HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA: THE SERIES

 

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA: THE SERIES
(Disney Channel, Teletoon, Netflix, June 25, 2017-October 29, 2020)
 
Sony Pictures Animation, Corus Entertainment, Nelvana

 

MAIN CAST:
Bryn McAuley – Mavis Dracula
Evany Rosen – Wendy Blob
Gage Munroe – Hank N. Stein
Joseph Motiki – Pedro Moomay
Dan Chameroy – Lydia Dracula, Dr. Julien Gillman III
Richard Binsley – Diane
 

 

Hotel Transylvania is a media franchise created and developed by comedy writer Todd Durham based on his book of the same name. Todd later created a bible outlining several films, a television series, holiday specials, video games, books, merchandising, a hotel chain and theme parks and pitched it to Sony Pictures. Sony bought the concept and set it up at their newly-formed Sony Pictures Animation studio.

Hotel Transylvania centered around the titular hotel opened up by Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) himself as a safe haven for monsters away from the human world. He did this after his wife was killed by an angry human mob shortly after the birth of his daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez); whom he forbade from ever leaving the hotel out of fear for her safety and went to great lengths to keep her curiosity of the outside world at bay. Frequent residents of the hotel included comedic interpretations of Universal Monsters like Frankenstein (Kevin James) and his wife, Eunice (Fran Drescher); Wayne Werewolf (Steve Buscemi), his wife, Wanda (Molly Shannon), and their massive litter of children; Griffin the Invisible Man (David Spade); and Murray the mummy (CeeLo Green). Comprising the hotel staff were zombies as bellhops, witches as maids, and gargoyles as waiters.

Movie poster featuring Murray, Frank, Wayne, Drac, Mavis, Johnny and two wolf cubs.

Drac’s peace, however, seems to come to an end when a 21-year-old human named Johnny (Andy Samberg) stumbles upon the hotel and meets Mavis, with the two instantly become attracted to each other. Unable to get Johnny away without notice, Drac disguises Johnny as Frank’s cousin “Johnnystein” and claimed he was a party planner for Mavis’ 118^th birthday. Drac found himself having to juggle his lie long enough to get rid of Johnny without incident, but needing to do it without breaking his daughter’s heart and chef Quasimodo (Jon Lovitz) turning Johnny into a meal.

The original trilogy film collection.

The film had a rough production, going through six directors until Genndy Tartakovsky came on board, making his feature directorial debut. Tartakovsky visualized the film as having the energy and exaggeration of traditional 2D animation in order to “push reality” and infused those sensibilities into the CG design. Miley Cyrus was also initially cast to play Mavis, but was replaced by Gomez when she bought and licked an explicit cake meant for her then-partner’s birthday. Dan and Kevin Hageman contributed to the story, and the screenplay was written by Peter Baynham and Robert Smigel. Character designs were handled by Sylvain Deboissy, Carter Goodrich, Carlos Grangel, Luis Grané, Cathy Jones, Craig Kellman, Annette Marnat and Pete Oswald. The film opened on September 28, 2012 and ended up pulling in over $378 million worldwide at the box office against an $85 million budget. The film’s success spawned three sequels; each earning more than the last (with the exception of the fourth, released on Amazon Prime with only a limited theatrical release).

Mavis literally hanging out with Hank, Wendy, Pedro and Diane.

While production was underway for the third film, Sony looked into expanding the series by creating a spin-off television series. Developed by Mark Steinberg, Hotel Transylvania: The Series was actually a prequel set 4 years before the first film. Drac (David Berni, later Ivan Sherry) was called away for business with the Vampire Council, leaving his older sister, Lydia (Dan Chameroy), in charge of the hotel and looking after 114-year-old Mavis (Bryn McAuley). Mavis wanted to prove to her father that she could run the hotel and often attempted to implement her ideas; which clashed with Lydia’s traditional and old-fashioned outlook and desire to maintain order. Of course, her teenaged enthusiasm and curiosity often led Mavis into mischief with her friends Wendy Blob (Evany Rosen), a green blob of goo; Hank N. Stein (Gage Munroe), the son of Frank (Paul Braunstein) and Eunice (Katie Griffin) who tended to fall to pieces; and Pedro (Joseph Motiki), a lazy and gluttonous mummy that liked rap (what else?) music.

