For Filmation Friday this week I give you a Season One He-Man and the Masters of the Universe episode "The Sleepers Awaken". With Skeletor and his minions nowhere in sight, Adam and Teela hunt for horses near a ruined castle with a dark legend. Two hundred years before, Lord Tyran and Lady Valtera used dark magic to draw on the power of the forest around them. When the trees were all absorbed, the pair entered an enchanted slumber to await a time when the forest would revive. In the space of twenty minutes we get a gothic tale of resurrection, dark powers, and redemption. Oh yeah, and a lesson.
One of the things I love about Filmation is that many times the one shot characters in a series are often very striking. Note the withered appearance of Lord Tyran because he drew too much on dark magics. Another interesting thing to watch in this episode is the treatment of drawing magical power from trees and plants. If you were always curious what Defiler Magic from Dark Sun looks like outside of the desert, "The Sleepers Awaken" can give you some ideas.
1 comment:
I just watched this episode of MotU (for the first time in decades) and immediately thought of the same connection with Dark Sun (and then I googled "dark sun, defilers, and he-man to arrive here). I bet there's a real connection there, even if it's only subliminal. So much of Dark Sun reminds me of 70's to 80's cartoons. Great catch sir, great catch!
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