The Mask (TV Series 1995–1997) ⭐ 6.9 | Animation, Action, Adventure (original) (raw)
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I loved "The Mask" movie as a kid and I still do. Shortly after the huge success of the film, "The Mask: The Animated Series" was spawned. It's basically the continuing adventures of Stanley Ipkiss with some changes such as Stanley and Peggy going out, Tina not being in the show, Stanley being able to use the Mask by day as well as night and blah, blah, blah, but don't let it stop you from watching the show: it's a truly excellent satire all served with sly humour.
Like other "Mask" fans, I want the show to come back on television, be released on DVD (and NOT just two episodes on the "Son of the Mask" special edition!) and possibly a few more new seasons. Unfortunately, that horrible monstrosity of "Son of the Mask" has absolutely murdered and slaughtered the entire "Mask" franchise. So it's unlikely that us "Mask" fans will be getting any of it. (Damn you, "SIN of the Mask"!!!) Ah well, I still have fond memories of the "The Mask:TAS" and there's also clips on YouTube as well as the full episode "Flight as a Feather".
All in all, "The Mask: TAS" was an excellent satirical cartoon that catered to both kid and adult "Mask" fans world over and if it weren't for "Son of the Mask", I'm sure we would of had our wishes fulfilled.
I'll never forget "The Mask: The Animated Series".
Every bit as good as the movie, and one of the best cartoon shows of the 90s
I love animation and have done for goodness knows how long, and I loved The Mask starring Jim Carrey. This is a true gem of a show, every bit as good and fun as the movie, and one of the best cartoon shows of the 90s alongside Peter Pan and the Pirates, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Tiny Toon Adventures, Darkwing Duck, Talespin and The Little Mermaid.
The animation has so much vibrancy and colour, and The Mask has one of the coolest intros of any animated show. The story lines are both exciting and intriguing, with my favourites being Sister of the Mask, Bride of Pretorious, To Bee or Not to Bee and the Mask and Ace Ventura crossover, and I was always impressed at how fresh and witty, as well as intelligent, the writing was.
I also can't get enough of the slapstick humour, there is plenty of it and all of it works. Of the shows of my childhood I revisited recently The Mask was the one that stood out to me as the funniest. The characters are wonderful, Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask never fails to crack me up with his disguises, his fast-paced antics and his exclamations of "wedgie", Milo is ever so cute and Doyle and Kellaway are such a contrasting and entertaining duo.
As the villains, they are all interesting and well developed. I liked Mayor Tilton, Stinger, Lonnie the Shark and Gorgonzola, but my favourite has to be Pretorious, my love for Tim Curry is a big part of why and he doesn't disappoint here. Can't complain about the voice acting either, to say that Rob Paulsen is amazing is an understatement, he had big shoes to fill and he more than makes the character his own, easily one of my favourite voice overs of his. Jim Cummings, Neil Ross, Cree Summer, Tim Curry et al are equally terrific and they are helped hugely by the writing and how the characters are written.
Overall, a 90s gem and perfect to go with the movie. If I were you though, I would avoid Son of the Mask, I consider it not just one of the worst sequels ever but also one of the worst movies ever. 10/10 for this series that said. Bethany Cox
Wow while I am writing this review I am having glimpses of this show in my mind....This was truly a rocking series right from the theme song till the end(Too bad they changed the theme song after the first season)...I still remember watching The Mask movie in my cousin's house & went completely crazy & again went to the movie with my Dad(Indian releases in theaters are late)& after that this series started...I used to come running from school to watch this show weekdays at 4 to watch it on Cartoon Network ....This show was damn funny.Many episodes are memorable to me.I wish they would release this on DVD...I will buy it with whatever money I have now(I am still studying)...Somebody Stop Meeeeeeeeeeeeeee...Smokinnnn
Another movie becomes a series
It tends to be normal these days to make an animated series based on a hit movie. Most of them suck, but like others, this one stands out. It had all the childish humor of the movie and something a lot of shows (particularly Saturday morning ones) these days do not have, intelligence. The show was simply a delight. It was interesting to see this show and that Ace Ventura cartoon have two cross overs. Very funny.
If You Thought The Mask Couldn't Get Any Funnier
Then you are wrong. This show takes everything the movie did right and amplifies it a hundred-fold (incidentally, Son of the Mask takes everything this series did WRONG and amplifies it a million-fold).
First, the casting. Rob Paulsen as Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask is PERFECT. Rob already sounds like a cartoon character in real life, so who better to voice a real-life cartoon character? In addition to the Mask, he also supplies the voices of several other characters, but you knew that when you looked at his IMDb profile. RIGHT?! Alongside Rob is Jim Cummings, who has his own list of supporting characters that he supplies the voices of. He's a bit more noticeable than Rob, but still talented enough so that you'd have to step back to realize it's him.
The comedy in this show is all the Looney Tunery that the movie had with even less awkward moments. The Mask is now able to take full advantage of being animated and changes costumes, sizes, and appearance in a heartbeat, something that would be quite costly to do in the film. In addition to his catchphrases "Sssssmokin'!" and "Somebody stop me!", the show gave him a new one, the simple utterance of the word "WEDGIE!" before pulling someone's underwear over their head.
The show still takes place in Edge City, the supporting characters are still there, the Mask is still considered a criminal by the police (not unjustly, I might add), and each episode offers new antics and the occasional appearance by Mr. Rent-A-Cartoon-Villain himself, Tim Curry. The animation isn't always top-notch, but the writing more than makes up for it.
Alas, this show is nearly impossible to find online as New Line and Dark Horse seem to have gone out of their way to erase it from existence. WHY?! This was a GREAT show! If you're not going to use it, why not let us play with it for a while? Why not license it to CN? Why not reboot it? Son of the Mask was YEARS ago!
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