Cartoon
Wildfire (1986 TV series)
The story
Wildfire is a 1986 American animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions about the adventures of Sara, a 13-year-old girl growing up in the American West as she discovers her true identity as a princess-in-hiding from another realm who is destined to fight the evil witch Lady Diabolyn. The show was first broadcast on CBS for 13 episodes from September 13 to December 13, 1986.
Plot
As a baby, Princess Sara (voiced by Georgi Irene) of Dar-Shan was saved from the clutches of the evil Lady Diabolyn (voiced by Jessica Walter) by a mystical talking horse named Wildfire (voiced by John Vernon) following the death of Sara's mother Queen Sarana (voiced by Amanda McBroom). Wildfire took her away from the planet Dar-Shan and deposited her in Montana on Earth where she is taken in by a farmer named John Cavanaugh (voiced by David Ackroyd). Lady Diabolyn was the stepsister to Queen Sarana, whom she always considered weak and unfit to rule. To gain her "rightful" throne, she learned dark magic and allied herself with the demonic Spectres.
Thirteen years later when Sara was ready to fight evil, Wildfire started bringing her back to Dar-Shan to regain her kingdom. Wildfire summons Sara through her magic amulet and transports her across dimensions to her real home in Dar-Shan. Sara joins with her friends consisting of a sorcerer named Alvinar (voiced by René Auberjonois), a young boy named Dorin (voiced by Bobby Jacoby), and his colt Brutus (voiced by Susan Blu) in order to thwart her wicked step-aunt. John and Sara's Native American friend Ellen Crow (voiced by Lilly Moon) provide moral support on Earth.
Lady Diabolyn is helped by the Goons, mischievous creatures consisting of Dweedle (voiced by Billy Barty), Nerts, Booper, Mudlusk (voiced by Frank Welker), and Thimble. They were formerly Diabolyn's personal guards until they gained their monstrous appearances by the Spectres upon opening the urn containing them when Diabolyn told them not to.
Each episode revealed more and more of the mythical world of Dar-Shan and gave its audience a new puzzle piece to help reason out the past events that led up to the current state of affairs. It was later revealed that Sara's adoptive father John is actually her biological father Prince Cavan sent to Earth with no memories of his life in Dar-Shan to protect him from the curse which Lady Diabolyn and the Spectres had placed on Dar-Shan. Sara and Wildfire are the only ones who know John's true identity which has been kept secret even from him.
Voice cast
David Ackroyd as John Cavanaugh / Prince Cavan
René Auberjonois as Alvinar
Billy Barty as Dweedle
Susan Blu as Brutus
Townsend Coleman as Goon
Georgi Irene as Princess Sara
Bobby Jacoby as Dorin
Lilly Moon as Ellen
Rob Paulsen as Goon
John Vernon as Wildfire
Jessica Walter as Lady Diabolyn
Frank Welker as Mudlusk
Additional voices
Remy Auberjonois
Victoria Carroll – Mrs. Ashworth
Louise Chamis – Stubb's Mom (in "Dragons of Dar-Shan")
Philip Clarke – Lord Samson
Gino Conforti
Keene Curtis – Mr. Specs (in "Where the Dreams Come From")
Jennifer Darling
Jerry Dexter
George DiCenzo – Aragon (in "The Highwayman")
Paul Eiding
Dick Erdman
Bernard Erhard – Rothadode (in "Wildfire: King of the Horses")
Melanie Gaffin
Dick Gautier
Barbara Goodson – Nerissa (in "The Name is the Game")
Scott Grimes
Noah Hathaway
Darryl Hickman
Laura Jacoby
Lauri Johnson
Aron Kincaid
Ron Leibman
Marilyn Lightstone – Jude (in "Secret of Sinti Magic")
June Lockhart – Vesta
Kenneth Mars
Janet May
Amanda McBroom – Queen Sarana (in "A Meeting in Time")
Marissa Mendenhall
Michael Mish
Daniel O'Herlihy – Jovar
Diane Pershing – Lady Aura (in "Strangers in the Night")
Brock Peters – Thunderbolt (in "Wildfire: King of the Horses")
Peter Renaday
Peter Mark Richman
Bob Ridgely
Josh Rodine – Stubb (in "Dragons of Dar-Shan")
Roger Rose – Halavax (in "The Highwayman")
Neilson Ross
Will Ryan
William Schallert
Brandon Stewart
Alexandra Stoddart – Sheriel (in "The Ogre's Bride")
Andre Stojka
Jeffrey Tambor – Oberon (in "A Visit to Wonderland")
Les Tremayne – Bildad (in "Dragons of Dar-Shan")
Ginny Tyler
Ted Zeigler
Reception
According to the Los Angeles Times, "despite the hackneyed writing and poor animation (the artists don't understand how a horse moves), Wildfire is sure to be a hit with little girls, its obvious audience".