Dexter's Laboratory
- ️Sat Jan 07 2012
In Dexter's Laboratory,
Lives the smartest boy you've ever seen!
But, Dee Dee blows his experiments
To smithereens!
"Enter at your own peril, past the bolted door, where impossible things may happen that the world's never seen before!"
Cartoon Network's first original series that wasn't based on an already existing character or an anthology series, Dexter's Laboratory originated as creator Genndy Tartakovsky's thesis film, Changes, and was later remade for the What A Cartoon! Show, a shorts showcase for Hanna-Barbera employees (The Powerpuff Girls was made under the same circumstances, whilst Tartakovsky and Powerpuff creator Craig McCracken worked on both shows).
Dexter (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh from season 1 up to the first half of season 3, Candi Milo in the later episodes) is a boy genius with an unplaceable Central European accent, thick-rimmed glasses, and a gigantic secret laboratory in his bedroom. Yet for all his high intellect and scientific genius, Dexter is never able to keep his reckless older sister, Dee Dee (voiced by Allison Moore for 2 seasons and Kathryn Cressida for another 2), out of his lab. Dexter must also contend with threats from his arch-enemy, Mandark (Eddie Deezen), a rival boy genius who harbors an unrequited crush on Dee Dee and wants to destroy Dexter’s lab and take over the world.
This show follows a fairly standard "Three Shorts" format, with a Dexter cartoon at the start and end, and another series in between. Throughout its run, this slot was filled by spin-off series Dial M for Monkey and Justice Friends, both of these Super Hero parodies. Dial M for Monkey followed Dexter's eponymous pet monkey, who fought aliens and monsters behind Dexter's back. The Justice Friends provided a domestic sitcom take on The Avengers, exploring the apartment life shared by three superheroes who fight crime better than they get along as roommates. Outside the US the filler shows were sometimes dropped and the Dexter cartoons shown in a different order.
After running for two seasons, the series was given a TV Movie entitled Ego Trip, which was intended to serve as the Grand Finale. In spite of this, two more seasons were made without Genndy Tartakovsky's involvement (and without Dial M for Monkey or The Justice Friends, replacing them with segments focused on Dexter's supporting cast).
The series was animated by two studios: Rough Draft, South-Korea (main studio for most of the show) and Fil-Cartoons, Philippines (12 segments).
Do NOT confuse with that other Dexter; much tragedy will come of it. Well, some
◊ tragedy.
Ahh, what a fine day for troping!:
Main series
Spin-offs