The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible

The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible is an animated direct-to-video series produced by Hanna-Barbera that tells of three young adventurers who travel back in time to watch biblical events take place.[1] Thirteen videos were released between 1985 and 1992.

The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible
(From left to right): Seph, Storyteller, Moki, Margo, Derek, Nod children.
Genre
Directed by
Voices ofDarlene Carr
Terry McGovern (1985-1989)
Darryl Hickman (1989-1992)
Rob Paulsen
Narrated byMichael Rye (Opening only)
Theme music composerHoyt Curtin
Composers
  • Hoyt Curtin
  • Gary William Friedman (Ep. 8 only)
  • Tom Worrall (Episode 8; Episode 9, additional music)
  • Vaughn Johnson (last 2 episodes)
  • Albert Lloyd Olson (Episode 11 only)
  • Russell Fox (choral music, eps. 7&9)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Kay Wright
  • Bruce David Johnson (supervising producer, 4 episodes)
  • Lew Saw (associate producer, first 6 episodes)
Editors
  • Gil Iverson
  • Tim Iverson (last 3 episodes)
  • Tom Gleason (last 2 episodes)
Running time25–30 minutes
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
DistributorWorldvision Home Video Inc.
Hanna-Barbera Home Video
Turner Home Entertainment
Release
Original releaseApril 26, 1985 (1985-04-26) –
August 19, 1992 (1992-08-19)

Overview

Derek and Margo, two young archaeologists, are on a dig accompanied by "their nomad friend", a boy named Moki. They come across a door in an ancient ruin that turns out to be a portal through time. Though the introduction is the same in all videos, each episode sends the three friends into a different story from the Bible. They often interact with principal figures from each story, but without any significant effect upon the plot so as not to change the Bible.

However, it is possible that the trio are there to learn more about the Bible's stories than they already know. The episodes were not released in an order consistent with the Biblical chronology, but can be construed to give a coherent story beginning with "The Creation" and ending with "The Easter Story", which is told from a Christian viewpoint.

Each individual episode featured celebrity voices in principal Biblical roles.

Production and distribution

The series was initially conceived by Hanna-Barbera co-founder Joseph Barbera some seventeen years before it was produced, but he had difficulty in procuring support for the project. Eventually, however, Hanna-Barbera's parent company Taft Broadcasting agreed to provide funding, and the first video was released in 1985, then Turner Home Entertainment continued production after they bought Hanna-Barbera in 1991. Sparrow-Star Song assisted with distribution, releasing all thirteen episodes on VHS, one episode per tape. Five of these episodes ("The Miracles of Jesus", "David and Goliath", "Noah's Ark", "The Easter Story", and "Moses") were released on DVD in 2006.[2][3][4]

Voice cast

Main

Special guest stars

Additional voices

Episodes
No. Title Story by Storyboarded by Original release date
1"Moses"Harvey BullockRic EstradaApril 26, 1985 (1985-04-26)
The trio witnesses the ten plagues of Egypt and follow Moses through the parting of the Red Sea.
2"David and Goliath"Harvey BullockRic EstradaApril 25, 1986 (1986-04-25)
The three meet David and eventually see him defeat Goliath.
3"Joshua and the Battle of Jericho"Harvey BullockRic EstradaApril 25, 1986 (1986-04-25)
The trio find themselves ensnared in the Battle of Jericho.
4"Noah's Ark"Harvey BullockRic EstradaApril 25, 1986 (1986-04-25)
The protagonists find themselves aboard Noah's Ark.
5"Samson and Delilah"Harvey BullockRic EstradaApril 25, 1986 (1986-04-25)
The protagonists find themselves witnessing the story of Samson and Delilah.
6"Daniel and the Lion's Den"Dennis MarksRic EstradaApril 25, 1986 (1986-04-25)
The trio find themselves in Babylon, where they witness the miracle of Daniel in the lions' den.
7"The Nativity"Bruce D. Johnson and Harvey Bullock, Dennis Marks (teleplay)Ric Estrada and Robert TaylorOctober 15, 1987 (1987-10-15)
The trio witnesses the birth of Jesus.
8"The Creation"Dennis MarksLew Saw and Kay WrightJuly 15, 1988 (1988-07-15)
The three protagonists listen to a storyteller recount the creation as well as the Fall. At the same time, they learn their own lessons in honesty after tricking a gardener into giving them fruit for free.
9"The Easter Story"Dennis MarksJim WilloughbyMarch 15, 1989 (1989-03-15)
Mark describes the last days of Jesus' life, leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection.
10"Joseph and His Brothers"Dennis Marks and Karran Eccles WrightJim WilloughbySeptember 27, 1990 (1990-09-27)
The trio befriend Joseph and learn about his coat of many colors.
11"The Miracles of Jesus"Karran Eccles WrightRic EstradaSeptember 26, 1991 (1991-09-26)
The time travelers encounter an elderly version of the young man raised from the dead in the city of Nain, who recounts the various miracles of Jesus.
12"Queen Esther"Karran Eccles WrightRic EstradaFebruary 27, 1992 (1992-02-27)
Esther and Mordecai expose the duplicity of Haman.
13"Jonah"Karran Eccles WrightRic EstradaAugust 19, 1992 (1992-08-19)
Jonah recounts the story of his journey to Nineveh and being swallowed by a whale.

References
  1. Sennett, Ted (1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. p. 239. ISBN 978-0670829781. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  2. Barbera, Joseph (1994). My Life in "Toons": From Flatbush to Bedrock in Under a Century. Atlanta, GA: Turner Publishing. pp. 210–215. ISBN 1-57036-042-1.
  3. Alasdair, Steven (2001-03-28). "William Hanna, animator and cartoon creator". The Scotsman. p. 16.
  4. Natale, Richard; Phil Gallo (2001-03-21). "William Hanna". Variety. p. 151.
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