Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders
Cover art of the Family Home Entertainment VHS release Full Circle
Also known asStarla & the Jewel Riders[1]
Genre
Created byRobert Mandell
Written by
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composerJeff Pescetto
Composers
  • Jeff Pescetto (songs)
  • Louis Fagenson (score)
Country of originUnited States
China
Romania
Original languagesEnglish
Romanian
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producers
  • Allen J. Bohbot
  • Joseph Cohen
  • Robert Mandell
  • Ralph Sorrentino
Producers
  • Winnie Chaffee
  • Eleanor Kearney
  • Raissa Roque
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkSyndication (Amazin' Adventures)
TVR 1
ReleaseSeptember 9, 1995 (1995-09-09)[3] –
December 12, 1996 (1996-12-12)
Related
Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders (2024)

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, also known outside of North America as Starla & the Jewel Riders (and sometimes spelled as the more traditionally Arthurian "Guinevere"[note 1]), is an American fantasy-themed animated television series aimed at pre-teen girl audiences and produced by Bohbot Entertainment in association with Hong Ying Animation Company Limited. It was internationally syndicated by Bohbot on their Syndicated Amazin' Adventures block, where it originally ran for two 13-episode seasons from 1995 until 1996. The show's plot follows the quest of the eponymous young Princess Gwenevere of Avalon and her two fellow teenage Jewel Riders, Fallon and Tamara, to find the seven lost enchanted jewels so they can stop the evil sorceress Lady Kale from taking over the kingdom. In the second season, the Jewel Riders receive more powers to compete against the returning Kale and the mighty new enemy Morgana for more magical jewels in order to rescue their banished mentor Merlin and restore harmony in magic.

The series is in many ways similar to The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, and both had the same creator and director, Robert Mandell, as well as some of its writers, notably Christopher Rowley. The series was initially planned as an adaptation of Dragonriders of Pern, came in the wake of Bohbot's earlier take on the Arthurian legend, King Arthur and the Knights of Justice, and shares similarities with the magical girl subgenre of anime and with some American cartoons. Although critics were divided on the show, it was a major hit in France. It was later rebooted as the novel series Avalon: Web of Magic during the 2000s. In 2023, Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders sequel comic was announced by Mad Cave Studios.[6]

Plot

Premise

In the show's original North American version, the titular character's name, Gwenevere (Gwen) resembles that of King Arthur's wife, Queen Guinevere, even though Gwen is rather her distant descendant and just a namesake, while other Arthurian characters include Merlin and the Lady of the Lake.[7][8][9] The series is set on the legendary island of Avalon, here portrayed as a fairy tale-style utopia in which various mystical jewels help their users cast spells and do it safely. The unstable raw "wild magic" coming from another dimension that is also known as the Wild Magic is kept in check through the powerful Crown Jewels of the Kingdom, each representing a distinct realm of Avalon. The story takes place a thousand years[10] after the great good wizard Merlin's initial victory over the evil queen Morgana and her dark wizards. The eponymous Jewel Riders are an order of young female champions of goodness and magical guardians of the city of New Camelot who, using and mentored by the ageless Merlin and aided by their magic animal friends, have been upholding the just laws of this peaceful land and defending its people for centuries, with each passing generation of the Jewel Riders passing over their jewels to the next one. When a new great menace looms over Avalon, and with their teacher Merlin suddenly gone, the current three inexperienced Jewel Riders are tasked with the urgent mission to recover the scattered Crown Jewels and secure the dangerous wild magic before it may disastrously get out of control.

Avalon's fate now rests with the latest incarnation of the group, currently made of the 16-year-old[11] Princess Gwenevere (Gwen) leading her friends Fallon and Tamara of around the same age. Their personal jewels, besides their various unique powers, allow them to "ride" safely through the tunnels of a perilous dimension of the Wild Magic, as well as to communicate with their Special Friends, the magic animals wearing a jewel identical to that of their rider. The girls are often assisted by the Pack, the also teenage but male trio of wolf-riding Knights of Avalon who wield the Forest Stones. Together, they fight against the evil Lady Kale, the former princess of Avalon who uses dark magic and has vowed to command all the magic and rule the kingdom forever no matter the consequences. An emphasis is set on the "power of friendship", which enables the Jewel Riders to overcome evil[12] and even ultimately befriend some of their would-be enemies. In the second season, the threat to Avalon is not over yet, and actually gets even worse with the introduction of an even more dangerous adversary for the Jewel Riders to deal with besides Kale. Instead of the Crown Jewels, Gwen and her friends seek out another cache of magical gems while still struggling to hold off the forces of darkness and contain the growing chaos in the magic.

First season

The story is set up during the two-part pilot episode "Jewel Quest". Princess Gwenevere, the young daughter of the rulers of Avalon, Queen Anya and King Jared, is being prepared by Merlin for the coming day when she will meet her own magic animal friend to bond with her Enchanted Jewel so she can become the new leader of the Jewel Riders. She is yet to be given the magic of the royal Sun Stone in a special ceremony, while her best friends Tamara and Fallon already wield the magic of their own Enchanted Jewels, the Heart Stone and the Moon Stone. Meanwhile, the outlaw sorceress Lady Kale, a cruel and power-hungry sister of Queen Anya, plans to steal Merlin's Crown Jewels so she can use their great magic to take over Avalon and reign for all time. Many years ago, the evil Kale was denied the Sun Stone and later banished, but now she finds a mysterious jewel of terrible dark magic. She names it the Dark Stone and quickly uses it to overpower her hated enemy Merlin, sending him into the deadly Wild Magic. However, it soon turns out that Merlin did not perish, as he briefly appears from within the wild magic to foil her plans by breaking the Crown Jewels setting and sending them back to the lands from where they had come, dispersing them wide across the kingdom and beyond. Unfortunately, once the Crown Jewels' bond is broken, magic is no longer stable and flows out of control, causing dangerous outbreaks until the jewels are brought back together. In addition, the Jewel Riders learn that retrieving them all is also the only way they might free Merlin from being lost in the limbo of Wild Magic.

Soon, Gwen successfully completes her Sun Stone bonding ceremony with Sunstar, a flying unicorn whom she rescued from Lady Kale's castle. The primary storyline then tells of the Jewel Riders' adventures in their quest as they search for the hidden Crown Jewels while going through strange wild magic outbreaks. The seven[note 2] Crown Jewels consist of the Jewel of the North Woods (in the episode "Travel Trees Can't Dance"), the Rainbow Jewel found inside the Rainbow Falls (in the episode "Song of the Rainbow"), the Jewel of the Burning Ice found in the Hall of Wizards at the Wizard's Peak in the snow-covered mountains (in the episode "Wizard's Peak"), the Misty Rose Jewel found in the Misty Moors (in the episode "For Whom the Bell Trolls"), the Desert Star Jewel of the Great Desert found in the otherworldly realm of Faeryland (in the episode "The Faery Princess"), the Jewel of the Dreamfields (in the episode "Dreamfields"), and the Jewel of the Jungle found in the hidden lair of the legendary wizard Morgana (in the episode "Revenge of the Dark Stone"). The girls need to find and secure each of these jewels first before Lady Kale can get her hands on it, or to win it back from her if she does. Using the magic of the Enchanted Jewels and their friendship, the Jewel Riders must prevent Kale from gaining any more power from magic jewels or magic animals, as they cannot let her turn either evil, and reclaim all the Crown Jewels, so they can ultimately defeat the witch and save both Merlin and all of Avalon.

