The Animated Series’ Staff Before It Was a Hit

The big picture

• 20th Century Fox fired the
  X-Men: The Animated Series
  staff before Season 1 aired because the studio didn't think the series would do well.
• After season 1 enjoyed record ratings, Fox rehired the staff and ordered 65 episodes.
• The staff's commitment to making a mature, serialized cartoon paid off
  X-Men: The Animated Series
  i
  X-Men '97
  setting the gold standard for superhero adaptations.

Now that X-Men '97 For now, it's come to an end, with Marvel Studios' first X-Men project ending its inaugural season with the highest Rotten Tomatoes critics' score of any MCU TV show and any X-Men adaptation in the screen: 99% near perfect. X-Men '97The triumphs of 's are built on the exemplary foundations established by X-Men: The Animated Series and its five seasons on Fox Kids. Once assessed, The Animated SeriesUnprecedented success proved there was an audience for stories about mutants. 2000s X Men The film moved the group into live-action, which in turn spawned 12 more films, and it's all back to The Animated Series and the small, dedicated production team that makes it so. And, like the Disney+ documentary Edited: The Making of X-Men '97 reveals, after this team created season 1, Fox fired all staff — effectively canceling the program before it aired.

Why did Fox almost cancel 'X-Men: The Animated Series'?

From X-Men: The Animated Series i X-Men '97 are inseparable by design, many of the former's key figures discuss their behind-the-scenes experiences for Edited: The Making of X-Men '97. Showrunner Eric Lewald and his wife Julia Lewalda regular writer for the series, revealed Fox executives had no faith in this bold new product. In general, the entertainment world had yet to discover that superheroes were a golden goose waiting to be used. The studies had made inroads spider man spider man, spider womani The Incredible Hulk cartoons, but the companies did not take it seriously.

“The people [above] I didn't believe X Men he was going to do anything,” Julia Lewald explained. Fox committed to a 13-episode season, “but that's about it.” Once Season 1 finished production, in Eric's words, “All the creative staff was let go in July, August, when we finished our work. And then in January when it came out, all of a sudden it was this huge number one hit.” With virtually unprecedented ratings and “USPS cartons” overflowing with fan mail, Fox rehired as many team members as possible and gave the green light. The Animated Series for 65 episodes, enough for syndication.

The X-Men's journey from page to screen

To be fair, the X-Men have a rough animated history. They debuted as guest stars in the 1966 low-budget cartoon Marvel's superheroes, but under a different alias: the Allies for Peace. According to IGN, they only appeared in their yellow suits because “the animation company didn't have the rights to the Fantastic Four.” In 1992, com X-Men: The Animated Series i Batman: The Animated Series simulcasted their first seasons, studies realized that caped crusaders were monetizable.

Before that, it was Margaret Loesch, the chairman and CEO of Marvel Productions turned CEO of Fox Kids, he knew he had lightning in a bottle. “I identified with the X-Men,” he told Inverse for the site's 2022 retrospective. they are not accepted for their differences”.

Before The Animated Serieshad financed Loesch Pryde from the X-Men, the first real attempt to put Xavier's team on screen. That pilot had gone straight to VHS instead of a series order and made some interesting decisions – one over the top Stan Lee storytelling, for one, and an Australian Wolverine, for another. The Animated Series director Larry Houstonwhich he also co-directed Pryde from the X-Menshared with Inverse that “we did our best with that show, but it didn't sell.”

As soon as Loesch got her second chance in 1990 as CEO of Fox Kids, she championed The Animated Series despite Fox's misgivings. By speeding up the show's production and keeping him around, Loesch risked his career. She told Inverse:

“I had a conversation with Jamie Kellner, who was the president of the Fox Broadcasting Company, and he wasn't excited about X-Men. He thought it was violent and dark and that it took too much away from Saturday morning programming. s 'had turned, which was mostly on younger shows. I was surprised and very concerned because I had already decided that the only way we were going to succeed as a new network was to counter-programme against what everyone else was doing, and I won't go into X-Men too much detail about this, but my job was on the line if X-Men didn't work out, even to the extent that my contract was changed I didn't tell anyone at the 'team, because I didn't want it to wake them up, but I was very disappointed and a bit horrified because my job was in jeopardy, but I believed in the show.”

