Phantom 2040

Phantom 2040 takes the classic comic strip character created by Lee Falk in 1936 and places him into a futuristic world of conspiracy, political drama and the possible end of humanity.

Debuting in 1994, the series was conceived to be more “intelligent” than regular Saturday morning cartoon series, dealing with political and environmental issues as well as existential questions of humanity.

Although the series only lasted 35 episodes (about a series and a half), it received rave reviews. The series also had a lasting impact on the world on animation due to the casting of accomplished dramatic actors in character voice roles. This achieved a new level of maturity and complexity for vocal performances that set the standard for all TV animation that followed.

Development

The show was developed for television by executive producer David J. Corbett and executive story editors Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. In addition to story-editing both seasons, the Reeves-Stevens devised the show's writers' bible and scripted numerous episodes, including the two-part pilot Generation Unto Generation. Other key writers on the show included Brynne Chandler and Michael Reaves.

Character design was handled by Peter Chung, the creator of the successful AEon Flux animated series. The characters in both series have Chung’s signature “skinny” design, although those in AEon Flux are even more exaggerated.