Dungeons & Dragons
DVD cover
Genre	Action Adventure Fantasy
Created by	Kevin Paul Coates Dennis Marks Takashi
Based on	Dungeons & Dragons byTSR
Developed by	Mark Evanier
Written by	Karl Geurs
Directed by	John Gibbs
Voices of	Willie Aames Don Most Adam Rich Peter Cullen Teddy Field III Katie Leigh Sidney Miller Tonia Gayle Smith Frank Welker
Composers	Johnny Douglas Rob Walsh (additional music)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	27
Production
Executive producers	David H. DePatie(season 1) Lee Gunther(seasons 1–3) Margaret Loesch(seasons 2–3)
Producers	Bob Richardson(season 1) Karl Geurs(seasons 2–3)
Running time	24 minutes
Production companies	Marvel Productions D&D Entertainment
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 17, 1983 (1983-09-17) – December 7, 1985 (1985-12-07)

Dungeons & Dragons is an Americanfantasyanimated television series based onTSR'sDungeons & Dragonsrole-playing game.^[1] It is a co-production ofMarvel Productions and TSR, with animation services provided by Japanese studioToei Animation. It ran onCBS from 1983 through 1985 for three seasons, for a total of twenty-seven episodes.

The show focuses on a group of six friends who are transported into the realm ofDungeons & Dragons, following their adventures as they try to find a way home with the help of their guide the Dungeon Master while combating an evil wizard.^[2]

The show focuses on a group of friends aged between 8 and 15 who are transported to the realm ofDungeons & Dragons by taking a magicaldark ride on an amusement parkroller coaster. Upon arriving in the realm they meet Dungeon Master (named for the referee in the tabletop role-playing game), who gives each child a magical item granting each of them powers appropriate to aD&D character class.

The children's main goal is to find a way home, but they often take detours to help people or find that their fates are intertwined with that of others. The group comes across many different enemies, but their primary antagonist is Venger. He is a powerful wizard who wishes to rule the realm and believes the power from the children's weapons will help him to do so. Another recurring villain is Tiamat, who is a five-headed dragon and the only creature that Venger fears.

Throughout the series, a connection is suggested between Dungeon Master and Venger. At the end of the episode "The Dragon's Graveyard", Dungeon Master calls Venger "my son". At the end of "The Treasure of Tardos", he states "We all make mistakes. Venger... was mine." The final unproduced episode "Requiem" would have confirmed that Venger is the Dungeon Master's corrupted son (making Kareena the sister of Venger and the daughter of Dungeon Master), redeemed Venger (giving those trapped in the realm their freedom), and ended on a cliffhanger where the six children could finally return home or deal with evil that still existed in the realm.

Said unproduced episode would have served as both a conclusion to the story and as a re-imagining of the show, had it been picked up for a fourth season, but was canceled before the episode was made. The script has since been published online and was performed as anaudio drama as a special feature for the BCI Eclipse DVD edition of the series.^{[citation needed]}

