In 2003 and 2004, Andy Hartnell, J. Scott Campbell, and artist Phil Noto teamed up to give us the next exciting installments of the Danger Girl spy spoof "series": 2003's "Danger Girl: Hawaiian Punch" and its sequel, 2004's "Danger Girl: Viva Las Danger".
"Hawaiian Punch" sees the team facing a mad Hawaiian millionaire set on destroying the three biggest theme parks in the U.S. (making his own the only destination in the country) using three hijacked submarines armed with nuclear missiles; "Viva Las Danger" sees them trying to keep an ancient Egyptian artifact known as the Jewel of Eternity from falling into the wrong hands while trying to enjoy a Vegas vacation at the behest of their client, one Prince Akoo.
These two one-shots were collected in the "Danger Girl: Destination Danger" trade paperback a while ago, and having bought it a few years back, I found them to be both funny and engaging stories--almost like an episode of "The Man from UNCLE" and one from "Get Smart" had twins! I thought that Phil Noto's (who I have met, nice guy) art style lent itself to animation quite nicely, so this fancast is a result. Here's how the direct-to-dvd would work:
-The film would be a double feature, with "Hawaiian Punch" on side A, and "Viva Las Danger" on side B.
-DVD cover art by--who else, but Phil Noto himself?
-Direction by Lauren Montgomery
-Voice direction by Andrea Romano
-Character designs/art by Phils Noto and Bourassa
-Opening songs for each written and sung by "Weird Al" Yankovic, with "Hawaiian Punch's" a spy-themed parody of "Blue Hawaii" by Elvis Presley, and "Viva Las Danger's" being a spy-themed parody of "Viva Las Vegas", also by Elvis Presley.
And now our cast!
First off is our returning voice cast:
And now, for each individual animated film:
"Danger Girl in: Hawaiian Punch!"
Edward James Olmos as the voice of Don Ka Nui
Ka Nui is the aforementioned Hawaiian millionaire, owner of a chain of casinos that went under (according to a captive Johnny Barracuda) due to bad management and location. Ka Nui arrogantly blames their failures due to the popularity of family entertainment-based theme parks, and seeks to use the nuclear missiles of the subs he hijacked to destroy the three biggest ones in the country.
I thought Olmos could do to Ka Nui what the late Ricardo Montalban did with his Armando Gutierrez character on Freakazoid...and this would be the closest we get to Olmos playing an "Austin Powers-esque" spoof of James Bond villain Scaramanga.
Tia Carrere as the voice of Lae'ula
Lae'ula is Ka Nui's right-hand woman, who seduces and kidnaps Johnny as part of the plan. She's also one who can put up quite a fight, evidenced by the brawl she and Sydney end up in on the beach.
I picked Carrere as she's no stranger to voiceover work, having played both a villain (the queen of Mars on "Duck Dodgers") and a Hawaiian (Nani in "Lilo and Stitch").
David Hedison as the voice of Admiral Brewer
Brewer is the head of a US naval fleet who lands it on Ka Nui's private island with the intent of checking the Navy facilities on the main island. He ends up falling under Ka Nui's control via a lei he's given, made up of an ancient (and extinct) Hawaiian flower Ka Nui's scientists genetically re-engineered back into existence with mind-control properties. He and Lae'ula do the same to his crew and Johnny, to use them as the means of firing the missiles (since both the admiral and Johnny have the clearance to give such orders).
Last year I became a fan of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", the 60's TV show Hedison starred in. Since then, he's become one of my favorite actors (I've also seen him in "The Fly"--the original, not the 1986 one), and it's become one of my favorite shows. I picked Hedison as a nod to his role as Captain Lee Crane, though in this case, he's been promoted.
"Danger Girl in: Viva Las Danger!"
Mark Dacascos as the voice of Prince Akoo
No, that certainly isn't Professor X you're looking at! Akoo is the Egyptian-born owner of a Vegas casino with a (you guessed it) Ancient Egyptian theme, who hires the Danger Girl team to recover the Jewel of Eternity (stolen by Jaques, an antiques smuggler voiced by John DiMaggio) for him, and to reward them, he prepares a special event at the casino in their honor. There's more to him than he let on, as Deuce and Abby both suspect...
I went with Dacascos as a nod to his role as the Chairman on Iron Chef America, where he had a bit of a commanding presence on the show despite it ultimately being about the food.
Odette Anable as the voice of Xyra
Xyra, who had been posing as one of the casino's hostesses, is in reality trying to get the jewel back from Akoo, convincing Abbey to side with her. But like Akoo, not all is as it seems with her...
Anable's played a "grey area" character before on Breaking In (oh, why did they have to ruin you with season 2!), but her she'd be playing someone more mysterious.
John DiMaggio as the voice of Jackpot
Jackpot is Akoo's bodyguard, and (you could call him a cyborg) a walking, talking, DEADLY slot machine. He has slots on his chest that determine what weapon he can use, activated by moving his left arm (whose hand has been replaced with a giant slot machine lever's knob) a certain way.
I was inspired by when DiMaggio voiced Ubu, Ra's Al Ghul's henchman, on "Batman: The Brave and the Bold", and I'd picture him using his Black Adam voice from that same show.
And that's a wrap for these two funny little spy capers! For taking the time to view these, ladies and gentlemen--ELVIS PRESLEY, times TWO: