Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

Gigantor was an enormous, friendly robot who, as his theme song stated, was "bigger than big, taller than tall, faster than fast, and stronger than strong." With such a hyperbolic resume, one would think that Gigantor could only end up being a disappointment in his actual performance. This, however, was not the case, as Gigantor became one of the first of Japan’s cartoons to capture the attention of American viewers.

Originally designed to fight in World War II, Gigantor was destroyed by American troops. After the war, his creators rebuilt him and decided to use the giant to help Inspector Blooper and the police fight crime. Jimmy Sparks, son of the man who created Gigantor, controlled the robot and would often ride around on him as they saved the town from evil.

As with Astro Boy, viewers were enamored with the distinctly different animation of the series, which included creative camera angles and never-before-seen shots, like a P.O.V. from the mouth of the villain.

Gigantor was the first in a long line of friendly giant robots, which included Frankenstein Jr., Johnny Sokko’s Flying Robot, and The Iron Giant.

Release History

Syndicated: 1966

TV Sub Categories

animated

TV Studio

Mushi Productions/Trans Lux

Television Cast

Voices Billie Lou Watt
Voices Peter Fernandez
Voices Gilbert Mack
Voices Cliff Owens

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