Lydia Dracula: no sense of humor.

Other characters included Diane (Richard Binsley), Lydia’s pet chicken that was once human and served as her spy around the hotel; Quasimodo (Christopher Jacot), still the hotel’s curmudgeon of a chef; Gene Dracula (Patrick McKenna), Mavis’ video-game loving uncle who utilized a chariot-like wheelchair; Dr. Gillman (Chameroy), the hotel’s resident physician; Cerberus, the hotel’s three-headed guard dog; Klaus (Carter Hayden), Mavis’ cousin who was always trying to upstage her in everything; Shonda Moomay (Maria Vacratsis, later Masasa Moyo), Pedro’s mother and eventually Wendy’s stepmother who could grow to giant size; Bob Blob (Adrian Truss), Wendy’s father and eventually Pedro’s stepfather who’s the richest monster in the underworld; Baby Blendy, the infant daughter of Shonda and Bob whose wails were enjoyed by residents of the hotel;  Charlotte and Sophie (both Josette Halpert), twin werewolves that were old friends of Mavis from her Ghoul Guide troop; and Donald (Ryan Belleville) and Kitty Cartwright (Linda Kash), a human couple that lived near the hotel. Donald was fun-loving and dim-witted, while Kitty was overprotective of their toddler daughter, dubbed “the nosepicker” by Mavis, and did whatever she could to keep the monsters away from their house. Of course, the presence of the Cartwrights and various other encounters with humans throughout the series directly contradicted the canon of the original film where Mavis wouldn’t encounter any until she turned 118. The characters were designed by Ruggiero Abbruzzese, Paul Baczynski, Alice Lemma and Adan Ye.

Residents of the hotel.

Hotel Transylvania: The Series was first seen on June 9, 2017 in the first of a four weekly shorts that aired on WATCH Disney Channel and on Disney Channel’s YouTube; later airing during commercial breaks on Disney Channel proper. The series made its official debut on Disney Channel on June 25, 2017, although the first episode was made available on WATCH Disney Channel, YouTube and VOD on June 20^th. The series was written by Steinberg, Ben Joseph, Alex Ganetakos, Emer Connon, Alice Prodanou, Andrew Harrison, and Mike D’Ascenzo, with Josh Gal and Shawn Kalb joining in the second season and Dale Schott contributing a short. Steinberg served as story editor with Connon, Ganetakos, Harrison, Joseph, Prodanou, Robert Marianetti and David Wachtenheim as story consultants. The majority of episodes were comprised of two story segments. Unlike the films, the series was animated in 2D. As it was produced by Nelvana and Corus Entertainment—both Canadian companies—the series’ cast was comprised of Canadian talent; which meant none of the franchise’s original actors reprised their roles (although that’s not uncommon for film-to-TV adaptations, anyway). The series’ theme and music were composed by Stephen Skratt and Asher Lenz.

The Cartwrights, bringing a little humanity to the show.

Initially, Disney Channel heavily promoted the series. A week after its debut, they channel hosted a 2 ½ hour marathon of the episodes already aired on July 2^nd and their official Twitter account live-tweeted along with it. The series premiered on Teletoon in Canada on October 2^nd, shortly before a hiatus began in December. The second half of the first season debuted on Teletoon beginning June 24, 2018 and on Netflix in the United States the next day before airing on Disney Channel that October. A second season was announced in September and debuted on October 8, 2019. Unlike with the first season, the second received very little promotion and was moved to a much earlier timeslot. The first 13 episodes were burned through that October, with the 14^th airing in December before another hiatus. The final 12 episodes were also burned through the following October. Ultimately, the series was quietly cancelled by Disney and the crew had moved on to other projects by the time the final episodes aired. Repeats would air on Disney XD.

