Dungeons & Dragons
Series, 1983, The '80s, Set in The Realm
Dungeons & Dragons is #7 of 18 in release order and #7 of 18 in chronological order in the CBS Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
Six friends are transported into the Dungeons & Dragons realm and must try to find a way home with the help of their guide 'Dungeon Master'.
Dungeons & Dragons recap
Dungeons & Dragons (1983) sends six friends on an amusement park ride that drops them into the realm of the role-playing game, where they hunt for a way home. Marvel Productions made it for CBS with the game's publisher, TSR, and Mark Evanier developed it. The Dungeon Master (Sidney Miller), a small mentor who speaks in riddles, gives each child a class and a magic item: Hank the Ranger (Willie Aames) and his energy bow, Eric the Cavalier (Don Most) and his shield, Diana the Acrobat (Tonia Gayle Smith) and her staff, Presto the Magician (Adam Rich) and his unreliable hat, Sheila the Thief (Katie Leigh) and her cloak of invisibility, and her younger brother Bobby the Barbarian (Teddy Field III) and his club. Bobby also looks after a baby unicorn, Uni. Their enemy is Venger (Peter Cullen), a sorcerer who wants their weapons, served by Shadow Demon; the five-headed dragon Tiamat is the one creature Venger fears. Chances to go home come and go, often given up so the kids can help someone. The series ran three seasons and 27 episodes, 13, 8 and 6, from 1983 to 1985.
Dungeons & Dragons ending explained
Dungeons & Dragons ends with "The Winds of Darkness", aired December 7, 1985, and the children never get home on screen. Michael Reaves wrote a finale, "Requiem", which was never made because the show was cancelled. In it, Venger is revealed as the Dungeon Master's son and is redeemed, the people he trapped are freed, and the children face a last choice about going home. Reaves published the script, a DVD release included it as an audio drama, and a fan-made animated version built from that audio and recut footage appeared online in 2020.
Where to watch Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is streaming on Plex in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 8.1/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Shazam!, before Jim Henson's Muppet Babies.
- Chronological order: after Shazam!, before Jim Henson's Muppet Babies.
Cast
- Willie Aames as Hank (voice)
- Don Most as Eric (voice)
- Adam Rich as Presto (voice)
- Peter Cullen as Venger (voice)
- Teddy Field III as Bobby (voice)
- Katie Leigh as Sheila (voice)
- Sidney Miller as Dungeon Master (voice)
- Tonia Gayle Smith as Diana (voice)
- Frank Welker as Uni (voice)
- Laurie O'Brien as (Voice)
Created by Kevin Paul Coates, Dennis Marks.