El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is an American animated television series created by Jorge R. Gutiérrez and Sandra Equihua as the show follows Manny Rivera, along with his best friend Frida Suárez, takes part in consequential adventures with his El Tigre Belt, however he has trouble deciding whether he should be on a good side or evil side based on his powers and actions.
The pilot was screened exclusively at Nickelodeon Animation Studio in 2005 before the series was greenlit for a full series. The sneak peek of the second segment of the first episode, "Night of the Living Guacamole" first premiered on Nickelodeon on February 19, 2007, before the actual series on both Nickelodeon and Nicktoons on March 3, 2007.
Plot
As the youngest member of Miracle City's famous Rivera family, Manny comes from a long line of guys with some pretty superpowers. His dad, a former superhero once known as White Pantera, wants Manny to grow up to be good and honorable just like him. Manny's Granpapi, the retired supervillain Puma Loco, thinks Manny should join him on the dark side. But Manny is a regular thirteen-year-old kid who is having trouble deciding exactly how to use his powers as the masked warrior El Tigre. He WANTS to be good... but being bad is MUCH more fun!
Production
El Tigre was created by a husband-and-wife team named Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua along with others who were employed to make the show. The couple made the project from experiences they had when they were younger. Manny Rivera is based on Jorge's young self and Frida Suárez is based on Sandra's. Many things known of the show were based on actual events or parts in Jorge's life. His father was an artist (which was viewed as good) and his grandfather was a general in the military (which was viewed as evil). That idea was exaggerated to the idea of superheroes and villains. The city Miracle City is based on Mexico City, where Jorge grew up.
Cast
Main Cast
- Alanna Ubach as Manny Rivera/El Tigre
- Grey DeLisle as Frida Suárez
- Eric Bauza as Rodolfo Rivera/White Pantera
- Carlos Alazraqui as Granpapi Rivera/Puma Loco
Supporting Cast
- Alanna Ubach as Sega, Ella, Audra, Smiley, and Mrs. Rodriguez
- Grey DeLisle as Cosmic Cleopatra, Flama Dama, Voltura, Che, Aaron, Waldo, Audrey, and Sophia
- Eric Bauza as Justice Jaguar, Principal Tonino, Dr. Eugene L. Butterman, Takeshi, Chorizo, Cactus Kid, Toshiro, Dos, Tres, and Lupita
- Carlos Alazraqui as El Tarantula, Señor Chappi, Tiny, Lady Gobbler, Vice Principal Chakal, Guero, Humberto, Jorge, Lupito, El Sombrerito, Zebra Donkey, Uno, and Juana Kahlo
- John DiMaggio as El Oso, Dark Leopard, General Chapuza, El Tigre I, and Municipal President Rodriguez
- Richard Steven Horvitz as Dr. Chipotle Jr., Dr. Chipotle Sr., and Dr. Chipotle Sr. Sr.
- Candi Milo as Zoe Aves/Black Cuervo, Poe, Silver Wolf, Carla, Carlito, and Mrs. Chichita
- Susan Silo as Sartana of the Dead
- Jeff Bennett as Sergio/Señor Siniestro, Pedro, Knuckles, Silver Sombrero, and Miracle City Judge
- Daran Norris as Emiliano Suárez
- Rene Mujica as Titanium Titan
- Danny Trejo as El Mal Verde
Guest Stars
- Charlie Adler as Mano Negra
- Jack Angel as Comrade Chaos
- Pamela Adlon as Marni
- Clancy Brown as Monsterzuma
- Danny Cooksey as Django of the Dead
- Erica Luttrell as Cosmic Cleopatra
- Bruce Campbell as The Industrialist
- Jessica DiCicco as Davi Roccoco/Albino Burrito
- Phil LaMarr as Raheem
- Efren Ramirez as El Cucharon
- George Takei as The Seventh Samurai
- Miguel Sandoval as Golden Leon
Episodes
- Main article: Episode Guide
Broadcast
The first screening of the show was on January 19, 2007, in the first ever Nickelodeon Creative Summit held in San Juan, Puerto Rico as a special treat for the 60 exclusive attendees (The Summit was led by 4 of the main branches of Nickelodeon).
