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'Gargoyles' Had Major, Empowered Female Representation
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
When you look at the shows Gargoyles was slotted with on the Disney Channel (Dumb and Dumber, Quack Pack, 101 Dalmatians: The Series) one thing is apparent: they all share a lack of lead female characters. The audience's entryway into the world of Goliath and his gargoyle brothers was Detective Elisa Maza (Salli Richardson), a quick thinking woman of mixed race who saw the inherent beauty of things.
On the other hand is Demona, a character who was initially viewed as an antagonist to Goliath's clan, despite working with him in Scotland. Over the 1,000 years that Goliath and his clan were locked in stone, she experienced nothing but prejudice from humans. When you learn what she's been through, it makes perfect sense she acts the way she does. This is just another way Gargoyles took the expectations of their viewers and turned them on their head.
'Gargoyles' Showed Outright Murder
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
Gargoyles is dark. Not just visually, but the story it tells rarely allows for a moment of levity. At its heart, the series is about a group of immortal monsters out of their own time who are oppressed because of the way they look. It's not what you would call "normal children's television."
The first episode of the series closes with a Viking who smashes a gargoyle to bits, while it's in stone form, before setting him on fire. As night sets over ancient Scotland, the busted up gargoyle comes back to life and dies a second death in front of his friend. And that's before two guys fall off a cliff while trying to murder a woman.
The Characters Had Oblique Motivations At Best
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
While most characters in children's cartoons were pretty black-and-white, with specific motivations, the characters on Gargoyles had a collection of differing motivations. This made them seem closer to real people than the one-note characters audiences were used to seeing.
For the most part, the gargoyles just wanted to protect New York City and make sure their friends were safe, but everyone around them was playing their own personal game. For instance, David Xanatos, the wealthy industrialist who wakes up the gargoyles, does so by pretending to be their friend, but in reality, he was using them for a variety of reasons (initially theft, and later immortality). As bad as he is, Xanatos at least tried to stay positive, and even found love. He was truly a fascinating character.
Demona, the female gargoyle who grows to hate humanity over 1,000 years, begins the series as a fierce fighter who wants nothing but revenge for the way she's been treated. But after the intervention with Puck, she learns what it's like to be human, after he gives her the ability to turn into one during the day.
'Gargoyles' Was Meant To Be A Comedy
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
It's fair to say that Gargoyles was a fairly dark show. While there were moments of levity provided by some of the side characters, it was mostly a serious, action-adventure show. Weisman explained in an interview that the initial pitch was to make a "really fun comedy with a lot of adventure, fun stuff, a rich story, and all that."
The series wouldn't have featured the hulking characters that fans loved; instead, it would have featured "short little cute gargoyles." However, once Weisman got a note about restructuring the show, he and the rest of the creators ran with the idea of the deeply serious Goliath, and came out with the show that made it to air.
'Gargoyles' Wasn't Afraid To Tell Long Stories
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
Even now, most animated-television shows don't tell an episodic story in the same way that Gargoyles did in the mid '90s. The first story arc was a five-episode narrative that jumped back and forth in time, while showing where the gargoyles came from, as they adjusted to their new homes in New York City. It's an engrossing opening chapter of the series that swung for the fences in every way.
The long-form storytelling on display in Gargoyles wouldn't become the norm for television for a few years, and even then, it wouldn't become lauded as a brilliant idea until shows like The Sopranos appeared on HBO.
The Show Had Some Unusual Inspiration
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
Gargoyles wears many of its inspirations on its sleeve; specifically Shakespeare, Arthurian legend, and Scottish mythology. But the one source of inspiration that's not as obvious is Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears. How could this very, children's-friendly series inspire such a gloomy program? It turns out that that the show owes more to the kiddie creation than you think. Weisman explained:
One of our main inspirations was Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears, which was a show that was created by Jymn Magon, who also co-created TaleSpin among other terrific series. It had a wonderful, rich backstory and mythology. It was set in a medieval time period, and I honestly felt that it didn’t get enough respect.
Weisman Is Still Connected To The Show's Fandom
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
Normally after a series ends - especially a series that only ran for 78 episodes (13 of which are very disappointing) - the production staff goes their separate ways. But not series-creator Weisman. While he's gone on to produce shows like Young Justice, and write for The Flash, he's also stayed connected to the Gargoyles fandom.
Weisman keeps up a website where he blogs about Gargoyles, and you can ask him questions about the series. He'll even answer if he has time. Although by now he's answered most of the important questions that have come up.
'Gargoyles' Uses Brilliant Shadow Work
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
It makes sense a show about flying monsters coming alive at night would be visually very dark, but you have to remember the shows that were on the air at the same time, by contrast, were very colorful and bright. Gargoyles used stark contrast and shadows to help tell its story, something that was only being done by WB's Batman: The Animated Series.
Even though Gargoyles would only go on to live for three seasons, (only two of which are considered canon) its color pallet would on to inspire darker shows in the 2000s (Courage the Cowardly Dog, Samurai Jack).
'Gargoyles' Continued On In Comic Book Form
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
After the incredibly forward-thinking and narratively dense second season, Disney moved Gargoyles out of syndication and aired it Saturday mornings on ABC. The producers put in a new group of writers, who essentially retooled the show to ignore the previous seasons. After the show went off the air, Weisman began writing a comic book he said picked up where the second season left off. He told Comic Book:
Gargoyles is and always will be my baby, and from a television standpoint, my first love. I’m still dying to do more Gargoyles comic books. We did 18 issues with SLG publishing that I’m very proud of, and turned out really great – we [the creators] think of that as the real, canonical third season of the show. I would love to do more comics, I’d love to do more episodes, I’d love to do anything with Gargoyles, quite frankly.
