Jackie Chan Adventures

Jackie Chan Adventures
Created by John Rogers
Developed by Jackie Chan
Directed by
  • Phil Weinstein
  • Frank Squillace
Voices of
Ending theme "Chan's the Man" by Wheatus
Country of origin USA/Hong Kong
Original language(s) Cantonese/English
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 95 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Running time 23 minutes
Production company(s)
Release
Original network The WB
Original release September 9, 2000 (2000-09-09) – July 8, 2005 (2005-07-08)
External links
Website

Jackie Chan Adventures is an American animated television series starring the adventures of a fictionalized version of action film star Jackie Chan.[1][2] Many of the episodes contain references to Chan's actual works. This series ran on Kids' WB! from September 9, 2000 to July 8, 2005 for a total of 95 episodes, or 5 seasons. During its run, it was also shown on Cartoon Network, and afterwards, its reruns landed on Disney XD. An Arabic translation has been airing on MBC 3 since early 2006 and a Tamil translation has been airing on Chutti TV and Kannada translation has been airing on Chintu TV since the launch of both channels. It also used to air on Cartoon Network in Urdu. There have been several toys and video games based on the series. Its main character designer is Jeff Matsuda.

Plot

Jackie Chan, an amateur archeologist, would prefer to quietly do his work for the local university, but fate has dealt him another hand. When he finds a shield containing a talisman, he runs afoul of The Dark Hand, a criminal organization led by a man called Valmont and guided by the spirit Shendu. Jackie and his family must cooperate with a secret law enforcement organization, Section 13, to counter the threat, and must face dangers that will demand all of Jackie's daring and skill in martial arts to overcome.

Episodes

Season Episodes Originally aired (U.S. dates)
Season premiere Season finale
1 13 September 9, 2000 March 17, 2001
2 39 September 8, 2001 September 7, 2002
3 17 September 14, 2002 May 3, 2003
4 13 September 13, 2003 February 14, 2004
5 13 September 11, 2004 July 8, 2005

Characters

The main characters are:

Magic and the supernatural

The series involves magic and the supernatural, like spells, demons, chi, and stone talismans all throughout the episodes.

Talismans

The talismans represent the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac:

Chi magic

In the series of Jackie Chan Adventures, several characters can use a form of magic using chi energy. Chi magic involves the use of potions, magic objects, and incantations. Below are some of the Chi incantations that have been used throughout the series. Each wizard usually uses the same incantation but can accomplish many different effects, ranging from banishing demons to turning living creatures to stone.

Reception

Common Sense Media gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, saying "Lighthearted, entertaining, suspenseful, and humorous, this show may not be deep, but it's a lot of fun".[3]

References to Jackie Chan's career

The TV series features references to Jackie Chan's films and his own life throughout the series. In the first episode, Jackie is surprised to learn that Jade speaks English. She tells him that she never said she didn't speak it, he assumed. This is a reference to Jackie's line of a similar nature in the movie Rush Hour. In the episode "A Night at the Opera", Uncle states that he was part of the stage group "Seven Little Fortunes", which Jackie Chan was actually part of in real life. Another example is season 3 episode 7 Jackie is bitten by a Snake, and uses a kung fu style known as "the drunken master" from one of his earliest headlining films of the same name. According to Jackie during one of his question segments, the characters of the show are based on certain people in his life. Uncle is based on his agent and father, Jade is based on an assortment of his nieces, and Tohru is based on one of his stunt team members as well as himself. An episode titled "And He Does His Own Stunts" in reference to the fact that Jackie Chan does his own stunts in his movies.

Some episodes' titles are based on actual film names. For example, "Half a Mask of Kung Fu" is based on Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, four episode titles ("Enter the Viper", "Enter the Cat", "Re-Enter the J-Team", and "Re-Enter the Dragon") are based on Enter the Dragon (In which Jackie Chan performs as a stuntman[4]), "Shanghai Moon" is based on Shanghai Noon, "Armor of the Gods" is based on Armour of God, "Project A, For Astral" is based on Project A and "Rumble in the Big House" is based on Rumble in the Bronx.

Home media

Books

A number of books were released to accompany the series.