• Hank, the Ranger (voiced byWillie Aames) – at 15 years of age,^[3] he is the leader of the group. Hank is brave and noble, maintaining a focus and determination even when presented with grave danger. Hank is aRanger, with amagicalbow that shoots arrows of glowing energy. These arrows can be used in many different ways such as a climbing tool, to hurt enemies, to bind them, to create light, or to form temporary makeshift cages.
• Eric, the Cavalier (voiced byDon Most) – aCavalier who is 15, he is a spoiled child, originating from a rich home. On the surface, Eric is a big-mouthedcomic relief coward. Eric has a heroic core, and frequently saves his friends from danger with his magicalshield decorated with agriffin, which can project a force field. Despite his aloofness and several instances of selfishness, Eric shares the common camaraderie of the group, and occasionally steps to the fore as a substitute leader in Hank's absence.^[4]
• Diana, the Acrobat (voiced by Tonia Gayle Smith) – a brave, athletic, and outspoken 14-year-old girl,^[3] she is anAcrobat who carries a magicalquarterstaff which can change size to suit her needs and be easily reconstructed if broken. Diana is also known to provide inspiration, guidance, and support for her friends at times of peril or worry.
• Presto, the Magician (voiced byAdam Rich) – a 14-year-oldWizard of the team, equipped with a magic hat.^[3] Friendly and fiercely loyal to all in the group, Presto fulfills the role of the well-meaning, diligent magic user whose spells frequently—though not always—either fail or produce unintended results.
• Sheila, the Thief (voiced byKatie Leigh) – as aThief, Sheila, aged 13, has acloak which makes herinvisible when the hood is raised over her head. Although occasionally emotionally vulnerable and with a great fear of being alone in the realm, Sheila regularly utilizes the stealth attributes of her cloak at great peril to herself for the benefit of the common goals of her group.
• Bobby, the Barbarian (voiced by Ted Field III) – the youngest member of the team at eight years old^[3] and the younger brother of Sheila. He is aBarbarian, as indicated by hisfur pants and boots, horned helmet, and cross belt harness. Brash, brave and selfless but occasionally impulsive, Bobby's personality frequently puts himself and his friends in danger. His magiccudgel, which can shake the ground when struck against it, saves the protagonists from peril on numerous occasions.
• Uni (vocal effects provided byFrank Welker) – Uni is Bobby's pet, a babyunicorn. Markedly timid, she is remarkably intelligent, shown to be capable of using Presto's hat's magic on at least one occasion, and can teleport once per day.
• Dungeon Master (voiced bySidney Miller) – the group's mentor, he provides important advice and help, but often in a cryptic manner that does not make sense until the team has completed thequest of each episode. Dungeon Master supplies the companions with their weapons and clues for their numerous opportunities to return home.^[5]

• Venger, the Force of Evil (voiced byPeter Cullen) – the mainantagonist and the Dungeon Master's son, Venger is an evil wizard of great power sporting one horn, white skin, fangs, and bat-like wings. He seeks to use the children's magical weapons to bolster his power.
  • Shadow Demon (voiced byBob Holt) – a shadowy demon who is Venger's personal spy and assistant. Shadow Demon often informs Venger about the children's current quests and refers to them as "Dungeon Master's young ones".
  • Night-Mare – ablack horse that serves as Venger's mode of transportation.
• Tiamat (voiced byFrank Welker) – a fearsome five-headeddragon with a reverberating multi-level voice. Her five heads are a white head that breathes ice, a green head that breathes poison gas, a central red head that breathes fire, a blue head that breathes lightning, and a black head that breathes acid. Tiamat is known to be the sole creature that Venger fears.
• Kareena (voiced byDiane Pershing) – Venger's sister and rival. Kareena first appears in the episode "Citadel of Shadow" when she encounters Sheila as she herself is confined within a force field imposed by Venger. Sheila'saltruism within this episode unleasheshumanity within Kareena. The unmade final episode to the series "Requiem" was planned to confirm that Kareena was also Dungeon Master's daughter.

The intended final episode from the third season, and potential series finale, entitled "Requiem", was written by the series' frequentscreenwriterMichael Reaves, but was not finished due to the show's cancellation. It would have served as both a conclusion to the current story as well as a re-imagining of the series had the show continued into a fourth season. Reaves has discussed the episode online,^[6] and published the original script on his personal website.^[5] The BCI Eclipse Region 1 DVD release includes the script recorded in the form of an audio drama as a special feature.

A fan-made animated version of the finale appeared online in 2020.^[7] It includes the original audio drama, with animations mostly recut from the series.^[8] It starsWally Wingert as Dungeon Master and Hank,Daniel Roebuck as Eric, Jarrod Nead as Presto,Neil Kaplan as Venger, and Ryan Nead as Redeemed Venger, with Katie Leigh and Frank Welker reprising their roles as Sheila and Uni while Leigh voices Bobby.^[9]

• Willie Aames – Hank the Ranger^[10]
• Don Most – Eric the Cavalier^[11]
• Tonia Gayle Smith – Diana the Acrobat^[12]
• Adam Rich – Presto the Magician^[13]
• Peter Cullen – Venger, The Darkling (in the episode "The Winds of Destruction"), additional voices^[14]
• Teddy Field III – Bobby the Barbarian^[15]
• Katie Leigh – Sheila the Thief^[16]
• Sidney Miller – Dungeon Master^[17]
• Frank Welker – Uni, Tiamat, Sir John (in the episode "The Eye of the Beholder"), Starfire (in the episode "The Time Lost"), Fairy, Jimmy's Dad, Pilot (in the episode "The Time Lost"), Rugar (in the episode "Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn"), Fairie Dragon (in the episode "Cave of the Faerie Dragons"), additional voices^[18]