During the two-part dramatic finale of the first season (in the episodes "Revenge of the Dark Stone" and "Full Circle"), Lady Kale succeeds in seizing control of the Jewel Keep at the royal Crystal Palace. Becoming seemingly invincible, the Kale overthrows Anya, unleashes the dark magic onto Avalon, strips the Jewel Riders of their powers, and prepares to make herself queen for eternity. She then seeks out Merlin to finish him off, but he uses his remaining powers to pull her into the Wild Magic and hold her there long enough for the girls to release the hidden great good magic of the Crystal Palace that is secretly a giant Enchanted Jewel itself. Unaware of this, the evil sorceress returns there and attempts to absorb the powers of the gathered Crown Jewels, but then she is magically trapped and destroyed. The girls and their friends celebrate their victory and discover that the Jewel Riders have tuned the Crown Jewels to their personal jewels, enabling them to channel all the magic of Avalon. In a bittersweet ending, Merlin appears one last time to congratulate his students and tell them he had sacrificed his staff jewel so Kale could be defeated, and without it he will become completely lost to the Wild Magic.

Second season

The second season begins with Merlin and Lady Kale seemingly both gone, and Avalon now at peace yet not safe yet. Wild magic outbreaks still continue, since without Merlin's jewel they have lost a chance of solving the magic crisis for good. However, the Jewel Riders realize that the Crown Jewels have given them a set of new 'Level Two' armor and magic seven times more powerful than before, enabling them to easily deal with the outbreaks. The girls now have at their disposal far greater magic than they ever dreamed possible, even as they also find it very difficult to use, and so they decide to use their enhanced powers on their new quest to somehow find a way to bring Merlin home anyway. Meanwhile, deep inside the Wild Magic, Kale's own Dark Stone is summoned towards a floating palace, where she herself re-materializes and meets her accidental rescuer, the legendary evil enchantress Morgana, creator and original wielder of the Dark Stone. Morgana had led the other ancient wizards against Merlin a millennium ago but failed and, having lost her jewel, has remained trapped in the Wild Magic ever since. United only by their mutual hatred for Merlin and his followers, the two grudgingly decide to team up as Morgana sends Kale back to Avalon in search of the other Wizard Jewels in preparation for her own return.

Soon, the Jewel Riders realize that Avalon is in even worse trouble than ever. Not only is the evil Kale unexpectedly back for vengeance while also more powerful than she used to be during their first quest, but they also face a new and even greater enemy in Morgana. Wizard Jewels are also even harder to obtain than the Crown Jewels were, as they are scattered in dangerous places beyond Avalon, mostly in hidden wizard lairs protected by magic traps. Through most of their adventures, the girls try to find the jewels before they fall into the hands of Morgana, who wants to use their magic to complete her conquest of the kingdom; at the same time, Kale also seeks the Wizard Jewels for herself while supposedly working for Morgana. The seven Wizard Jewels consist of the Unicorn Jewel (in the episode "Vale of the Unicorns"), the Jewel of Arden (in the episode "Prince of the Forest"), the Garden Jewel (in the episode "The Wizard of Gardenia"), the Jewel of the Sea (in the episode "The Jewel of the Sea"), the Time Stone (in the episode "Mystery Island"), and the Fortune Jewel (in the episode "The Fortune Jewel"), not counting the Dark Stone itself. Soon, Tamara gains a magic animal steed for herself, which turns out to be an otherworldly unicorn named Shadowsong (in the titular episode "Shadowsong"). On another occasion (the episode "Prince of the Forest"), Gwenevere and the mysterious werewolf-like young man named Ian meet and rescue each other, as she and him quickly fall in love.

Eventually, the fight to the finish between the forces of light and dark takes place during the series' two-part conclusion (in the episodes "Lady of the Lake" and "The One Jewel", or "Spirit of Avalon" and "The One Jewel" in the Starla version), set in the hidden isle of the Heart of Avalon and then in the Heart of the Wild Magic. There, Gwen is given the magic Staff of Avalon by the Lady of the Lake (the Spirit of Avalon). With it, and Ian's help, Gwen faces off against Kale and is able to rid the world of her evil aunt for the second time, after a dramatic confrontation in which Fallon and Tamara have been briefly turned into crystal statues. The final showdown against Morgana then follows as the Jewel Riders and their friends band together to battle her in a test of skills and wits over the collected Wizard Jewels. Morgana almost prevails, but the princess fuses the Dark Stone with the Sun Stone and captures the ultimate One Jewel forged from all the Wizard Jewels, and the restored Merlin then uses it seemingly destroy Morgana along with the ancient wizards' ghosts. The series ends with the Jewel Riders and their friends happily reuniting with Merlin and about to come back home together.

Characters

Jewel Riders

The Jewel Riders consist of the three brave, smart and good-looking teenage girls: Gwenevere (Starla in the Starla version), Fallon and Tamara. Each of them has different abilities along with their respective Enchanted Jewels, special magical gemstones of common and unique powers that also allow them to communicate with their bonded magic animals.

Other characters

In the absence of the missing Merlin (voiced by Bob Kaliban), the Jewel Riders are being guided and advised by his talking owl familiar named Archimedes or just Archie (voiced by John Beach 'Voiceguy') who becomes their constant companion. The girls are also sometimes assisted by their all-male partners, the three handsome and strong boys of the Wolf Pack, the Knights of the Crystal Palace using the identical Forest Stones. The Pack is led by Drake (voiced by John Beach), the flirtatious Gwen's aspiring boyfriend riding the great wolf Thunderbolt (Thunder). He is supported by Josh (voiced by Bob Kaliban) and Max (voiced by Peter Fernandez) with their respective wolves named Stormrunner and Windwalker.

Other recurring good characters include Princess Gwenevere's parents, the beautiful and wise former Sun Stone user Queen Anya (voiced by Corinne Orr) and the former Pack leader King Jared (still owning his Forest Stone), as well as the sentient and talking Travel Trees and the genie Guardian (all voiced by Bob Kaliban). A major new character of the second season is Ian (voiced by Bob Kaliban), a hunky man-wolf prince of the Forest of Arden who falls in love with Gwen. He becomes her devoted champion as well as her second romantic interest in addition to Drake.

The series' initial antagonist is Gwenevere's haughty and utterly selfish aunt, Lady Kale (voiced by Corinne Orr, who also voiced Queen Anya), using the sinister Dark Stone. Tall, raven-haired and wearing shades of red and purple, Kale is an "outlaw princess" who is as beautiful as she is evil and believes herself as the rightful heir to the throne that was "stolen" from her by Merlin for her good almost-twin sister Anya. She had once been Merlin's prodigy student and would-be Jewel Rider herself, but was denied the Sun Stone and then banished for plotting against him and Anya. In her ruthless ambition to become the absolute ruler of Avalon, Kale is loyally followed by her own bonded magic animals, the huge and mean dragon Grimm (voiced by Peter Fernandez) and a duo of mischievous dragon-weasel[10] creatures, the brothers Rufus and Twig (voiced by John Beach and Henry Mandell, respectively). She also has human servants such as a gang known as the Outlaws.

The prime villain of the second season is the powerful and mysterious Queen Morgana (voiced by Deborah Allison), an elflike also beautiful mistress of the dark magic, with a revived Kale reduced to her very insubordinate and disloyal sidekick. Kale and Morgana fight against the Jewel Riders together, but both of them despise and secretly plot to betray each other. A few other ancient wizards also make appearance, notably the now-reformed Derek who choos to this time side with Merlin against Morgana.

