Forget Gargoyles, Almost No One Remembers This 90’s Animated Sleeper Hit That Turned 29 Today

While Gargoyles gets a new revival, there is one forgotten gem of an animated series from the ‘90s that deserves more eyes. The DIC series Mummies Alive! was another supernatural, gothic show that slipped under the radar despite having mad potential. The series premiered on September 15, 1997.

The show followed four revived Egyptian warriors protecting a reincarnated pharaoh from an immortality-obsessed sorcerer. While the animation was decent for its time, its storytelling was great, and the show remains one of the most underrated entries in the ‘90s ‘Mummymania’.

Mummies Alive! Is the ‘90s Animated Show That Deserves a Cult Following

The cast of Mummies Alive! | Credits: DIC Productions/Northern Lights Entertainment

Mummies Alive! had a quirky premise that was interesting and fun. Thousands of years ago, the evil sorcerer Scarab, who is obsessed with immortality, pursues the pharaoh Raspes and murders him. However, the pharaoh is mummified and enclosed in a tomb with his four loyal protectors, Ja-Kal, Rath, Armon, and Nefer-Tina.

When they awaken in San Francisco, they realize that Raspes has also reincarnated as a 12-year-old named Presley. As Scarab returns to pursue Raspes again, the warriors protect him while disguised as eccentric guardians. The show’s characters also got an action figure line with Hasbro. However, the show was killed after one season.

Each mummy channeled the power of a different Egyptian god through animal totems: Ja-Kal drew on the falcon, Rath on the snake, Armon on the ram, and Nefer-Tina on the cat, giving the show a distinct mythological identity that set it apart from the era’s glut of generic action cartoons.

The show never found its audience when it was released, and it is still underrated. Unlike other shows like Gargoyles, there are very few fans who speak about it. It is also sometimes chalked up to the ‘90s ‘Mummymania’, which gave us live-action gems like The Mummy.

These ‘90s Animated Shows Also Deserve a Revival like Gargoyles

A still from Gargoyles | Credits: ABC

Disney’s Gargoyles is an animated show that was way ahead of its time and did not receive the appreciation it deserved when it was released. However, it has gained many fans over the years due to its gothic storytelling and Shakespearean inspirations. Actor Brent Spiner, who voiced Puck, revealed in his podcast, Dropping Names with Brent and Jonny, that a revival was in the works.

The show definitely deserves a revival, and so do many iconic shows from the ‘90s. Mummies Alive! is just one that slipped under the radar. There are many from seriously underappreciated animation studios that did not get the eyes they deserved. ReBoot is one such show that time has forgotten.

The show was one of the first completely CGI-animated series and was set entirely in a computer system. It tackled dark themes for a kids’ show. Its digital-world premise practically begs for a modern update given how much more relevant “living inside the internet” feels today.

Sky Dancers, based on the toy line of the same name, was also ambitious in its storytelling but only lasted one season. While we remember the iconic shows like Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series, several incredible animated shows have gone under the radar and deserve our attention now.

Which ‘90s animated show do you think should get an animated revival? Comment below.