Not many have heard of "The Legend of Prince Valiant" and an equal amount missed seeing it when it aired on heavily censored, Pat Robertson controlled, Family Channel, {for which the series was created} back in the the 90s. So it's no wonder that the adventures of young Prince Valiant and friends has been overlooked the past decade. Overlooked by many, yes. Forgotten by the viewers who grew up with it, no.
"The Legend of Prince Valiant" dared to submerge into social issued plots lines ranging from child abuse, and racial discrimination, to moral lessons about coming of age. {Not your typical 'Saturday Morning Cartoon' material!} The program strove to teach and entertain at the same time, without rose coloring it's story lines. Many talented writers penned the series' 65 episodes {among them fan favorites Brooks Watchel, and Frank Karr} and the plots were brought to an excellent hight of drama, comedy, and adventure by the voice cast, including Robby Benson as "Valiant" Michael Horton as "Arn", Noelle North as "Rowanne", and Alan Oppenheimer as "Merlin". Much to the series' credit, the plot content and deeply developed characters overthrew any questions with the perfection of the animation techniques. {Which in my opinion remains above the likes of Cartoon Network's Productions to date} The series also has an excellent soundtrack by 'Exchange', and very memorable theme titled "Where the truth lies" { That knocks the "Captain Planet" theme into a musical abyss.} The time, work and talent that was put into this series did earn it a few awards, but in the end Pat Robertson and The 700 Club cut it, finding it too "adult" and not sensitive enough to their Network Politics. A sad end for a hero like Valiant..............And yet the fans of the series continue to uphold their interest even after a decade of it's demise. With the BCI release of the the entire series {65 episodes} in two volume DVD sets, "The Legend of Prince Valiant" is now available to a new generation of viewers, as well as die-hard fans of Camelot's most honored {yet overlooked} hero, Prince Valiant.
"The Legend of Prince Valiant" dared to submerge into social issued plots lines ranging from child abuse, and racial discrimination, to moral lessons about coming of age. {Not your typical 'Saturday Morning Cartoon' material!} The program strove to teach and entertain at the same time, without rose coloring it's story lines. Many talented writers penned the series' 65 episodes {among them fan favorites Brooks Watchel, and Frank Karr} and the plots were brought to an excellent hight of drama, comedy, and adventure by the voice cast, including Robby Benson as "Valiant" Michael Horton as "Arn", Noelle North as "Rowanne", and Alan Oppenheimer as "Merlin". Much to the series' credit, the plot content and deeply developed characters overthrew any questions with the perfection of the animation techniques. {Which in my opinion remains above the likes of Cartoon Network's Productions to date} The series also has an excellent soundtrack by 'Exchange', and very memorable theme titled "Where the truth lies" { That knocks the "Captain Planet" theme into a musical abyss.} The time, work and talent that was put into this series did earn it a few awards, but in the end Pat Robertson and The 700 Club cut it, finding it too "adult" and not sensitive enough to their Network Politics. A sad end for a hero like Valiant..............And yet the fans of the series continue to uphold their interest even after a decade of it's demise. With the BCI release of the the entire series {65 episodes} in two volume DVD sets, "The Legend of Prince Valiant" is now available to a new generation of viewers, as well as die-hard fans of Camelot's most honored {yet overlooked} hero, Prince Valiant.