Before the series premiered, Nickelodeon aired a sneak peek with the second segment from the first episode, "Night of the Living Guacamole" on February 19, 2007. The series later premiered on both Nickelodeon and its sister channel, Nicktoons on March 3, 2007, starting with the first episode along with the first two segments, "Sole of a Hero" and "Night of the Living Guacamole". Most episodes premiered on Nickelodeon in the weekend, but it would either air it in the morning or night slot. Some episodes were also airing on Nicktoons after airing it on the main channel. On June 19, 2008, "The Return of Plata Peligrosa" and "Chupacabros!" were the last episode to premiere on Nickelodeon.
On August 7, 2008, Nickelodeon would not air the last remaining episodes and instead, it would air on Nicktoons, starting with the episode, "Oso Solo Mio". On September 13, 2008, Nicktoons aired its final two episodes and concluding the series with "No Boots, No Belt, No Brero".
Awards and Nominations
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35th Annie Awards | Best Animated Television Production for Children | El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera | Won | [1] |
| Character Animation in an Animated Television Production | Monica Kennedy | Nominated | [1] | |
| Character Design in an Animated Television Production | Jorge R. Gutierrez ("Fistful of Collars") | Won | [1] | |
| Music in an Animated Television Production | Shawn Patterson ("Yellow Pantera") | Nominated | [1] | |
| 36th Annie Awards | Character Design in an Animated Television Production or Short Form | Jorge Gutierrez ("The Good, The Bad and The Tigre") | Nominated | [2] |
| Writing in an Animated Television Production | Scott Kreamer ("Mustache Love") | Nominated | [2] | |
| 35th Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation | Sandra Equihua Jorge R. Gutierrez Gerald de Jesus Eddie Trigueros |
Won | [3][4] |
| 36th Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation | Jorge R. Gutierrez Gerald de Jesus Eddie Trigueros |
Won | [5] |
| Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program | Dave Thomas Gabe Swarr Andrea Romano |
Won | [5] |
Gallery
Click here to visit El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera's Gallery!
Trivia
- All of the villains in this series have red eyes except Granpapi because he wears a pair of spectacles.
- There has been a running gag in the title cards, with one character standing closer to the image, showing only its feet and legs, while the other stands far in the background. So far, this is seen in "Sole of a Hero", "Fistful of Collars", and "The Mother of All Tigres". A similar gag is used in "Clash of the Titan", with the Titanium Titan in the form and El Tigre in the background, but the difference is that the Titan is shown entirely instead of feet and legs.
- Dave Thomas reveals that El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera was originally supposed to be serialized with each episode being 22 minutes long. However, after the pilot was produced, it was going to be difficult for them to produce each episode in 11 minutes by writing the story, produce an action sequence, jokes, and the pacing of the episode. [6]
- The only half-hour episodes that were produced are "The Grave Escape" and "The Good, The Bad, and the Tigre".
- There are a few references to Spaghetti Westerns within the show; Sartana and Django are both the names of heroes in a series of Italian Westerns. Both Leone middle school and Sergio are named after director Sergio Leone the latter being an Italian kid who dresses up like a cowboy. Furthermore, the episodes "Fistful of Collars", and a "A Fistful of Nickels" takes its title from Fistful of Dollars, and A Fistful of Dynamite. Also, it is noted that the Boktai series has a protagonist named Django, and a brother named Sabata also named after spaghetti western film protagonists.
- Some of the villains have secret identities and they make sure no one else finds out about it.
- Whenever someone (usually Manny) is about to do something, they will say, "This I swear!".
- The animation of this show is also used on Cartoon Network's MAD.
- Manny, Frida, and Granpapi made a small cameo in The Book of Life.
- Unsurprisingly, the show is very popular in Spanish-speaking countries, which is why there are a lot of merchandise outside of America.
- In 2018, Jorge R. Gutiérrez pitched an El Tigre movie, in which it almost happened as Nickelodeon was strongly in favor of. However, Netflix Animation wanted him to focus on Maya and the Three and a cancelled project, Kung-Fu Space Punch. [1]
- Before El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera was in development, Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua designed the characters and the concept known as "Familia Atomicas!".
- As of July 2023, the complete series of El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is available to stream on Paramount+.
External Links
- Official Website (Nickelodeon Version)
- Official Website (Nicktoons Version)
- El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera at TV.com
- Pitch Bible of the Series