Birdman Birdman 2002 Zippo
Ghetto Life (2002) Lyrics: Ok, we got the Birdman in the building (the birdman) / We got Killa in the building (yeah) / We got Young Weezy in the building (Weezy) / Nigga it's, B-M, J-R, Weezy. Ghetto Life (2002) Lyrics: Ok, we got the Birdman in the building (the birdman) / We got Killa in the building (yeah) / We got Young Weezy in the building (Weezy) / Nigga it's, B-M, J-R, Weezy.
| Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Based on | Hanna-Barbera cartoons/characters |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Voices of |
|
| Theme music composer | Reg Tilsley |
| Opening theme | 'Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law', performed by Erik Richter |
| Ending theme | 'Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law' (Instrumental) |
| Composer(s) | Michael Kohler |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 39 (and 1 special) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
| Editor(s) | Jon Dilling |
| Running time | 12 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Original release | December 30, 2000 –
|
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Space Ghost Coast to Coast |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an Americanadultanimated sitcom created by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter for Adult Swim. The show revolves around the activity of the Sebben & Sebben law firm, which is staffed mainly by superheroes and other characters who had originally been featured in past Hanna-Barbera cartoons, most notably Birdman and the Galaxy Trio.
The pilot first aired as a sneak peek on Cartoon Network on December 30, 2000.[2]
The series officially premiered on Adult Swim on September 2, 2001, the night the block launched.[3] It ended on July 22, 2007, with a total of 39 episodes, over the course of four seasons. The entire series has been made available on DVD, and other forms of home media, including on demand streaming on Hulu.
A special, entitled Harvey Birdman: Attorney General, premiered on October 15, 2018[4] and a spin-off, Birdgirl, was ordered to series in May 2019.[5]
Premise[edit]
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law features ex-superhero Harvey T. Birdman of Birdman and the Galaxy Trio as an attorney working for a law firm alongside other cartoon stars from 1960s and 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoon series. Harvey's clients are also primarily composed of characters taken from Hanna-Barbera cartoon series of the same era. Many of Birdman's nemeses from his former cartoon series appear as attorneys, often representing the opposing side of a given case.
Harvey usually fills the role of a criminal defense attorney, though he will act as a civil litigator or other such job when the plot calls for it. The series uses a surrealist style of comedy, featuring characters, objects, and jokes that are briefly introduced and rarely (if ever) referenced thereafter. Because the series relies heavily on popular culture references to classic television animation, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law constantly delves into parody, featuring clips of these series or specially created scenes which mimic the distinctive style of the animation being referenced.[6]
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is the first Williams Street cartoon to maintain continuity through the entire series. Various episodes reference Harvey's (or another superhero's) former crimefighting career. The episode 'Turner Classic Birdman' serves to bridge the gap between Birdman and the Galaxy Trio and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
Much of the humor is derived from giving superheroes and supervillains more eccentric qualities, such as transforming mad scientist Dr. Myron Reducto into a paranoid prosecutor. Several of the plots revolve around popular myths about classic Hanna-Barbera characters, such as Shaggy and Scooby-Doo being recreational drug users.
Voice actors[edit]
- Gary Cole as Harvey Birdman, Judge Mightor
- Stephen Colbert as Phil Ken Sebben, Myron Reducto
- Joe Alaskey as Peter Potamus
- Thomas Allen as Peanut
- Paget Brewster as Birdgirl
- Grey DeLisle as Debbie, Daphne Blake, Dr. Gale Melody, Mary
- Chris Edgerly as Peter Potamus, DVD, Mr. Finkerton, The Funky Phantom, Augie Doggie, Cumulus the Storm King, Captain Caveman, Gorak, Fancy Fancy
- John Michael Higgins as Mentok the Mindtaker, Zardo, Grape Ape
- Maurice LaMarche as Azul Falcone, Stan Freezoid, Apache Chief, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, Der Spuzmacher, Inch High, Speed Buggy, Hi-Riser, Doggie Daddy, Droopy, Quick Draw McGraw, Wally Gator, Morocco Mole, Garok, Cavey Jr., Magilla Gorilla, Mr. Peebles, Benny the Ball, Dum Dum, Shazzan, Atom Ant, Nitron
