The Quest for Beasts

The Quest for Beasts is an American animated action-adventure fantasy series. It was broadcast on Cartoon Network between September 7, 1999 and January 6, 2004. From September 6, 2005 to January 2, 2007, reruns aired on Jetix in Australia, Latin America, France and India. In Canada, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and South Africa, reurns aired on Boomerang between October 3, 2006 and February 2, 2010. Reruns of the series also aired on Kix in the UK between June 16, 2009 and April 23, 2013 and on TNT in Russia between May 31, 2005 and October 4, 2011.

Plot
The plot revolves around five teenagers-Daniel Cypher, Sonya Matthews, Ethan Burns, Michael Harris and Juliana Marquez-who have superpowers. They are friends with their mentor and Daniel's aunt, Dr. Ann Cypher. They travel the world finding monsters which are running loose and battle and try to save them from evil.

List of characters
Protagonists


 * Daniel Cypher (voiced by Jason Marsden, animal sounds provided by Frank Welker and Sean Marquette young)-The leader of the teenagers. He has the power to communicate with the beasts, as well as animals in general, as well as the ability to shapeshift into them. Following the deaths of his parents, he was subsequently raised by his aunt, world-renowned scientist Dr. Ann Cypher.


 * Sonya Matthews (voiced by Kath Soucie, Hayden Panettiere young)-Another member of the gang. Following the deaths of her parents, she was raised by her grandmother. She has one older sister, Courtney. Her ability is magic after learning from ancient spell books.


 * Ethan Burns (voiced by Scott Menville, Kath Soucie Young)-A goofball who is another member of the gang. He is a rich boy and inherited his late uncle's wealth. He has the ability to control the elements and merge with natural matter.


 * Michael Harris (voiced by Phil LaMarr, Cree Summer young)-An African American member of the gang. His ability is telekinesis. His parents are anthropologists and biologists and are revealed to have Kenyan ancestry.


 * Juliana Marquez (voiced by Tara Strong)-A Latina member of the gang. She is an aspiring athlete and her ability is invisibility. It is also revealed she is a distant ancestor of an Aztec sorcerer.


 * Dr. Ann Cypher (voiced by Jane Seymour, Tara Strong teenage)-A world-renowned scientist and Daniel's aunt and the team's mentor. She also adopted Daniel following the deaths of his parents.

Antagonists


 * The Beast Hunter (voiced by James Remar)-An immortal hunter who threatens the beasts. Originally a hunter from the steppes of Central Asia, he is extremely violent and cares nothing for the harm he leaves. The source of his longevity comes from the talisman he wears around his neck; if this is destroyed, it will also result in his death. The talisman is destroyed by Sonya; its destruction causes the Beast Hunter to age to death and disintegrate into dust. His spirit later possesses Ethan, but his amulet is once again destroyed, this time permanently killing him.


 * Dr. Gerry Morgan (voiced by Jeff Glen Bennett)-A cryptozoologist, hunter and biologist. He travels to the jungles of Africa to hunt a giant gorilla worshipped by the local pygmies and put him on display to the world. He dies when he is thrown into the volcano overlooking the jungle while trying to battle Daniel. He is of Welsh origin, when he mentions that he graduated from the University of Cardiff.


 * Madame Shara (voiced by Anne Meara)-A gypsy sorceress who is an expert in the dark arts. She uses an ancient spell to make the team's spirits-except Michael's-enter each others' bodies. When Sonya-in Daniel's body-asks her what she has done, Shara tells the team that she has put them under a spell that causes them to swap bodies, and that it this spell is reversible, however, it has to be done by sunset, or they will remain like this forever. They battle her and Juliana-in Ethan's body-reads the spell to reverse the hex just as the sun is setting. After the team regain their bodies, Daniel destroys the book, rendering Shara powerless and quickly destroying her.


 * Azmuth (voiced by John Rhys-Davies in first two appearances, Christopher Lee onwards, Tara Strong young)-An evil sorcerer and necromancer. In his first appearance, he captures Sonya and tries to take her powers to become powerful, but the team defeat him. In his remaining appearances, he sends his son Roan and sometimes accompanies him in his quests to destroy the team. Azmuth is finally destroyed when his staff is shattered by Ethan. This results in him ageing to death. To ensure he never returns, the staff is thrown into a furnace.