• Laurie O'Brien^[19]
• Jennifer Darling^[20]
• Gary Goren^[21]
• Bob Holt – the Shadow Demon^[22]
• Georgi Irene^[23]
• Maia Mattisse^[24]
• Diane Pershing – Kareena (in the episode "Citadel of Shadow")^[25]
• Hank Saroyan^[26]
• Russi Taylor – Amber the Fairie Dragon (in the episode "Cave of the Faerie Dragons")^[27]

The series received critical acclaim but the level of violence was controversial for American children's television at the time, and the script of one episode, "The Dragon's Graveyard", was almost canceled because the characters contemplated killing their nemesis, Venger.^[28] In 1985, the National Coalition on Television Violence demanded that the FTC run a warning during each broadcast stating thatDungeons & Dragons had been linked to real-life violent deaths.^[29] The series spawned more than 100 different licenses,^[30] and the show led its time slot for two years.^[31][30]

For her work on the series, Tonia Gayle Smith (as "Diana") was nominated forOutstanding Young Actress in an Animation Voice-over at the 1984–1985Youth in Film Awards.^[32] In January 2009, IGN rankedDungeons & Dragons at #64 on its "Best 100 Animated Series" list.^[33]

In 2004, Contender Entertainment Group released the series on four stand-alone DVDs (under license from Fox Kids Europe/Jetix Europe). Extra features on each volume include fan commentary tracks on two episodes, character profiles, andDVD-ROM content. The original series bible, scripts, character model sheets, original promo artwork, an interview withMichael Reaves (writer on the unproduced finale episode "Requiem"), and a featurette on the title sequence are spread amongst the discs. The fourth volume includes the script for "Requiem" and a featurette about it. The four DVDs each have different original cover artwork (by Eamon O'Donoghue) that form a panorama when placed side by side, depicting the main characters of the series: Hank and Sheila with Venger, Presto with Tiamat, Eric and Diana with Shadow Demon, and Bobby with Uni and Dungeon Master.^{[citation needed]}

The first Region 1 DVD release,Dungeons & Dragons – The Complete Animated Series, was released on December 5, 2006, by BCI Eclipse LLC, under its Ink & Paint classic animation entertainment brand (under license from Disney). The 5-disc set featured all 27 episodes, uncut, digitally re-mastered, and presented in story continuity order, as well as an extensive array of special features including documentaries, commentaries, character profiles, aradio play of the unproduced finale episode "Requiem", and more. This release is now out of print, as BCI Eclipse ceased operations in December 2008.^[34]

In 2009, Mill Creek Entertainment released the complete series on August 25 (once again under license from Disney), in a 3-disc set without any special features, but with almost all the original music restored; the release contains all the televised episodes but does not contain the radio play of "Requiem".^[35]

The complete series was streamed onTwitch on July 9, 2021, as part of the Saturday Morning D&D Secret Lair, which is a limited edition ofMagic the Gathering cards showcasing characters from the cartoon, later released on October 29 the same year.^[36][37][38]

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The show produced a variety of spin-off merchandise.

In 1984 TSR, Inc. released the board game namedQuest for the Dungeonmaster, inspired by the episode "In Search of the Dungeon Master", in which Dungeon Master is captured by Warduke and frozen in a magic crystal, and the kids try to rescue him before Venger gets there. Brazilian company Grow released a Portuguese-language version of this game in 1993.

