He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-84)

He-Man and the MotU (1983-84)
Dirs. various | Seasons: 02 | Episodes: 130 (total), approx 23 mins each.

In theory, writing about the original MotU TV series should be a simple task because it isn't a difficult series to describe —  it's a mix of High Fantasy and Science Fiction, wrapped up in a 1980s bun — but the characters and their world have been such a defining part of my life that finding the words is proving to be difficult. It'll probably sound ridiculous, but if I could reach deep into my soul and paste that onto the page, much of what's there would be MotU-shaped.

Within the colourful blobs of joy would be identifiable forms. There'll be one that looks like a stone castle with a skull entrance. Next to it would be a jagged mountain with a giant snake wrapped around it. Elsewhere, you'd see a large cat the size of a lion, but green with orange stripes, and red armour on its back and head.

And there would be heroes, different in temperament but each one cut from the same cloth, standing together, poised to defend, strong in spirit and steadfast in purpose as they do their utmost to prevent the forces of evil from realising their selfish goals, lest the innocent suffer. A cliché it may be, but it's a cliché with a true heart, and that heart beats in time with my own. Put simply, I adore 1980s era MotU.

It was conceived as a promotional tool to sell toys for Mattel, and that might have been where the story ended if not for the dedicated writers and animators at Filmation. The collective turned what was essentially a vibrant adventure with larger than life characters into so much more.

Set on a world named Eternia, the series followed the fortunes and misfortunes of a Prince named Adam, who had a secret second identity: when Adam raised aloft his magic sword, he could channel the power of Eternia's past, which transformed him into He-Man, the strongest man in the universe. As He-Man he was able to defend the kingdom from the forces of evil.

- Pink shirt, purple lycra, and matching fur-top boots? A hell of a disguise -

At its most basic level it's a standard good vs evil set-up, in which, more often than not, evil is beaten not just by the combined might of the heroes but by its own selfish nature.

Such a formula can get stale and predictable, but MotU had a handful of talented storytellers and script editors who really cared about the franchise, and it had a roster of memorable characters, many of whom transcended their stereotypical origins, becoming truly iconic.

As cool as He-Man (John Erwin) and his fellow heroes are, the most memorable ingredient in the mix is undoubtedly the skull-faced leader of evil, Skeletor (Alan Oppenheimer). 💀 By turns arrogant, jealous, childish, sneaky, snide, ambitious, selfish, cruel, and egotistical, Skeletor would do almost anything to get into the aforementioned castle and take its powers for himself. He's primarily what gave MotU its edge over other, similar cartoons of the era. Coming a close second was his aide, Evil-Lyn (Linda Gary), a dark magic user who served Skeletor only because it suited her to do so; consequently, she had more depth than the other evil warriors.

- Behind every evil dick leader is an evil bitch leader in waiting -

MotU fed my imagination more than any other 1980s cartoon, and it inspired me in many different ways, including recognising the value of friendship, virtue, and courage, The writers knew that not every child would recognise the lesson they'd placed within the story, so they added a postscript wherein one or more of the characters would speak directly to the audience, summarising the important parts of what they'd just witnessed. It was a simple moral lesson, but it felt like world-changing wisdom to my young mind, and I fully believed that following the advice could make me a better person; and secretly I wanted to make He-Man proud.

I'm not so smitten that I can't see its flaws, such as the vast amount of reused (and sometimes flipped) animation, and the occasional rushed and inconsistent attention to detail, but that was how Filmation worked; there just wasn't enough hours in the day to animate every scene from scratch, and they made 130 episodes in 15 months (Sept '83 to Dec '84).

It might not be obvious, given that it lasted just a few short years in total, but at its peak MotU was the most watched children's cartoon on TV. Personally, I feel it deserved its success. And I know for certain that my life is richer for having experienced it at the right age. ⚔🕂

- Castle Grayskull: a storehouse of knowledge, and an architect's nightmare -