The staff of 'X-Men: The Animated Series' shared an insight

As we know, staff commitment paid off. Over the course of five seasons, 77 episodes and numerous complex storylines, X-Men: The Animated Series stretches every penny of its budget and challenges preconceived notions about comic book metaphors and the quality of work children's media is capable of. Together with Batmanits cousin DC, The Animated Series sets the gold standard for nuanced superhero adaptations.

Record ratings aside, complications continued to plague the crew. Technically, the problems arose on the first day. Pre-production was already “a month behind,” and the Lewalds rushed to write the two-part pilot, “Night of the Sentinels.” Creativity in a crisis rarely sees good results, however X Men's scripts were important. The Lewalds, Larry Houston and Margaret Loesch shared a specific vision. His mission was to honor the socio-political themes of comics and speak “at the height” of children, not to underestimate their emotional capacity. The crew wanted to surprise the viewers X Menlong-form serialized narrative. Cliffhangers were rare for cartoons. Even rarer were character deaths. Morph (Rob Rubin) the apparent disappearance in the premiere establishes stakes, risk and tension; almost as soon as we meet the X-Men, the Sentinels kill a beloved member.

“In the 90s,” Houston told Inverse, “it was Scooby Doo or super friends, that was the standard. We wanted to make sure that when kids watch “Night of the Watchmen I and II,” they could tell this wasn't the usual show they're used to seeing.” of course, X-Men '97 chief director Jake Castorena used the same approach. “The OG program leaned toward prejudice,” he said assembled documentary “He didn't shy away from it, but he also didn't trash it or treat the audience like a child. He told stories.”

Making 'X-Men: The Animated Series' was not easy

X-Men: The Animated SeriesThe mature approach to selling was not easy. “There was incredible pressure to change him and make him youngerstupider, or give them a dog,” Eric Sewald told The Hollywood Reporter. “Thankfully, everyone on the creative side came together and had moments of, 'No, you're going to have to fire me.'” Artist and producer Will meow aired a particularly crucial showdown over a toy promotional deal between Fox and an Australian fast-food franchise; like orIn front of him, Meugniot pushed himself against the study.

Even from a production point of view, The Animated SeriesAmbitions were risky. Scheduling delays and animation glitches occurred as early as the pilot and extended into Season 4, the latter affecting the release order of the Dark Phoenix arc. For Season 5, Haim Saban, the founder of the company Saban Entertainment, switched animation studios, which resulted in a noticeably different style and a reduced budget.

'X-Men '97' is making its own legacy

Initially, a fifth season wasn't even in the cards. The four-part Season 4 finale, pitting our heroes against a time-traveling Apocalypse, was intended to bring closure to the X-Men's adventures. Based on The Animated Seriescontinued success, Fox ordered 10 additional episodes. then, X Men it does not end with a great battle, but calmly and emotionally; hoping to save the life of a seriously injured Charles (Cedric Smith), Shia empress Lilandra (Camilla Scott) takes him to his world. The teacher's adult students, united by a Magneto (David Hemblen) who is considering peace, watches as his beloved mentor—and friend—disappears.

with X-Men '97 following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the Season 5 finale isn't so much an ending as a 27-year hiatus. It's not often that a Saturday morning cartoon evolves into event television. The Animated Series he overcame Fox's misgivings with the tune of a multibillion-dollar movie franchise and an animated renaissance by forging his own legacy. As the Lewalds describe the experience on their website, “Dozens, then hundreds, of people came together in this unlikely challenge. Lifelong friendships have resulted from our shared experiences. […] For that alone we are grateful.” From the beginning, X MenThe crew created something innovative and fearless. More than 30 years later, everyone is finally listening.

X-Men: The Animated Series is available to stream on Disney+.

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