Danger Mouse Returns Triumphant
Back in the 80s and early 90s there was no contest, he was the greatest, he was fantastic and you had better believe that wherever there was danger he would certainly be there. Cosgrove Hall’s Danger Mouse ran for 159 episodes for over 11 years with a record breaking peak audience of over 21 million and holds a place in history as the first British cartoon to be successful in the United States. With a legacy such as this, as well as the generations of adoring fans who remember the show fondly, the BBC had enor-mouse boots to fill and a lot of people to please in order to successfully revive this national treasure.
Skwigly were invited to a press showing and leapt at the chance to attend. As a huge fan of the original show I entered the screening room in a top secret London location (how we all fit inside that post box I’ll never know) to watch the first episode of the revived series with slight trepidation. I needn’t have been concerned, after 22 action packed minutes I was convinced, Danger Mouse is still the greatest, in fact he is better than ever.
I can’t imagine a level of this production that wasn’t done with affection, from the gag filled script through the beautiful blend of old and new animation (photographic backgrounds are back folks!) right the way through to the voice acting, this is a show that services old fans with the odd nod to the past whilst welcoming the next generation to share in the excitement and adventure of the worlds greatest secret agent and the worlds 12th best sidekick Penfold.
Alexander Armstrong voices Danger Mouse
The new series begins with a blistering action from the off as DM’s flying car careers through the streets of London. DM and Penfold are in hot pursuit of the dastardly Pandaminion, a villain who has purchased one of Baron Greenback’s diabolical machines from eBay, the wacky conflict is the backdrop for a huge revelation – the Baron has turned nice! DM’s natural flair for spotting evil get’s the better of him and when the new fine upstanding Baron is arrested by DM the super spy has his badge taken from him and is fired, but before long the Baron’s true intentions are revealed and it is up to Penfold and Danger Mouse to save the day.
This 22 minute, double length episode starts the show perfectly, introducing the audience to characters old and new, stretching their legs after a 23 year long absence. There is an air of familiarity to the whole thing whilst new bits have been added to the show, such as DM’s stylish new “iPatch”, which don’t seem gimmicky and fit the show nicely. New to the gang is Professor Squawkencluck, who serves as Q to DM’s James Bond, though their relationship is a little more like a pair of show off siblings than professional super spies. There has been care gone into the way that the characters have been written also, for example DM’s perfections become clever flaws when he has difficultly adjusting to civilian life or when his heroics spell trouble for the London skyline. The new Penfold also isn’t afraid to point out his superior’s slight arrogance. This new dynamic strengthens the bond between the characters tremendously without having to tear up the rulebook and is subtle enough to not detract from the gag packed storylines.
Kevin Eldon voices Penfold
There has also been a little tidying up done with the series too. The original series would often change scale depending on the needs of the script, sometimes DM would be a mouse in a human sized world, other times he would be human sized. In this modern age, consistency is an issue and so DM and co live in a recognisable world populated by animals where the Queen is a corgi and the number one chat show host is Jimmy Camel. There is a nice gag which means that Danger Mouse and Penfold can still reside in the iconic postbox without it being too cramped for them, but I’ll leave that gag for you viewers to enjoy yourselves.
The animation is provided by Boulder Media in the new series and is a step up from the original look, brighter, bolder and with a lot more lip sync than the die hard fans may be expecting. Although the designs have been refreshed, the characters still inhabit an extremely well constructed world with a key comic design sensibility. The characters themselves are not that far removed from their originals, only changed perhaps so they can be more expressive and versatile when animated. The show doesn’t shy away from it’s past as the first episode has a traditional fight in the dark (“So, we’re doing this old school eh?”) that fans of the old show and it’s charming animation cost cutting shortcuts will be familiar with.
Shauna Macdonald voices Prof Skwalkencluck
Whilst the legacy of Brian Cosgrove’s art and direction and the hilarious scripts of Brian Trueman have been lovingly evolved, perhaps the biggest challenge that this new series faced was finding voices to fill gaps left by David Jason, Edward Kelsey and the late Terry Scott. Alexander Armstrong, who voices Danger Mouse, confessed to have “never cared about a role as much as this one”, whilst Kevin Eldon who plays Penfold admits to being a fan, watching a VHS (talk about old school!) of the original series with his kids. The new voices are pitch perfect, with Stephen Fry providing the right amount of General Melchett inspired pomp and bluster for Colonel K and Shauna Macdonald completes the team as newcomer Professor Squawkencluck. Dave Lamb provides the voice of the narrator, as much of a character as anyone else in the series and Ed Gaughan adds a curious German twist to Baron Greenback’s raspy vocals. The world of Danger Mouse will be populated with characters old and new with Miranda Richardson playing the evil diva Queen of Weevils (Melchett and Queenie together again!), whilst fellow Blackadder vet Brian Blessed bellows brilliantly as Santa and Richard Ayoade lends his deadpan voice to an evil Snowman in the Christmas special. Morwenna Banks will play the Queen, Danger Moth and spoiled super villain Pink Dawn and Richard Osman voices Professor Strontium P Jellyfishowitz. American fans will recognise the vocal talents of Lena Headey as secret agent Jeopardy Mouse and John Oliver providing the evil Augustus P Crumhorn IV’s lines. Though I admit to being most excited to see Count Duckula returning to his dastardly roots, the fame obsessed, fourth wall breaking, maniac will be brought back to life by Rasmus Hardiker, and possibly some misplaced ketchup.
I believe the only thing standing in the way of this being a success is the reluctance that people have for remakes and revivals. This stubborn attitude can sometimes be justified when a show is handled badly, but this is certainly not the case with the new Danger Mouse as it is a joy to see DM, Penfold and Colonel K battle Greenback and his goons again as if they never left. The entire team behind the series revival have crafted a show guided not only by respect and admiration for the source material but also driven by the incredible talent that is clearly demonstrated in all levels of production. This show could be the benchmark for all animation revivals that follow.
Will the new series flounder like some animation remakes have a tendency to do? I’d say there’s definitely no danger of that.
The new series of Danger Mouse begins on the 28th September on CBBC – 34 years to the day since the first ever episode aired.