Pink Panther and Pals is an American animated television series and is a modern adaptation of the classic DePatie-Freleng Pink Panther shorts from the 1960s. The program was produced for Cartoon Network by Desert Panther Production and Rubicon Studios in association with Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng and MGM Television, and premiered on the channel on March 7, 2010, both in HD and SD. Like the classic cartoon show, the programme is composed of two seven-minute Pink Panther shorts and a seven-minute Ant and the Aardvark short in between, retaining the main characters in both shorts though with some changes.
The Pink Panther shorts are reminiscent of the classic DePatie-Freleng shorts from the 1960s and the 1970s, from art direction, silent acting, musical scoring, and story lines. The Pink Panther remains silent throughout the show, and has been aged down as a teenager. The Little Man has been renamed "Big Nose" for this series with vocal effects provided by Alex Nussbaum. Pink Panther's horse and Big Nose's lovable canine companion have been reintroduced as well. The characters are more modern than the 1993 series.
The Ant and the Aardvark
The Ant and the Aardvark is based on the classic DePatie-Freleng shorts. In this version, the Aardvark's Jewish sense of humor and Jackie Mason-esque voice from his classic counterpart remains; a new, younger ant has replaced the Dean Martin-esque "Charlie" from the original shorts. The series now takes place in a jungle and new characters are introduced in this series.
Characters
The Pink Panther: The protagonist of the series. He's a cool and collected character who always seems to rub Big Nose the wrong way. As in the classic series, he is, for the most part, a silent protagonist. He is also nicknamed Pink or Pinky.
Big Nose: Based on the original "Little Man" from the classic series. He is the neighbor and an archenemy of the Pink Panther and is not fond of him at all. He always ends up being upstaged by the Pink Panther in everything he tries to do where he got the Pink Panther back instead, making him far more nasty and unlovable than in previous incarnations. He's depicted as short, with a big nose and a mustache, and is plain white in color. He has a pet dog that, unlike his master, has almost no problem with the Pink Panther at all.
Hoarse: The Pink Panther's white horse, based on a horse that gave him trouble in several cartoons of the classic series.
Dog: Big Nose's white dog who is cute and lovable. Like his master, he is a plain white color and not very outstanding. He is not always fond of the Pink Panther, and is not afraid of showing his displeasure. But from time to time has shown to enjoy the Pink Panther's activities, such as music and dancing.
Ant: A small red ant, and one of the title characters of "The Ant and the Aardvark" sketches. He is quite sharp and intelligent and, like real-life ants, is physically very strong, being able to carry objects many times his weight. His remarks towards and about Aardvark are somewhat more sharp and sarcastic than in his previous laid-back incarnations.
Eli: An elephant, is a friend of the Ant and on many occasions protects the Ant from the Aardvark.
Voice cast
Kel Mitchell as Ant
Eddie Garvar as Aardvark
Alex Nussbaum as Big Nose, Horse, Dog, Narrator, Big Nose's wife, Dog Tracker, Hedgehog, Chef on TV, Bear, Pig, Lion, Croc 1 and 2, Grampy, Italian Chef, Radio VO, Alien, Skunks, Walrus, Mockingbird Mike, Leopard
Jeannie Elias as Genius, Female Spy
John Over as Aardvark, Eli
Bob Spang as Gracie Gorilla, Rowdy Rhino, Mitey Mite
