Galtar and the Golden Lance

Galtar and the Golden Lance is a 30-minute animated sword and sorcery television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which aired in syndication in 1985–86 as part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera.[1] The show ran for 21 episodes and is thought to have been created due to the rising popularity of the He-Man franchise.[2]

Galtar and the Golden Lance
Galtar and Tormack
Genre
Written byNeal Barbera
Directed by
Voices of
Opening theme"Galtar"
Ending theme"Galtar" (Instrumental)
ComposerHoyt Curtin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes21
Production
Executive producersWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
ProducerBob Dranko
Running time30 minutes
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
Original release
NetworkSyndicated
ReleaseSeptember 2, 1985 (1985-09-02) –
January 20, 1986 (1986-01-20)

Premise

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The series is about the mythical sword-and-sorcery adventures of three companions: Galtar, Princess Goleeta, and her younger mind controlling brother Zorn.[3] Galtar, with the help of his Golden Lance, is fighting with Tormack, the tyrannical usurper of the kingdom of Bandisar, who is conquering their entire world. Tormack is responsible for the death of both Galtar's parents and assassinating the rest of Goleeta and Zorn's family.[4]

Tormack covets the power of the Golden Lance, wishing to combine it with the Sacred Shield, which rightfully belongs to Goleeta and Zorn. Whoever holds both becomes invincible. The Golden Lance normally exists as a short staff. However, when Galtar holds it above his head with both hands, it extends two mystical blades, one on each side, and can then be divided into two swords for dueling. The enchantment that empowers the Golden Lance also protects it by releasing energy from its hilt (called the "Fury of the Golden Lance") when held by an unworthy wielder.

The series was cancelled before the final outcome of the conflict between Galtar and Tormack could be revealed.

Characters

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  • Galtar – The main character of the series and wielder of the Golden Lance.
  • Princess Goleeta – The princess of Bandisar.
  • Zorn – The younger, mind-controlling brother of Princess Goleeta.
  • Thork – Galtar's loyal horse.
  • Tormack – The primary villain of the series.
  • Rak and Tuk – A father and son dwarf duo who are inept mercenaries and have a tendency to double-cross others on both sides. They claimed that it was the only work that they know.

Supporting characters

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  • Ither – Keeper of the Golden Lance, who eventually puts it into Galtar's cave.
  • Vikor – Leader of the raiders who also seeks the Golden Lance.
  • Pandat – The prince of a race called Nerms, who occasionally aid the heroes.
  • Marin – A feral child who rescues and befriends Zorn.
  • Rava – Tormak's niece who allies herself with Galtar and Goleeta. She wore a magical gauntlet that could command fire and ice through the gemstones embedded in it. The gauntlet also had a black gemstone that could be used to summon Raven's Claw. Rava later gave this gauntlet to Goleeta.
  • Raven's Claw – A fierce and powerful red dragon who comes to the aid of Galtar and Goleeta during the first episode of the series. Rava later gives Goleeta her magical gauntlet so she can summon Raven's Claw at will.

