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“WU-PAH! BUH-ZA! CHI-KA!” IT’S “DISNEY’S TEAMO SUPREMO” TO THE RESCUE JANUARY 19, 2002 ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK

Award-Winning “Disney’s One Saturday Morning” Slate Welcomes Quirky Kid Superheroes from Walt Disney Television Animation

“Doing the right thing makes you super” is the motto for an unusually talented trio of elementary school superheroes in “Disney’s Teamo Supremo,” a new series from Walt Disney Television Animation premiering January 19, 2002 within “Disney’s One Saturday Morning” on the ABC Television Network.

“Teamo Supremo” follows the adventures of a quirky triumvirate of superheroes: Captain Crandall, Rope Girl and Skate Lad, a group sworn to protect their State from the forces of evil … and still finish all of their homework.

The gifted trio battles a colorful array of comic villains, ranging from the Birthday Bandit (Mark Hamill), a deranged clown bent on stealing everyone else’s gifts, and The Laser Pirate (Tim Curry), a cyber-swashbuckler in search of ultimate power, to the insidious Baron Blitz (Maurice LeMarche) and sizable bad guy Mr. Large (Ed Asner). Still, when villains hear the familiar battle cry of “Wu-pah! Buh-za! Chi-ka!” they know it’s “Teamo Supremo” to the rescue.

“We want to give kids the same kind of pure fun every Saturday that we had when we were little,” says Executive Producer Phil Walsh. “This series is created out of all the things I loved as a kid, primarily comic books and action cartoons.”

Walsh and “Teamo” Director Joe Horne have based their “retro-futuristic” series on the bright, colorful themes of the mid-1960s, the comic book style of the live-action Batman and Green Hornet television series, and the architectural concepts popularized at the 1964 World’s Fair. Thus, the series offers a familiar feel within its themes and attitude, yet fresh in its comedy, action and dialogue.

“We pay homage to the classic influences of the 1960s cartoons – we’ve got a ’60s mentality but we get to use 21st century technology,” Horne says. “The series has a very groovy beat – we’re going for ‘maximum pop.’ It’s the recurring theme throughout everything – the sound, the look, the stories. If you were to mix rock ‘n roll and comic books, the result would be ‘Teamo Supremo.’ ”

Walsh was most recently co-producer and story editor on the popular “Disney’s Recess.” He also was a writer for Fox’s “The Late Show,” “The Arsenio Hall Show” and ABC’s “Into the Night” before making his foray into children’s programming as a writer on the initial 65 episodes of the award-winning “Beakman’s World.”

Horne has created, directed and/or produced a vast array of animated properties, including MTV’s first-ever animated serial, “The Adventures of Stevie & Zoya”; MTV’s “The Specialists” (for “Liquid Television”); Walt Disney Television Animation’s “The Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa”; and Universal/Harvey’s “Baby Huey.” He has also collaborated on music videos for various artists including Peter Gabriel and The Beastie Boys.

Spencer Breslin (“Disney’s The Kid”) voices the featured role of “Teamo Supremo” leader “Crandall”/”Captain Crandall,” an enthusiastic blend of ultra-intelligence, cunning instincts and unbound heart. Ironically, Walsh and Breslin hail from the exact same New York City neighborhood, frequenting the same playgrounds and sharing likes and dislikes. Breslin even plays with the child of the man that taught Walsh how to tie his shoes. It’s an uncanny match that results in outstanding communication and rapport between executive producer and star.

“I hadn’t intended to cast kids as the voices, but Crandall had to have that unique, honest, diligent voice of a kid,” Walsh says. “When I heard Spencer’s voice, I knew he was the one. He sounds a bit like the original Charlie Brown, but there’s this nobility that makes it the perfect voice for the character.”

Alanna Ubach (“Legally Blonde”) provides the voices of the remaining two-thirds of the gang: “Hector”/”Skate Lad,” a Han Solo-esque rogue with X-treme skateboard talents; and “Brenda”/”Rope Girl,” a uniquely balanced kid with unparalleled jump rope-wielding capabilities.

“Every kid will be able to see qualities within these characters that they see within themselves and will easily identify with them,” Walsh says. “Every kid wants to be a superhero – these kids are actually doing something about it.”

The main cast includes the “Fernwood 2 Night” team of Martin Mull and Fred Willard as the supportive “Governor Kevin” and the gadget-inventing “Paulsen,” respectively, as well as Julia Sweeney, Brian Doyle Murray, Rachel Crane, Sydney Walsh and Jeff Glen Bennett.

Celebrity guest voices have filled the vast majority of villainous roles, including Mark Hamill, Tim Curry, Ed Asner, Michael McKean, Joe Flaherty, Wallace Shawn, Nicole Sullivan, Diedrich Bader and Michael J. Pollard. Robert Stack and Gary Owens add to the fun as the voices of Crandall’s grandfathers, a pair of retired superheroes with mentoring advice.

Horne has been particularly focused on ensuring “Teamo Supremo” reflects the artistic influences of both a “stylized flatness” within the animation and a musical tempo based within the some of the 1960s sitcoms.

“We’ve used the animation the way the medium was intended in the graphic style of the Charlie Brown television specials,” Horne explains. “It’s not the true illusion of life, but stylized graphics of images to represent things.

“Plus, we know how well the visual and the music and the dialogue can all go hand-in-hand. The Monkees were doing it years ago, and The Beatles pulled it off perfectly in ‘Hard Days Night’ and ‘Yellow Submarine.’ Those are the blueprints for this genre, like the live-action ‘Batman’ series. It’s the combined flavor of retro, surf and groove. And much like today’s music videos, all of those examples work best when the music synchs together with the visuals – it keeps everything exciting.”

Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, “Disney’s Teamo Supremo” premieres January 19, 2002 as part of “Disney’s One Saturday Morning” on the ABC Television Network. Phil Walsh is Executive Producer; Joe Horne is Director.