 * Roan (voiced by Jason Marsden)-Azmuth's seventeen year old son. He is just as dangerous and manipulative as his father, however he claims he is "twice as powerful". Rather than being armed with a staff, he uses a talisman, with which he can conjure sentient shadows, create fire and drain life force. In one episode, he and his father enslave the entire city of Atlantis with the help of a treacherous warrior. They escape while Atlantis sinks below the ocean after the team defeat them. In his final appearance, he and Ethan swap bodies and are trapped in a dark dimension. After this is reversed, he forms a truce with the team before departing. He is always accompanied by his talking fox Ember.


 * Harun (voiced by Leonard Nimoy)-An evil immortal sorcerer. He uses his magic to take control of gargoyles in Paris. He is then defeated when he transforms himself into a gargoyle, but when the sun rises,he is turned to stone. He later returns-as a gargoyle-but when Daniel and Michael expose him to the Shield of Apollo, he implodes and is quickly destroyed.


 * Emperor Chang (voiced by George Takei)-An immortal Chinese sorcerer. Born in the 3rd century, he immortalised himself with the Amulet of the Black Dragon. He used this to control the Black Dragon, until his brother Xiu, alongside Sonya, defeated him by destroying the amulet. This results in him disintegrating into dust.


 * Kituba (voiced by Djimon Hounsou)-One of Gerry Morgan's cohorts. He is a muscular African man who dresses in green and is armed with a spear. After his boss is killed, he and the other surviving poachers are chased away by the pygmies.


 * Barney (voiced by Jeff Glen Bennett)-Another of Gerry's men. He is a tall, black haired man who talks with a Sicilian accent. His weapon of choice is a submachine gun, possibly an AK47. Like the other surviving poachers, he is chased out of the jungle by the pygmies.


 * Ramirez (voiced by Tony Pope)-A Hispanic member of Gerry Morgan's team. He talks with a heavy Chicano accent and brandishes a machete. He and the other poachers are chased out of the jungle.


 * Kira (voiced by Kelly Hu)-An immortal geisha who works for Hikaru the black samurai. She is something of a femme fatale; her beautiful appearance belies her dangerous personality. She is later freed and reforms after Hikaru is killed; however, this comes at the expense of her immortality. However, she mentions she will be happy and regain immortality after death.


 * Stan Merx (voiced by James Spader)-An unscrupulous millionaire businessman, arms dealer and terrorist. He was, in part, responsible for the deaths of Daniel's parents and shows little-if any-remorse for those he harms. He only has one good eye; the other was left blind after Daniel's father threw a beaker of acid in his face. He teamed up with Azmuth and Roan to attack Daniel with a monster known as the "Twilight Menace". After the monster is freed and reformed by the gang, the villains retreat. When he later appears, Stan and a team of mercenaries attempt to plunder El Dorado. He dies when Juliana-who he has chased into the arena-sets several jaguars on him. His men are then chased away. His name is a possible reference to sports star Eddie Merx.


 * Professor Andrew James (voiced by Paul Bettany)-Dr. Cypher's childhood friend. Like her, he is a scientist, but he is also a violent poacher, criminal and arms dealer. He meets the group when they are in South America, searching for hidden treasures, however Daniel and Sonya are the first to distrust him. Although he starts off kind, his true colors are revealed when he and a team of mercenaries takes Dr. Cypher hostage and take her to find the treasure. Daniel and his friends track them down and fight the thugs, with assistance from the jungle animals. James tries to kill the team, but Daniel-in the form of a jaguar, incapacitates him. James, who is badly wounded, wrestles with Daniel into the river, however, the latter swims back to sure and James is thrown over a waterfall and is mauled to death by crocodiles off-screen. The treasure is later stolen by monkeys.


 * Aaliya (voiced by Grey DeLisle)-A young sorceress and ruler of an ancient city in the Indian jungles. She can use her magic to create living dead servants, teleport herself, create fire and create clones. She creates evil doppelgangers of the teenagers to and sends them to New York to steal from the Natural History Museum, specifically an ancient Hindu amulet. The teenagers battle their clones and follow them back to India, where they battle Aaliya. They successfully defeat the sorceress, who flies away, and escape from the ruined city, and their clones are destroyed. Her name is a possible nod to the late R&B singer Aaliyah.


 * Leanne Davis (voiced by Virginia Madsen)-A vicious archaeologist and thief. She is extremely uncaring and will go any lengths to get what she wants. After her two teenage protégés Hawk and Archer escape, she and a gang of mercenaries search for them. They find and capture them, but are defeated by the gang. When she later appears, she and her gang bring Quetzalcoatl to life, but after the serpent god is destroyed they retreat. She makes her final appearance when she brainwashes Daniel into helping her find an ancient stone that will grant its holder any wish they desire. Daniel is later freed and Leanne dies when Archer and Hawk wish for her destruction. She ages to death along with her thugs and the gang escape.


