One thousand twenty-eight years ago, superstition and the sword ruled; it was a time of darkness, a world of fear, the age of gargoyles! Stone by day, warriors by night. These noble beings were betrayed by the executive decisions we had sworn to protect and frozen in anonymity by a magic spell For 25 years. Now here in the Drako Files, the spell is broken. And we live again!
Hello dear reader, and welcome to the respect spotlight to end all spotlights as we finally shine a light and pay tribute to Disney's most underrated series: Gargoyles by Greg Wiseman. And for this particular review, I will review each season and the good things about the show to give you a proper taste.
Overview
For those uninitiated, Gargoyles was an animated series that aired on an old block called the Disney Afternoon from 1994-1997, with 78 episodes and one Emmy by the end of its run. During development, it was intended to be a lighthearted fantasy series. However, the combined work of Greg Wiseman (who later worked on Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice) and the duo of Micheal Reeves and Brynne Chandler Reeves create something truly magnificent.
The series focuses on a clan of nocturnal creatures called Gargoyles that could turn to stone during the day to rest, heal, and come alive during the night as mighty warriors. In 994 A.D., a Scottish clan of mythical creatures formed a symbiotic relationship with the humans inside the castle. However, due to a tragic betrayal, most of the Gargoyles met a violent end, and the remaining were forced into their stone sleep, with the only way to break such a curse was for the castle Wyvern to rise above the cloud themselves.
A thousand years later, the best Disney character ever made, a wealthy businessman named David Xanatos, takes every brick of the castle on top of his giant skyscraper above the clouds to see if the story is true. This is one of the biggest flexes I have ever seen, but that's the point. The spell is broken, and the Gargoyles are now trapped in the modern era of 1994 Manhattan.
Season 1 laid much groundwork with its all-star cast of past Star Trek actors. Some of the mainstays are our main character with a heart of gold and a voice of honey, Goliath, voiced by Keith David, who constantly displays an aura of nobility and class as he tries to hold on to what little he has left in this new world. Other standouts included the clan's main human ally Elisa Maza, a tough and no-nonsense cop armed with more wit than ammo, and Hudson, an old mentor figure who is the first out of the gargoyles to get names based on their new home ( Goliath notwithstanding ).
Another outstanding choice was undoubtedly the choice of villains. This series is the first introduction to one of the greatest villains in all of fiction, David motherfucking Xanatos, who, unlike most villains, especially in his era, never underestimated his opponents, always had a backup plan or ulterior motivation that benefited him in the end, and always sought to grow as a person.
This man was so godly he had three villain tropes named after him (Xanatos Gambit, Xanatos Roulette, and Xanatos speed chess). Another villain introduced this season was Deomna: a gargoyle drove mad with both immortality and tragedy as she seeks to destroy all humanity and anyone in her way. While not perfect, the first episode does serve as a great intro.
Season 2
When the series was finding its footing and getting more recognition, Disney saw potential in the project, and from it, they decided to give the show's second season a tiny 52 episodes! Remember that for a period where most seasons and shows were limited to 4, 13-episode seasons is a blessing. Season 2 was where I think this series reached its proverbial apex.
Great characters and villains become even greater forces, the gargoyles world becomes bigger than ever, and the series gave much of the material for another section of the review that I will discuss later. This was where most of the series' standout elements improved spectacularly and became something very lacking in the '90s: uniqueness.
Season 3
I'll get to you later, but with the seasons out of the way, let's talk about the extraordinary qualities that carried over for most of this epic series.
Tone/Morals
Gargoyles is, in many respects, everything a kid's show of this nature could be. It was unafraid to get creative and wasn't dark to the point of edginess. While there was always a sense of lightheartedness, it knew how to take itself seriously when needed. Gargoyles explored themes of racial prejudice, mortality, forgiveness, etc.
