¡Mucha Lucha!(subtitledGiganteduring its third and final season) is an Americananimated television seriesthat aired on theKids' WBblock onThe WBfrom August 17, 2002, to February 26, 2005.[1]It was created by Eddie Mort and Lili Chin and produced byWarner Bros. Animation.It is the firstanimatedtelevision seriesintended for children created withMacromedia Flash,a program which became widely used as a medium for animation in the years.[2]
| ¡Mucha Lucha! | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Also known as | ¡Mucha Lucha!: Gigante(season 3) |
| Genre | |
| Created by |
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| Developed by |
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| Directed by |
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| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Chicos de Barrio |
| Opening theme | ¡Mucha Lucha!performed by Chicos de Barrio |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No.of seasons | 3 |
| No.of episodes | 52(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Sander Schwartz |
| Producers |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | The WB(Kids' WB) |
| Release | August 17, 2002– February 26, 2005 |
A direct-to-video feature film based on the series,¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El Maléfico,was released on January 4, 2005.
Premise
editThe show is set in Luchaville, a fictional town inSouthern Californiacentered onlucha librewhere nearly everyone in that town wears a costume (they are never seen without their mask) and has a well-known wrestling move. These wrestling moves being capable of transforming the character in relation to the naming of the move. The series mainly centers on three friends, Rikochet, Buena Girl, and the Flea, as they struggle through the Foremost World-Renowned International School of Lucha, where they study.
Episodes
editCharacters
edit- Rikochet (voiced byCarlos AlazraquiandJason Marsden)– A young wrestler who is theprotagonist.He considers himself the bravest of the group, but sometimes leaps before he finds.
- Buena Girl (Kimberly Brooks)– A smart, young female wrestler who always plays by the rules. She can also be very arrogant and obnoxious at times.
- The Flea (voiced byCandi Milo)– A friend of Rikochet and Buena Girl who is always dirty and refers to himself in the third person. As well as having a few disgusting habits, he is also the most nervous but often proves to be a useful ally.
- El Rey (voiced byMichael Donovan)– An action figure which represents Rikochet's conscience. He carries him in a backpack, but he can move and talk on his own as if he were alive. It is stated that this action figure is just part of a large merchandising euphoria related to a supreme undefeated Mexican wrestler with the same name (an allusion toSanto). Alongside the series, several other El Rey toys appear and often causes trouble with Rikochet. He always calls Ricochet "Chico" and a disgrace.
Production
edit¡Mucha Lucha!ran into a problem when initially pitched to Kids' WB as they wouldn't want actual wrestling seen on screen due to seeming violent. Lili Chin would have to draw visual guides to show that actual wrestling was more choreography than harmful acts of violence.[citation needed]
Music
editLicensed music
edit- Café Quijano - Desde Brasil
- Los Miserables - Punk Rock Y Subversion
- Celso Piña - Cumbia Poder
- Tito Nieves - Shut Up
- Frankie Negron - So Wonderful
- Plastiko - Esfera De Cristal
- Pesado - Entre Mi Corazón Tu Y Yo
- El Tri - Nosotros Los Latinos
- SNZ - Me Protejo
- Bacilos - Bésela Ya
- Charlie Cruz - Un Chin Chin
- Volumen Cero - Hollywood
- Los Lobos - Good morning aztlán
Broadcast
editThe show was also seen onKids' WBin the United States,Teletoonin Canada,CITVandKixin the United Kingdom, andCanal 5in Mexico from August 17, 2002, until February 26, 2005. It also premiered onCartoon Networkinternationally in 2003, and in U.S in 2004. In March 2007, the show began its first rerun onMiguzi,and was later replaced withBen 10for the last slot before Miguzi was shut down in the same year. The final rerun of the show lasted from 2008 to 2009, and it was removed from the lineup in 2010.
Home media
editInRegion 1,Warner Home Videohas released one compilation onDVDandVHSthat contained the first six segment-episodes from season one, titledHeart of Lucha,on August 23, 2003. Thedirect-to-videomovieThe Return of El Maléfico,was released on October 5, 2004, exclusively at Walmart, while other retailers released it on January 4, 2005, during the third and final season.
In 2019, ¡Mucha Lucha! was available remastered for the first time in High Definition for home viewers and became available on demand through Amazon Prime.[3]
In 2022, The show became available for streaming on HBO Max in Latin American countries, also using the High Definition remasters.[4]
Merchandise
editA toy line based on the show was released byJakks Pacificin 2004.[5]In this toy line included "Mix-a-Lot" action figures; these had removable body parts that could be placed on the bodies of other action figures in the series. "Signature Move" action figures were also put out, along with a toy wrestling ring. However, the second series of the toy line was canceled.
During the summer of 2003,DC Comicspublished a three-issue mini-series ofcomic booksbased on¡Mucha Lucha!All three of the stories featured in these comic books were written by Eddie Mort, and have even been occasionally referenced in the TV series.
- El Rey, Come Home!
- It's All Buena!
- Limbo of the Lost Luchadores!
The show was licensed for aGame Boy Advancevideo game,Mascaritas of the Lost Code,in late 2003; aPlayStation 2video game,Mysterioso Grande,was slated for release, but was cancelled around 2004 as the creators could not find a publisher.[6]
In the year 2005 the Mexican snack companySabritasdistributed promotional items in the form oftazoswith a picture of various characters from the show. Totaling in 230 pogs, they were sold in two separate series. The first series was referred to as the "classic" series, while the second series was referred to as the "rematch" series.
Proposed revival
editIn 2014, a revival called¡Mucha Lucha! Para Siemprewas proposed which would have centered on Rikochet, Buena Girl, and the Flea as teenagers.[7][8][9]Rikochet would return home after time away with his uncle with a sense of purposelessness. Due to losing his honor as a wrestler 5 years ago to another wrestler named Guillermo El Toro. He would he find a new found sense of purpose after hearing from the tv that Guillermo El Toro would be fighting Buena Girl. Rikochet would then reconnect with The Flea and Buena girl and have a rematch With Guillermo El Toro to reclaim his honor.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Erickson, Hal (2005).Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003(2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 568–569.ISBN978-1476665993.
- ^Perlmutter, David (2018).The Encyclopedia of American-Canadian-Mexican Animated Television Shows.Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 409–410.ISBN978-1538103739.
- ^"Amazon Prime series page".Amazon.Retrieved2022-11-21.
- ^"HBO Max series page".Retrieved2022-11-21.
- ^DeMott, Rick (2003-10-17)."JAKKS Pacific Lands Mucha Lucha Toy License".Animation World Network.Retrieved2014-12-01.
- ^"Mucha Lucha [PS2 – Cancelled] – Unseen64".Unseen64: Beta, Cancelled & Unseen Videogames!.April 15, 2008.
- ^Archived atGhostarchiveand theWayback Machine:"All About Mucha Lucha (Includes 2014 Revival Pitch Reel Excerpt)".YouTube.21 November 2019.
- ^"Mucha Lucha! Para siempre".
- ^"Mucha Lucha! Para siempre".