 * Hikaru (voiced by Robert Ito)-An immortal samurai warrior who protected the Japanese royal family during the 16th century. After he was killed in battle, his spirit lay dormant for centuries and was later revived in a hidden temple in the mountains. He trained the immortal geisha Kira into capturing Sonya and making her his bride. His immortality comes from his sword; when Ethan destroys it this results in his destruction.


 * Adzin (voiced by Stephen Bishop)-A treacherous Atlantean warrior and advisor to the king. He teams up with wicked sorcerer Azmuth and his son Roan to enslave the people of Atlantis. He is defeated when Atlantis starts sinking under the ocean-much like it did thousands of years before-and the two sorcerers leave. While the team and the citizens of Atlantis escape to the mainland with Mira, the king's daughter, Atlantis is submerged and Adzin is drowned.
 * Agent Jones and Agent Smith (voiced respectively by Tony Jay and Keith David)-A pair of goverment agents involved in supernatural cases. Jones is a white American man with strawberry-blonde hair while Smith is a black American man with a shaven head. Both are dressed entirely in black and white suits and sunglasses. After hearing of Daniel and his friends, they team up with the Beast Master and travel to Cambodia, where the group are stationed. They attack the group when they arrive at Angkor Wat and try to kill them, but Daniel manages to chase them away with the help of several temple monkeys. The Beast Master flies away and Sonya uses a sword to battle the agents, hacking their clothes to pieces and leaving them in their tightie whities. They are both arrested, with Smith commenting, "This is not the high point of my career."

Minor and recurring characters


 * Chris Burns (voiced by Jamie Kennedy)-Ethan's vain, overconfident older brother. He is an expert in martial arts and has also travelled the world. He also claims to have survived animal attacks (after showing a scar he received in Africa from a lion attack, to the others' disgust) and is lead guitarist in a pioneering heavy metal band called Black Adder, who he claims "will give Metallica a run for their money". Although Chris and Ethan argue a lot, they do genuinely care about one another. After Chris steps in and saves the group from a gang of poachers-with help from several animals-Ethan forgives him and makes up for all the bad things he said about him. Chris later reappears in the movie Rise of Babylon, although his role is significantly smaller. It is revealed that he and his girlfriend Amy are expecting their first child together.


 * Dr. William D. Cypher (voiced by Liam Neeson)-Daniel's father and Dr. Cypher's brother. He was a brilliant scientist and always willing to risk his life for his family's safety. He was killed in a fire along with his wife at their lab and his sister subsequently took Daniel in as her own.


 * Dr. Kate Cypher (voiced by Mary Steenburgen)-Daniel's mother and Dr. Cypher's sister-in-law. Like her husband, she was a brilliant scientist and died alongside him in a fire at their lab. Their deaths, however, were not in vain as they sacrificed themselves to save their son and Ann later adopted him as her own.


 * Mira (voiced by Alyssa Milano)-The Atlantean princess with whom Ethan falls in love. She distrusts the warrior Adzin, who later kills her father and mother and enslaves the Atlanteans with the help of the sorcerers Azmuth and Roan. The gang, along with the citizens of Atlantis being led by Mira, battle Adzin. During the melee, Adzin severely injures the princess by stabbing her with his sword, which poisons her. Adzin is subsequently defeated sucessfully by the fighters, who escape-along with Roan and his father-as Atlantis sinks beneath the ocean, taking the warrior with it. Mira, who is close to death, bids the group her final goodbyes, and, before succumbing to her wounds, whispers to Ethan, "I love you." A funeral is held for her and as her burning body is pushed out to sea, her brother proclaims he will lead the Atlanteans on, to continue his family's legacy. When she next appears-under the name Mia-Ethan becomes convinced it is her reborn and begins pursuing her. Mira then-although at first, reluctantly-remembers her identity and teams up to battle a sea serpent that is attacking the US Navy. She later leaves the team, telling them she will find her own way in the world.


 * Jaylen (voiced by Ricky Ullman)-Mira's older brother and the prince of Atlantis. He and the team-along with the citizens of Atlantis-battle the warrior Adzin and the sorcerers Azmuth and Roan; during the fight, Adzin poisons Mira with his sword, but he is later defeated. After the funeral of his sister, Jaylen leads the people of Atlantis.


