| ¡Mucha Lucha! | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Also known as | ¡Mucha Lucha!: Gigante(season 3) |
| Genre | |
| Created by |
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| Developed by |
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| Directed by |
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| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Chicos de Barrio |
| Opening theme | ¡Mucha Lucha! performed byChicos de Barrio |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 52(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Sander Schwartz |
| Producers |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | The WB (Kids' WB) |
| Release | August 17, 2002 (2002-08-17) – February 26, 2005 (2005-02-26) |
¡Mucha Lucha! (subtitledGigante during its third and final season) is an Americananimated television series that aired on theKids' WB block onThe WB from August 17, 2002, to February 26, 2005.[1] It was created by Eddie Mort and Lili Chin and produced byWarner Bros. Animation. It is the firstanimatedtelevision series intended for children created withMacromedia Flash, a program which became widely used as a medium for animation in the following years.[2]
A direct-to-video feature film based on the series,¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El Maléfico, was released on January 4, 2005.
The show is set in Luchaville, a fictional town inSouthern California centered onlucha libre where nearly everyone wears a costume (they are never seen without their mask) and has a well-known wrestling move. These wrestling moves being capable of transforming the character in relation to the naming of the move. The series mainly centres on three friends, Rikochet, Buena Girl, and the Flea, as they struggle through the Foremost World-Renowned International School of Lucha, where they study to become Luchadores.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 13 | August 17, 2002 (2002-08-17) | February 8, 2003 (2003-02-08) | |
| 2 | 26 | September 13, 2003 (2003-09-13) | January 21, 2005 (2005-01-21) | |
| Film | January 4, 2005 | |||
| 3 | 13 | September 11, 2004 (2004-09-11) | February 26, 2005 (2005-02-26) | |
¡Mucha Lucha! ran into a problem when initially pitched to Kids' WB, as the network did not want actual wrestling shown on screen due to seeming violent. Series co-creator Lili Chin would have to draw visual guides to show that actual wrestling was more choreography than harmful acts of violence.[citation needed]
The series has been broadcast onKids' WB in the United States,Teletoon in Canada,CITV andKix in the United Kingdom andCanal 5 in Mexico from August 17, 2002, until February 26, 2005. It also premiered onCartoon Network internationally in 2003, and in the U.S in 2004. In March 2007, repeats of the series began airing onMiguzi, and was later replaced withBen 10 for the last slot before Miguzi was shut down that same year. Repeats continued to air from 2008 to 2009, and it was removed from the lineup in 2010.
Warner Home Video released one compilation on VHS andRegion 1 DVD that contained the first six-segment episodes from season one, titledHeart of Lucha, on August 23, 2003. The direct-to-video movieThe Return of El Maléfico was released on October 5, 2004, exclusive to Walmart stores, while other retailers released it on January 4, 2005, during the series' third and final season.
In 2019, ¡Mucha Lucha! was available remastered for the first time in High Definition for home viewers and became available on demand through Amazon Prime.[3]
In 2022, the show became available for streaming on HBO Max in Latin American countries, also using the High Definition remasters.[4]
As of 2025, the series has yet to have a complete series DVD box set.
A toy line based on the show was released byJakks Pacific in 2004.[5] The toy line included "Mix-a-Lot" action figures; these had removable body parts that could be placed on the bodies of other action figures in the series. "Signature Move" action figures were also released, along with a toy wrestling ring. However, the second series of the toy line was cancelled.
During the summer of 2003,DC Comics published a three-issue mini-series of comic books based on¡Mucha Lucha!. All three of the stories featured in these comic books were written by Eddie Mort, and have even been occasionally referenced in the TV series.
The show was licensed for aGame Boy Advance video game,Mascaritas of the Lost Code, in late 2003; aPlayStation 2 video game,Mysterioso Grande, was slated for release, but was cancelled around 2004, as the creators could not find a publisher.[6]
In 2005, the Mexican snack companySabritas distributed promotional items in the form ofTazos with a picture of various characters from the show. Totaling 230 pogs, they were sold in two separate series. The first series is referred to as the "classic" series, while the second series is referred to as the "rematch" series.
In 2014, a revival called¡Mucha Lucha! Para Siempre was proposed which would have centered on Rikochet, Buena Girl, and the Flea as teenagers.[7][8][9]