Episodes

Season 1 (1995)

No.TitleWritten byOriginal air date
1"Jewel Quest"Robert MandellSeptember 10, 1995 (1995-09-10)
2September 17, 1995 (1995-09-17)

Gwenevere (Starla), Princess of the Kingdom of Avalon, is about to follow in the footsteps of her mother before her as a Jewel Rider. Finally, the time is about to come for her to receive the special Enchanted Jewel, the Sun Stone, in the traditional Friendship Ring ceremony and join her friends Tamara and Fallon. For her part, Sunstar, a young winged unicorn, dreams of having a friend who would understands her. Meanwhile, Gwen's evil aunt Lady Kale plans to steal the seven Crown Jewels of the Kingdom that she needs to reign over Avalon forever. She finds the powerful Dark Stone and uses it to trap Merlin and banish him into the deadly realm of wild magic. The arriving Jewel Riders are able to secure the key to the magical Jewel Box where the Crown Jewels are kept, but Kale captures the Box itself along with a winged unicorn named Sunstar.

In the second part, the girls, aided by their male counterparts known as The Pack, embark on a mission to rescue Sunstar and take back the Jewel Box from Kale, who awaits them in her dark Castle Thornwood. Gwenevere agrees to surrender the key to the Jewel Box in exchange for Sunstar, but Merlin uses his remaining powers to thwart Kale at the last moment. The Seven Crown Jewels are scattered into their original lands, while the friends manage to free Sunstar and escape. Back in New Camelot, Gwen enters the Circle of Friendship to bond with Sunstar as her magical animal, sharing the Sun Stone with her in order to become a Jewel Rider. But with the Crown Jewels dispersed, the magic in Avalon is no longer stable and so the quest to recover them begins.
3"Travel Trees Can't Dance"Christopher Rowley & Robin YoungSeptember 24, 1995 (1995-09-24)
Princess Gwenevere and Sunstar discover that the Travel Trees, which are used to "ride" the wild magic, are getting erratic. The two become separated from the other Jewel Riders, who are trying to track down the source of a wild magic outbreak in the Great Northwoods. It turns out that the Trees have a Crown Jewel stuck in their portal, which creates a wild magic dance floor for all the forest animals. Lady Kale, who has followed them, steals Gwen's dance partner and seizes the Jewel of the Great Northwoods to use it for evil, but the reunited Jewel Riders outwit Kale and reclaim it.
4"Song of the Rainbow"Mary Stanton & Robin YoungOctober 1, 1995 (1995-10-01)
Tamara is caught in an enchantment when she plays a strange harp given to her for a performance at a craft fair. After Lady Kale attacks the fair and steals the harp, Gwen and Fallon embark on the quest to save Tamara from going into weird trances and learn what happened to the Rainbow Jewel upon returning to the land. They manage to get back the harp and again succeed in thwarting Kale when the music of the harp leads Tamara to a hidden magic cave in the Rainbow Falls where this Crown Jewel has returned.
5"Wizard's Peak"James Luceno & Robin YoungOctober 8, 1995 (1995-10-08)
The Jewel Riders and the Pack go all together on a quest to the Crystal Cliffs to find the Crown Jewel of Burning Ice on the mountain of Wizard's Peak. When the group is attacked by Lady Kale, they separate into two groups. Fallon and the boys bait Kale away from Gwen and Drake, who together discover an entry into the mountain but soon find themselves trapped in a labyrinth of ice caverns on a romantic but dangerous adventure. Trying to locate the jewel, the Jewel Riders instead find the magical genie Guardian, intent on protecting the magical treasures of the ancient Hall of Wizards from both them and from Kale and her dweasels. In the end, with the help of Tamara and her animals, Gwen and Drake manage to escape and the third Crown Jewel is secured.
6"For Whom the Bell animalsTrolls"Marianne Meyer & Robin YoungOctober 15, 1995 (1995-10-15)
The Pack finds a strange troll in the Misty Moors with the Misty Rose Crown Jewel. The troll uses it to turn the Pack into frogs and their wolves into lizards, but Josh escapes and contacts the Jewel Riders. Princess Gwenevere, Fallon and Tamara need to figure out the answers to the riddles of the troll in order to rescue the boys from being cooked and eaten. But a mysterious talking swan steals the jewel and runs off in order to give it to Lady Kale, unaware of the wild magic havoc it is causing on its trail. The Jewel Riders chase after the swan to recover the jewel and manage to restore all the Misty Moors to normal. This also reverts the troll and the swan to their true forms of the local noble brothers.
7"Theł Faery Princess"Linda Shayne & Robin YoungOctober 22, 1995 (1995-10-22)
A faery princess named Wisp, daughter of Faery King Odeon, searches for her lost flock of faery sheep. The sheep have become affected by wild magic, turning them into "biker-sheep" that run away from the hidden faery realm, crossing over through a rainbow portal into the Great Deserts of Avalon. Wisp gets lost following them and now needs help to find her way back home, so she enlists the help of the Jewel Riders. The girls manage to discover the passage into Faeryland, finding it an alternate dimension where magic works differently. To their unpleasant surprise, they also find out that their enemy Lady Kale has arrived there first and decided this is perfect new kingdom for her to rule. But the Riders find the Desert Star Crown Jewel with the help of the Faery Princess, and they arrive in time to free the realm from Kale before she can master the faery magic. Once the evil is expelled from the Faeryland, King Odeon agrees to unite his kingdom with Avalon under the protection of the Jewel Riders.
8"Badlands"Katherine Lawrence & Robin YoungOctober 29, 1995 (1995-10-29)
Princess Gwenevere, Fallon, and Tamara escort a trading caravan through a canyon across the Badlands to the party at Castle Greenwood. In the caravan are Fallon's artisan parents, who disapprove of her having become a Jewel Rider instead of continuing their trade, leading Fallon to hate Gwen for forcing her to see them again. On the way, they are ambushed by Lady Kale and a band of outlaws working for her. When Gwen needs help, Fallon puts aside her anger and bravely saves her friend from Kale at almost the cost of her own life. Rescuing Gwen and protecting the caravan, Fallon proves to her parents that she excels as a Jewel Rider, and her parents come to accept her choice.
9"Home Sweet Heart Stone"Robin YoungNovember 5, 1995 (1995-11-05)
Tamara is called by her parents to Heartland Animal Farm housing magic animals to examine a recently discovered prism fox. These are legendary animal from a world across the wild magic that they can enter at will and traverse through safely. The evil Lady Kale too heard the news and, believing it to be a great and powerful creature, she wants it as her new magic animal. Using enchanted bagpipes and other instruments, Kale plays a song to lure all the animals from the farm, only to discover that her prize is just a baby prism fox named Kit. Tamara and friends manage win a magic music battle against Kale and bring the animals back home, while Kit gets reunited with her parents and returns home.
10"Love Struck"James MattsonNovember 12, 1995 (1995-11-12)
Drake finds the talking Magic Sword of Garmondale in a tree at a carnival. Hungry for magic from the Enchanted Jewels of the Jewel Riders, the sword promises Drake that women will now fall madly in love with him. With the sword as his love coach, Drake tries some unusual magic love poems out on each of the Riders. The girls, sensing a trick, turn the tables on Drake by pretending to go along with "his" ruse. All of it then turns out to be a plot by the sword which then almost drains away their magic, however the girls and Drake manage to win and force it back to its original state.
11"Dreamfields"Robin YoungNovember 19, 1995 (1995-11-19)
Princess Gwenevere runs off into the magical Dreamfields of the Great Plains after she becomes bored with her date with Drake at a nearby party. There, she becomes caught in a battle of dreams with Lady Kale, who is also trying to find the Crown Jewel. In a wild dream, Kale switches Gwen's Sun Stone with her Dark Stone, and thus a dream world is created in which Gwen has become evil, and her aunt has become good. Gwen must rely on her friends to help her fight the nightmares of the Dark Stone and to not let Kale get away with the Jewel of the Dreamfields.
12"Revenge of the Dark Stone"Robin Young & Christopher RowleyNovember 26, 1995 (1995-11-26)
Just when the Jewel Riders try to find the last Crown Jewel and complete the magic of Merlin's Jewel Box, Lady Kale disguises herself as Queen Anya and sneaks into the Crystal Palace. Kale seizes the Jewel Keep and with it the Jewel Box, as well as all the various other magic jewels stored there. She uses their powers to create an "antimagic" device and time-freeze all of New Camelot. When the Jewel Riders find the final Jewel, which was located in Morgana's old lair, Kale magically transports it into her hands and strips them of their powers, proclaiming herself the new Queen of Avalon. (Cliffhanger ending.)
13"Full Circle"Robin Young & Christopher RowleyDecember 3, 1995 (1995-12-03)
(Continued from the previous episode.) With Avalon cast in darkness and the evil Lady Kale working to finally gain the power of the Crown Jewels, the Jewel Riders refuse to give up and return to the Friendship Ring to perform the Circle of Friendship ceremony again. With their Enchanted Jewels recharged, they enter the wild magic to find Merlin, helped by their friend Kit and guided by special creatures called magic gliders. Merlin reveals that the Crystal Palace itself is an Enchanted Jewel with great powers of goodness. While Merlin and Kale fight in the wild magic over the control of the key to Merlin's Jewel Box, the girls manage to release the magic of both the Crystal Palace and the Crown Jewels. With that, Kale is destroyed and Avalon is restored to normal. However, it is revealed that Merlin has sacrificed his magic jewel to achieve this and thus he cannot come back.

