Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, also known in Japan as Pac-World, (パックワールド) is an animated television series produced by 41 Entertainment, Arad Productions, a partnership between Sprite Animation Studios and OLM, Inc., and Bandai Namco Entertainment for Tokyo MX (stereo version), BS11 (stereo version) and Disney XD (bilingual version). Based on Bandai Namco's Pac-Man video game franchise, it is the second animated series to be based upon the game franchise, following the 1982 TV series. The show aired from June 15, 2013, to May 25, 2015, running for three seasons and 52 episodes.

Various games and merchandise were produced based on the series, including two video games and several mobile apps.

Production
A pilot trailer produced by Arad Productions was shown at E3 2010, alongside the announcement of Pac-Man Party for the Wii. The pilot explained the basic plot of the show, and visually was mostly identical to the final product. The end of the pilot features a homage to the "Coffee Break" scenes in the original arcade game. Avi Arad explained in an interview that they made Pac-Man a high-schooler in order to tell stories about being a teenager, and that they also wanted to explore Pac-Man and Pac-Land's backstory. The trailer and Pac-Man Party also debuted a new design for Pac-Man that would be used for most Pac-Man media and merchandise during the show's run.

In September 2011, 41 Entertainment was named worldwide distributor of the series except in Japan, where Bandai Namco would handle distribution. The series was titutively titled PAC-MAN 3D at the time. Avi Arad said in the press release that Pac-Man was one of his all-time favorite characters, and that the show's ghosts would come in all shapes and sizes. Following this announcement, 41 Entertainment would announce global distribution deals with various partners. The animation was done by Sprite Animation Studios in partnership with OLM, Inc., who handled the production process, from storyboard to delivery. While Arad came up with the basic plot-line for the show, the final product was directed by Motonori Sakakibara.

In some territories, the second half of season 2 was distributed as season 3.

The show ended on a cliffhanger in 2015, with 52 episodes produced in total.

Overview
The series takes place on the planet known as Pac-World, and its Netherworld. The show sees Pac-Man and his best friends Spiral and Cylindria attend Maze School, a boarding school located within the city of Pacopolis. They help to protect citizens from the threat of ghosts after the seal that locked up the Netherworld was accidentally opened by Pac at the time he was avoiding the school bully Skeebo. Ghosts are able to possess Pac-Worlder bodies although only for a time limit of a few minutes unless aided by Dr. Buttocks' technology. Victims of possession usually are apparent by a red-eyed glow although this too can be prevented with Buttocks' technology.

Pac-Man also has four friendly ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde) that surrendered and vowed to help him along his voyage (in exchange for being restored to the living world). Pac-Man vows to stop Betrayus and the ghosts (or any other bad guy) from taking over Pac-World while searching for his long-lost parents. He has the unique ability to eat ghosts and destroy the ectoplasm that makes up most of their bodies. Only their eyeballs survive, which he spits out. They reform their bodies using a regeneration chamber. The ghosts continually attack the city to locate the Repository, a storage chamber for the corporeal bodies of the ghosts which would allow them to live again if they possessed them. It is kept hidden to deny them this freedom and only President Spheros and Pac-Man are aware of its location. The ghosts also attack the Tree of Life to prevent Pac-Man from gaining powers to fight them. Without the power-berries, Pac-Man is not able to fly, or breathe in the Netherworld.

Main

 * Pac-Man (voiced by Erin Mathews), Real name as "Pac" is the 14 year old title character of the series.
 * Cylindria (voiced by Andrea Libman ) is a 14 year old pink Pac-Girl with glasses.
 * Spiralton (voiced by Samuel Vincent ) is a big red 16-17 year old teen
 * The Ghost Gang is a group of four ghosts from the original arcade game. They live in the Netherworld and are ruled by Lord Betrayus.
 * Blinky (voiced by Ian James Corlett ) is a red ghost. He's the default leader of the group.
 * Inky (voiced by Lee Tockar ) is a blue ghost, the second oldest in the gang.
 * Pinky (voiced by Ashleigh Ball ) is a pink ghost, the only sister.
 * Clyde (voiced by Brian Drummond ) is an orange ghost, the youngest in the siblings.
 * Betrayus, full name Lord Betrayus Sneakerus Spheros, (voiced by Sam Vincent ) is the Lord of the Ghosts and the Netherworld.