Issue no Release name Release date Author Publisher Notes Ref
#1 The Dark Hand 2002 (UK) Eliza Willard Grosset & Dunlap [5]
#2 Jade's Secret Power 2002 (UK) Cathy West Grosset & Dunlap [6]
#3 Sign of the Ox 2002 (UK) Megan Stine Grosset & Dunlap [7]
#4 Enter...the Viper 2002 (UK) Jacqueline Carrol Grosset & Dunlap [8]
#5 Shendu Escapes! 2002 (UK) David Slack & Jim Thomas Grosset & Dunlap [9]
#6 New Enemy 2002 (UK) R. S. Ashby Grosset & Dunlap [10]
#7 Revenge of the Dark Hand 2002 (UK) Eliza Willard Grosset & Dunlap [11]
#8 The Power of the Rat 2002 (UK) Megan Stine Grosset & Dunlap [12]
#9 Stronger Than Stone 2002 (UK) R. S. Ashby Grosset & Dunlap [13]
#10 Uncle's Big Surprise 2002 (UK) Jacqueline Carrol Grosset & Dunlap [14]
#11 The Jade Monkey 2002 (UK) Judy Katschke Grosset & Dunlap [15]
#12 The Strongest Evil 2002 (UK) Jacqueline Carrol Grosset & Dunlap [16]
N/A The Day of the Dragon 2003 (UK) Eliza Willard & David Slack & Alexx Dyne Grosset & Dunlap Special [17]

Comics

A number of comics were released to accompany the series.

Volume Release name Release date Author Publisher Notes Ref
#1 Enter the Dark Hand 15 July 2004 (UK) Duane Capizzi & John Rogers Tokyopop [18]
#2 Legend of the Zodiac 15 Oct 2004 (UK) Duane Capizzi & David Slack Tokyopop [19]
#3 Jackie and Jade Save the Day 15 January 2005 (UK) John Rogers Tokyopop [20]
#4 Return of the Vampire John Tomlinson Tokyopop [21]

VHS & DVD releases

In 2001, Sony Pictures released episodes from the first season on VHS and DVD. But one format differed from the other in that of the four DVDs released, three were select, individual episodes while the fourth contained the whole season of 13 episodes; the VHS series had only three, separate episodes. Also, there was a difference in the titles of the said episodes released on VHS and DVD. The Day Of The Dragon VHS box cover art was the same as that of the first season DVD case cover, which featured Jackie, Jade and Uncle with the villains behind them, dimmed in a yellowish background. On these, the episodes were presented sans the teasers that originally appeared prior to the opening/intro sequence as they aired. They are currently unavailable and out-of-print, especially since they had limited pressings and no plans have been announced to follow up season one with DVD box sets of the remaining four seasons. However, the entire series can be ordered and seen via video-on-demand service at Amazon and iTunes. As of October 2010, the entire series was made available on the Netflix Instant Streaming service.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment plans to release the second season on DVD through Amazon.com, and other online retailers.[22]

VHS

United States
Release name
Release date
Classifaction
Publisher
Format
Language Subtitles Notes
Ref
The Day of the Dragon 23 October 2001 G Sony Pictures NTSC None None 30 Minutes. [23]
The Power Within 23 October 2001 G Sony Pictures NTSC None None 30 Minutes. [24]
Friends & Foes 5 March 2002 G Sony Pictures NTSC None None 30 Minutes. [25]
United Kingdom
Release name
Release date
Classifaction
Publisher
Format
Language Subtitles Notes
Ref
The Search For The Talisman 22 July 2002 U Sony Pictures PAL None None 30 Minutes. [26]

DVD

DVD Title # of Disc(s) Year Series Episodes DVD release
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
The Search For The Talisman
(Volume 1)
1 2000 1 1-3 23 October 2001[27] 22 July 2002[28] 17 March 2004[29]
The Dark Hand Returns
(Volume 2)
1 2000 1 4-6 5 March 2002[30] 1 September 2002 [31] 17 March 2004[29]
The Shadow of Shendu
(Volume 3)
1 2000 1 7-9 5 March 2002[32] Not released Not released
The Entire Season One 2 2000 & 2001 1 1-13 Not released 17 May 2004[33] Not released
The Entire Season Two 4 2001 & 2002 1 14-52 5 June 2012 [34][35]
Manufacture on Demand (MOD) release.
Pulled From Schedule[36] Not released

