Episode 284: Cartoon 1st - Visionaries

·45 min·4 clips

Tim and Dean dive into the first episode of Visionaries, a forgotten 1987 cartoon where magic overthrows technology.

The episode begins with Tim and Dean introducing Visionaries, a 1987 cartoon produced by Hasbro that lasted only 13 episodes. They describe the show's setting where magic overthrows science after a sun realignment event, forcing people into a primitive, sword-and-sorcery lifestyle. Dean notes he never saw the show but recognized all characters from Tim's childhood toys, sparking a discussion about toy-based nostalgia. The hosts explain the accompanying toy line featured hologram stickers on characters' chests and staffs, which they compare to other 80s toys like Battle Beasts. They detail the episode's plot where two factions, led by Leoric and Darkstorm, race through a mountain full of traps to gain magic from the wizard Merklin. The hosts praise the animation, voice acting by figures like Peter Cullen, and the use of helmets to distinguish good and bad characters. They highlight moments like a humorous line about the world ending during a birthday week and character interactions where Darkstorm recruits followers. The episode culminates with Merklin granting each character a personalized animal totem power, such as an eagle or dragon, based on their journey. The hosts discuss the additional magic staffs that require recharging and the cliffhanger where a princess is revealed as the villain Viralina. They share their favorite characters, with Dean preferring the villains for their cooler designs, and reflect on childhood toy collections. The episode ends with promotional content for their podcast network and next week's episode on Rambo.

As heard by us

A forgotten cartoon returns through sibling memory, a planet-wide power failure and one perfectly unimpressed citizen.

Visionaries opens with a three-sun realignment that ends 7,000 years of technology and knocks out every electrical device. The people of Prismos promptly build castles and put on armor, much to Tim and Dean's delight: the science-fiction setup has become sword-and-sorcery.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want two brothers untangling a half-remembered magic-versus-technology cartoon.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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