Pac-Worlders

 * President Stratos Spheros (voiced by Sam Vincent ) is the President of Pac-World.
 * Sir Cumference (voiced by Ian James Corlett) is a goofy scientist who has met Pac's father and mother.
 * Skeebo (voiced by Matt Hill ) is a blue pompous and foolish jock and school bully.
 * Spheria Suprema (voiced by Ashleigh Ball) is an orange Pac-Person who is Pac-Man's aunt.
 * Ms. Globular (voiced by Erin Mathews ) is one of Pac-Man's teachers.
 * Mr. Strictler (voiced by Mark Oliver) is a light-blue driver's ed teacher with a stubborn personality.
 * Mr. Dome (voiced by Lee Tockar) is the gym teacher.
 * O'Drool is the Secretary of Security who first appeared in "Betrayus Turns Up the Heat".
 * Kingpin Obtuse (voiced by Lee Tockar) is a dark-green crime lord of Pac-World's criminal underworld.
 * Rotunda (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) is an Elder who is the mother of Stratos and Betrayus.
 * Zac is Pac's father.
 * Sunny is Pac's mother.
 * The Pacinator (voiced by Ian James Corlett) is a villainous Pac-Person.
 * Do-Ug (voiced by Gabe Khouth) is a Neander-Pac kid who first appeared in "Cave Pac-Man".
 * Danny Vaincori (voiced by Kyle Rideout) is a movie director who first appears in "Pac-Mania".
 * Elliptika "Elli" (voiced by Kazumi Evans) is a light pink Pac-Worlder who visits Pacopolis from PacTokyo.
 * Moondog is a black-haired lavender Pac-Worlder who is Cylindria's father.
 * Starchild is a blonde Pac-Worlder who is Cylindria's mother.
 * Santa Pac (voiced by Richard Newman) is Pac-World's version of Santa Claus.

Ghosts

 * Butt-ler (voiced by Brian Drummond) is Betrayus' servant and butler.
 * Dr. A.H. Buttocks (voiced by Brian Drummond) is the Netherworld's greatest mad scientist and Butt-ler's older twin brother.
 * Glooky is a green Ghost with a squint in his left eye. He is a friend of Blinky.
 * Mavis is an orange female Ghost.
 * Specter (voiced by Brendan Ryan Barrett) is a ghost spy who works for Betrayus.
 * Fred is a white ghost that was used as a flag due to the lack of white clothes.
 * Master Goo (voiced by Vincent Tong) is a Ninja Ghost.
 * Captain Banshee is a ghost pirate who first appears in "Cap'n Banshee and his Interstellar Buccaneers".
 * Cyclops Ghosts (voiced by Lee Tockar) are heavyset Ghosts with one eye and three horns.
 * Ogle (voiced by Brian Drummond) is a Cyclops Ghost who works as a chef.
 * Fire Ghosts are orange Ghosts who can emit fire from their body.
 * Ice Ghosts are blue Ghosts who can emit ice from their body.
 * Tentacle Ghosts (voiced by Lee Tockar) are 4-eyed purple-black Ghosts who look similar to an octopus.
 * Guardian Ghosts are large Ghosts who guard the Netherworld.
 * Aqua Ghosts are light blue Ghosts with fins on their head.
 * Drill-Bit Ghosts are Ghosts that have drill bits on their heads.
 * Alien Ghosts are Ghosts that live on the Ghosteroid.
 * Ghosteroid is an asteroid ghost that Dr. Buttocks once brought near Pac-World.
 * Ghost Sharks are ghostly sharks that reside in the waters of PacLantis and guard the Berry of Youth.
 * Virus Ghosts are normal ghosts that have been digitised by a Dr. Buttocks invention.

Pointy Heads

 * Apex (voiced by Colin Murdock) is an evil strange mysterious overlord.
 * Professor Pointybrains (voiced by Brian Drummond) is a scientist who assists Apex.
 * Tip (voiced by Gabe Khouth) is a strong minion who first appears in "Cosmic Contest".

