Mummies Alive!



Mummies Alive! is an American animated series from DIC Entertainment that originally aired in syndication for one season in 1997. Originally, Mummies Alive was geared towards an older audience, but during production it became predominately a children's show. The series ran for one season of 42 episodes; the last two episodes link together to end the show, as it appears episodes 38-40 were the finale of the first season. A second season was planned, but due to low ratings, the series was cancelled.

Plot
In ancient Egypt, an evil sorcerer named Scarab, kills the pharaoh's son, Prince Rapses, so he can become immortal. Entombed alive for his crime, Scarab revives in the modern world and begins his search for Rapses' reincarnation, a San Francisco-dwelling boy named Presley Carnovan to retrieve the spirit of Rapses' so he can become immortal. Rapses' (Presley's) bodyguards, Ja-Kal, Rath, Armon, and Nefer-Tina, along with Rapses' cat, Kahti, awake from the dead to protect him from Scarab. They use the power of Ra to transform into powerful guardians.

Each of the mummies is aligned with the power of an Egyptian god. Ja-Kal uses the spirit of falcon, Rath uses the spirit of snake, Armon uses the spirit of ram, and Nefer-Tina uses the spirit of cat. They are able to call upon it for magical armor and powers to fight superhuman evildoers. Although, once their strength is exhausted, they must rest in their sarcophagi to regain the ability. In order to access these powers, the mummies call out the phrase "With the Strength of Ra!", which triggers their transformation. The mummies also have the power to make a horrifying face, usually used to scare away nosy bystanders.

In addition to Scarab, the mummies often had to contend with gods and spirits from Egyptian myth summoned to the modern world, including Anubis, Set, Geb, Apep, Bast, Sekhmet, Bes, and many others, usually as part of one of Scarab's schemes that went out of his control.

Characters
Presley Carnovan (voiced by Bill Switzer) — Presley is a 12 year old boy, who has the spirit of Prince Rapses XII (an ancient pharaoh) who is based on Ramses. He soon discovers this when the Mummies introduce themselves as his guardians. He lives in San Francisco with his mother. He is reluctant to accept his role as Rapses, but on at least two occasions where he had the chance to be freed of his role, when Rapses's father apparently came through the Western Gate and when the original Rapses was drawn into the present, he expressed reluctance at losing his status as "pharaoh" because it would have also meant him losing the mummies.

Ja-Kal (voiced by Dale Wilson) — The leader of the Mummies. In his transformed state, his armor resembles a falcon and also allows him to fly. His weapon is his razor sharp talons/claws and a bow that can shoot out flaming arrows. In ancient Egypt, Ja-Kal was a hunter who had a wife named Tia and a small baby son named Padjet; he died without knowing what happened to his family. He worries the most about Presley's safety, often acting as a father-figure to him. He commonly uses hunting terms to talk to others and explain situations. Ja-Kal commonly cares for other people's needs first and himself second.

Rath (voiced by Scott McNeil) — The most intelligent of the Mummies (but also the most arrogant). When he transforms, a green snake which turns into a golden cobra wraps around him and serves as his armor. His weapon of choice is a sword that can transform into a snake, but he is also able to perform magical incantations. He also designed and built the Mummies' vehicles. In the past, he served as the young Prince's tutor. He claims to know about science, but his definition is such things as turning a staff into a serpent, although he has learned to adapt some spells to the present (such as a spell that summoned underground snakes to bind his enemies in the past, but now summons electric cables in the present).

Armon (voiced by Graeme Kingston) — Armon is huge and eats very often. He is very strong even when he has not transformed. He is missing his right arm and when he transforms he obtains a golden arm that is used as his weapon. His armor resembles a ram. In Ghouls' Gold, it was explained that Armon lost his real arm fighting in the Pharaoh's army. The pharaoh then gave him his golden arm. While not fighting, Armon spends most of his time eating or watching "the magic box" TV that Presley gave them. In the past, Armon was Rapses' teacher of combat.

Nefer-Tina (voiced by Cree Summer) — She is the only female of the Mummies. She is an expert with her whip, has great agility, and is extremely proficient at driving the Hot-Ra — the Mummies' dragster-like vehicle. When she transforms, her armor is like a cat. Back in ancient Egypt, she had to hide the fact that she was a girl with a head piece or she would not have been allowed to drive chariots. She was known to everyone as Nefer. Only Prince Rapses knew her true identity during that period of time. Ja-Kal and the other members were shocked to find out about the revelation. Armon then comments "No wonder he never went swimming in the Nile with us". Out of the group, she is the only one who is absolutely willing to try anything modern, such as driving a car, and constantly learns under Presley. She also travels the modern world in disguise to try new things. Nefer-Tina's name was based on Queen Nefertiti.

Scarab (voiced by Gerard Plunkett) — The Pharaoh's adviser, who later sucked the life force from Prince Rapses for youth and immortality. However the effects were not permanent and started to wear off after a few centuries. Now with Prince Rapses reincarnated as Presley Carnovan, he will stop at nothing to steal the prince's life force again. When Scarab transforms, his body is covered in golden and purple armor, resembling that of a scarab beetle and possessing the power of flight. He also possesses a magical talking snake named Heka that acts as his magical staff from time to time, much to her dismay. His powers include shooting energy blasts from his hands, the creation of Shabti and extensive knowledge in summoning creatures from the afterlife in ancient Egypt. However, he has also shown a good grasp of modern technology, as shown most keenly in "Sleight of Hand", where he used technology while competing against the mummies in a mystical contest to try to become Presley's guardian himself (Although Ja-Kal and Presley were able to expose the deception at the last minute).

History
Eric and Julia Lewald, writers/producers for Mummies Alive!, were also head writers for the non-canonical series, Gargoyles. Both programs share common plot elements, including a group of warriors from the past that awaken in the present to fight a wealthy, immortality obsessed, enemy; their initial difficulties in adapting to the modern world; the use of mythological figures in numerous episodes; and a recurring femme fatale antagonist. These similarities made Mummies Alive! vulnerable to criticism describing it as little more than a Gargoyles clone.

After its first and only season, repeats of Mummies Alive! continued to air on local stations across the country. In 1998, a VHS entitled "Mummies Alive! - The Legend Begins" was released. DVDs have also been released including "Mummies Alive: The Beginning" and two volume sets in 2007.

To coincide with the animated series, Hasbro produced a series of Mummies Alive! 5" tall action figures and vehicles in 1997.

Episodes
Mummies Alive! has a total of 42 episodes spread over 1 season that was produced from September 1997 to November 1997.

Italy

 * Mediaset