that many of the events in the past were caused by Parvo's time machine
. These include Parvo's appearance in the past (as a cat named Boots), Parvo's failed attempt at constructing a transdogrifier causing Scout to become Muzzle, Boots becoming Parvo with Groomer's help, Muzzle meeting Hunter, and Shag saving Shepherd's life by informing him of the bomb that will blow up his lab.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
2D
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
animated television series written and produced by Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
that premiered on Kids' WB
Kids' WB
Kids' WB! was Warner Bros. American childrens programing division brand for The WB Television Network. In September 2006, the block moved to The CW Television Network. The CW is the result of The WB's merger with UPN in 2006...
on September 7, 1996. It lasted one season and ended on February 22, 1997. Reruns continued to air until September 6, 1997. It was then on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
from February 7, 1998 until 2000. Much of the humor contained in the show was derived from popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
of the mid 1990s.
The show follows the adventures of the Road Rovers, a team of five super-powered crime-fighting anthropomorphic dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s, known as "cano-sapiens". The leader of the rovers is Hunter, a golden retriever mix from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Rovers' boss is a scientist known as "The Master" who oversees their operations and supplies them with equipment from their subterranean headquarters.
Plot
In the town of Socorro, New MexicoSocorro, New Mexico
Socorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It stands in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of . The population was 9,051 at the 2010 census...
(one year prior to the formation of the Road Rovers), Professor Shepherd is attacked by a man named General Parvo
Parvovirus
Parvovirus, often truncated to "parvo", is both the common name in English casually applied to all the viruses in the Parvoviridae taxonomic family, and also the taxonomic name of the Parvovirus genus within the Parvoviridae family...
, who demands the professor's experimental transdogmafier (a play on the term transmogrifier) technology in exchange for his lost dog. Shepherd gives in but is tricked by Parvo, who gives him a bomb that destroys his laboratory. The next year, as normal dogs begin to mutate into monsters, Shephard, who miraculously survived the attack, realizes it is Parvo who is behind it and decides to stop him.
Shepherd selects five dogs from around the world to combat this new threat. Once they arrive at his new, secret underground lab, he uses his new transdogmifier on the five, turning them into "Cano-sapiens" look like normal clothed humans except that they have retained all the trademark aspects of the dogs they came from, such as a tail, fur, distinctive ears and head, etc. Their personality before the transformation also remains intact. They can also speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and possess super abilities that normal humans do not.
When not fighting crime, they revert back to their original dog form, and reside in the homes of the leaders of their country of origin; Hunter goes to the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Colleen to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Blitz to the Chancellor of Germany, Exile to the President of Russia, and Shag to the President of the Swiss Confederation.
It is later discovered that many of the events in the past were caused by Parvo's time machine
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. These include Parvo's appearance in the past (as a cat named Boots), Parvo's failed attempt at constructing a transdogrifier causing Scout to become Muzzle, Boots becoming Parvo with Groomer's help, Muzzle meeting Hunter, and Shag saving Shepherd's life by informing him of the bomb that will blow up his lab.
Characters
- Hunter (Jess HarnellJess HarnellJess Q. Harnell is an American voice actor and singer, best known for voicing Wakko Warner on Animaniacs. Harnell has been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos since 1998.-Life and acting career:...
): A Golden RetrieverGolden RetrieverThe Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties. As such, they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love...
mix from the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; Hunter is the leader of the Road Rovers. He possesses super speed, and is prone to listing a range of other "powers" such as super-loyalty, super-trust, and super-luck. He and Colleen have romantic feelings for each other.
- Hunter is also noted as being the only Rover whose relatives appeared during the season; he visits his mother in "A Day in the Life."
- Colleen (Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleTress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
): A rough collieRough CollieThe Rough Collie is a long coated breed of medium to large size dog that in its original form was a type of collie used and bred for herding in Scotland. Originating in the 1800's, it is now well known through the works of author Albert Payson Terhune, and through the Lassie novel, movies, and...
from the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the only female in the group; Colleen is skilled in martial arts and is a trained medic. - Blitz (Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
): A DobermanDobermanDoberman or Dobermann most commonly refers to Doberman Pinscher, a breed of dog, or to its creator, Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann.It may also refer to:*Doberman , a 2003 album by Tomoyasu Hotei*Doberman , a Japanese ska/punk band...
from GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; Blitz is a team player but shows no proper respect to anyone but himself. His razor sharp teeth and claws can cut through anything. Has romantic feelings for Colleen, often met only with feigned oblivion, often followed in short order by physical violence on her part. He often states a desire to bite the behinds of his enemies. - Exile (Kevin Michael RichardsonKevin Michael RichardsonKevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
): A Siberian huskySiberian HuskyThe Siberian Husky is a medium-size, dense-coat working dog breed that originated in north-eastern Siberia. The breed belongs to the Spitz genetic family...
from SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
; Exile is the master of fixing and unfixing things. His superpowers are heat, freeze and night visionNight visionNight vision is the ability to see in low light conditions. Whether by biological or technological means, night vision is made possible by a combination of two approaches: sufficient spectral range, and sufficient intensity range...
, along with super-strength (though not as much as Shag). It is revealed that his real name is "Exilo Michalovitch Sanhusky". - Shag (Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
): A sheepdogPolish Lowland SheepdogThe Polish Lowland Sheepdog , is a medium sized, shaggy-coated, sheep dog breed native to Poland.-Appearance:The PON is a muscular, thick-coated dog. The double coat can be of any color or pattern; white, gray, and brown are most common, with black, gray, or brown markings. It is common for colors...
from SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
; Shag is a kind of fluke as far as the transdogmafier process goes. Instead of becoming a complete cano-sapien, he is stuck at someplace in between. He can understand English and often wields weaponry, most often a bazooka which he invariably aims the wrong way. He is a coward and his fur also has seemingly unlimited storage capacity which has on various occasions housed food, articles of furniture (some bigger than himself), and fellow Road Rovers. - Muzzle (Frank Welker): A Rotweiler. He is often physically restrained with a straitjacket and mask. Action involving Muzzle is done off-screen, and it is implied by the other Rovers that Muzzle is doing rather gruesome deeds. Muzzle was "Scout", The Sheperd's dog that was kidnapped at the beginning of the first episode, he and Hunter became close friends.
- Professor William F. Shepherd (Joseph CampanellaJoseph CampanellaJoseph Campanella in Lewistown, Pennsylvania is an American character actor who has appeared in over 200 TV and film roles since 1955, including such shows as The Eleventh Hour, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, The Road West, The Golden Girls and Mama's Family. He also had a role in...
): The geneticistGeneticistA geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
behind the transdogmafier and the Road Rovers. He is the team’s boss and supplier for all their gear. - Confuseus (Kevin Michael Richardson) - A play on the historical ConfuciusConfuciusConfucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
. A small terrier-like breed dog with the ability to speak, he offers advice in the form of riddles, which often tends to go over the head of his teammates. - General Parvo (Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
): The Road Rovers' main antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
who is out to destroy Professor Shepherd and conquer the world. He has a permanent cough.
- Colleen (Tress MacNeille
- The name Parvo derives from a canine disease which often kills puppies.
- The Groomer (Sheena EastonSheena EastonSheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
): The Groomer is the mostly loyal assistant to General Parvo. She's generally armed with a portable hair clipper, though she uses other equipment when appropriate.
- The Groomer (Sheena Easton
Episodes
| Season | Ep # | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 13 | September 7, 1996 | February 22, 1997 |