"Island of Dr. Mystico" is Episode 21 of Freakazoid! It aired on February 7, 1997, as the eighth episode of season 2. It was written by Jed Spingarn and directed by Rich Arons and Dave Marshall. The episode was beloved by critics, but they turned on it when they learned that it wasn't European.
Synopsis[]
Freakazoid, with the help of Steff, Cosgrove and Prof. Jones, is transporting his greatest enemies via plane to the remote country of France, Europe. The plane crashes on an island where the sinister Dr. Mystico is carrying out his bizarre experiments.
Characters[]
- Announcer (appears onscreen as reporter)
- Marlon Brando (caricature/cameo)
- Candle Jack
- Cave Guy
- Cobra Queen
- Sergeant Mike Cosgrove
- Freakazoid
- Greg (new production assistant; super efficient; caricature of real-life Freakazoid! production assistant Gregory L. Shepherd[1]; voiced by Maurice LaMarche)
- Professor Jones
- Henry Kissinger (caricature/cameo; voiced by Maurice LaMarche)
- The Lobe
- Longhorn
- Leonard Maltin (playing himself)
- Morality and You Host (voiced by Maurice LaMarche)
- Dr. Mystico
- Emmitt Nervend (in a walk-on role as a saucy dance hall chanteuse)
- The Orangu-Men (Fatima, Akbar and Ringo) (voiced by Jim Cummings)
- Sparkle (Dr. Mystico's cat)
- Steff
Other[]
Main Title Version: hand-wringing chimp; free kazoo
Gag Credit: The part of “The Island” was played by our mixing supervisor, Richard Freeman
Tag: Steff says, “That was quite a jolt, Freak”
Trivia[]
- The episode parodies H. G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau. While many fans assume it is a parody of the 1996 film adaptation starring Marlon Brando (no doubt due to Brando himself being caricatured in the episode), it more closely parodies the 1932 film adaptation Island of Lost Souls. Dr. Mystico's appearance is partially modeled after Charles Laughton's portrayal as Dr. Moreau in that film.
- Dr. Mystico is also modeled after the voice actor portraying him, Tim Curry.
- "Carefully on Tiptoe Stealing" is quoted nearly verbatim from the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta H.M.S. Pinafore, which also provided the tune for the Lord Bravery Intro and was a parody source for the Paul Rugg-scripted Animaniacs short "H.M.S. Yakko." One of the few changes is to add a reference to the Disney film That Darn Cat!
- The opening premise of this episode, criminals being transported en masse via airplane, may have been derived from the Nicolas Cage movie Con Air, which was released four months after this episode aired.
- This is the only Freakazoid! episode written by Jed Spingarn. He went on to become a series writer on the third season of Pinky and the Brain.
- The Freakazoid! team's caricature of Henry Kissinger first appeared in the intro to "Mission: Freakazoid."
- "That was quite a jolt, Freak," parodies a line reading by Norma McCarty in Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space: "It was quite a jolt, Jeff!"
- In addition to the line reading above being a parody of Plan 9 from Outer Space, the shot itself is also a reference to the film. The background is a near exact replica of the cockpit set in that film, and a boom mic appears in the shot as in the original film.
- Cave Guy and Cobra Queen sing Polly Wolly Doodle with The Lobe and Longhorn.
- The Can-Can is a piece of BGM.
Voice Credits[]
Paul Rugg as Freakazoid
Edward Asner as Sgt. Cosgrove
Jonathan Harris as Professor Jones
Tracy Rowe as Steff
David Warner as The Lobe
Jeff Glen Bennett as Cave Guy
Maurice LaMarche as Longhorn
Tress MacNeille as Cobra Queen
Tim Curry as Dr. Mystico
Leonard Maltin as Himself
Jim Cummings as Ape Monster
Joe Leahy as Our Announcer