Season 2 (1996)

No.TitleWritten byOriginal air date
14"Morgana"Robert MandellSeptember 8, 1996 (1996-09-08)
The Jewel Riders learn about their newly enhanced magic. They decide to begin a new quest to somehow give Merlin his powers back and return him home safely from his wild magic exile, but are puzzled by continued wild magic outbreaks in Avalon. Unknown to them, trouble is brewing inside the wild magic, where the evil ancient wizard Queen Morgana has been just restored by the Dark Stone, which she had created in first place as her own a thousand years ago. But when she tries to use it again, Morgana brings back Lady Kale into existence too and discovers that the Dark Stone has been meanwhile tuned to Kale. Grudgingly, the two make a deal to work together against Merlin and the Jewel Riders, and Morgana sends Kale to Avalon to retrieve information about the powerful Wizard Jewels. The Jewel Riders return to the Hall of Wizards, where they encounter Kale and face Morgana's powers for the first time, but are victorious with the help of the Guardian and find out about the Wizard Jewels.
15"Shadowsong"Robin YoungSeptember 15, 1996 (1996-09-15)
The Jewel Riders ride the wild magic looking for Wizard Jewels, but the Travel Trees cannot handle their new powers, and so they must travel on their own. Tamara finds a place of strong magic and the Riders head there with magic gliders as their guides. But turns out that Morgana had set a trap that sends Gwenevere, Sunstar, Fallon, Moondance, and Archie to a place where the witch can drain and steal the magic of their own Enchanted Jewels. Tamara is sent to another place in the Wild Magic, where she makes friends with a frightened magical zebracorn named Shadowsong. The two form a strong bond and come to rescue the other Jewel Riders from Morgana. By doing it, Shadowsong sacrifices himself but is then brought back to life when Tamara shares her Heart Stone with him.
16"Fashion Fever"Robin Young & Christopher RowleySeptember 22, 1996 (1996-09-22)
It is high fashion and high-jinx as the annual charity fashion show opens at the Crystal Palace fairgrounds. It is Queen Anya's birthday, and King Jared wants to surprise her with a new dress. When he assigns Princess Gwenevere to handle this "secret mission", she ends up getting Fallon, Moondance, Tamara, and Tamara's baby animals involved in a comedy of errors as each girl and animal tries to complete the task. Meanwhile, Lady Kale sneaks into the show and creates a style-shifting dress that is too magical for Gwen to resist. When Gwen puts the dress on, she falls under Kale's hypnotic spell. It makes her lead her evil aunt into the Jewel Keep and even attack her own friends, all while a wild magic outbreak causes further chaos. It is up to Fallon and Drake to save the day when they manage to fight off Kale in sword combat and break the enchantment over Gwen, but their enemies have learned the locations of the Wizard Jewels.
17"The Wizard of Gardenia"James LucenoSeptember 29, 1996 (1996-09-29)
In the magical gardens of the realm Gardenia, a gardener gnome fools the Jewel Riders into thinking that he is one of the Great Wizards from Avalon's past and capable of great magic. The gnome has the ability to sculpt magical topiary animals that transform into crystal creatures. When the Jewel Riders discover that the gnome is not what he appears to be (actually just a wizard's apprentice), they convince the gnome to help them retrieve a powerful Wizard Jewel from a dangerous place called the Sorcerer's Playground. He then helps the girls foil Kale and Morgana when the evil sorceresses arrive to take it.
18"Vale of the Unicorns"Katherine LawrenceOctober 6, 1996 (1996-10-06)
The Jewel Riders journey to the enchanted lands of the unicorns to learn about the secret of their magic. These most magical animals in Avalon are in danger as the Unicorn Queen is missing and was kidnapped by Morgana to obtain the Unicorn Wizard Jewel. Moondance, daughter of the Queen, must go to a magical labyrinth and perform a series of dangerous trials to determine whether she should become the new queen. However, this would also mean that Moondance could no longer be with the Jewel Riders and leave Fallon, which would force her to choose whether her loyalties are with the unicorns or with her best friend. Eventually, with the help of their friends, they manage to not only to complete all the trials but then also to win against Morgana, saving the unicorn queen in addition to obtaining the jewel.
19"Prince of the Forest"Robin YoungOctober 13, 1996 (1996-10-13)
While searching for Faery Wraiths in the Forest of Arden, Princess Gwenevere finds romance with a very handsome and equally mysterious boy named Ian when they rescue each other in turns. However, he does not reveal to her the jewel he had found and how it enables him to transform into a human, as his true form is that of wolfman-like beast. Now that Ian has met Gwen, he is worried that he may lose her love. When Lady Kale captures Ian and discovers his secret, she offers him a chance to remain human forever if he gives the jewel to her, but Ian rejects Kale and saves Gwen from her and Morgana. The princess then assures him that no matter what shape he takes, she will always be his friend.
20"The Wishing Jewel"Laura MunroOctober 20, 1996 (1996-10-20)
Princess Gwenevere and Drake go on an adventure together but get lost in the misty walls that surround Avalon and discover a new magical but dangerous place outside the borders of the kingdom. Lost, they must work together to unravel a riddle told to them by the Travel Trees. Gwen and Drake must search for a magic jewel that will turn this land to goodness and extend the borders of Avalon before wild magic causes this place to vanish completely. Each discover half of the Wishing Jewel, but they can not figure out why it does not work quite right until they realize that neither of them have the entire jewel so they must work together in order to reassemble its pieces.
21"The Jewel of the Sea"Linda ShayneOctober 27, 1996 (1996-10-27)
The Jewel Riders embark on a great sea voyage to a magical island where a Wizard Jewel has landed. Sailing over the great Sea of Avalon, the girls discover an underwater kingdom of mermaid creatures. A merboy steals Tamara's Heart Stone and becomes human, but Tamara is transformed into a mermaid when she takes the Magic Pearl. The other Jewel Riders must find the merboy who has run off to the magic atoll and convince him to give the Heart Stone back to Tamara. Meanwhile, in the undersea lagoon gardens, Tamara confronts a big sea dragon guarding his territory. The adventure ends with the Jewel Rider's obtaining the Jewel of the Sea.
22"Trouble in Elf Town"Laraine Arkow & Marlowe WeismanNovember 3, 1996 (1996-11-03)
A gang of three troll brothers finds three new Enchanted Jewels in the wild magic and use them to try to steal elf magic from the Elf Woods. The Jewel Riders ride into town and engage in a Western-style showdown with the trolls to get their jewels and save the elves.
23"Mystery Island"Robin YoungNovember 10, 1996 (1996-11-10)
Wild the magic gliders tell the Jewel Riders a creature is crying out from somewhere in the Wild Magic, and Tamara convinces the Jewel Riders to go and rescue it. The girls ride into wild magic, and discover a lost island. But their enemies have also found this island and so Morgana sends Kale after them and a hidden Wizard Jewel. The Jewel Riders find a giant creature who, amazingly, only responds to the baby animals. It is up to Cleo, Sugar, and Spike to save the day. In the end, the Jewel Riders find the Time Stone, Kale is bested once again, and their new friend returns to his own world.
24"The Fortune Jewel"Robin YoungNovember 17, 1996 (1996-11-17)
A fortune teller named Esmerelda and her mysterious cat use the Fortune Jewel to tell people's fortunes. When the Jewel Riders have their fortunes read, a dark future is revealed to Princess Gwenevere that tells of the fall of the Crystal Palace and the rise of Morgana to rule Avalon. After Gwen and her friends fall into a magical trap set up by Lady Kale, the cat's secret is revealed, him being really the ancient wizard Derek who has lost his human form when he was tricked by Morgana. With Esmerelda's and Derek's help, the Jewel Riders win again and capture the final Wizard Jewel.
25"Lady of the Lake/Spirit of Avalon"Robert Mandell & Christopher RowleyNovember 24, 1996 (1996-11-24)
Determined to prevent the Fortune Jewel's prophecy from coming true, the Jewel Riders travel to seek out the wisdom of the Lady of the Lake. The girls to the shore of the mysterious Isle of Myst, where Kale and Morgana had arrived there first and ambush them using the place's powerful magic to turn most of them into statues. Only Princess Gwenevere and Sunstar escape across a magical lake, where Gwen is given the Staff of Avalon so she can merge the collected Wizard Jewels into a new magical jewel for Merlin. With help of arriving Ian, Gwen uses the Staff to combine the power of the Wizard Jewels, finally defeating Lady Kale and saving their friends from peril. However, Morgana steals the Jewel Box and disappears. (Cliffhanger ending.)
26"The Last Dance/The One Jewel"Robert Mandell & Christopher RowleyDecember 12, 1996 (1996-12-12)
(Continued from the previous episode.) Having dealt with Kale, the Jewel Riders and Ian find out that Morgana is heading to the center of wild magic. They journey there and meet up with Merlin as he confronts Morgana, who plans to forge the Wizard Jewels together and create the One Jewel that will control all the magic of Avalon, and witness the arrival of ghosts of several other evil wizards summoned by their jewels. Merlin's champions then fight against Morgana in a series of magical events to determine the future of Avalon and the fate of Merlin. They are leading the contest until Ian sacrifices himself to save Sunstar's life, after which Gwen manages to revive him with a kiss but Morgana succeeds in winning the Jewel Box. However, the boys of the Pack save the day when they arrive to help Gwen use the Dark Stone to create the One Jewel for Merlin, who quickly uses it against Morgana and the wizard ghosts. He then happily reunites with his friends at long last.