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
When you look at the shows Gargoyles was slotted with on the Disney Channel (Dumb and Dumber, Quack Pack, 101 Dalmatians: The Series) one thing is apparent: they all share a lack of lead female characters. The audience's entryway into the world of Goliath and his gargoyle brothers was Detective Elisa Maza (Salli Richardson), a quick thinking woman of mixed race who saw the inherent beauty of things.
On the other hand is Demona, a character who was initially viewed as an antagonist to Goliath's clan, despite working with him in Scotland. Over the 1,000 years that Goliath and his clan were locked in stone, she experienced nothing but prejudice from humans. When you learn what she's been through, it makes perfect sense she acts the way she does. This is just another way Gargoyles took the expectations of their viewers and turned them on their head.
'Gargoyles' Showed Outright Murder
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
Gargoyles is dark. Not just visually, but the story it tells rarely allows for a moment of levity. At its heart, the series is about a group of immortal monsters out of their own time who are oppressed because of the way they look. It's not what you would call "normal children's television."
The first episode of the series closes with a Viking who smashes a gargoyle to bits, while it's in stone form, before setting him on fire. As night sets over ancient Scotland, the busted up gargoyle comes back to life and dies a second death in front of his friend. And that's before two guys fall off a cliff while trying to murder a woman.
The Characters Had Oblique Motivations At Best
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
While most characters in children's cartoons were pretty black-and-white, with specific motivations, the characters on Gargoyles had a collection of differing motivations. This made them seem closer to real people than the one-note characters audiences were used to seeing.
For the most part, the gargoyles just wanted to protect New York City and make sure their friends were safe, but everyone around them was playing their own personal game. For instance, David Xanatos, the wealthy industrialist who wakes up the gargoyles, does so by pretending to be their friend, but in reality, he was using them for a variety of reasons (initially theft, and later immortality). As bad as he is, Xanatos at least tried to stay positive, and even found love. He was truly a fascinating character.
Demona, the female gargoyle who grows to hate humanity over 1,000 years, begins the series as a fierce fighter who wants nothing but revenge for the way she's been treated. But after the intervention with Puck, she learns what it's like to be human, after he gives her the ability to turn into one during the day.
'Gargoyles' Was Meant To Be A Comedy
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
It's fair to say that Gargoyles was a fairly dark show. While there were moments of levity provided by some of the side characters, it was mostly a serious, action-adventure show. Weisman explained in an interview that the initial pitch was to make a "really fun comedy with a lot of adventure, fun stuff, a rich story, and all that."
The series wouldn't have featured the hulking characters that fans loved; instead, it would have featured "short little cute gargoyles." However, once Weisman got a note about restructuring the show, he and the rest of the creators ran with the idea of the deeply serious Goliath, and came out with the show that made it to air.
'Gargoyles' Wasn't Afraid To Tell Long Stories
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
Even now, most animated-television shows don't tell an episodic story in the same way that Gargoyles did in the mid '90s. The first story arc was a five-episode narrative that jumped back and forth in time, while showing where the gargoyles came from, as they adjusted to their new homes in New York City. It's an engrossing opening chapter of the series that swung for the fences in every way.
The long-form storytelling on display in Gargoyles wouldn't become the norm for television for a few years, and even then, it wouldn't become lauded as a brilliant idea until shows like The Sopranos appeared on HBO.
The Show Had Some Unusual Inspiration
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
Gargoyles wears many of its inspirations on its sleeve; specifically Shakespeare, Arthurian legend, and Scottish mythology. But the one source of inspiration that's not as obvious is Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears. How could this very, children's-friendly series inspire such a gloomy program? It turns out that that the show owes more to the kiddie creation than you think. Weisman explained:
One of our main inspirations was Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears, which was a show that was created by Jymn Magon, who also co-created TaleSpin among other terrific series. It had a wonderful, rich backstory and mythology. It was set in a medieval time period, and I honestly felt that it didn’t get enough respect.
Weisman Is Still Connected To The Show's Fandom
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
Normally after a series ends - especially a series that only ran for 78 episodes (13 of which are very disappointing) - the production staff goes their separate ways. But not series-creator Weisman. While he's gone on to produce shows like Young Justice, and write for The Flash, he's also stayed connected to the Gargoyles fandom.
Weisman keeps up a website where he blogs about Gargoyles, and you can ask him questions about the series. He'll even answer if he has time. Although by now he's answered most of the important questions that have come up.
'Gargoyles' Uses Brilliant Shadow Work
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
It makes sense a show about flying monsters coming alive at night would be visually very dark, but you have to remember the shows that were on the air at the same time, by contrast, were very colorful and bright. Gargoyles used stark contrast and shadows to help tell its story, something that was only being done by WB's Batman: The Animated Series.
Even though Gargoyles would only go on to live for three seasons, (only two of which are considered canon) its color pallet would on to inspire darker shows in the 2000s (Courage the Cowardly Dog, Samurai Jack).
'Gargoyles' Continued On In Comic Book Form
Photo: Walt Disney Television/Amazon
After the incredibly forward-thinking and narratively dense second season, Disney moved Gargoyles out of syndication and aired it Saturday mornings on ABC. The producers put in a new group of writers, who essentially retooled the show to ignore the previous seasons. After the show went off the air, Weisman began writing a comic book he said picked up where the second season left off. He told Comic Book:
Gargoyles is and always will be my baby, and from a television standpoint, my first love. I’m still dying to do more Gargoyles comic books. We did 18 issues with SLG publishing that I’m very proud of, and turned out really great – we [the creators] think of that as the real, canonical third season of the show. I would love to do more comics, I’d love to do more episodes, I’d love to do anything with Gargoyles, quite frankly.