- Peter MacNicol as X the Eliminator
- Michael McKean as Evelyn Spyro Throckmorton
- Matt Peccini as The Bear
- Neil Ross as Vulturo, Dr. Benton Quest, Ding-A-Ling Wolf
- Debi Mae West as Gigi
- Paul Adelstein as Murro the Marauder
- Jack Angel as General
- Dee Bradley Baker as Jonny Quest, Lizard Man
- Michael Bell as Zan
- Jeff Bergman as George Jetson, Old Man Bakov, Clown
- Mary Birdsong as Chibo, Tana
- Lewis Black as Elliott the Deadly Duplicator
- Steven Blum as Yakky Doodle, Clamhead, Stavros
- Bill Farmer as Secret Squirrel
- Keith Ferguson as Bill Ken Sebben
- Nika Futterman as Debbie
- Mark Hamill as Ricochet Rabbit
- Toby Huss as Ernie Devlin, Shado
- Scott Innes as Shaggy Rogers, Scooby-Doo, Scrappy-Doo
- Tom Kenny as Boo-Boo Bear, Elroy Jetson, Top Cat, Choo Choo, Computer Voice
- Phil LaMarr as Black Vulcan
- Tress MacNeille as Wilma Flintstone, Pebbles Flintstone
- Diane Michelle as Jane Jetson, Orbitty
- Laraine Newman as Sybil Schussler
- Rob Paulsen as Baba Looey
- Doug Pries as Thundarr the Barbarian, Beegle Beagle
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Barney Rubble
- André Sogliuzzo as Dynomutt
- Fred Tatasciore as Nikos
- B.J. Ward as Velma Dinkley
- Frank Welker as Fred Jones, Jabberjaw, Biff, Robot, Avenger
- Billy West as Dr. Zin
- Kym Whitley as Norlissa
- Wally Wingert as Hadji, George Jetson, Astro, Harry Twiddles, Moby Dick
Episodes[edit]
Production[edit]
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law creators Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter were originally writers for Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which was where the titular character originally made its debut.
The show was Adult Swim's most expensive original series at the time, and is the most expensive spin-off of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Although the first season was animated using digital ink and paint, the remaining seasons were animated using Adobe After Effects. The reason for the switch was that the animation studio was having difficulty maintaining the fast pace of the show, and thus the production of episodes slowed down due to constant retakes.
By animating the later episodes at Turner Studios in Atlanta with Adobe Flash, not only were problems corrected more quickly, but production costs were much lower.[7]
Special[edit]
On May 14, 2018, it was announced that there would be an upcoming special based on the series entitled Harvey Birdman: Attorney General. In the special, Harvey Birdman becomes the next Attorney General of the United States, under President Phil Ken Sebben. The original voice cast returned for the special. It premiered on October 15, 2018.[1][4]
Reception[edit]
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law was named the 91st best animated series by IGN. They compared it to Space Ghost Coast to Coast, a show that is also based on an old Hanna-Barbera cartoon, and described it as a clever show.[8]
Home release[edit]
| DVD name | Release date | Ep # | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume One | April 12, 2005 | 13 | This two disc box set contains the first thirteen episodes of the show ('Bannon Custody Battle' through 'High Speed Buggy Chase') in production order, along with commentaries on selected episodes, deleted scenes, and other special features. A Region 2 version is to be released on November 3. The color of the DVD box art is purple. |
| Volume Two | October 10, 2006 | 13 | This two disc box set contains the next thirteen episodes of the show ('Back to the Present' through 'Evolutionary War') in production order, along with commentaries on nine episodes, additional footage, and other special features. The color of the DVD box art is blue. |
| Volume Three | July 24, 2007 | 13 | This two disc box set contains the final thirteen episodes of the show ('Turner Classic Birdman' through 'The Death of Harvey') in production order, along with special features. The color of the DVD box art is black. |
Each DVD is in the shape of a law book. Each season's box art is nearly identical, and the only change for each season is the background color (Volume 1 is brown purple, Volume 2 is blue, and Volume 3 is black). The small picture next to the title and the title itself also appear different.
In April 2005, Adult Swim had a 'Do Our Work For Us' contest for Harvey Birdman Season 1 on DVD. The objective for the contest was asking viewers to make their own fan made promo commercial for the upcoming DVD.
Music[edit]
The theme song is an edited version of the song 'Slow Moody Blues' written by Reg Tilsley. Other notable songs used in the show include Charlie Steinman's 'It Is Such A Good Night' (also known as 'Scoobidoo Love') and a lyricless version of Gianni Morandi's 'La Mia Mania' (also known as 'Okay Maria').