History

Development

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders was produced by the New York-based[14] studios New Frontier Entertainment and Enchanted Camelot Productions for Bohbot Productions (later BKN) in 1995.[3] The series was produced by much of the team behind the late 1980s science fiction cartoon The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, including the creator, co-writer and main director of both shows, Robert Mandell, after a long development process. Despite a similar theme and title, there are no connections with King Arthur and the Knights of Justice, which was Bohbot Entertainment's other Arthurian-inspired cartoon series that was produced in 1992–1993. It was originally supposed to be a cartoon adaptation of the Dragonriders of Pern series of fantasy novels by Anne McCaffrey but eventually went in a different direction.[15] The project was renamed repeatedly in the course of its development, including to Enchanted Jewel Riders sometime in late 1994 or early 1995 and Princess Guinevere & Her Jewel Adventures in March 1995,[16][17] before ultimately becoming Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders (which was again retitled as Starla & the Jewel Riders for the export version). One of the several work-in-progress titles for the show was Enchanted Camelot, which was acquired as such in March 1994 by LIVE Entertainment (along with Skysurfer Strike Force and Highlander: The Animated Series).[18][19][20] Enchanted Camelot had some major differences in its character design.[21] The August 1994 draft script for the pilot episode of Enchanted Camelot ("Enchanted Quest", which would become "Jewel Quest") has been different in many aspects.[13][note 3]

According to The Buffalo News, "the production team intended for the Jewel Riders to serve as positive role models for girls."[22] Bohbot's press kit for the series described it as "classic story-telling," incorporating "strong themes of friendship, teamwork, responsibility and conflict resolution."[3] Each episode was constructed as an animated minimusical.[1] The animation work on the series was done in Taipei, Taiwan by Hong Ying Animation Company Limited;[23] one of the show's character designers was the future Emmy Award winner[24] Rob Davies. The overall design was done by Jane Abbot, with Billy Zeats and Greg Autore serving as art directors. Enrico Casarosa was one of the storyboard artists.[25] It was the first series scored by Louis Fagenson;[14] though the French version's soundtrack was the work of Julie Zenatti.[26] The show's CGI effects were created by Ian Tetrault in Autodesk 3ds Max and Adobe After Effects. The actress for Gwenevere/Starla was changed for the second season because Kerry Butler had to go to Canada for the musical Beauty and the Beast.

The show was not renewed for 1997, but a third season was rumored in 1998.[27][28] The series' art director Greg Autore said about the making of the second season in 1995: "Bohbot wanted European distribution which required 26 [episodes]. So they made the next 13. They would have made more but were waiting to see how it succeeded. When the second set of episodes was turned on, the only two directions to start with were – 1) Search for wild magic jewels since the first set was all found 2) Use Morgana as the ultimate villainess instead of Lady Kale. Fortunately, director Robert Mandell was open to many of my suggestions. That second season had many episodes that grew from my concepts and a very rough storyline suggestion. Since the second season were not yet written and were rushed into production, this was where I had the most fun. Instead of just translating the characters and creating new fashions, I was free to create many new powers and adventures for the show. While I had input on many of the first episodes, I was now creating the basic storylines for entire episodes. Robert always had Morgana in the back of his head as a villainess he wanted to do. Now we could break out and expand the world of Avalon in different ways."[29][30]

Broadcast

The series was first broadcast in the United States in 1995–1996 on Bohbot Entertainment's "Amazin'! Adventures" block, had U.S. coverage of 80% and aired on 106 stations.[31][32] Internationally, it has been shown in more than 130 countries in the Starla version.[33][note 4] It was acquired by Fox Kids Europe in 2000 (Fox Kids UK had aired it in 1996 before the rest of Fox Kids Europe in 2000).[47]

Release

There have been four VHS releases in America by Family Home Entertainment in January 1996[48] covering only part of the first season and consisting of Jewel Quest (episodes "Jewel Quest Part 1" and "Jewel Quest Part 2"), Wizard's Peak ("Wizard's Peak" and "Travel Trees Can't Dance") and For Whom the Bell Trolls ("For Whom the Bell Trolls" and "The Faery Princess"),[49] followed by Full Circle ("Revenge of the Dark Stone" and "Full Circle") in July 1996.[50] Leading up to the release date, Hasbro and Toys 'R' Us offered an episode from the program on video for free with the pre-order purchase of a related toy.[48] The UK (Carlton Video 1997), Serbian (Vidcom 1996, "Prizor" dub) and French (Warner Home Video 2000) VHS releases include some episodes from the second season.

