The Flying Cats (1996 animated series)

The Flying Cats is a 1996 British-American animated TV series created by Joe Brian. The series was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films (Season 1-4) and Martin Gates Productions (Season 1). The show was also distributed outside of North America by DreamWorks Television. The show's music was composed by Mark Watters.

Joe Brian, who was living in the UK at the time, monitored the production at Cosgrove Hall Films.

The show ran on Fox Kids in the United States from October 18, 1996 to June 28, 2002 for four seasons and 130 episodes and on YTV and CBC in Canada.

Premise
The show revolves around a kingdom of anthropomorphic cats with wings, that are capable of flight (hence the title), whose forest has been taken over by Azure, an evil cat wizard who can produce weapons and summon armies with his brewing cauldron. A group of four winged cats, including the main protagonist, has plans to restore normalcy to the forest.

Unlike many cartoon shows at the time, ample time was spent on plot and character development, setting the show apart from many other cartoons.

Seasons

 * Season 1 (1996-1997) - 26 episodes
 * Season 2 (1998-1999) - 26 episodes
 * Season 3 (2000-2001) - 26 episodes
 * Season 4 (2001-2002) - 26 episodes

Characters

 * Hunter (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried) - The main protagonist of the series. He is a winged cat aptly named for his agility, speed and good eyesight. He can be sort of an egotistical hothead at times, but he can also be a hero or good sport when necessary.
 * Alice (voiced by Mae Whitman) - Hunter's little sister. She is herself skilled, especially in archery and faster, stronger and smarter than Hunter, much to his annoyance. Due to her numerous skills, she has never been a damsel-in-distress.
 * Merlin (voiced by Robby Benson) - Hunter's best friend. He is a winged cat who, although he is actually quite good with magic for someone as young as him, is learning magic from his mentor, the forest elder, Pocus. He is quite smart and logical, usually the brains of the group, particularly when they have to find a way out of a crisis. He is kind and wise, but when angered, he will cast a spell that causes unpleasant things to happen to the victim.
 * Tara (voiced by Meg Ryan) - Hunter's love interest and girlfriend. She is very able-bodied and capable of archery, sword-fights, jousting and other battle methods. She is very kind, sweet and caring, but, like Merlin, she can do unpleasant things to whoever makes her angry.
 * Pocus (voiced by John Cusack) - The forest elder. He is an old wizard and the tutor of Merlin. He also gives advice to those who seek it, but only if they really need it.
 * Azure (voiced by Neil Buchanan) - The main antagonist of the series. He is a dark wing-cat wizard, sporting an eye-patch and a peg-leg (due to past injuries). In order to cast a spell or summon an army of whatever monsters he wants, he casts a spell with his enormous cauldron.

Voice Cast:

 * Gilbert Gottfried as Hunter
 * Mae Whitman as Alice
 * Robby Benson as Merlin
 * Meg Ryan as Tara
 * John Cusack as Pocus
 * Neil Buchanan as Azure