Filmation and MGM/UA Television
“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
A tale of a spacey, far-out trip
That started from this tropic isle
Aboard a handcrafted rocket ship.” tweet
That’s actually a better introduction to the animated Gilligan’s Planet than you’re given. I was expecting a similar catchy theme song as the original Sherwood Schwartz series and was disappointed when the characters gave me their spoken backstory instead. However, I did appreciate this – I wondered why my favorite island castaways were suddenly lost in space!
Apparently, the Professor put together a handmade rocket ship out of the S.S. Minnow’s parts and they set off into space to escape what had been their island home for what feels like forever in syndication. I’m not sure why they kept climbing higher and higher into the stratosphere instead of aiming the ship to another destination on Earth. I’m also not sure why it was possible for them to build a rocket ship but not another boat. These are questions not meant to be answered. When a gem like Gilligan’s Planet comes along with such an unconventional premise, rules of logic need not apply.
Rules of logic need not apply. tweet
Gilligan’s Planet was a Saturday morning cartoon series produced by Filmation and MGM/UA Television for the 1982-83 season on CBS. (Filmation also produced such animated classics as Star Trek: The Animated Series, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.) It was not the first animated Gilligan’s Island spin-off, but it was definitely the only one that featured the stranded castaways in space. It also marked the end of a golden era for Filmation, as it was one of the last cartoons the company produced for Saturday mornings.
All of the original cast members reprised their roles for Gilligan’s Planet except for Tina Louise. Both Ginger and Mary Ann were voiced by Dawn Wells (the original Mary Ann) for the series, which is why Ginger suddenly has platinum blonde hair in animated form. This bothered me more than a little – there’s a reason why her name was Ginger! But apparently that was Filmation’s creative copyrighting solution since Tina Louise was so adamant about distancing herself from the role of Ginger and the characters were drawn as decent caricatures of the actual actors involved. Honestly, Dawn Wells did an admirable job of imitating Ginger’s breathy, seductive voice and mannerisms. I didn’t realize it was a different person until I researched it and began to pay more attention afterwards. (Here’s another fun fact for you: Dawn also wasn’t involved in the first animated series – The New Adventures of Gilligan – because she was busy doing a play at the time. Jane Webb voiced both Ginger and Mary Ann in that series.)
I had never watched Gilligan’s Planet before, but I loved the concept enough to pounce upon the recent DVD release by the Warner Archive Collection (for the first time ever, all 13 episodes appear together on two discs – sorry, no bonus features). Although I know it isn’t a Hanna-Barbera production, certain aspects make it feel like a cross between The Flintstones and The Jetsons. The vibrant planet backdrops and alien flora and fauna have a certain Jetsons vibe, while the primitive huts the castaways have built are reminiscent of the stone dwellings on The Flintstones. They also decided to give Gilligan a sidekick – a cute, green dinosaur-like alien named Bumper, who reminded me more than a little of Dino. The bright, “spacey” hues of purples, greens, blues and reds are pleasing to the eye, while the plot developments are similar enough to the ones from the original series to be tenderly familiar, with one notable exception: instead of “hostile island natives,” it’s often “hostile aliens” that various cast members need rescue from, episode to episode.
Filmation and MGM/UA Television
I think it’s ironic that the same company responsible for Fat Albert also made this series, as I thought Skipper bore a certain resemblance to Fat Albert because they made him look larger than life in animated form. Poor Alan Hale, Jr. was never quite that big! There’s even an episode in which Gilligan disguises himself as the Skipper to fool some aliens and he definitely looks like Fat Albert in his red shirt. I was half waiting for Mushmouth to jump out from behind a space rock during that episode – now that would’ve been an animated crossover to remember!
I miss the days when studios thought it was a good idea to create animated spin-offs from popular TV shows. tweet
I miss the days when studios thought it was a good idea to create animated spin-offs from popular TV shows. And not only was it enough to see your favorite characters in animated form, but they also felt the need to give them bizarro subplots often bordering into the realm of psychedelia. “Let’s put the castaways from Gilligan’s Island in space! What would happen if we set The Partridge Family far into the future, like say 2200 A.D.? Let’s send The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang through time – they really need to get back to 1957 Milwaukee – and while we’re at it, Wolfman Jack would be the perfect narrator for such adventures! I think The Brady Bunch kids really need to be aided by a talking bird that’s also a wizard, whaddya think? Gary Coleman would make an awesome angel!” I bet those creative brainstorming sessions/staff meetings were a blast! Were they all eating special brownies, I wonder?
Can you imagine if the studios got together today and did that with the fall television lineup? “Tyrion Lannister of Game of Thrones should travel through time and solve mysteries – and let’s give him a talking tiger as a sidekick! Maybe the cast of Modern Family are a family of clowns crisscrossing the country in a clown car that talks. Perhaps The Big Bang Theory nerds are stranded on a mysterious island and a bumbling Sheldon is the next coming of Gilligan! Who wouldn’t want to see the cast from The Office in a post-apocalyptic future in which Dwight Schrute reigns supreme along with flying monkeys?” Actually, I wish that would happen! Television needs to return to its bizarro roots. Some shows would lend themselves perfectly to the zany world of animation – Parks & Rec, I’m looking specifically at you!
Gilligan’s Planet is a fun-fueled product of its time not meant to be taken seriously. After all, the Professor can invent and build an alien language translator, but can’t repair their rocket ship? One of my favorite episodes was titled “Space Pirates” and it featured a plot centering on a Rubik’s Cube being more than just a Rubik’s Cube – it was actually a laser. Who knew? Yet another reason for me to mistrust anyone who can actually solve one of those things! Other standout episodes include “Amazing Colossal Gilligan,” in which Gilligan becomes a giant after falling into one of the planet’s many rivers, and “Super Gilligan,” in which Gilligan is given superhero powers thanks to a special cape given to him by a yogi in a mysterious cave. Who doesn’t enjoy watching the bumbling Gilligan soar the friendly skies? Now if only I could be given a copy of The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang to review, my life would be complete!
Share this post
