Speed Racer: The Next Generation
Encyclopedia
Speed Racer: The Next Generation is an American animated television series based on the classic Japanese Speed Racer
franchise, in which the internal events take place decades after those in the 1967 Japanese series. It is the fourth television adaptation of the franchise, and is executive produced by Lions Gate Entertainment
, Larry Schwarz
, and Ken Katsumoto. It is the first Nicktoon not to be based on an original property. Animation Collective
produced the series, while the Flash character animation was handled by the now-defunct Collideascope Studios as their very last project. The last episode of Season 1 features the voice of NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon
, who plays Turbo McCalister.
This series was partly made to promote the live-action film
, and the pilot movie premiered on Nicktoons Network
on May 2, 2008, a week before the feature film adaptation was released in theatres. However, both projects were produced independently from one another and featured different generations of "Speed Racers" (with the film featuring the original generation), though both featured a Mach 6.
A second season began airing on March 24, 2011. The animation, layout, and 3D effects were outsourced to Toonz Entertainment in India for this season. After his death, Peter Fernandez
's roles were replaced by Greg Abbey.
The series follows the adventures of an orphan
teenager named Speed who dreams of being a famed car racer like the one he is named after. He takes a bus to the elite Racing Academy, founded by the Racer family, and soon experiences the difficulties of fitting in and competing with X, the best racer/student in the school, and Speed Racer's son. Spritle himself is now the headmaster.
In the pilot movie, Speed discovers that he is the other son of Speed Racer, meaning that X is his brother. Through the rest of the series, Speed and his new allies set out on a quest to get through the courses, discover the mystery of Speed Racer's disappearance, and try and build the Mach 6, a car that captures the spirit and gadgets of the Mach 5 for new generations, and the first car to contain a gasless engine.
The most pivotal plot device is the virtual track, a race track that transports racers to virtual racing environments known as the Virtual World. School faculty have the ability to add as many of their own obstacles as they wish, complying to school safety regulations. Whenever a racer is defeated in the track, they automatically get dispensed back onto the real one, unharmed. However, like all programs, the virtual track can be infected with viruses and/or hacked, causing anyone trapped in the Virtual World to be affected.
Its return is brief, as Zile Zazic destroys it successfully - the original makes a cameo in Plot for Teacher. However, plans for a new car are discovered and soon the protagonists rebuild the Mach Five to form the Mach 6. The Mach 6's engine is not designed to run on gas, which is a crucial story point, even though gas is still used for it through most of the series. It has all the features of the Mach Five, but redesigned or changed in some form or another. For example, the rotary saws are kept, but they're turned into laser saws. Also, the car has become more of a silver color with a fan in front and also includes two functional jets in the back where the fans were, and are used to get out of situations like a tornado ( as seen in the episode 'The Dance') or to help with acceleration. The new car features a transparent, holographic screen (better known as the 'comp') over the dashboard that the driver can use to interact live with his crew, and with other racers. Apparently, Speed mentions it can dispense rubber spiders out the back, and also real spiders, but he has not confirmed this. In recent episodes in Season 2, a new Mach 6 feature has been revealed after the completion of the gasless engine. When the Mach 6 gets up to the speed of 250 mph, an electrical charge causes the car to jump to another location in a matter of seconds. However, this feature can only be used three times before the car can be restarted. It has also been hinted that the Mach 6 has the ability to time travel with the right part for the gasless engine.
The Mach 6 succeeds the Mach 5 for the rest of the series, and more of the original gadgets were gradually revealed (such as the sludge slick) and used in future episodes.
Speed Racer
Speed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha...
franchise, in which the internal events take place decades after those in the 1967 Japanese series. It is the fourth television adaptation of the franchise, and is executive produced by Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
, Larry Schwarz
Larry Schwarz
Larry Schwarz is the founder and CEO of Animation Collective, the New York City-based producer of children's programming for television, the Internet and home video....
, and Ken Katsumoto. It is the first Nicktoon not to be based on an original property. Animation Collective
Animation Collective
Animation Collective is an American animated cartoon studio formed in 2003. The studio is based in New York City and is founded by Larry Schwarz...
produced the series, while the Flash character animation was handled by the now-defunct Collideascope Studios as their very last project. The last episode of Season 1 features the voice of NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
, who plays Turbo McCalister.
This series was partly made to promote the live-action film
Speed Racer (film)
Speed Racer is a 2008 American live action film adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's 1960s Japanese anime series of the same name, produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The film is written and directed by the Wachowskis...