Video game

There has only been one Jackie Chan game first released on Game Boy Advance then re-released on PlayStation 2 both are under different titles. Other titles include 成龙大冒险 (Chinese Title Simplified) and Chenglong Da Maoxian (Chinese Title)

Title Genre Platform Studio Release Date Notes
Jackie Chan Adventures: Legend of the Dark Hand Action Game Boy Advance Activision 6 November 2001 (US) & 30 November 2001 (EU)[37] Find eight stolen scrolls and stop the dark hand from unleashing demons.
Jackie Chan Adventures Action PlayStation 2 Sony 1 October 2004 (EU), 19 September 2004 (CH) & Cancelled (US) [38][39] Play as Jackie Chan and collect the talismans, Compatible with PlayStation's EyeToy.

References

  1. Stanley, T.L. (October 14, 2000). "Now Chan Is the Picture of an Action Hero". The Los Angeles Times (USA). Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  2. Fritz, Steve (September 18, 2000). "MEN IN BLACK and JACKIE CHAN ADVENTURES". Mania. USA. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  3. "Review of Jackie Chan Adventures". Common Sense Media. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  4. I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action. Ballantine Publishing Group, 1999, p. 369.
  5. "The Dark Hand (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  6. "Jade's Secret Power (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  7. "Sign of the Ox (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  8. "Enter...the Viper with Cards (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  9. "Jackie Chan #5: Shendu Escapes! with Cards (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  10. "Jackie Chan #6: A New Enemy with Cards (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  11. "Revenge of the Dark Hand with Cards (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  12. "The Power of the Rat (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  13. "Jackie Chan #9: Stronger Than Stone (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  14. "Jackie Chan #10: Uncle's Big Surprise (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  15. "Jackie Chan #11: The Jade Monkey (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  16. "Jackie Chan #12: The Strongest Evil (Jackie Chan Adventures) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  17. "Jackie Chan Adventures Super Special: The Day of the Dragon [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  18. "Jackie Chan Adventures Volume 1: Enter The Dark Hand: Enter the Dark Hand v. 1 (Jackie Chan Adventures S.) [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  19. "Jackie Chan Adventures Volume 2: Legend of the Zodiac: v. 2 [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  20. "Jackie Chan Adventures Volume 3: Jackie and Jade Save the Day: v. 3 [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  21. "Jackie Chan Adventures: No. 4, Return of the Vampire [Paperback]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  22. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Jackie-Chan-Adventures-Season-2/16992
  23. "Jackie Chan Adventures - The Day of the Dragon [VHS] (2000)". amazon.com. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  24. "Jackie Chan Adventures - The Power Within [VHS] (2000)". amazon.com. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  25. "Jackie Chan Adventures - Friends & Foes [VHS] (2000)". amazon.com. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  26. "Jackie Chan Adventures [VHS] [2001]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  27. "Jackie Chan Adventures - The Search For The Talisman (2000)". amazon.com. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  28. "Jackie Chan Adventures - the Search for the Talismans [DVD] [2001]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  29. 1 2 "Jackie Chan Adventures - The Search For The Talismans Plus The Dark Hand Returns". ezydvd.com.au. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  30. "Jackie Chan Adventures - Vol 2: The Dark Hand Returns". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  31. "JACKIE CHAN ADVENTURES - THE DARK HAND RETURNS". bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  32. "Jackie Chan Adventures - The Shadow of Shendu (2000)". amazon.com. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  33. "Jackie Chan Adventures: The Entire Season 1 [DVD] [2004]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  34. "Jackie Chan Adventures - 'The Complete 2nd Season' DVD Set's Possible Ship Date". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  35. "JACKIE CHAN ADVENTURES - SEASON 2 (4 Discs)". amazon.com. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  36. "Jackie Chan Adventures: The Entire Season 2". bva.org.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  37. "Jackie Chan Adventures: Legend of the Dark Hand Related Games". uk.gamespot.com. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  38. "Jackie Chan Adventures (PS2)". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  39. "Jackie Chan Adventures Related Games". uk.gamespot.com. Retrieved 1 April 2012.

External links

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