Who needs Halloween costumes when you're already a monster?

Jazwares was the official licensor for the franchise and produced various figures based on the show. Among them was a Mavis figure of her humanoid and bat form; a pack of figures of Mavis and her friends; three playsets including Mavis’ bedroom, the hotel lobby and the Scream Cheese Café; plush dolls; and blind boxes that contained various characters from the films and show or pieces of Hank to build him, with a few of them being special unlockable items found in the playsets. Simon & Schuster published several chapter books written by Natalie Shaw and Cala Spinner and easy-reader books by Ximena Hastings, Sheila Sweeny Hagginson and Tina Gallo adapting various episodes, and a guide to the hotel written in Mavis’ voice by Delphine Finnegan. The second entry of Papercutz’s Hotel Transylvania trilogy of graphic novels was dedicated to an original story set in the world of the show by Stefan Petrucha, Allen Gladfelter, Zazo, Laurie E. Smith, and Wilson Ramos Jr. In 2018 Crazy Labs released Hotel Transylvania Adventures. It was a mobile platforming game where players used Mavis or one of her unlockable friends to traverse levels to collect coins and accomplish goals to earn 3 stars for each level.

Sibling argument.

During its run, the series was nominated for four ACTRA Awards, winning one; two Canadian Cinema Editors Awards; four Canadian Screen Awards, winning one; a Daytime Emmy Award; and two Writers Guild of Canada Awards, winning one. So far, only the first season has been available to stream on Netflix as well as purchasable on the iTunes store, Prime Video, Vudu and Google Play. The first episode was uploaded to Sony Pictures Animation’s official YouTube channel. Most clips and shorts have since been removed from official channels and are only partially available on international Disney YouTube channels or from user uploads.

  

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Enter the Nosepicker / Hide & Shriek” (6/25/17) – Mavis accidentally lures a human baby to the hotel just before an influential reviewer is due to come by. / Mavis finds the doll she lost 90 years prior, and this time it’s determined to never leave her side again.

 

“Bad Friday / Hoop Screams” (6/26/17) – Mavis’s attempt to achieve the best scare on Bad Friday results in her getting scared by Kitty instead. / Mavis helps Hank’s basketball skills by giving him a deceased basketball player’s hands.

 

“Buggin’ Out / How Do You Solv a Problem Like Medusa” (6/27/17) – While cleaning the hotel, Mavis accidentally infests the bed with truth bugs instead of bedbugs. / Mavis invites Medusa to the hotel when she finds out she’s Lydia’s rival and accidentally turns her to stone with her own wig.

 

“Adventures in Vampiresitting / Phlegm Ball” (6/28/17) – A disguised Mavis ends up babysitting a human child, at least until the actual babysitter shows up and alerts the family about monsters. / Mavis learns her friends have been letting her win at Phlegm Ball just when her cousin challenges her to a game for her father’s lucky fangs.

 

“Wendy Big and Tall / Doppelfanger” (6/29/17) – Wendy’s desire to become taller goes awry when she becomes a giant monster instead. / Mavis barely has time to enjoy her favorite singer coming to the hotel when a cursed mirror unleashes an evil zombie duplicate of her.

 

“Great Eggspectations / Hotel Pennyslvania” (7/9/17) – Mavis tries to prove she can care for a living creature by saving a bad egg. / Mavis and her friends try to find a way to watch their favorite show when Lydia disconnects the cable.

 

“Breakfast at Lydia’s / The Trouble with Wendys” (7/16/17) – Mavis worries about losing her employee of the month title when she causes Quasimodo to quit. / Feeling indebted to Dr. Gillman for getting gum out of her hair, she sticks by him until she can return the favor.