In 2005, the rights for the DVD retail in the United States and Canada were given to Digiview Entertainment,[51] which has reserved the right to release the show on DVD. They announced plans to release the first two volumes in 2006 and subsequent volumes over the course of the next year. However, the only DVD released by Digiview was Wizard's Peak, containing the first five episodes of the show and available in Wal-Mart stores. Though it says "Princess Gwenevere & the Jewel Riders" on the cover, the show on the DVD is the international version (Starla & the Jewel Riders); in the case of both the cover and the show itself, the Starla-style title fonts (similar to the title fonts in Gargoyles) are used in the logo,[52] and the disc appears to be region-free. The complete first season was released on DVD in France in 2008 dubbed into French.[53] The series was also released on DVD in Serbia in 2007 and 2008 with a Serbian dub.[54] Pidax Film released the German dub together with the English original on DVD in 2021.[55]

In 2008–2009, the series was available to be watched for free in a streaming media form on the Lycos Cinema service and later Kidlet.tv; while it was titled as Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, it was actually the Starla version. In 2009, the show was also made freely available for users of the Internet service SyncTV (available online from the browser for the American users and downloadable for watching for the others).[56] In 2011, the Starla version became available for streaming through Netflix for the users in the United States,[57] expanded to the entire first season in 2012.[58] The first two episodes ("Jewel Quest") have been put on YouTube by 41 Entertainment, a new company founded by the producer Allan J. Bohbot. In 2018, most of the episodes have been released in high quality and wide aspect ratio through the subscription service Watch It Kid!.[59] It has been since also made available on other streaming platforms, including Apple TV,[60] Amazon Prime Video,[61] Tubi,[62] and PeacockTV.[63]

Merchandise

According to Robert Mandell, the show was originally commissioned by Hasbro through reverse toyetic to accompany their line of toys (albeit only in the form of vague outline and the creators developed the plot and the characters).[64][65] However, according to Variety, Bohbot "took the Princess Gwenevere concept to Hasbro Toys, which after extensive market research, put itself enthusiastically behind the project, collaborating in equal partnership with Bohbot on the development of the property."[66] A national "Watch and Win" contest in February 1996 offered viewers the opportunity to win Princess Gwenevere videos and toys if they mailed in the correct code words from the show.[48] The Hasbro/Kenner[31] toy line had two series of action figures for girls ages 4 and up. The first series contains Princess Gwenevere (Starla), Sun Power Gwenevere, Tamara, Fallon, Drake, Lady Kale, Sunstar, and Moondance; and the second series contains Deluxe Princess Gwenevere (Starla), Deluxe Tamara, and Deluxe Fallon.[67] According to Time to Play, the action figures' sales "bombed".[68] In the fall of 1996, Hasbro planned to reintroduce revamped versions of the figures as well as new characters from the animated series. The toys had a television advertising campaign featuring a 30-second commercial.[48]

Other merchandise included a series of collectible trading cards released by the Upper Deck Company in 1996,[69] a "play-a-sound" children's illustrated sound book by Nancy L. McGill based on the first two episodes and published by Publications International that same year,[70] Panini Group collectible stickers,[71] a makeup kit,[72] Happy Meal and Long John Silver's premium toys, lunchboxes, clothing items, and such. There were unrealized plans to produce a video game adaptation[73] and the series' theme song was included on Mastermix's TV SETS CD 14.[74]

Reception

Ratings

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders was reported to be "struggling with a 0.6 national Nielsen rating among girls 2–11" in 1995. Bohbot hoped heavy promotion of the merchandise products would raise awareness of the show.[75] Nevertheless, it was the most popular of the first-run cartoon series in the 1995 edition of Bohbot's "Amazin' Adventures II" weekend syndicated package.[3] Daily Herald reported it was "the number one syndicated television show in the U.S. among girls 6 to 11" in 1996.[76] It was reported that Starla became "a huge hit" when it was shown in France. First broadcast there in April 1996, it reached the top of the channel France 3's ratings in children's time slots with a 77.6% market share average, proving "that action, knights and fantastic stories work very well with boys, too."[35]

Critical reception

The show's critical reception has been mixed and highly divisive. According to Video Librarian, "a cross between She-Ra: Princess of Power and the saccharine My Little Pony, the Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders series is standard Saturday morning cartoon fodder."[77] Scott Moore of The Buffalo News compared the "underwhelming" Princess Gwenevere to the "overhyped" Sailor Moon.[78] Retrospectively, Rob Bricken of Topless Robot ranked Princess Gwenevere fifth on his 2009 list of "most ridiculous" adaptations of Arthurian legend, commenting that shows like that "were clearly made to take advantage of a small, low-aiming school of girl-oriented action cartoons, but it ultimately lost out to a slightly more tolerable Japanese import."[79]

In Arthurian Legends on Film and Television, Bert Olton opined that "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders combines all the worst elements of minimalist cartooning, modern commercialism and vacuous storytelling with a tiny portion of Arthurian legend."[9] In The Middle Ages in Popular Culture: Medievalism and Genre, Clare Bradford and Rebecca Hutton described it as "a disappointing production that is markedly sexist and racist with only tenuous links to the Arthuriad."[80] Kathleen Richter of Ms. called the show "so sexist and racist" for how it has "the powerful female figure demonized as evil and the main character blonde and blue-eyed."[81]

On the other hand, Samantha Kelly of Manchester Metro News called it as "a real gem" of a fairy tale style good-versus-evil story for young girls, who in her opinion would strongly identify with its beautiful royal heroine on her quest against the menace of Lady Kale, praising the show as "full of action and fantasy" and featuring "excellent" character animation.[82] Bustle's Lucia Peters wrote, "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders followed a pretty classic 'special kid and special friends have awesome powers and must defeat the forces of darkness' format. The fact that it met at the intersection of horses, sparkly things, and girl power, though, means that it holds a special place in many '90s kids' hearts."[83] In King Arthur in America, authors Alan and Barbara Lupack that the show, "with its strong female heroine, is interesting in part because it is designed primarily for girls."[32] In Adapting the Arthurian Legends for Children, Barbara Lupack added that it successfully "translated the Arthurian story into an idiom easily accessible to preteen female viewers and (...) appealed to its young audience."[84] Retrospectively, France's Fun Radio included it among the 14 "probably the best" cartoons of the 1990s as "one of the quintessential girl series".[85]

Contrary to above mentioned criticism of perceived sexism and racism by some, some others noted the show for its positive values for its intended audience. Keith Busby remarked in Arthurian Literature that "the series appeals to young girls and teaches them the values of friendship."[2] According to Billboard, the plot of this "popular" series, "specifically targeting young girls", features "life lessons to be learned along the way, and the program in general promotes brains over brawn."[86] Syfy's Brittany Vincent wrote about how this "pleasant and kitschy relic of the past" had been a "perfect fodder for young girls like me looking for strong women and heroes to imitate."[87]

Legacy

Natoo's jewel line Joyau Magique (Magic Jewel) was inspired by Jewel Riders, her favourite childhood cartoon.[88]

Spiritual sequel

Main article: Avalon: Web of Magic

In 2001, author Rachel Roberts began writing her contemporary fantasy book series Avalon: Web of Magic loosely based on the show[73][89][90] and borrowing various concepts and names (including even some of the episode titles), as well as lyrics from some of the songs used in Jewel Riders. As of 2012, the series consists of 12 novels, as well as the three-volume graphic novel adaptation, titled Avalon: The Warlock Diaries.[91] A film adaptation of Avalon: Web of Magic was announced in 2012,[89] but was never released. An Avalon animated series project was revealed in 2017.[92]

