U N O F F I C I A L
H O M E P A G E
What is Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures?
Glad you asked.
The Story
One more exotic locale has been added to the travelogue - QuestWorld, a virtual-reality system invented by Benton Quest. Questworld is employed in recreating imaginary or otherwise inaccessible environments. The Questworld system has since been expanded by his son, Hadji and Jessie to include recreational uses as well.
In the course of their adventures, the Quest team runs into resistance from a number of sources, ranging from former KGB operatives to their own government to the forces of nature herself. They also receive help from fellow seekers after knowledge, and sometimes from unexpected sources - such as a renegade nuclear submarine captain who targets whaling boats.
The Show
So far there have been a total of 52 episodes of Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures. Rumor has it that the show has been cancelled, but there's still time to get that reversed.
Where and when can I see JQ:TRA?
JQ:TRA is currently broadcast on the Cartoon Network and in syndication. On Cartoon Network, JQ:TRA airs Monday to Friday at 3.30 PM (ET).
Every time I turn on Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures it looks different! How many versions of JQ:TRA are there?!
There are two "versions" (for want of a better word) of JQ:TRA. The first batch is known as Season One; the second batch is known as Season Two. Compounding the issue, Season One's animation was produced by several animation houses (Pacific Animation, Koko Enterprises, Dong Yang, Seoul Movie, etc.) while Season Two is being rendered by one animation house (Mook). Season One and Season Two can be easily told apart by looking at Jessie -- in Season Two she wears a pink outfit (ugh, but that's a different story) and earrings.
Their voices are also different. Here's the list of voice actors for season 1 and season 2:
Why does the second batch of episodes look so different from the first?
According to JQ:TRA producer Larry Houston:
As if that's not confusing enough, the present JQ:TRA crew do not consider the 1986 revival (The New Adventures of Jonny Quest) and the two TV-movies (Jonny's Golden Quest and Jonny Quest vs. The Cyber Insects) as part of the official series continuity. Read: They never happened.
I hate the changes!/I love the changes! Who can I throw brickbats/bouquets at?
If you want to comment about the changes to the show, write the Cartoon Network at ToonNet@aol.com, not to the maintainers of this page (which is the Unofficial home page).
Please note, however, that production on JQ:TRA has stopped for now, as the Season 2 episodes are all completed and "in the can," ready for airing. So writing to ask them to revert things to their Season 1 state at this point would be basically fruitless. However, you could write the Cartoon Network and ask them to renew the show, and then maybe comments about production might get a hearing.
Enough reruns already! When are the new episodes going to start?
There are no more new episodes (for now). 52 episodes of Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures have been produced, and they have all been aired. The aired episodes will continue to be repeated indefinitely until new episodes are produced. But hey, reruns of Jonny Quest are better than no Jonny Quest at all, right?
Why can't I find the JQ:TRA soundtrack that's advertised at the end of the show's credits?
Because it's not been released. Kid Rhino has, however, released a "Storytime Adventure" audio cassette based on the episode Return of the Anasazi. (I saw it in Tower Records the other day, so it definitely exists.) Rumor has it that there are no plans at present to release the soundtrack itself.
What's the story on Jonny's mother?
Her maiden name is Rachel Wildey; her father is Jonny's Grandpa Doug Wildey (seen in Nuclear Netherworld and named for series creator Doug Wildey). Aside from that, all we know (for now) is that she's deceased.
You heard the man. Bug HB.
What's the story on Jessie?
Jessie joined the Quest team about a year before the series takes place. Before that, she was living with her mother, Estella Velasquez, in South America. By the way, Brad Quentin's JQ:TRA books got it wrong; Jessie's mom is very much alive, and Jessie spends about half her time with her mother. So generally, when Jessie's not in an episode, it can be assumed she's with Mom.
Jessie was introduced in the 1993 TV-movie Jonny's Golden Quest (see below for more explanation on this).
Wait a minute. Didn't the TV-movie Jonny's Golden Quest say that Jessie's mother is somebody named Jade?
Uh, yeah, it did. But the good folks at HB say:
Enjoy them but don't take them seriously. That way lies madness. When it comes to Jessie, Jonny's mom, Dr. Zin, Jade, Jessie's mom, Hardrock, etc. they are dead wrong.
Where do the Quest team hang their hats?