Video game[edit]
A video game based on the series has been released for the PlayStation 2,[9]Wii[10] and PlayStation Portable[11]video game consoles. It was developed by High Voltage Software and published by Capcom, with gameplay mechanics similar to Capcom's Ace Attorney series. It was released on January 8, 2008.
References[edit]
- ^ abRamos, Dino-Ray (May 14, 2018). ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney General' Lands At Adult Swim With New Special'. Deadline. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^'The Daily Ghost Planet : The Past!'. Lustforlunch.com. Archived from the original on 2001-12-20. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- ^'Harvey Birdman Finale on Adult Swim'. Animation World Network. 2007-07-12. Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2007-08-06.Cite uses deprecated parameter
deadurl=(help) - ^ ab'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2018-09-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^Porter, Rick (May 9, 2019). ''Harvey Birdman' Spinoff With Paget Brewster Greenlit at Adult Swim'. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^Harvey Birdman Volume 1 DVD commentary for episode 1[citation needed]
- ^Carrera, Philip. Adobe® Flash® Animation: Creative Storytelling for Web and TV. Archived from the original on 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^'91, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'. IGN. 2009-01-23. Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-23.Cite uses deprecated parameter
deadurl=(help) - ^Onyett, Charles (2007-07-12). 'E3 2007: Harvey Birdman Preview'. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
- ^Kim, Alicia (2007-09-04). 'Wii takes the case – Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law comes home to roost on the latest Nintendo video game system'. Archived from the original on 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2007-09-24.Cite uses deprecated parameter
deadurl=(help) - ^Baity, Naquan (2007-08-01). 'Move Over Phoenix Wright, PSP Has Harvey Birdman on the Case!'. Archived from the original on 2007-08-09. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
External links[edit]
| Wikiquote has quotations related to: Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law |
- Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law on IMDb
- Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law at TV.com
| Look up birdman or birdmen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Birdman's Age
Birdman or birdmen may refer to:
- Avian humanoid, a person with avian characteristics in mythology, folklore, and popular fiction
Music[edit]
- Birdman Records, an independent music label
- Birdman (album), a 2002 album by Birdman, then known as Baby
- Birdman (film score), a soundtrack album from the 2014 film
- 'The Birdman' (song), a 1994 song by Our Lady Peace
- 'Birdman', a 1994 song by Ride from Carnival of Light
- Jean the Birdman, 1993 music video
Film and television[edit]
- Birdman (film), a 2014 film by Alejandro González Iñárritu
- The Bird Men, a 2013 film starring Fred Willard
- Harvey Birdman, a fictional Hanna-Barbera character
- Birdperson, a character in the television series Rick and Morty
Comics and literature[edit]
- Birdman and Chicken, 1970s British comic strip
- Bird-Man, the alias shared by three villainous Marvel Comics characters
- Birdmen (manga), a 2013 manga series by Yellow Tanabe
- Birdman (novel), a 2000 novel by Mo Hayder
People[edit]
- Chris Andersen (born 1978), American basketball player nicknamed 'The Birdman'
- Lincoln J. Beachey (1887–1915), American pioneering aviator sometimes called the 'Master Birdman'
- Birdman (rapper) (born 1969), stage name for American rapper Bryan Williams
- Brett Burton (born 1978), Australian Rules Footballer for the Adelaide Crows
- Tony Hawk (born 1968), American skateboarder nicknamed 'The Birdman'
- Albin K. Longren (1882–1950), American aviation pioneer
- Robert Stroud (1890–1963), the 'Birdman of Alcatraz', American prisoner and author famous for raising birds
- James Ware (wrestler) (born 1957), American professional wrestler
Sports and competitions[edit]
- A wingsuit flying parachutist
- Birdman Rally, a competition where people attempt to fly with home-made contraptions
- International Birdman, the original Birdman rally
Business[edit]
- Birdman Enterprises, a Canadian aircraft manufacturer from 1973 to 1987
- Birdman Aircraft, an American ultralight manufacturer in the 1970s and early 80s
- Birdman, a brand of wingsuits owned by Jari Kuosma
Other uses[edit]
- Tangata manu (literally 'the bird-man'), the winner of a ritual competition on Easter Island
- Birdman burial, an elaborate elite personage burial from the Mound 72 archaeological site at Cahokia
- The avian themed dancing warrior from artwork connected to the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex
- Junior Birdmen, a former boys club in the United States
- Birdman, a character in Fujiko F. Fujio's manga Perman