Sequel

In 2023, nearly three decades after the end of the television series, licensed Princess Gwenevere & the Jewel Riders graphic novels were announced to be released by the Mad Cave Studios imprint Maverick. According to the cartoon's executive producer and copyright holder Allen Bohbot from 41 Entertainment, they are going "to reflect a modern take of the Arthurian legends with a more dramatized version [and] will target an older audience," and it "may well serve as a foundation of story and design content for potential new YA animated project."[93]

The comic series, written by Jordie Bellaire and illustrated by Koi Carreon for a scheduled release starting in May 2024, is to be a direct sequel to the animated series, beginning some time after the end of the second season: "While the girls remain friends, things are not as they once were. Gwenevere - once the leader of the Jewel Riders - has had to take a step back from her true passion, being a Jewel Rider and protecting Avalon from evil, in order to step into a new role as the future queen. Fallon, holder of the Moon Stone now leads the Pack--an elite group of Avalon's protectors, a role once held by Gwen's fiance. Tamara trains under Merlin to better harness the power of her Heart Stone, but wonders where she--and her powers--truly belong. When Merlin begins acting oddly, it's a sign that evil Wild Magic has returned to the kingdom--and so has a foe the Jewel Riders thought they'd once vanquished. With her kingdom, friends, and magic on the line, Gwenevere must choose between the life she loves and knows as a Jewel Rider and her newfound duties."[94] The art in the series will be more manga-esque.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ (Los Angeles Times) "Princess Guinevere & The Jewel Riders: Animated action-adventures of three teen gals and their animal best friends who save Avalon from the evil Lady Kale."[4]
    (The San Diego Union Tribune) "Another entry is Princess Guinevere and the Jewel Riders,' also taking off on magic powers and saving the world, but adding an evil sorceress to the mix."[5]
  2. ^ In the 1994 draft script, there was supposed to be ten Stones.[13]
  3. ^ Besides some different names (notably Guinevere "Gwen" for Gwenevere, Melody for Tamara, Alexanda "Alex" for Fallon, Amber for Sunstar, Midnight for Moondance, Queen Angelene for Queen Anya, and Shawn for Drake), this title also featured more major characters including Gwen's younger sister Tara and the Pack's fourth member Brand with his wolf Blazer, and apparently more violent/mature themes (for instance, Lady Kale says "...or die" instead of merely "...or be lost forever" and then attempts to physically literally destroy Merlin instead of sending him into the Wild Magic dimension). Camelot would also be the name of the entire land (and not Avalon), there would be the ten Stones of the Kingdom instead of the seven Crown Jewels, the dweasels were simply a pair of weasels, and the Dark Stone would be just a generic untuned Wild Magic enchanted jewel instead of Morgana's own.[13]
  4. ^ Internationals airings have included these in Austria and Germany on RTL 2 in 1996 and on ORF 1 (as Starla und die Kristallretter),[34] in Bulgaria (as Принцеса Старла и сияйните ездачи), in Canada on YTV, in Estonia on TV 1 (as Printsess Starla), in France on France 3 in 1996 (as Princesse Starla et les Joyaux magiques),[35] in India on Hungama TV,[36] in Italy on Italia 1 (as Starla e le sette gemme del mistero),[37] in Romania on TVR1 (as Printesa Starla), in Norway (as Prinsesse Starla og Juvelridderne), in Philippines on GMA Network (as Starla at ang mga Jewel Riders), in Poland on RTL 7 in 1997 (as Starla i Jeźdzcy),[38] in Portugal on SIC and Canal Panda (as Starlae as Jas Encantadas),[39] in Russia (as Принцесса Старла и повелители камней),[40] in Slovakia on RiK in 2015 (as Princezná Starla a jazdci),[41][42] in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina (as Старла и јахачи драгуља), in Spain under the titles of La princesa Starla (TVE1 in 1996)[43] and Starla i les amazones de les joies (Catalan language TV3 / K3 in 2006),[44][45] in Sweden on Canal+, FilmNet and TV 3 (as Starla och juvelriddarna),[46] and in the United Kingdom on GMTV in the mid 1990s and re-run on Pop Girl in 2009.