Several books based on this series were released at the time of its highest popularity:

• Pick a Path to Adventure books: TSR published sixgamebooks written from the point of view of each of the children, each focused on a different character (though Eric's book gave the role of protagonist to his younger brother Michael, who did not appear in the cartoon series).^[39]
• UK Annuals: Two hardcover books published in the United Kingdom in 1985 and 1987 by World International Publishing Limited, each including various prose stories. The first featured seven original adventures, while the second only included three, plus Comics Forum's adaptation of "The Eye of the Beholder" (translated as "The Eye of the Watchman!").^{[citation needed]}
• Donjons et Dragons: Published in France, a six-book collection adapting different episodes in storybook form.^{[citation needed]}
• ALittle Golden Book titledThe Adventure Begins! (2023) written by Dennis R. Shealy with illustrations by Nate Lovett, adapts the episode The Night of No Tomorrow written byMark Evanier.^{[citation needed]}

In 2021, Wizards of the Coast released a "Secret Lair set" forMagic the Gathering based on the animated series.^[40]

• Dragones y Mazmorras are comic book adaptations of all 27 episodes by Comics Forum, a division of Spanish publisher Editorial Planeta De Agostini under license from TSR.^[41]
• Marvel Summer Special 1987: Published in the United Kingdom, it is an English-language reprint of Comics Forum's adaptation of the episode "Prison Without Walls".
• Forgotten Realms: The Grand Tour: one-shot comic book published by TSR in 1996. It features the now-adult protagonists still living in aDungeons & Dragons world, this time theForgotten Realms, with Presto seeking an apprenticeship withElminster the Sage.^[42]
• A miniseries based on the show,Saturday Morning Adventures, written by David M. Booher andSam Maggs, with artwork by George Kambadais, was released in March 2023 byIDW Publishing.^[43]

A full orchestral version of theDungeons & Dragons animated series main theme, composed byJohnny Douglas, was released as the sixth track of the 1991 albumThe Johnny Douglas Strings – On Screen, published by the label Dulcima,^[44] a record label founded by Douglas in 1983.^[45]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 – Animated Series Handbook was produced by Wizards of the Coast and included with the DVD box set of the series released by Ink & Paint in 2006. It contains profiles of each protagonist and anadventure to be played, set chronologically before the episode "The Dragon's Graveyard".^[46] In 2024 and 2025, characters from the series appear in theD&D Beyond adventuresUni and the Hunt for the Lost Horn,^[47]Scions of Elemental Evil^[48] andHold Back The Dead.^[49]

The characters were licensed for a Brazilian live-action television advertisement,^[50] released in May 2019 to promote the launch ofRenault'sKwid Outsider, which saw the characters using it to return home to the real world.^[51][52] It was shot inSalta, in Argentina, near the Andes mountain range.^[53]

AnAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons toy line was produced byLJN in 1983,^[54] including original characters such as Warduke, Strongheart the Paladin, and the evil Wizard Kelek, who would later appear in campaigns for theBasic Set of the roleplaying game. None of the main characters from the TV series are in the toy line, but Warduke, Strongheart,^[55] and Kelek each appear in one episode of the series. Only in Spain and Portugal werePVC figures of the main characters produced.^[56][57] The Brazilian companyIron Studios released in 2019 an entire set ofpolystone collectible statues for most of theDungeons & Dragons cartoon characters, using a 1/10 scale and forming a full diorama.^[58] The same year, PCS Collectibles released two versions of Venger in 1:4 scale, both fully sculpted and hand painted polystone statues.^[59][60] In 2022,Hasbro launched the Cartoon Classics action figurine series based onDungeons & Dragons.^[61]

In 2024, the characters in the series won miniatures given by the Brazilian fast food chainGiraffas.^[62]

The 2023 filmDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves featured adult versions of Hank, Bobby, Sheila, Diana, Eric and Presto in live-action cameos with Edgar Abram as Hank, Luke Bennett as Bobby, Emer McDaid as Sheila, Moe Sasegbon as Diana, Trevor Kaneswaran as Eric, and Seamus O'Hara as Presto.^[63] They are seen competing in a special tournament inNeverwinter and have made it to a cage in the middle of a shifting labyrinth.

In December 2024 duringCCXP, the Brazilian blogJovem Nerd and Hasbro announced a stop-motion animated short based on the series called "O Episódio Perdido" (The Lost Episode).^[64]

Between 2024 and 2025, the characters from the animated series were also added toIdle Champions of the Forgotten Realms as playable champions.^[65]

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