Mighty Max User Reviews

I have always believed that there is some sort of mathematic equation that proves that the lamer the toy that a cartoon is based upon, the suckier the cartoon will be—and vice versa. It’s worked pretty well for me. Mighty Max however proved that there is an exception to every rule.

Despite being based upon some really lame toy from England, the cartoon was a superior work of animation. The basic plot is that a young boy by the name of Max is chosen by Fate or Destiny as “The Mighty One”. It is his duty to protect a powerful cap that enables one to create portals that allow one to travel through time and space. Naturally, many evil entities covet the power of the cap and thus Max is their target; including a particularly nasty piece of work known as Skullmaster who was apparently trapped deep in the core of the planet by the last cap bearer thousands of years ago and needs the cap to escape his prison.

Mighty Max had one of the more complex, complicated, and compelling storylines and plots; although each week usually had a different villain, there was a strong backstory involving Max and Skullmaster. The writers also weren’t afraid to have people die or get killed; a real rarity in kid cartoons.

The voice actors were one of the best around; Rob Paulsen (Max) was a genuinely funny character not to mention that his supporting cast of Richard Moll (Norman) who used to come out as Bull the Bailiff from Night Court was a great addition as Max’s Protector. However it was Tony Jay (Virgil) who was a superb character as well as the incomparable Tim Curry (Skullmaster) who truly shone. Curry in particular was a horribly villainous sort with some incredibly nasty verbal threats that I had a hard time believing that the network censors let him get away with, like: “I’ll rip the limbs from your body and slowly—suck the marrow from your bones!” was pretty damn graphic for a kiddie cartoon.

The animation was definitely superior in quality to most cartoons of this era. This cartoon is definitely a treasured gem. Sadly enough, it never was released in a full season format on VHS or DVD. Pity, because Mighty Max is definitely not to be missed.