Rescue Heroes (TV Series)

Rescue Heroes ( TV Series )
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Genre	Animation
Screenplay	Various
Starring	Norm Spencer; LLenore Zann; Martin Roach; Joseph Motiki
Production	Nelvana Limited
Release Media	Teletoon (Canada); CBS (U.S.)
Status	Discontinued
No. of Episodes	40
Running Time	22 minutes per episode

Rescue Heroes is a Canadian animated television series produced by Nelvana. Based on the Fisher-Price toy line of the same name, the TV series tracks the adventures of a team of emergency responders who rescue people from various disasters and teach kids how to stay safe in the face of disaster and accidents.

The series premiered in Canada on Teletoon on October 2, 1999 and ran for three seasons. On November 18, 2003, a film titled Rescue Heroes:: The Movie was released. In the U.S., the series aired on both CBS, as part of the CBS Kidshow from 1999 to 2000, and Kids' WB, from 2001 to 2003.

Overview[]

Rescue Heroes centers on a group of elite rescue personnel who aim to save lives around the world from both natural and man-made disasters.

The headquarters, also known as the Mountain Action Command Center, is where team leader Billy Blazes, along with team members Wendy Waters, Jake Justice, Jack Hammer, Ariel Flyer, and Rocky Canyon, reside. Calls for help come into the command center through Warren Waters, the director and chief dispatcher of the Rescue Heroes.

The TV series aims to show how to handle emergency situations, as well as how to deal with personal issues, such as disagreements. At the end of most episodes the Rescue Heroes would give safety tips and discuss how to handle the conflict presented in the episode. The episode would then usually conclude with the motto "Think like a Rescue Hero, think safe."

Characters[]

Billy Blazes (Norm Spencer) - Billy, a firefighter hailing from Quebec, is the leader of the Rescue Heroes who helped choose the other members of the team. He has a younger brother named Bobby, as well as a father. Billy had an uneasy relationship with his father. This was because Bobby chose to become a firefighter like Billy, instead of being a construction worker like his father. It was revealed in the episode "Flashback to Danger" that Billy was chosen to be a Rescue Hero after saving a group of children trapped in a carnival ride that was set ablaze.
Wendy Waters (Lenore Zann) - Wendy, a firefighter, is effectively the second-in-command. Her father, Warren, is a Rescue Hero who works at a space station. It was through a news report about a factory being set ablaze that lead to her being chosen to try out for the Rescue Heroes.
Jake Justice (Martin Roach) - Jake, a police officer, was chosen to try out for the Rescue Heroes when he caught a wanted criminal after a televised car chase that made national headlines. It is revealed in the reboot that he has a relative named Sky Justice.
Richmond "Rocky" Canyon (Joseph Motiki) - Rocky, a mountain climbing specialist, is the youngest member of the Rescue Heroes. When Billy had once considered quitting the Rescue Heroes it was ultimately Rocky, through an audition video, who convinced him to stay, cementing Billy's decision to hire Rocky. The episode "Twister" revealed that his hometown is in Oklahoma, and that his father had died.
Ariel Flyer (Lisa Messinger in season one; Deborah Odell in seasons two and three) - Ariel, a bilingual flight and wildlife specialist, was once a stunt pilot who had a rival named Avery Ator. However, Avery's lack of concern for safety has led to Ariel rescuing him on two occasions.
Jack Hammer (Rod Wilson) - Jack, a construction worker hailing from Texas, was originally a contractor hired to build the Rescue Heroes base of operations, but had saved a fellow construction worker in a crane accident. Because of this, he was given the opportunity to try out for the Rescue Heroes. Jack has a younger sister named Jill, who is a member of the Texas Fire Brigade.
Aiden Assist () - Paramedic.
Al Pine (Edward Glen) - Arctic Rescue Specialist.
Ben Choppin (Robert Bockstael) - Lumberjack.
Bill Barker (Kent Sheridan) - Ground Patrol Specialist and K-9 Unit.
Bob Buoy (Dorian Harewood) - Scuba Diver and Submarine Operator.
Bob Sled (Andrew Sabiston) - Arctic Rescue Specialist and Snowmobile Operator.
Brandon Irons (Bruce Dinsmore) - Cowboy.
Captain Cuffs (Peter Wildrem) - Police Officer.
Cliff Hanger (Adrian Hough) - Birdwing Operator and Hang glider.
Gil Gripper (Paul Essiembre) - Scuba Diver and Jet Ski Operator.
Hal E. Copter (Tony Daniels) - Heli-pack Operator.
Kenny Ride (Richard Yearwood) - Bicycle Police Officer.
Matt Medic (Andrew Pifko) - Physician.
Maureen Biologist (Jane Luk) - Ocean Rescue Specialist and Safety Diver.
Pat Pending (Donald Burda) - Chief Equipment Designer of the Rescue Heroes.
Perry Chute (James Rankin) - Parachuter.
Rip Rockefeller (Cathal J. Dodd) - Construction Worker and Mountaineer.
Rock Miner (David Kaye) - Safety Spelunker.
Roger Houston (Christopher Earle) - Astronaut and Communications Officer.
Sam Sparks (Vince Corazza) - Firefighter.
Sandy Beach (Jesse Collins) - Lifeguard and Surfing Specialist.
Sergeant Siren (Dean McDermott) - Police Sergeant.
Seymour Wilde (Cedric Smith) - Animal Wrangler.
Warren Waters (John Bourgeois) - Director and Chief Dispatcher; also the father of Wendy Waters.
Willy Stop (Paul Haddad) - Traffic Officer and Crowd Control Specialist.

List of Episodes[]

Season One[]

Season 2[]

Season 3[]

Reception[]

Rescue Heroes received mostly positive reviews. It currently holds an IMDb user score of 6.7/10. Commonsense Media wrote, "Rescue Heroes does a lot of things right, from casting true-to-life heroes like firefighters and police officers in place of superpower-charged men of steel to keeping the stories' content relatable to the kids who are watching."

Goofs[]

In "Mayhem In The Mist", Wendy Waters' communication device goes from being on her left ear to her right ear then back to her left ear again.
In "Canyon Catastrophe", when the Rescue Heroes are giving their speech on "Mountain Biking Safety", Matt Medic's watch disappears in one shot then reappears in the next shot.

Reboot[]

On April 16, 2019, Fisher-Price rebooted the TV series exclusively for YouTube. Each five minute episode aired on Fisher-Price's YouTube channel.

The reboot introduced several new characters while maintaining two familiar characters - Billy Blazes and Rocky Canyon.

Rescue Heroes ( TV Series )

Genre	Animation
Screenplay	Various
Starring	Norm Spencer LLenore Zann Martin Roach Joseph Motiki
Production	Nelvana Limited
Release Media	Teletoon (Canada) CBS (U.S.)
Status	Discontinued
No. of Episodes	40
Running Time	22 minutes per episode