Robots

 * Grinder is a lab assistant Sir Cumference made for himself.
 * Grindette is Grinder's wife who first appeared in "The Bride of Grinder".
 * Grinder-Tron is a giant robot made by Dr. Buttocks that resembles an evil version of Grinder.
 * Mega-Grinder is a giant robot build by Pac-Man.
 * Computer Bug is a small antivirus bug that helps Pac-Man rid the computer systems of the evil virus ghosts.
 * Pac-Topus is a giant mechanical octopus that only appears in "Ride the Wild Pac-Topus".

Others

 * Madame Ghoulasha (voiced by Kathleen Barr) is a warty Nether-witch from the Netherworld.
 * Count Pacula (voiced by Samuel Vincent) is a villainous vam-pac from the Netherworld.
 * Jean (voiced by Nicole Oliver) is a vile genie who first appeared in "Meanie Genie".
 * Overlords of the Outer Regions are a group of strange and unknown celestial beings that take the form of a burst of light.
 * Mooby is an ancient giant flying Pac-Cow that lives up in the sky in Pac-World.
 * The Easter Pac-Peep (voiced by Ashleigh Ball) is a humanoid marshmallow chicken made of marshmallow and the owner of Easter Egg Island.
 * Dentures of Doom (voiced by Paul Dobson) are a set of living dentures originally owned by an ancient mummy wizard.
 * Mummy Wizard (voiced by Paul Dobson) is a strange humanoid wizard with a mummy-like appearance.
 * Round Deer are flying reindeer that pull Santa Pac's sled and have special fighting abilities.
 * Dr. Pacenstein is the talking brain in the glass and lives in Transylpacia Castle.

Monsters

 * Fluffy is a giant poodle.
 * Fuzbitz (voiced by Lee Tockar) is Sir Cumference's pet monster.
 * Gargoyles are large, heavy-set blue monsters with three eyes and small wings.
 * Slug-cams are used by Betrayus to spy on Pac-World.
 * Pac-Dragons are one-eyed red dragons that live in the Netherworld.
 * Stalkers is a black medium-sized monster with 2 legs, a long eel-like body, and a multi-eyed face full of sharp teeth.
 * Venus Dragon Flytraps are large carnivorous plants that are indigenous to the Netherworld.
 * Monobats are a race of one-eyed bats.
 * Stone Temple Guardians are giant statues that serve as the guardians of a slime-filled temple.
 * Pacosaurus refers to a type of ancient dinosaur which originally roamed Pac-World.
 * Were-Pac Flea is a Netherworld flea made by Dr. Buttocks.
 * Space Worm is a giant worm that lives in space and has the ability to send victims to other dimensions.
 * Hugefoot is a monster with an enormous foot.

Music
The "Pac is Back" theme song features sound effects and melodies from the original arcade game, and other pieces of music from older Pac-Man games are remixed and used in the show. Some action sequences feature a remix of "Pac-Man's Park" from Pac-Mania (Which itself is based on the cutscene theme from the original Pac-Man arcade game). This remix was also featured in the mobile game Pac-Man Dash!.

Meanwhile, the Japanese dub of the show has a different theme song named "PAC THIS WORLD!!!" by Kenichi Maeyamada, (a.k.a. Hyadain)

Crew

 * Avi Arad – Developer & Executive Producer
 * Sean Catherine Derek – Story Editor
 * David Earl – Storyboard Artist
 * Tetsuya Ishii – Lead Character Designer
 * Terry Klassen – Voice Director (ep. 3–52)
 * Masashi Kobayashi – Line Producer
 * Tatsuro Maruyama – Art Director
 * Masafumi Mima – Sound Director
 * Tom Ruegger – Creator, Developer, Writer
 * Paul Rugg – Creator, Developer, Writer
 * Kris Zimmerman – Voice Director (ep. 1–2)

Development
The series was tentatively called Pac-Man 3D and later Pac-Man: The Adventure Begins. On September 26, 2011, 41 Entertainment was named worldwide distributor for the series and that the series would be finished for a Fall 2013 window.

Merchandise
41 Entertainment signed many deals for merchandising, including a fast food deal with Burger King, a building toy license with K'nex excluding Japan.

United States
On February 29, 2012, 41 named Disney XD as the US broadcaster for the series. The series debuted on June 15, 2013, and aired on the network until 2016.

On July 1, 2017, reruns of the series began broadcasting on the KidsClick block as one of its launch programmes, and aired on the block until its discontinuation in March 2019.

