Pink Panther and Pals
Pink Panther and Pals is an American animated television series and a modern adaptation of the classic DePatie-Freleng Pink Panther shorts from the 1960s. The series was produced by Desert Panther Productions in association with Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng and MGM Television. It premiered on Cartoon Network on March 7, 2010 and later moved to Boomerang on August 12, 2010. 26 episodes were produced.
Like the classic cartoon show, the program is composed of two seven-minute Pink Panther shorts and a seven-minute Ant and the Aardvark short in between, retaining the main characters in both shorts though with some changes.
Show premise
The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther shorts are reminiscent of the classic DePatie-Freleng shorts from the 1960s and the 1970s, from art direction, silent acting, musical scoring, and story lines. The Pink Panther remains silent throughout the show and appears as a teenager. The Little Man was renamed "Big Nose" for this series, being voiced by Alex Nussbaum. Pink Panther's horse and Big Nose's canine companion were reintroduced as well.The Ant and the Aardvark
The Ant and the Aardvark is based on the classic DePatie-Freleng shorts. In this version, the Aardvark's Jewish sense of humor and Jackie Mason-esque voice from his classic counterpart remains, a new, younger ant has replaced the Dean Martin-esque "Charlie" from the original shorts. The series now takes place in a jungle and new characters were introduced in the series.Characters
- The Pink Panther: The eponymous protagonist of the series. Akin to his portrayal in preceding entries in the franchise, Pink is silent, though his actions speak louder than words. Calm, cool and collected, Pink remains level-headed even in the face of adversity, allowing him to triumph over hardships with nothing but his luck and wits on his side. He is also a genial, easygoing fellow who enjoys helping others with their problems whenever he can, though he can be mildly cocky and mischievous at times.
- Big Nose: Based on the original "Little Man" from the classic series, Big Nose is the Panther's primary rival. He's depicted as short, with a big nose and a mustache, and is plain white in color. He loves the color blue as much as the Panther loves his favorite color, pink. He is often rude, immature, arrogant, unlucky, and likes to ruin the Panther's day. He owns an unnamed pet dog who, unlike his master, has next-to-no problem with the Pink Panther and actually seems to enjoy his company. He speaks gibberish. He is the main antagonist of the "Pink Panther" segments.
- Horse: Pink Panther's white horse, based on a horse that gave him trouble in several cartoons of the classic series.
- Dog: Big Nose's bull terrier, often serving as a source of comic-relief in the shorts. He too is of a plain white complexion. Compared to his owner, he is shown to enjoy the Pink Panther's activities, such as music and dancing, though isn't always fond of him.
- Ant: A red ant and one of the title characters of "The Ant and the Aardvark" segments. He is quite sharp and intelligent and, like real-life ants, is physically strong, being able to carry objects many times his weight. His remarks towards and about Aardvark are somewhat more sharp and sarcastic than in his previous laid-back incarnations.
- The Blue Aardvark: A blue aardvark, serving as one of the title characters and main antagonist of "The Ant and the Aardvark" segments. Like real aardvarks, he spends his time trying to catch and eat the Ant. He's sly, cunning and intelligent, but incredibly inept, never succeeding in his goals long-term. He also uses the fourth wall, frequently addressing the audience as to his goals and/or what's going on.
Voice cast
- Kel Mitchell as Ant
- Eddie Garvar as Aardvark
- Alex Nussbaum as Big Nose, Horse, Dog, Narrator, Big Nose's wife, Dog Tracker, Hedgehog, Chef on TV, Bear, Pig, Lion, Croc 1 and 2, Grampy, Italian Chef, Radio VO, Alien, Skunks, Walrus, Mockingbird Mike, Leopard
- Jeannie Elias as Genius, Female Spy
- John Over as Aardvark, Eli
- Bob Spang as Gracie Gorilla, Rowdy Rhino, Mitey Mite