The Quest compound is located in Rockport, Maine (pop. 3000). The main house is maintained by a housekeeper, Mrs Evans, who possibly serves as babysitter for Jonny and Jessie when Race, Benton and Hadji are away. (Return of the Anasazi).
Note: The Rockport mansion was destroyed in "The Robot Spies", so the Quest team has presumably moved back to Palm Key.
How old are the kids?
Jonny - 14
Do Jonny, Jessie and Hadji go to regular school?
Jonny and Jessie were seen in a regular high school classroom in the Season 1 episode Heroes. But according to Falk,
In the opening credits there are scenes of:
Sad to say, the scenes listed above are not from any episode that has been screened. They could be:
To re-emphasize: They are not from any episode that has been screened.
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and all characters,
logos, and likenesses therein, are trademarks of and copyrighted
by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc., and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons,
Inc., a Turner company. No copyright infringement is intended by
their use on this page. I and this page are in no way
affiliated with, approved of or endorsed by Hanna Barbera or
Turner Productions. This page is created by a fan for other fans
out of love and respect for the show, and is strictly a
non-profit endeavor.
14-year-old Jonny Quest invariably finds adventure in exotic locations around the world with his father, renowned scientist/explorer Dr Benton Quest. They are accompanied by Benton's adopted son and assistant, Hadji; Dr Quest's personal bodyguard, Race Bannon; and Jessie Bannon, Race's teenage daughter. And, of course, Jonny's faithful dog Bandit.
Each episode of JQ:TRA combines traditional cel animation with computer-generated imagery animation (CGI). CGI is used to generate the 3-D Questworld sequences and "Quest Bytes" - short, fully-rendered vignettes that footnote some of the episodes.
Jonny Quest
J.D. Roth
Quinton Flynn
Benton Quest
George Segal
Don Messick/
John DeLancie
Race Bannon
Robert Patrick
Sonny Van Dusen/
Robert Forsythe
Hadji Singh
Michael Benyear
Rob Paulsen
Jessie Bannon
Jesse P. Douglas
Jennifer Hale
Bandit
Frank Welker
Frank Welker
(Hey, the guy does the best dog voices.)
"The original production staff, after 3 years of producing unairable and unfinished material, were let go and 4 new producers were brought in to meet the upcoming deadline: John Eng, Cosmo Anzilotti, Davis Doi and myself, Larry Houston. John and Cosmo used the original models done by the previous staff, because of the lack of time. Davis and I, being old-time fans of the original 60's series, decided to redo the models to be in-between the original models and the models John and Cosmo was doing, to fit our aesthetics as to what the series should look like. Cartoon Network was suppose to launch our version separately from John and Cosmo's, but when Warner Bros. bought Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network, decisions were made, or not made, and that is why you have the differences."
A comment from Lance Falk, series writer:
"...some day I'd love to tell the REAL story of the late Rachel Quest (We see a snap shot of her in an upcoming episode called The Edge of Yesterday). If H-B makes more JQs, I promised Larry that my first script would be "Rachel". Bug H-B to make more! "Golden Quest" was all wrong. and the Comico comic book #2 was about 50% wrong about Jonny's late mom.
"Estella is Jessie's mom and that's it. All together now, one last time:
Fun, well crafted, enjoyable movies but NOT part of the real legend."
Jessie - 15
Hadji - 16
Dr Quest is somewhere in his late 40s-early 50s; Race is in his early-to-mid-40s, if we are to believe that he first busted Surd 18 years ago. (If Race were in his 30s, as the Brad Quentin books say, then he busted Surd when he was 17 -- Race is good, but he's not that good.
"Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji don't go to regular school (they travel too much). Race is their full time tutor. I'm sure Dr. Quest helps prepares the lessons though. We don't show this stuff because it makes lousy
television! When Hadji and Jessie are visiting their respective moms, they take lots of schoolwork with them. Bummer!"
What episode is this from?
1) from an unfinished episode left over from Season 1;
2) cut from an episode;
3) produced especially for the opening credits.
Many thanks to Redcloak for passing on the information from Lance Falk and Larry Houston, and to Anne Moloney for the soundtrack answer. Thanks also to Lance Falk for allowing me to quote him.
Got a question? This page is always being updated. Your comments and questions are welcome.
Disclaimer
Created January 27, 1997
