Speed Racer

• 1. Origins And Inspiration

  ›

  Tatsuo Yoshida stood before a stack of magazines in early 1960s Japan, searching for the next big hit. He had already found success with Pilot Ace, an automobile racing comic that followed an ambitious young man named Gō Mifune. The story structure of Pilot Ace became the foundation for what would become Mach GoGoGo. Yoshida drew inspiration from two films that dominated Japanese theaters at the time: Viva Las Vegas and Goldfinger. Elvis Presley's image as a race-car driver wearing a neckerchief and sporting a black pompadour merged with James Bond's gadget-filled Aston Martin DB5 to create Speed Racer. The character design of Pilot Ace set the ground rules for the new series. A large red M appeared on the hood of the Mach Five car and on Gō's helmet. This emblem represented Mifune Motors, the family business, and served as an homage to Toshiro Mifune, a famous Japanese film star. The number five on his race car was also a homophone for his given name, Gō. In the American version, this same letter G appeared embroidered on his blue short-sleeve shirt.

• 2. Global Broadcast History

  ›

  Speed Racer premiered on Fuji Television in April 1967 and ran until March 1968. Fifty-two episodes were produced during that single year. Trans-Lux acquired the English-language rights and brought the show to American television in the summer of 1967. The series aired in syndication across the United States at approximately the same time it broadcast in Japan. An estimated audience of millions watched the show throughout the 1960s and 1970s. It became so successful that some observers claimed it defined anime in America until the 1990s. The original series found new life when MTV began airing reruns in the early morning hours during the 1990s. Cartoon Network picked up the series in 1996, moving it to late afternoon programming before shifting to Boomerang by 2005. Funimation announced in May 2017 that they had acquired the license to release the series on Blu-ray for the first time. Shout! Studios took over US distribution rights from Crunchyroll in May 2024, releasing both the original series and its Japanese version digitally on June 1 of that year.

• 3. Localization And Dubbing

  ›

  Peter Fernandez wrote and directed the English-language dialogue for Speed Racer while providing voices for many characters himself. He voiced both Racer X and Speed Racer in the American adaptation. Fernandez rearranged the theme song melody originally composed by Nobuyoshi Koshibe and wrote all the English lyrics. Major editorial changes occurred during this process. Villain names often changed to sound more cartoony for Western audiences. Professor Anarchy appeared in episode 31 as Gang of Assassins in the English version. The character Go Mifune became Speed Racer, and his brother Rex Racer remained a mysterious figure known only as Racer X. Trixie Shimura replaced Michi Shimura, and Spritle kept his name but gained a pet chimpanzee named Chim-Chim instead of Sanpei. The opening sequence included an entirely recreated logo when Speed Racer Enterprises took control in the 1990s. J.J. Sedelmaier faithfully replicated the look of the original episode title cards including the original logo for a Volkswagen GTI commercial in July 1996. Most episodes featured very little editing of the image track despite frequent changes to the soundtrack and addition of an off-screen narrator.

• 4. Franchise Expansion And Reboots

  ›

  NOW Comics launched an American Speed Racer comic book series in 1987 with high production values from airbrush artist Ken Steacy. The comics continued for 38 issues and included a spin-off Racer X series plus crossovers. DC Comics Wildstorm Productions released a new limited series in 1999 that became the number one pick of industry publication Wizard magazine. Writer and artist Tommy Yune recaptured the look of the original anime in this manga style adaptation. A four-issue intercompany crossover between Speed Racer and Ben Dunn's Ninja High School appeared in 1993. Editorial Abril published a Spanish-language comic book in Argentina during the 1970s, followed by Editora Abril publishing stories in Brazil through local artists. The New Adventures of Speed Racer aired as an American-produced reboot in 1993 but went off the air after only 13 episodes due to lack of Tatsunoko authorization. Speed Racer: The Next Generation premiered on Nicktoons in May 2008 focusing on the sons of the original Speed Racer. Apple TV+ announced in May 2022 that a live action television series from J.J. Abrams was in development based on an unproduced script written in the 1990s.

• 5. Live Action Adaptations

  ›

  The Wachowskis wrote and directed a live-action adaptation of Speed Racer released on the 9th of May 2008. Emile Hirsch portrayed Speed while Christina Ricci played Trixie and Matthew Fox took on the role of Racer X. The film made just under $93 million worldwide against a production budget of at least $120 million before prints and advertising costs. Most critics received it poorly and it became a box office failure. John Goodman appeared as Pops Racer and Susan Sarandon played Mom Racer in the feature film. Kick Gurry portrayed Sparky and Christian Oliver played Snake Oiler's film counterpart. The movie featured weapons like machine guns mounted above the cockpit and under the chassis of Racer X's unnamed street car. A T180 racing vehicle titled Augury in the video game counterpart also appeared with a number nine and black and yellow color scheme. The Grand Prix race closing the film included a secret weapon called a spear-hook that was illegal in professional racing. Speed used the Mach 6's auto-jacks to flip cars and reveal the hook to track cameras during the final competition.

• 6. Commercial Legacy And Merchandise

  ›

  Pangea Corporation developed the first major toy line for Speed Racer in 1992 for Ace Novelty Toy Company. Products focused on both the classic anime program from Tatsunoko plus a new line based on The New Adventures of Speed Racer. Lego released construction sets including a 242 piece Speed and Snake Oiler set and a 595 piece Grand Prix set featuring multiple characters. Mattel held the master toy license for the 2008 film producing action figures, related vehicles, and accessories. Hot Wheels division created miniature replicas of the Mach Five called Second Wind while Barbie Collector released a doll set featuring Trixie and Speed as they appeared in the film. Jada Toys produced die-cast replicas of the original animated series Mach Five. Playing Mantis released wide ranges of die-cast miniatures under their Johnny Lightning line including replicas of villains' cars and mini-dioramas. Resaurus produced two series of five-inch action figures rich with articulation and accessories plus a full-sized Mach V in 1999. Toynami currently releases large-scale versions of Speed Racer vehicles including a Mach Five playset complete with all its gadgets. RC ERTL produced a 1:18 Die Cast Form version with many features of the animated car including pop out saw blades and ion jacks.