, and the pilot movie premiered on Nicktoons Network
NickToons Network
Nicktoons is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Viacom. It is a sister service of the Nickelodeon cable channel...
on May 2, 2008, a week before the feature film adaptation was released in theatres. However, both projects were produced independently from one another and featured different generations of "Speed Racers" (with the film featuring the original generation), though both featured a Mach 6.
A second season began airing on March 24, 2011. The animation, layout, and 3D effects were outsourced to Toonz Entertainment in India for this season. After his death, Peter Fernandez
Peter Fernandez
Peter Fernandez was an American actor, voice actor, and director. Despite a career extending from the 1930s, he is probably best known for his uncredited roles in the 1967 anime Speed Racer. Fernandez co-wrote the scripts, was the voice director, and translated the English language version of the...
's roles were replaced by Greg Abbey.
Premise
Prior to the events of the series, the original Speed Racer has disappeared for unknown reasons, but the main characters know that he is alive. Only one of the original characters, Spritle, has a major role in this show. Speed Racer is seen briefly at the end of The Note and more recently in Plot for Teacher, and he makes a full appearance in the pilot episode to Season 2. The rest of the original cast are unseen, and their whereabouts are currently unknown.The series follows the adventures of an orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
teenager named Speed who dreams of being a famed car racer like the one he is named after. He takes a bus to the elite Racing Academy, founded by the Racer family, and soon experiences the difficulties of fitting in and competing with X, the best racer/student in the school, and Speed Racer's son. Spritle himself is now the headmaster.
In the pilot movie, Speed discovers that he is the other son of Speed Racer, meaning that X is his brother. Through the rest of the series, Speed and his new allies set out on a quest to get through the courses, discover the mystery of Speed Racer's disappearance, and try and build the Mach 6, a car that captures the spirit and gadgets of the Mach 5 for new generations, and the first car to contain a gasless engine.
The most pivotal plot device is the virtual track, a race track that transports racers to virtual racing environments known as the Virtual World. School faculty have the ability to add as many of their own obstacles as they wish, complying to school safety regulations. Whenever a racer is defeated in the track, they automatically get dispensed back onto the real one, unharmed. However, like all programs, the virtual track can be infected with viruses and/or hacked, causing anyone trapped in the Virtual World to be affected.
Mach Five and Mach Six
The second episode features the rebuilt Mach 5 designed as it appeared in the original anime, only animated in CGI, like all of the other cars in the show's racing sequences. Minor changes have occurred in the Mach Five in this series. Although the function for the homing robot is present, it is redesigned to resemble more of a metal peacock than a sleek, futuristic robot dove. The Deflector is used as the roof of the Mach Five. Also revealed in this show is an ejector's seat underneath the driver's seat in case of emergencies. A parachute was made, but was forgotten to be installed at the time.Its return is brief, as Zile Zazic destroys it successfully - the original makes a cameo in Plot for Teacher. However, plans for a new car are discovered and soon the protagonists rebuild the Mach Five to form the Mach 6. The Mach 6's engine is not designed to run on gas, which is a crucial story point, even though gas is still used for it through most of the series. It has all the features of the Mach Five, but redesigned or changed in some form or another. For example, the rotary saws are kept, but they're turned into laser saws. Also, the car has become more of a silver color with a fan in front and also includes two functional jets in the back where the fans were, and are used to get out of situations like a tornado ( as seen in the episode 'The Dance') or to help with acceleration. The new car features a transparent, holographic screen (better known as the 'comp') over the dashboard that the driver can use to interact live with his crew, and with other racers. Apparently, Speed mentions it can dispense rubber spiders out the back, and also real spiders, but he has not confirmed this. In recent episodes in Season 2, a new Mach 6 feature has been revealed after the completion of the gasless engine. When the Mach 6 gets up to the speed of 250 mph, an electrical charge causes the car to jump to another location in a matter of seconds. However, this feature can only be used three times before the car can be restarted. It has also been hinted that the Mach 6 has the ability to time travel with the right part for the gasless engine.
The Mach 6 succeeds the Mach 5 for the rest of the series, and more of the original gadgets were gradually revealed (such as the sludge slick) and used in future episodes.
External links
- Official Speed Racer site
- Speed Racer Deals Cross Finish Line
- NYCC 08: Speed Racer's Next Generation Revealed
- TV GuideTV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
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