TigerSharks the 1987 animated series
TigerSharks is an American animated series for children, produced by Rankin / Bass and released by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1987. The series involved a team of heroes who could transform into human and marine animals and resembled the series thundercats e Silver Hawks, also developed by Rankin / Bass.
The series ran for a season with 26 episodes and was part of The Comic Strip show, which consisted of four animated shorts: TigerSharks, Street Frogs, The Mini Monsters e Karate Kat.
The animation was made by the Japanese studio Pacific Animation Corporation. Warner Bros. Animation currently owns the series, as they own the 1974-89 Rankin / Bass library, which was incorporated into the merger of Lorimar-Telepictures and Warner Bros. However, no DVD or streaming release of the series has been made available. worldwide since of mid 2020.
History
TigerShark team members were humans who can use a device called the Fish Tank, to transform between enhanced human and marine forms. The TigerSharks' base was a spaceship that could also navigate underwater. The ship was called SARK and contained the Fish Tank, along with other research facilities.
The action took place in the fictional world of Water-O (pronounced Wah-tare-oh), which was almost completely covered in water. The planet was inhabited by a race of fish-men called the Waterians. The TigerSharks arrived there on a research mission and ended up serving as the planet's protectors against the evil T-Ray.
Characters
Tiger Sharks
Protectors of Water-O, the team members are:
Mako (voiced by Peter Newman) - A gifted diver, he is considered the field leader of the TigerSharks. Mako is not only a good broker, but also an excellent fighter. He transforms into a human / mako shark hybrid, which grants him incredible speed underwater. Mako also uses the forearm fins and the head fin to cut metal.
Walro (voiced by Earl Hammond) - The scientific and mechanical genius who created the Fish Tank. He acts as a team advisor and is highly respected by his teammates. Walro transforms into a human / walrus hybrid. He wields a staff that has a wide variety of weapons.
Rodolfo "Dolph" (voiced by Larry Kenney) - Second in command and also a seasoned diver. Dolph has a knack for jokes and jokes, but he knows when to joke and when to work. Dolph transforms into a human / dolphin hybrid, which makes him very maneuverable underwater and can fire a strong jet of water from his blowhole. However, he also makes him the only Tigershark unable to breathe underwater in his aquatic form. He speaks with an Irish accent.
Octavia (voiced by Camille Bonora) - SARK captain, communications engineer and principal strategist. Octavia transforms into a human / octopus hybrid (with tentacles instead of hair).
Lorca - the team mechanic and often helps Walro repair or build new cars. He is also the strongest member of the team. Lorca transforms into a human / orca hybrid. He speaks with an Australian accent.
Bronc - A teenager who, along with his sister Angel, works as an assistant aboard the SARK. Bronc is very adventurous and sometimes reckless. He transforms into a human / seahorse hybrid; hence his name, which derives from "Bronco".
Angel - Another teenage member of the SARK crew. She is more serious and responsible than her brother than she is. She transforms into a human / angelfish hybrid, hence her name.
Gupp - TigerSharks' pet Basset Hound. While his name might imply that he transforms into a guppy, his features, including fin-shaped legs and spiked teeth, more closely resemble a seal or sea lion.
The bads
The show featured two main antagonists, both with teams of followers. Both are allied to take over Water-O and destroy the TigerSharks, but they plan to betray each other once these objectives are achieved. They are:
t-ray - T-Ray is a human / manta hybrid creature. He and his Mantanas arrived on Water-O because their homeworld had dried up. In an attempt to conquer Water-O, he freed Captain Bizzarly and his crew from their frozen prison on Seaberia. He is bent on conquering the Waterians and destroying the TigerSharks. He and his assistants cannot survive out of the water without using a water respirator. He wields a whip.
Manas - T-Ray's fish-like minions
Wall Eye (voiced by Peter Newman) A human / frog hybrid who is T-Ray's aide-de-camp. He can hypnotize people by rolling their eyes.
Shad - A short-tempered human / grouper hybrid. Wear a belt that can fire electric explosions.
dredge - A fish-like mutant who carries a purple eel on his back.
Carper and Weakfish - Two newts with frog faces. Identical twin brothers who (as befits their names) whine and complain about everything. Carper has green skin; Weak fish has purple.
Captain Bizzarly - A pirate with aquaphobia who controlled all crime-related activities in the vast oceans of Water-O until the Waterians froze him and his crew in ice many years ago. T-Ray freed Bizzarly and his crew expecting them to join forces. However, Bizzarly promptly betrayed T-Ray. Bizzarly now constantly tries to get rid of the TigerSharks and regain control of the oceans of Water-O.
Dragonstein - Captain Bizzarly's pet sea dragon. He can fly, breathe fire and maneuver underwater.
Long John Silverfish - A humanoid whose mouth suggests a mouse. He wields an electrified whip.
Spike Marlin - Bizzarly's first officer, a wrinkled-faced human who wields a custom weapon.
Soulmate - The only female member of Captain Bizzarly's crew. Her attire suggests that she is a samurai. She wields a sword, among other weapons.
lump - A slimy, shape-shifting blob-like creature.
Grunt - An overweight humanoid who grunts like a monkey. He is the muscular one of the Bizzarly crew.
Production
Rankin / Bass followed their hit series ThunderCats and SilverHawks with this series on a team of enhanced human / marine hybrids called "TigerSharks". This third series also featured many of the same voice actors who had worked on ThunderCats and SilverHawks including Larry Kenney, Peter Newman, Earl Hammond, Doug Preis and Bob McFadden.
Episodes
01 - The aquarium
02 - Sark to the rescue
03 - Save the Sark
04 - The deep fryer
05 - Bow fin
06 - The present of Parrot
07 - The lighthouse
08 - Go with the flow
09 - Termagante
10 - Dragonstein's Terror
11 - Redfin's research
12 - The Kraken
13 - clandestine
14 - Frozen
15 - The volcano
16 - Question of age
17 - The eye of the storm
18 - Departure
19 - Cloudy waters
20 - The collector of spells
21 - The Waterscope
22 - The point of no return
23 - The treasure hunt
24 - The paradise island
25 - The treasure map
26 - Returns Redfin
Technical data
Author Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
country of origin United States
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 26
Executive Producers Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
Duration 22 minutes
Production company Rankin / Bass Animated Entertainment
Pacific Animation Corporation
Distributor Lorimar-Telepictures
Original release date 1987
Italian network Rai 2