Episode list

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Title Written by Original air date
1"Galtar and the Princess"Neal BarberaSeptember 2, 1985 (1985-09-02)
Galtar and Princess Goleeta begin their quest to find the Golden Lance and the Sacred Shield that is needed to defeat the despot Tormack.
2"Skull Forest"Neal BarberaSeptember 9, 1985 (1985-09-09)
Prince Pandat of the Nerms saves Galtar and Princess Goleeta from Rak's trap. He brings them to Pandat as Tormack begins his attack.
3"Mursa the Merciless"Mark YoungSeptember 16, 1985 (1985-09-16)
The evil witch Mursa traps Princess Goleeta and steals her youth. Galtar works with the mysterious White Knight to rescue Princess Goleeta and defeat Mursa.
4"Goleeta's Reunion"Mark SeidenbergSeptember 23, 1985 (1985-09-23)
Princess Goleeta's brother Zorn is captured and forced to work in Tormack's mines as Rak and Tuk lead her into a trap where she gets captured by Tormack.
5"Shadowhaunt"Dennis MarksSeptember 30, 1985 (1985-09-30)
Galtar, Princess Goleeta, and Zorn enter Shadowhaunt, where they are attacked by an invisible monster.
6"Tormack's Trap"Dennis MarksOctober 7, 1985 (1985-10-07)
Galtar saves a young woman named Rava who helps Galtar, Princess Goleeta, and Zorn get into Tormack's castle. What they don't know is that Rava is Tormack's niece.
7"Wicked Alliance"Mark YoungOctober 14, 1985 (1985-10-14)
Krimm teams up with Mursa in a plot to defeat Galtar and get their hands on the Golden Lance.
8"Vikor's Raiders"Mark SeidenbergOctober 21, 1985 (1985-10-21)
The Raiders led by Vikor kidnap Tuk and managed to steal the Golden Lance. Rak persuades Galtar to let him help out so that he can save his son.
9"The Manta Marauders"Dennis MarksOctober 28, 1985 (1985-10-28)
A mysterious ship steals some treasure and accidentally kidnaps Goleeta before disappearing through a vortex. Galtar must go to an unknown world to save her.
10"The Master Fighters"Dennis O’FlahertyNovember 4, 1985 (1985-11-04)
In another attempt to defeat Galtar, Krimm creates three warriors, the Master Fighters. Galtar must defeat them to save the kidnapped Goleeta.
11"The Maze of Magus"Mark SeidenbergNovember 11, 1985 (1985-11-11)
The Magus, an avid hunter, traps Galtar and his companions in a maze. Galtar must defeat Magus and find a way out of his maze to escape.
12"Falca - Priestess of Prey"Mark YoungNovember 18, 1985 (1985-11-18)
Galtar and Goleeta are kidnapped by an evil bird woman, Falca. It is up to Zorn to inspire a bird man to rise up and save his people and Galtar.
13"The Silver Sword"Evelyn A. R. GabaiNovember 25, 1985 (1985-11-25)
Tormack creates the invincible "Silver Sword". With help from a friend from the past, Galtar must find the courage to face Tormack even if it will mean his defeat.
14"Zorn Meets Marin"Neal BarberaDecember 2, 1985 (1985-12-02)
When Zorn is swept down river, he befriends the young wildling Marin.
15"Vikor's Revenge"Mark SeidenbergDecember 9, 1985 (1985-12-09)
Vikor returns to seek revenge on Galtar. With the help of a new ally, Galtar must save a kidnapped Goleeta and Zorn.
16"Galtar's Challenge"Mark YoungDecember 16, 1985 (1985-12-16)
Closing in on Bandisar, Galtar sends a challenge to fight Tormack. But Tormack chooses a monstrous beast to fight instead of facing Galtar himself.
17"Ither's Apprentice"Mark SeidenbergDecember 23, 1985 (1985-12-23)
Ither takes on a new apprentice. However, Zorn suspects this new apprentice may be more than he seems.
18"Antara the Terrible"Alan BurnettDecember 30, 1985 (1985-12-30)
A sorceress named Antara promises to overthrow Tormack if Galtar will help her find a magical stone.
19"Tormack's Treachery"Mark YoungJanuary 6, 1986 (1986-01-06)
In a plot to trap Galtar, Tormack and the heroes are taken prisoner by a deadly snow demon.
20"Love of Evil"Dennis MarksJanuary 13, 1986 (1986-01-13)
Galtar and friends must rescue Rava from marriage to a slug-like creature.
21"The Return of Rava"Dennis MarksJanuary 20, 1986 (1986-01-20)
Tormack's niece tries to steal the kingdom for herself.

Main voice cast

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Additional voices

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Other media

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Galtar made a non-speaking cameo in the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "SPF." Harvey calls him and his Golden Lance to the stand in a case involving cybersquatting.

Home media

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On November 10, 2015, Warner Archive released Galtar and the Golden Lance: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Review: Saturday Morning Cartoons 1980s · DVD Review · The A.V. Club". Avclub.com. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  2. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 227–228. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  3. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 357–358. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  4. ^ Markstein, Don. "Galtar and the Golden Lance". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  5. ^ We've Got the Finalized Release Date for 'The Complete Series' Archived 2015-11-05 at the Wayback Machine
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