RoboCop (animated TV series)

RoboCop is a 1988 superhero animated series based on the 1987 movie RoboCop. The cartoon aired as part of the Marvel Action Universe programming block. The series was animated by AKOM Productions.

The show made a number of changes to the RoboCop universe to make it more appropriate for younger viewers, including replacing bullets with laser weapons and shifting the series to a more science fiction setting. In this series, RoboCop had a red light in the middle of his visor (which occasionally panned the whole visor). It is set in an alternate continuity where events similar to those shown in the movie happened, excluding Clarence Boddicker's death, who shows up in the last episode.

Ownership of the series passed to Disney in 2001 when Disney acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, which also includes Marvel Productions, while Amazon's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (under Orion Pictures label) remains as current rights holder of the RoboCop franchise.

Plot
Based on the original movie, the series features cyborg cop Alex Murphy (RoboCop), who fights to save the city of Old Detroit from assorted rogue elements, and on occasion, fighting to reclaim aspects of his humanity and maintain his usefulness in the eyes of the "Old Man", Chairman of Omni Consumer Products. Many episodes see RoboCop's reputation put to the test or soured by interventions from Dr. McNamara, the creator of ED-260, the upgradable version of the Enforcement Droid Series 209 and the top competitor for the financial backing of OCP. He continually develops other mechanical menaces that threaten RoboCop.

In the police force, RoboCop is befriended by Officer Anne Lewis, who is depicted to have romantic inclinations towards him, but is also picked on and lambasted by the prejudiced Lieutenant Roger Hedgecock (who appeared as a minor character in the original film), who is determined to be rid of him and his kind, who he sees as ticking time bomb. Their rivalry comes to a fever pitch during the episode "The Man in the Iron Suit", in which Hedgecock comes close to finally beating Murphy with the aid of a new weapons system developed by McNamara. He almost kills Lewis when she interferes, enraging Murphy into tearing Hedgecock's iron suit apart and nearly crushing his skull before Lewis comes to his aid. RoboCop is maintained by RoboCop Project director Dr. Tyler.

The title sequence features a brief animated variation on Murphy being gunned down by Clarence Boddicker and his gang. Throughout the series, RoboCop struggles to deal with the pain of losing his humanity. Other themes include racism ("The Brotherhood"), prejudice at work ("Man in the Iron Suit"), environmental espionage ("Into the Wilderness"), terrorism, and the Middle East peace process ("A Robot's Revenge").

While this series is based on the original film, there are significant changes to RoboCop and his environment. RoboCop is faster and has a greater range of movement than in the films. The Old Detroit of the series is also considerably more technologically advanced: lasers replace handguns and robots are commonplace, Dr. Tyler (who appears in the original film) is the creator of the RoboCop Program, not Bob Morton, and also serves as one of Murphy's confidants as well as his caregiver, along with Dr. Roosevelt. Clarence Boddicker, the man responsible for Alex's Murphy's death prior to him becoming RoboCop, despite dying in the film, is shown to still be alive and battles RoboCop again in "Menace of the Mind", indicating the series takes place in an alternate continuity.

Cast

 * Robert Bockstael - RoboCop/Alex J. Murphy, Dr. McNamara
 * Susan Roman - Anne Lewis
 * Harvey Atkin - K.R.U.D. station manager
 * Barbara Budd - Dr. Tyler
 * Len Carlson - Clarence Boddicker, Casey Wong, The Scrambler, Ace Jackson, Intro Narrator
 * Allen Stewart-Coates - The Old Man, ED-260
 * Rex Hagon - Lt. Roger Hedgecock
 * Dan Hennessey - Edwards
 * Ron James - Wheels Wilson
 * Gordon Masten - Birdman Barnes, Joe Cox
 * Greg Morton - Sgt. Reed, Dr. Roosevelt
 * Chris Ward - Cecil, Ralph

Crew

 * Stu Rosen - Voice Director

Episode guide
The reason why there were only 12 episodes instead of the traditional 13 for a weekly animated series is because Marvel Productions used the budget for what would have been the 13th episode of RoboCop to fund a pilot for a proposed X-Men animated series (also known as Pryde of the X-Men).

Home media
In 1991, three episodes of the series were released as individual NTSC VHS volumes, distributed by Best Film & Video Corp. under the "Marvel Video!" banner. The episodes were: "Man in the Iron Suit!" (volume 1), "Crime Wave" (volume 2), and "A Robot's Revenge" (volume 3).

On February 18, 2008, UK distributor Maximum Entertainment released the complete series in a three-disc box set containing all 12 episodes.

United Kingdom
In the 2000s, Maximum Entertainment (under license from Jetix Europe) released several DVDs of RoboCop on Region 2 DVD in the UK.