On July 7, 2019, Discovery Family picked up rights to several of 41 Entertainment's shows, including Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. The show aired on the channel from November 16, 2019, to August 27, 2023.

Japan
The series premiered on April 5, 2014, on Tokyo MX and BS11 in Japan.

Canada
The series premiered on March 17, 2014, on Disney XD, and was retained following the network's rebrand as Family Chrgd on October 9, 2015, and the rebrand to WildBrainTV on March 1, 2022.

The series stopped airing reruns in 2022.

Internationally
On June 26, 2012, British Sky Broadcasting acquired the 2D and 3D broadcast rights for the series in the United Kingdom. On November 15, 2013, the 2D rights transitioned from Sky to Disney XD and later premiered on the network on January 11, 2014. Sky 3D would air the series within the same time as well.

In October 2012, it was confirmed that Network Ten would air the series in Australia.

On February 7, 2013, Clan and Canal Panda picked up the free and pay-TV rights to the series in Spain for a summer 2013 window on the latter and a January 2014 window for the former. The series premiered on Clan on January 16, 2014.

On March 29, 2013, CTC acquired the free-TV rights for the series in Russia.

On September 10, 2013, Gulli and Canal J picked up the free and pay-TV rights to the series in France for a Fall 2013 window.

On September 17, 2013, MBC3 picked up the rights for select MENA regions.

On November 15, 2013, 41 granted Disney EMEA various TV rights for the series. Disney XD acquired the Pay-TV rights for Series 1 in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Nordic territories with an option for the second series if needed, while Disney XD and Disney Channel acquired the pay and free-TV rights to both seasons in Germany.

In the Philippines, it aired on Disney Channel on March 3 and ended on October 30, 2014, to give way for the special programming of "Monstober". It returned to air on March 2, 2015.

On October 5, 2015, the series premiered on Discovery Kids in Latin America (except Brazil, which aired on Gloob instead).

North America
On February 7, 2013, 41 Entertainment appointed Phase 4 Films as North American Home Entertainment distributor for the series.

The first release - "The Adventure Begins" was released on January 7, 2014, and solely contained the first episode of the series.

These releases were followed on with volumed DVDs containing four episodes each: "Pac is Back!" (Released in January 2014), "All You Can Eat" (Released in January 2014), "Ghost Patrol" (Released in March 2014), "Let the Games Begin", and "A Berry Scary Night" (Released in September 2014), "Jurassic Pac", "Movie 4-Pac" and a collection containing four or eight DVDs were also followed up.

There were also two DVDs each with three episodes that was released exclusively to Redbox: "Indiana Pac and the Temple of Slime", and "Mission Impacable!". An additional release: "Pac to the Future", was exclusively sold at Redbox Canada.

Australian releases
There have been two DVD releases in Australia. These were released in Australia on October 2, 2013. The current releases in Australia are:
 * 1) Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures: The Adventure Begins, the first DVD release containing the first 6 episodes
 * 2) Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures: Pac to the Future, which contains another 6 episodes.

German/Austria/Switzerland releases
On May 1, 2014, 41 Entertainment named Universal Pictures Germany as the distributor for the series in DACH countries.

The first six volumes were released on October 10, 2014., with volumes seven and eight releasing on March 15, 2015. Each DVD contained two episodes from the series with only German audio.

Japan
11 DVDs of the series were released for rental by Bandai Visual between 2014 and 2015, each containing five episodes.

Video games
Several video games based on the show have been developed. An endless runner for iOS and Android titled Pac-Man Dash! was released in July 2013. This is also hosted for free in Canada on the CHRGD website. In 2017, Pac-Man Dash! was discontinued and removed from digital storefronts.

A 3D platformer with the same name as the TV series was released for Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC in late 2013, accompanied by a 2D platformer for the Nintendo 3DS shortly after. A sequel was released in October 2014. Characters from the show have also appeared in the compilation release for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC, titled Pac-Man Museum. The compilation was delisted in 2020.

Although the show's Pac-Man design was the standard at the time, Pac-Man's original design would appear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U instead. Super Smash Bros. series creator Masahiro Sakurai stated that he preferred the original design of Pac-Man over the design seen in The Ghostly Adventures, and would have considered dropping him from the game if Bandai Namco didn't let him use the classic design.