 * King Andar (voiced by Oliver Muirhead)-The King of Atlantis, father of Mira and Jaylen and husband of Jayna. He is the voice of authority in Atlantis, and he later dies when Adzin, his most trusted warrior, turns on him and shoots him with a crossbow.


 * Queen Jayna (voiced by Jamie Lee Curtis)-The queen of Atlantis and Jaylen and Mira's mother. She, alongside her husband, is killed by Adzin when he stabs her with a spear.


 * Hawk and Archer (voiced respectively by Jason Marsden and Will Friedle)-A pair of youths who formerly worked for Leanne Davis. They left after they refused to co-operate with her and, by chance, came across the gang. When Leanne tries to retrieve the boys, they and the gang defeat and they become honorary members of the gang. Hawk has ginger hair, which resembles a mohawk, brown eyes and sports a grey top, black shorts and sandals and has the power of controlling fire, while Archer has black hair, blue eyes and wears a red shirt, denim jeans and what appear to be DMs, and his power is archery, from which his name is derived, and which leads to Juliana calling him "Robin Hood, Jr.".


 * Charlie Samuels (voiced by Rob Paulsen)-A muscular, flat topped jock at the gang's boarding school. He is rather arrogant and overconfident and sees the other students as a source of amusement. Much of this is directed towards Daniel and his friends. Although they have powers with which to defend themselves, they usually keep these subdued when around Charlie. There have, however, been occasions when Charlie has actually helped the gang, such as when they are attacked by dingos in the Australian outback and he comes to their aid.


 * Jamie Hoshida (also voiced by Rob Paulsen)-A member of Charlie's gang. He is of Japanese origin and often tries to act as arrogant as Charlie, but he is often rebuffed. A running gag is that he is mistakenly thought of as Chinese, even by his own gang, to which he cries, "I'm from Japan!"


 * Chris Gallagher (voiced by Billy West)-A blond, idiotic member of Charlie's entourage.


 * Daljit Kuprathali (voiced by Jeff Glen Bennett)-An Indian jock who is a member of Charlie's gang. He speaks English with a heavy Tamil accent.


 * Chico Shapiro (voiced by Jason Marsden)-A Latino member of Charlie's entourage.


 * Dr. James Hollander (voiced by Tim Curry)-A brilliant scientist who vanished in Antarctica during the 1980s. Although there was an extensive search, he was never found. The search party presumed he had died, but Hollander was, in fact, alive. He had preserved himself in ice and was later released, as a beast known as the "Frozen Menace". He travelled to New York and revealed he intended to turn the city-and possibly the entire world-into a frozen wasteland. He was stopped in his tracks when Ethan creates a wave of fire, melting the ice and destroying the Frozen Menace. Hollander's spirit appears and thanks the group for repairing the damage he caused, before vanishing.


 * T'Kembe (voiced by Paul Winfield)-The leader of a tribe of pygmies in the African jungle.


 * Mbutu (voiced by Steve Toussaint)-Another Pygmy who is friends with T'Kembe.


 * Eagle Eye (voiced by Martin Mull)-The leader of a Shoshone tribe.


 * Gaia (voiced by Diane Lane)-The spirit of nature who makes occasional appearances in the series.


 * Jon and Deanna Harris (voiced respectively by Don Cheadle and Angela Bassett)-Michael's parents. They are anthropologists and biologists, who are of African (specifically Kenyan) heritage and are revealed to have worked with a Masai tribe.


 * Katie Harris (voiced by Cree Summer)-Michael's feisty older sister. Though she is rather cocky, she does love her brother and is revealed to be an expert in martial arts.


 * Courtney Matthews (voiced by Jennifer Hale)-Sonya's older sister and her only surviving family member, aside from their aunt and cousins. She is trained in tae kwon do.


 * Charlie Cypher (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried)-Dr. Cypher's klutzy younger brother. He actually turns out be a strong fighter after battling a gang of warriors.


 * Young Wolf (voiced by Rob Paulsen)-A teenage Shoshone Indian and Eagle Eye's nephew.

Animals and creatures


 * Sam (voiced by Frank Welker)-An Australian shepherd who is the guide dog of scientist Dr. Steve Finson. He is later adopted by Dr. Cypher's sister when Finson dies, saving the group from an evil sorcerer.


 * Medusa (voiced by Grey DeLisle)-One of the legendary Gorgons of Greek myth. She appears when she and her sisters drain the Greek Gods of their immortality. After Daniel exposes her to the Shield of Athena, which shows her human self, she disintegrates into dust. Her sisters later reform.


