| The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible | |
|---|---|
 Frame of the episode "The Creation". (From left to right): Seth, Storyteller, Moki, Margo, Derek, Nod children. | |
| Genre | |
| Written by | Harvey Bullock (1985-1987) Ric Estrada (1985-1987, 1991-1992) Dennis Marks (1986-1987, 1988-1990) Bruce D. Johnson (1987) Robert Taylor (1987) Lew Saw (1988) Kay Wright (1988) Jim Willoughby (1989-1990) Karran Eccles Wright (1990-1992) |
| Directed by | Ray Patterson (1985–1986) Don Lusk (1987–1992) |
| Voices of | Darleen Carr Darryl Hickman (1989–1992) Terry McGovern (1985–1989) Rob Paulsen |
| Narrated by | Michael Rye(opening) |
| Theme music composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Kay Wright |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 25–30 minutes |
| Production company | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Original release | |
| Release | April 26, 1985 (1985-04-26) – August 19, 1992 (1992-08-19) |
The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible is ananimateddirect-to-videofilm series produced byHanna-Barbera Productions that tells of three young adventurers whotravel back in time to watchbiblical events take place.[1] Thirteen videos were released between 1985 and 1992.
Derek and Margo, two young archaeologists, are on a dig accompanied by "their nomad friend", a boy named Moki. They find themselves trapped in a sinking whirlpool of sand, finally the dust settles, they looked in awe at a vast chamber, filled with giant relics and artifacts from another civilation, there come across a far end of the cavern a door with a strange inscription in an ancient ruin that turns out to be a portal through time as the narrator said "All who enter into these portals passed through time". Though the introduction is the same in all videos, each episode sends the three friends into a different story from theBible. They often interact with principal figures from each story, but without any significant effect upon the plotso as not to alter the course of history; in other episodes, they arrive decades after the events depicted in the Bible and are relayed the story by a firsthand witness.
The episodes were not released in an order consistent with theBiblical chronology, but can be construed to give a coherent story beginning with "The Creation" and ending with "The Easter Story". The first six episodes, released simultaneously, relateOld Testament stories, with episodes pertaining to the life ofJesus being added among some additional Old Testament stories as the series progressed.
Each individual episode featured celebrity voices in principal Biblical roles.
The series was initially conceived byHanna-Barbera co-founderJoseph Barbera some seventeen years before it was produced, but he had difficulty in procuring support for the project. Eventually, however, Hanna-Barbera's parent companyTaft Broadcasting agreed to provide funding, and the first video was released in 1985, thenTurner Home Entertainment continued production after they bought Hanna-Barbera in 1991.Sparrow-Star Song assisted with distribution, releasing all thirteen episodes onVHS, one episode per tape. Five of these episodes ("The Miracles of Jesus", "David and Goliath", "Noah's Ark", "The Easter Story", and "Moses") were released onDVD in 2006.[2][3][4]
In 2024, 39 years after its production began, the series made its television debut among the inaugural offerings of digital television networkMeTV Toons, which draws some of its programming from the Hanna-Barbera library. MeTV Toons aired the program on Sunday mornings until February 16, 2025.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Story by | Storyboarded by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Moses" | Ray Patterson | Harvey Bullock | Ric Estrada | April 26, 1985 (1985-04-26) | |
| 2 | "David and Goliath" | Ray Patterson | Harvey Bullock | Ric Estrada | April 25, 1986 (1986-04-25) | |
| 3 | "Joshua and the Battle of Jericho" | Ray Patterson | Harvey Bullock | Ric Estrada | April 25, 1986 (1986-04-25) | |
The trio find themselves ensnared in theBattle of Jericho. | ||||||
| 4 | "Samson and Delilah" | Ray Patterson | Harvey Bullock | Ric Estrada | April 25, 1986 (1986-04-25) | |
| 5 | "Noah's Ark (Noah and the Ark)" | Ray Patterson | Harvey Bullock | Ric Estrada | April 25, 1986 (1986-04-25) | |
The protagonists find themselves aboardNoah's Ark. | ||||||
| 6 | "Daniel and the Lion's Den" | Ray Patterson | Dennis Marks | Ric Estrada | April 25, 1986 (1986-04-25) | |
The trio find themselves inBabylon, where they witness the miracle ofDaniel in the lions' den. | ||||||
| 7 | "The Nativity" | Don Lusk | Bruce D. Johnson and Harvey Bullock(story adaptation), Dennis Marks(teleplay) | Ric Estrada andRobert Taylor | October 15, 1987 (1987-10-15) | |
The trio witnesses thebirth of Jesus. | ||||||
| 8 | "The Creation" | Don Lusk | Dennis Marks | Lew Saw and Kay Wright | July 15, 1988 (1988-07-15) | |
| 9 | "The Easter Story" | Don Lusk | Dennis Marks | Jim Willoughby | March 15, 1989 (1989-03-15) | |
| 10 | "Joseph and His Brothers" | Don Lusk | Dennis Marks and Karran Eccles Wright | Jim Willoughby | November 8, 1990 (1990-11-08) | |
The trio befriendJoseph and learn about hiscoat of many colors. | ||||||
| 11 | "The Miracles of Jesus" | Don Lusk | Karran Eccles Wright | Ric Estrada | September 26, 1991 (1991-09-26) | |
The time travelers encounter an elderly version of the young manraised from the dead in the city ofNain, who recounts the variousmiracles of Jesus. | ||||||
| 12 | "Queen Esther" | Don Lusk | Karran Eccles Wright | Ric Estrada | February 27, 1992 (1992-02-27) | |
| 13 | "Jonah" | Don Lusk | Karran Eccles Wright | Ric Estrada | August 19, 1992 (1992-08-19) | |