Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

In a post-apocalyptic 26th century earth, dinosaurs once again roamed the planet, repopulating the surface while man was forced to live underground. Man returned to the topside to find that the “City by the Sea” (formerly New York City) had grown into a lush jungle due to planetary flooding.

Jack Tenrec was a Mechanic, a group dedicated to preserving the new ecological balance. He and his crew protected the dinosaurs and the rest of the planet from would-be despot Wilhelmina Scharnhorst, who wanted to prove mankind’s superiority by causing the same kind of environmental devastation that forced man underground in the first place. Her cruel henchman Hammer Terhune and his brothers Wrench and Vice tried to stop Jack's interference by any means necessary.

It was a complex setup, originating in Mark Schultz’s 1980’s comic book, Xenozoic Tales. Nelvana brought the comic to television in the wake of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, another cult comic-turned-cartoon.

Jack was assisted in his heroics by beautiful scientist Hannah Dundee, muscular Mustapha, and a pet dinosaur named Hermes. Jack was also aided by flashbacks of advice from his mentor, a Mechanic named Grith. Together, the Mechanics rode around in Jack’s modified Cadillacs, striving to maintain the balance of “The Machinery of Life.” The Council of Governors, including a man named Toulouse, judged the differing philosophies of Jack and Wilhelmina in making governing policy.

The animated version of Cadillacs and Dinosaurs attempted to scale down the enormous background information of Schultz’s comic book by introducing new information piece by piece over the series’ run, but not enough young viewers had the patience to follow the complex storyline. The show was canceled after one season.

Release History

9/18/93 - 3/26/94 CBS

TV Sub Categories

animated
sci-fi/fantasy
action/adventure

TV Studio

Nelvana, Galaxy Films, DeSouza Productions

Television Cast

Jack Tenrec David Keely
Hannah Dundee Susan Roman
Mustapha Bruce Tubbe
Wilhelmina Scharnhorst Dawn Greenhaigh
Hammer Terhune Tedd Dillon
Wrench Terhune Colin O'Meara
Vice Terhune Frank Pellegrino
Grith Don Francks
Toulouse Philip Williams
Noc Don Dickinson

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