 * Stheno and Euratye (voiced respectively by Amy Acker and Jennifer Hale)-Medusa's sisters. After the death of their younger sister, they are transformed back into humans and live under the monikers Celestine and Amethyst Donaldson.


 * Ember (voiced by Tara Strong)-Roan's familiar. She is a talking fox and is endlessly loyal to her young master, even though he sometimes yells at her.


 * Wolf Queen (voiced by Glenn Close, singing voice by Joni Mitchell)-A female wolf spirit who, along with other animal spirits, protect a tribe of Shoshone Indians. She has two forms: one is a wolf, the other is an elderly Native American woman with grey hair. She is very wise and motherly.


 * Maya (voiced by Frank Welker)-A female wolf who lives in the forests of Wyoming. She is later adopted by Sonya as a pet.


 * The Nightmare Menace (voiced by Jeff Bennett)-A giant batlike monster who has the power to control dreams and nightmares. Roan and Azmuth, partnered with businessman Stan Merx, use it to plague Daniel with nightmare of his parents' deaths. It is later freed and reformed by the gang.


 * Tipu (voiced by Frank Welker)-A mischievous rhesus monkey who is part of a monkey troop living in the jungles of India. When a gang of thugs searching for an ancient city's treasure capture Dr. Cypher and Sonya, he accompanies the group to the temple and he and the other monkeys-as well as several other jungle animals-help defeat the thugs and rescue Sonya and Dr. Cypher. The monkeys are later seen having stolen the treasure.


 * Na'Var (voiced by Frank Welker)-A rogue mammoth who the gang have an encounter with when they travel back to the Ice Age. He is characterised by having a broken left tusk and a destructive personality. He is killed when he is chased over a cliff and lands on the sharp rocks below.


 * Dakari (voiced by Frank Welker)-A giant gorilla, similar to King Kong. He is worshipped as a god by the local pygmies and when scientist Gerry Morgan and his thugs come to the jungle to capture him, Daniel and the gang-along with several jungle animals-free the ape and defeat Gerry and his thugs are chased away by the pygmies.


 * Eagle Spirit (voiced by Jon Cryer)-A male spirit in the form of a bald eagle. He has two forms; one as an eagle, the other as a Native American warrior.


 * Gable (voiced by Frank Welker)-Sonya's Maine Coon cat. He is named for legendary actor Clark Gable. She adopted him as a pet from her grandmother.


 * Saira (voiced by Brooke Shields)-The queen of the Nagas, a race of snake people who live in a ruined city deep in the jungles of India. She has a magic sceptre which she uses to create fire, teleport herself and hypnotise people. She hypnotises Daniel into becoming her king until he is freed by his friends. After Saira is incapacitated, Sonya destroys the sceptre, killing the serpent queen and transforming her people into a mass of snakes.


 * Sumira (voiced by Frank Welker)-A female Indian elephant who the group befriend.


 * Minotaur (voiced by Jim Cummings)-A half-bull monster who terrorizes New York. He is the alias of washed up Russian wrestler Sergei Nubrokovief. He attacks the gang until he is incapacitated by Daniel (in the form of a lion). He is later transformed back into a human and apprehended by the police.


 * Kip (voiced by Frank Welker)-A red panda who the group befriend in Nepal. He is later adopted as a pet by Sonya.

List of episodes
Season 1 (1999-2000)

1. Sentinel (September 7, 99)

The gang travel to Paris where an evil sorcerer uses a clan of gargoyles to attack the city.

Guest stars

Leonard Nimoy-Harun

Rob Paulsen-Richeliu, Parisian citizen walla

Grey DeLisle-Celeste, Parisian woman

Kevin Michael Richardson-Jean-Pierre, French policeman #1

Corey Burton-Depardieu, Parisian man

Joe Whyte-French policeman #2

Daniel transforms into following animals

Pterodactyl

Python

Elephant

Scorpion

Eagle

Gorilla

Octopus

Mandrill

2. The Green (September 21, 99)

The gang travel to Africa and fight to protect a giant gorilla,worshipped like a god by local pygmies,from a gang of poachers operating in the jungle.

Guest stars

Jeff Bennett-Dr. Gerry Morgan, Barney

Djimon Hounsou-Kituba

Tony Pope-Ramirez, Pygmy

Steve Toussaint-Mbutu

Paul Winfield-T'Kembe

Frank Welker-Dakari, Gorillas, Parrot, Monkeys, Leopard, Snake, Crocodiles, Chimps, Elephants, Hippos, Radio voice

Daniel transforms into following animals

Colobus monkey

Leopard

Crocodile

Chimp

Python

Eagle

Baboon