The Lionhearts
The Lionhearts is an American animated television series from MGM that aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings in syndication from September 19 to December 12, 1998. The series aired on syndication in the United States and was also seen in Australia and Latin America. The Lionhearts was one of the last television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation and distributed by Claster Television Incorporated.
Plot
The Lionhearts focuses on the behind the scenes life of MGM's mascot, Leo Lionheart, and his family. The series shows the Lionhearts living in a normal house and living a normal life just like non-celebrity families. Most of the members of the family are named after famous MGM movie stars. The characters first appeared on a series of Sing-Along children's videos released by MGM in 1997. The original character designs were greatly modified for the TV series. Ashley Tisdale provided the voice of Kate in the Sing-Along videos, while Charles Rocket was the voice of Leo, Lana was voiced by Debra Jo Rupp and Chris Marquette did the voice of Spencer .Characters
Lionheart Family
- Leo Lionheart Jr. : Leo is the father, husband and provider of the family. He is 37 years old and works as the mascot for MGM's movies, a role which was passed onto him by father Leo Sr. One of Leo's favorite things to do when he gets the chance is to nap. In the TV series, he wore a blue sweater. In the "MGM Sing-Alongs" videos, he was typically naked, but sometimes wore a gray shirt, a black trenchcoat and hat when going to or leaving work.
- Lana Lionheart : Lana is the mother and wife of the family, she is also the glue that keeps the family from falling apart. She used to work as an acrobat in the circus, but ever since she became a mother it seems she became a stay at home mother. She is 33 years old. She was named after Lana Turner. In the TV series, she had short red hair and wore a magenta long-sleeved blouse and cyan pants. In the "MGM Sing-Alongs" videos, she wore a purple dress that varied between long-sleeved, short-sleeved and sleeveless. She also happens to have an older brother named Marvin who also works in the circus.
- Kate Lionheart : Kate is the oldest of the three children Leo and Lana have, she's 10 years old. She likes to e-mail, talk to her friends, ride horses and go to school. Kate is very tolerant of her siblings, and a very polite girl overall. Kate is named after Katharine Hepburn. In the TV series, she had red hair in a ponytail and wore a pink t-shirt with a red heart in the center, dark pink pants, and teal sneakers. In the "MGM Sing-Alongs" videos, she was much younger, had glasses and short hair, wore a blue dress with white polka dots and was barefoot. She also plays keyboards, especially in the show's intro. Unlike her younger siblings, she finds her mother's circus past embarrassing.
- Spencer Lionheart : Spencer is the middle of the three children, he's 8 years old. His dreams are to one day be a big-time rock n' roll star, he plays either an electric guitar or an electric bass guitar and also does sing, but not to everyone's pleasure, especially not to his sister Kate's. While being an overall acceptable guitarist, he, unlike Kate, is a terrible singer. One of his major flaws at times is he doesn't finish what he starts. He takes his name from Spencer Tracy. In the TV series, he had auburn hair with sideburns, freckles and wore a red tank-top with a "4" in the center, blue jeans, and black-and-white sneakers. In the "MGM Sing-Alongs", he was much younger, was shirtless, wore red shorts, and his shoes were green-and-white.
- Judy Lionheart : Judy is the youngest of the children, she's 4 years old. She is very curious and loves to play. She also looks up to her sister Kate as her heroine. Judy is named after Judy Garland. In the TV show, she wore pink overalls. In the "MGM Sing-Alongs" videos, she was more of a toddler and wore a pink shirt.
- Leo Lionheart Sr. : The grandfather of Kate, Spencer, and Judy, who is also Leo Lionheart's widowed father and in his 70's. He has relations to the titular characters of the Tom and Jerry series. He demands his son to be less humble and act more like a star and the center of attention, which Leo Jr. has problems with. As an example, he does demand Leo Jr. to have someone to open the door for him. He was shorter, had less mane, and had a floppy mouth in "Family Circus" but his design changed in "No Place Like Home".
Humans
- Director : A director who works with Leo at MGM Studios.
- Dorothy : Leo's makeup artist who can't see very well.
- Freddy : Leo's talent agent.
- Hank : MGM's president.
- Jennings : Grandpa Leo's chauffeur who drives the limo. Like Dorothy, he has a terrible vision and causes multiple crashes.