“With the Strength of Ra!” For this month’s installment of “TV Terrors” we revisit “Mummies Alive!“, an animated series for kids that aired in syndication back in 1997.
It’s hard to put a finger on why “Mummies Alive!” never really clicked with audiences. Sure, now it’s considered a cult classic and is mostly adored by horror geeks and nostalgia buffs, but back in 1997 “Mummies Alive!” arrived with a roar, and landed with a splat. I blame the lack of success on bad timing. I peg it mainly on the arrival of the 4Kids brand, as by the middle of 1997, 4Kids Anime had made its explosive debut in America with “Pokemon.” Once 4Kids introduced networks to licensed content that brought in big ratings, suddenly the conventional Saturday morning cartoon was dead.
Kids were just more interested in pocket monsters than undead monsters. It seemed to happen almost overnight, and it’s sad because I imagine if “Mummies Alive” had arrived perhaps two years earlier, it may have been considered a hit. At the very least, it would have brought in solid ratings from kids that were still obsessed with costumed superheroes fighting monsters.
I’ve always loved anything horror related, so when “Mummies Alive!” appeared in syndication, I loved it immediately. It’s a tad rough around the edges but overall sports a killer theme song, some great heroes, and a solid voice cast including Cree Summer. From DIC Productions L.P. and Northern Lights Entertainment, “Mummies Alive!” came along during a time when new interest in mummies made a mark on pop culture. Presley is a young boy with a single mom (Cree Summer) who works for the local museum. He breaks into a new exhibit and is confronted by the evil Scarab, a very Mumm-Ra-esque supervillain that desires to capture Presley for nefarious purposes.
It turns out that Presley is the reincarnation of the pharaoh Ramses and he is assigned four super powered mummy warriors to guard him. Each of the mummies is aligned with the power of an Egyptian god. Ja-Kal uses the spirit of falcon, Rath uses the spirit of snake, the one armed Armon uses the spirit of ram, and Nefer-Tina (Summer) uses the spirit of cat. They are able to call upon it for magical armor and powers to fight superhuman evildoers. Although, once their strength is exhausted, they must rest in their sarcophagi to regain the ability. In order to access these powers, the mummies call out the phrase “With the Strength of Ra!”, which triggers their transformation. The mummies also have the power to make a horrifying face, usually used to scare away nosy bystanders.
Presley is guided by his wisdom and fierce quick thinking, allowing him to befriend and wield the mummies against Scarab. In addition to Scarab, the mummies often had to contend with gods and spirits from Egyptian myth summoned to the modern world, including Anubis, Set, Geb, Apep, Bast, Sekhmet, Bes, and many others, usually as part of one of Scarab’s schemes that went out of his control.
Despite barely making waves upon its initial release, the series aired a total of 42 episodes in its only season, with ten episodes pitched before production was halted. The series was cancelled in 1998 where it re-appeared on cable television every so often in syndication. Through this channel it garnered a small but loyal following that appreciated the inspiration it took from “Gargoyles” and “Power Rangers.” The series ended with the mummies coming out into the light of society, setting the stage for an interesting second season that was never to be.
“Mummies Alive!” is a great starter course for budding horror fans, or if you want a good Halloween treat with some action thrown in. It’s a hidden gem that deserves a larger following.
Is It On DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming? Thankfully the series is still accessible to fans mostly through streaming. You can view the entire series run on Tubi, and on Amazon Prime Video. Most of the episodes are also available on YouTube, while the pilot movie “The Beginning” is still available on DVD and VHS.
Horror and science fiction have always been a part of the television canvas, and constant attempts have been made over the years to produce classic entertainment. Some have fallen by the wayside, while others became mainstream phenomena. With “TV Terrors,” we take a look back at the many genre efforts from the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s, exploring some shows that became cult classics, and others that sank into obscurity.
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