In a scene, one of the gargoyles nearly accidentally killed their main human ally in the first season with a gun! And it wasn't some action that was quickly reversed either; it affected the character for upcoming episodes. While the show did have many lessons, they were displayed naturally and satisfactorily.
Animation/art style
While I will admit, Gargoyles didn't have the best animation from episode to episode (Including... that season), when it was good, it was damn good. The series, much like Batman, the Animated series had like 11 different studios animating it. Another aspect I also appreciated was the design of the gargoyles themselves.
Not only do they feel unique in their designs, but the gargoyles themselves were versatile enough to give them a wide range of emotions that could make them feel both bestial and humanoid despite their demonic appearance. No 2 Gargoyles ever felt the same. Many early episodes also display Manhattan as a true metropolis, with many of the bystander's designs being quaked in a 90's aesthetic that is not half bad.
Music
While not having a set soundtrack, many instruments combine to make a tense and flavorful theme song, especially in the opening. While there are not many musical variations, what stays gives a feeling of pure adventure and medieval zeal to the fight scenes that peppered the show.
Worldbuilding
One of the greatest things season 2 did for Gargoyles was enhance worldbuilding. Gargoyles were always dipped in Shakespearian lore to allow more kids to read, but it eventually fell into other mythologies like Native American and Irish folklore. One of the most significant episodes in the series was the discovery of Oberon's children, which are effectively a third race that includes all of the standard mythical creatures.
Here gods like Odin and Puk to beings in Native American and Irish mythology. By the end of the series, it feels like anything, and everything can happen in this universe after the revered Avalon World Tour. This was a brilliant move since it could open more room for potential stories.
Goliath Chronicles
Okay, I've been holding my hatred out on the infamous season 3 for too long. While in the show's universe, they were finally exploring a world where the gargoyles are eventually known to the world, the behind-the-scenes was very different. While the previous two seasons got broadcasted on Disney, three moved over to ABC, with many writers and animators unfortunately removed.
They are thus making the last season an okay mess of largely unrelated episodes to the main plot, simplified characters, and inconsistent animation. Essentially it had turned something special into nothing more than a non-canon whimper.
Post-mortem and spinoffs.
They were a couple of nonconical games and comics from Marvel during the time. In addition, there was a card game, a canceled graphic cartoon that was supposed to summarize the series, and even a proposition for Gargoyles to get adapted into Kingdom Hearts, but that was also scrapped. However, even with the series's end in 1997, the community and original creators have remained strong about a potential return.
The closest we ever got was in 2006 when Greg Wiseman partnered with Slave Labor Graphics to make a short miniseries aligned with the show's original vision, turning it into the official canon moving forward. But as with most post-series projects, this has been canceled due to increased licensing fees. In addition, there was an annual fan convention initially, but that has been dormant since 2009.
The series did have several proposed spinoffs. This included Timedancer: a string that explains the journeys of one of the main characters as he spent 20 years hopping through time. Pendragon: a series focusing on Arthur Pendragon and a gargoyle going to seek the Holy Grail. The Bad Guys: This is the Gargoyle version of the Suicide Squad, with former villains returning.
Gargoyles 2198: an ideal future setting in which the descendants of our heroes clashed against the criminal and alien Space Spawn. The Dark Ages: A prequel series focusing on Hudson. The New Olympians: a story that showed Oberon's children interacting with the outside world, and finally, Heroes of Ulster, which focused on the descendant of the greatest hero in Ireland.
Epilogue
In my eyes, Gargoyles was a series of infinite potential that got honestly squandered. However, while there have been many cancellations of future projects and spinoffs, hope remains. Recently it's been stated that the series will get added in its entirety on the Disney+ app, and Jordan Peele, director of both U.S. and Nope, is willing to make a live-action movie.
There are also some ideas of certain comics getting produced as well. I hope both projects give this franchise the shot in the arm it needs to live again. Because if any show can rise to the occasion and stand the test of time, it was undoubtedly this masterpiece.