References

In-line

  1. ^ a b "Starla and the Jewel Riders". Bknkids.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  2. ^ a b c Keith Busby, Arthurian Literature XVIII, 2001 (p. 250).
  3. ^ a b c d Hal Erickson, Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 2005 (p. 642-643).
  4. ^ N.F. Mendoza, Carrey On : Fall Kids' Shows Reprise Popular Masks, Fins and Sleuths – Page 2, Los Angeles Times, September 3, 1995.
  5. ^ "Girls get the chance to be heroes super", The San Diego Union Tribune, September 9, 1995.
  6. ^ "Mad Cave Adds Miraculous, Fate: The Winx Saga and Princess Gwenevere". bleedingcool.com. July 16, 2023.
  7. ^ Ann F. Howey, Stephen Ray Reimer, A Bibliography of Modern Arthuriana (1500–2000), 2006 (p. 520).
  8. ^ Vincent Terrace, Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 Through 1997, 2008 (p. 1222).
  9. ^ a b Bert Olton, Arthurian Legends on Film and Television, 2008 (p. 239-240).
  10. ^ a b "Jewel Riders Episode 14 – Morgana Script". Scribd.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Princess Gwenevere". 1997-02-08. Archived from the original on 1997-02-08. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  12. ^ "La tivù dei piccoli – Corriere della Sera". Cinema-tv.corriere.it. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  13. ^ a b c Robert Mandell, Shelly Shapiro, Enchanted Camelot: "The Enchanted Quest"[permanent dead link]. Pilot/Special. Revised Draft, August 2, 1994.
  14. ^ a b "Louis Fagenson | Animation Insider- Animation interviews and articles". 2011-11-23. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  15. ^ "The Dragonriders of Pern. The Best Series We May Never See Filmed". Observationdeck.io9.com. 2014-06-13. Archived from the original on 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  16. ^ Bohbot kids show renamed. (Bohbot Communications renames Enchanted Camelot to Princess Guinevere and Her Jewel Adventures, licenses characters to Hasbro and Hallmark Cards), Broadcasting & Cable, February 27, 1995.
  17. ^ Freundlich, Kenneth D. "PRINCESS GUINEVERE AND HER JEWEL ADVENTURES Trademark Trademark Application of New Frontier Entertainment, Inc. – Serial Number 74643709 :: Justia Trademarks". Trademarks.justia.com. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  18. ^ Billboard, 11 February 1995.
  19. ^ LIVE Entertainment Inc. announces 1994 results; profitable fourth quarter, Business Wire, March 22, 1995.
  20. ^ Enchanted Camelot debuts next year from Bohbot, Playthings Vol. 92 Issue 3 (March 1994), p48.
  21. ^ "Enchanted Camelot Movie Posters". Movie.postersguide.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  22. ^ Buffalo News, September 10, 1995.
  23. ^ "Works: 1995". 2012-03-04. Archived from the original on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  24. ^ "28th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Winners". Emmyonline.org. Archived from the original on 2013-08-09. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  25. ^ "معرفی انیمیشن کوتاه La Luna – ماه – زومجی". www.zoomg.ir. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
  26. ^ "Julie Zenatti en concert : La tournée 2016 – Evous". Evous.fr. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  27. ^ "News Briefs – KidScreen". Ads.kidscreen.com. 1996-12-01. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  28. ^ "Tooning in the 1998 Fall Season". Awn.com. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  29. ^ "Greg Autore and the Toy Design of Jewel Riders – Part Two – The Jewel Riders Archive". Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  30. ^ "Greg Autore and the Toy Design of Jewel Riders – Part Three – The Jewel Riders Archive". Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  31. ^ a b Special Report: Toy Fair Roundup, Kidscreen, February 1, 1996.
  32. ^ a b Alan Lupack, Barbara Tepa Lupack, King Arthur in America, 2001 (p. 326).
  33. ^ Schaefer, Stephen (2000-06-13). "Obituary: Joseph Cohen". Variety. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  34. ^ "Starla und die Kristallretter: Infos zur TV-Serie". Fernsehserien.de. 31 March 1996. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  35. ^ a b Pascal Paoli, Special Report: MIP-TV: U.S. shows survive the sale to French outlets relatively unscathed, Kidscreen, April 1, 1997.
  36. ^ "UTV To Animate Kong for BKN". Animation Magazine. 2005-09-19. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  37. ^ "Il Mondo Dei Doppiatori – La Pagina Di Cinzia Massironi". Antoniogenna.net. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  38. ^ "Starla i Jeźdzcy (Serial TV 19951996) – Filmweb" (in Polish). Filmweb.pl. 1995-09-10. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  39. ^ Panda Biggs vai estrear três sies em Fevereiro Archived 2016-03-11 at the Wayback Machine, Diario Digital, 29-01-2010.
  40. ^ "Принцесса Старла". Glamult.info. Archived from the original on 2013-09-24. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  41. ^ "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders (TV series)". SFD.cz. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  42. ^ "Nov dtsk stanice RiK pedstavila TV program". Parabola.cz. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  43. ^ La princesa Starla., El Mundo, 30 March 1996.
  44. ^ "El programa – Starla i les amazones de les joies – Televisió de Catalunya". Tv3.cat. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  45. ^ "Edici del viernes, 03 marzo 2006 – Hemeroteca – Lavanguardia.es" (in Spanish). Hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  46. ^ "Svenska rter & credits – Starla och juvelriddarna (Dubbningshemsidan)" (in Swedish). Dubbningshemsidan.se. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  47. ^ Kate Barker, Fox Kids Europe focuses on regional programming and grabbing girl viewers in 2000, Kidscreen, February 1, 2000.
  48. ^ a b c d Gwenevere Rides Toys, KidScreen, January 1, 1996.
  49. ^ Martie Zad, "`Peanuts' Tops Fresh Batch Of Kids' Shows", The Washington Post, January 21, 1996.
  50. ^ "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders". Rotten Tomatoes. 2010-12-02. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  51. ^ "BKN Inks U.S. Distrib Deal". Animation Magazine. 2005-07-21. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  52. ^ "Princess Gwenevere & The Jewel Riders: Wizards Peak". Amazon. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  53. ^ "Amazon.fr : Princesse Starla et les Joyaux Magiques : DVD & Blu-ray". www.amazon.fr. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  54. ^ "Starla i Jahačice dragulja". Top-shop.rs. Archived from the original on 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  55. ^ "Starla und die Kristallretter – Staffel 1". www.pidax-film.de.
  56. ^ "SyncTV Kids". 2009-10-29. Archived from the original on 2009-10-29. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  57. ^ "Save Starla and the Jewel Riders to Your Movie List". Netflix. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  58. ^ "Starla and the Jewel Riders: Season 1". Movies.netflix.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  59. ^ "Starla and the Jewel Riders". Watch It Kid!. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  60. ^ "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders | Apple TV". 9 September 1995.
  61. ^ "Watch Princess Starla and the Jewel Riders | Prime Video". Amazon. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  62. ^ "Princess Starla and the Jewel Riders". Tubi.
  63. ^ "Watch Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders Streaming Online | Peacock".
  64. ^ "Robert Mandell interview". Odeo.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.[permanent dead link]
  65. ^ Bassaget, Joël; Campion, Benjamin; Prié, Amandine; Turcan, Marie. "Des séries... et des hommes – Les animaux de la télévision – 6 : Les chevaux – Libération.fr". Feuilletons.blogs.liberation.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2015-11-14. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  66. ^ Michael Fisher, "Toy-toon marriage an evolving union", Variety, June 20, 1995.
  67. ^ "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders Toy Guide". Darah.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  68. ^ Stout, Hilary (2014-03-28). "Fighting Spirit For Women of The Future". SikhNet. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
  69. ^ "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders Upper Deck – 1996". Nslists.com. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  70. ^ McGill, Nancy L. (2009-09-09). Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders (Play-a-sound) (9780785316220): NANCY L. MCGILL: Books. Publications International, Limited. ISBN 978-0785316220.
  71. ^ "Starla et les Joyaux Magiques / Starla and the Jewel". Paninimania.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  72. ^ "Some toys can hurt eyes: Optometrists release danger list", The Spectator, December 7, 1996.
  73. ^ a b Michael N. Salda, Arthurian Animation: A Study of Cartoon Camelots on Film and Television, page 103.
  74. ^ Buck, Jo (26 July 2011). "ISSUU – Mastermix Product Guide by Jo Buck". Issuu. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  75. ^ Broadcasting & Cable, Volume 125.
  76. ^ Jeff Tuckman, (Suburban Living) Young girls will appreciate Princess Gwen series, Daily Herald, January 25, 1996.
  77. ^ The Video Librarian: Volumes 10–11.
  78. ^ Scott Moore, Fall TV Season for Kids: Old New and Out of Blue, The Buffalo News, September 10, 1995.
  79. ^ Rob Bricken, The 10 Most Ridiculous Adaptations of Arthurian Legend, Topless Robot, March 18, 2009.
  80. ^ Young, Helen (2015-07-08). The Middle Ages in Popular Culture: Medievalism and Genre. Cambria Press. ISBN 9781621967484.
  81. ^ Kathleen Richter, My Little Homophobic, Racist, Smart-Shaming Pony, Ms. Magazine Blog, December 9, 2010.
  82. ^ Manchester Metro News, 29 November 1996, page 58.
  83. ^ "10 '90s Cartoon Characters You Were Not-So-Secretly Jealous Of, Because They Were Just That Cool". Bustle.com. October 2015. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  84. ^ Barbara Tepa Lupack, Adapting the Arthurian Legends for Children: Essays on Arthurian Juvenalia, 2004 ("Camelot on Camera: The Arthurian Legends and the Children's Films"), p. 281.
  85. ^ Trollion, Capucine (2015-09-27). "VIDÉOS – Les 14 génériques des dessins animés de notre enfance". Funradio.fr (in French). Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  86. ^ Billboard, January 20, 1996 (p. 71).
  87. ^ Vincent, Brittany (2018-12-17). "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders and my introduction to the world of magical girls". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  88. ^ "Joyau Magique : découvrez l'univers fantastique et déjanté de Natoo". Charles et Charlotte (in French). 2018-07-18. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
  89. ^ a b Fantasy Book Series ‘Avalon: Web of Magic’ Headed to the Big, The Film Stage, September 28, 2012.
  90. ^ "15 Awful Classic Toys With Terrible Gimmicks". CBR. 2017-10-01. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  91. ^ "Avalon: Web of Magic » Avalon: The Manga Vol. 1". Avalonmagic.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  92. ^ Avalon: Web of Magic, archived from the original on 2017-02-12, retrieved 2018-05-20
  93. ^ "Exclusive: Mad Cave Inks Deal with 41 Entertainment". icv2.com.
  94. ^ https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Princess-Gwenevere-and-the-Jewel-Riders-Vol-1/Jordie-Bellaire/9781960578921

Other sources

External links

TV series based on Arthurian legends
Categories