Diabolik (TV series)


Diabolik is an animated television series based on the Italian comic book series of the same name by Angela and Luciana Giussani. Developed by Charles Corton and written by Jean Cheville and Florence Sandis, the series was an international co-production between Saban Entertainment, Saban International Paris, M6 Métropole Télévision and Mediaset, with Asiatic animation services by Ashi Productions and Saerom Animation.
Production on the show began in 1997. In Europe, it premiered on Fox Kids on May 5, 1999, and lasted for 40 episodes before ending on January 1, 2001. Ownership of the series passed to [The Walt The Walt Disney Company|Disney Company|Disney] in 2001 when the company acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, which also includes Saban Entertainment. Although it was co-produced in the U.S., it never aired in that country.
The series focuses on master thief Diabolik and his woman companion Eva, as they fight the criminal organisation Brotherhood and its leader Dane, while evading Inspector Ginko. The series differs considerably from the darker-toned comic, making it more suitable for a young audience; the main differences include the rejuvenation of Diabolik and Eva Kant, the introduction of new characters, the replacement of Diabolik's Jaguar E-Type with a fictional modern car, the absence of murders by the title character, and the setting in the real world rather than fictional locations.

Plot

Diabolik is a master thief with a deep knowledge in many scientific fields, including chemistry, mechanics, and computing. He has a set of lifelike masks which he uses to fool his opponents, assuming every identity at will.
As a foundling baby, Diabolik is discovered on a boat by King, the leader of the criminal organisation known as the Brotherhood, who welcomes him into his home like a son. Dane, King's legitimate son, does not accept Diabolik as a brother. Diabolik is raised as an orphan on the Brotherhood's secret island hideout, where he learns all his criminal skills.
Years later, Dane, jealous of Diabolik, frames him for a murder he did not commit. The victim is the father of Diabolik's future partner Eva Kant. Diabolik is imprisoned for the crime. Five years later, after King's death, Dane becomes the leader of the Brotherhood and organises Diabolik's prison escape with the intent of assassinating him.
Diabolik survives the assassination attempt and swears to destroy Dane and the Brotherhood. Together with Eva, who also has a personal vendetta against them, Diabolik manages to make life miserable for his brother and the organisation, while being pursued by Inspector Ginko.

Production

The series is based on the Italian comic book series of the same name by Angela and Luciana Giussani, although it is significantly different from the source material, as it is more suitable for a young audience. It was developed by Charles Corton and written by Jean Cheville and Florence Sandis, and produced by the French studios Saban International Paris and M6 Métropole Télévision, the American Saban Entertainment, and the Italian Mediaset, with Asiatic animation services by Ashi Productions and Saerom Animation. The production started in 1997. Mario Gomboli, Italian script writer and editor of the original comics and artistic consultant of the series, stated: "In 1997, Saban International wanted to project cartoons, I proposed my children's books but they wanted something more adventurous, and so I told them about Diabolik." Disney owns the rights of the series as an exclusive property through BVS Entertainment, while Astorina S.r.l holding the rights of the original Diabolik IP, franchise, trademark and its original characters like Diabolik, Eva, Ginko and King as an underlying property.
According to an interview with a crew member, production of the series was particularly difficult due to the tension between American Saturday-morning cartoon expectations compared to the Italian origins of the character, with representatives from Italy mounting "staunch resistance" against attempts to move the series in that direction. This resulted in a much more extensive pre-production process, lasting for a year as opposed to two weeks for most animated series. In the end, a "workable format" seemed to be found, which balanced expounding on the character's darker backstory with his reformed nature in the present day of the series. The source of the information remained critical of the series, claiming it later "watered down" the concept making it less exciting, and added that Fox even considered cutting the series down to just 13 episodes in an effort to make it more action-oriented.
Larry Brody, a creative consultant on the series, revealed more details:
About the series' development and broadcast, Mario Gomboli also said:

Release

Broadcast

The series premiered in Europe on Fox Kids on May 5, 1999, and lasted for 40 episodes before ending on January 1, 2001; it also aired on M6 in France and on Italia 1 in Italy. The English dub of the series was initially set to air on Fox Family Channel in the United States in 2000, but was cancelled before being aired, although the series was broadcast in Australia.

Home media

As with many other Saban Entertainment series, the only major English-language DVD release is by Czech distributor North Video, featuring both Czech and English audio and original video in the original production order. All 40 episodes were released on 12 volumes, from May 10 to August 2, 2010.
In France, TF1 released exactly half of the series on DVD on February 22, 2007 exclusively in French, including on-screen text and a unique opening sequence. Despite the show's noted popularity in France, the second half has not been released.
In Italy, the complete series was released on December 2, 2020, with Italian audio only.