 

“Frankenstunt / What About Blob?” (7/23/17) – Hank fills in for his father for a movie when Frank gets blown apart doing a stunt. / Mavis and Wendy plot to get Lydia and Bob Blob together, but instead it prompts Bob to want to move his family away to the Cramptons.

 

“Curse Club / Casket if you Can” (7/30/17) – Mavis tries to help Pedro’s confidence by running around and making it seem as if his curses are coming true. / Lydia’s coffin gets ejected from the hotel with her in it, and Mavis and her friends must rescue it from a human antique collector.

 

“A Scare to Remember / Hank and the Real Boy” (8/6/17) – The kids accidentally get rid of the ghost author who really writes the books of Lydia’s favorite author when they clean the hotel. / Attempting to keep Hank from falling to pieces results in his becoming a real boy.

 

“The Wrapture / Becoming Klaus” (8/20/17) – Mavis replaces Pedro’s wraps that she got accidentally got rid of, but as they’re a different material Pedro adopts a new identity. / Mavis’ broken fang requires getting a transplant from Klaus.

 

“116 Candles / Stop or my Mummy Will Shout” (10/1/17) – Mavis gives Lydia a de-aging perfume in order to be allowed to go to a concert. / The kids pretend Pedro is in charge of the hotel in order to impress his mother.

 

“The Legend of Pumpkin Guts” (10/8/17) – Sneaking out to learn the secret behind Halloween causes Mavis and her friends to accidentally unleash the monstrous Pumpkin Guts on the monster world.

 

“Fright of Hand / Dude Where’s My Garlic?” (10/15/17) – Mavis plays magician at Diane’s party and accidentally loses her in a strange void. / Quasimodo’s supply of garlic leads Mavis to investigate why its deadly to vampires.

 

“Bat Flap Fever / Thumb and Thumber” (10/22/17) – Mavis is sent an embarrassing gift from her father that she throws away, resulting in it getting stuck to Donald. / When Hank discovers his thumb is from the Dracula bloodline, Lydia begins showing him all the affection she often denies Mavis.

 

“Brain Drain / Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow” (11/4/17) – Lydia takes Pandora’s box from Mavis and gives it to zombie Isaac Newton, just as his brain is swapped with Hank’s. / When someone starts messing with Lydia’s hair, the obvious suspect is Medusa.

 

“Drop the Needle / Really Gross Anatomy” (11/11/17) – Mavis offers to teach Klaus how to become a bat if he’ll show her how to replace the needle she broke on Lydia’s gramophone. / The kids discover Dr. Gillman isn’t an actual doctor and try to teach them everything they know about medicine (which is nothing).

 

“The Fright Before Creepmas” (12/2/17) – Mavis tries to get Krampus to fix a 1,000-year-old mistake so that Lydia will let everyone enjoy a family Creepmas.

 

“Exit Sandman / Roadkill Trip” (6/25/18 N, 10/15/18 DC) – Rebuilding Diane’s chicken coop disturbs the Sandman’s sleep, so he puts the entire hotel to sleep. / Mavis and Uncle Gene decide to go on a road trip to visit a restaurant before it closes, but getting there is proving a challenge.

 

“Top Wing / Fried Mean Tomatoes” (6/25/18 N, 10/16/18 DC) – When Mavis gets a position Wendy wanted, their relationship becomes strained. / Mavis attempts to use magic to expel Quasimodo’s mean streak and make him nicer.

 

“Four Monsters and a Funeral / Rainbow Doom” (6/24/18 TT, 10/17/18 DC) – Mavis must hold a phony funeral for Uncle Gene after telling Death that he died. / When Mavis uses a cursed code to beat a video game, the game comes to life to take over the monster world.

 

“Drac to the Future” (6/25/18 N, 10/18/18 DC) – When Kitty ends up sucked into a self-updating history book, Mavis must go back in time to rescue her.

 

“Gorytelling / A Few Good Monsters” (6/25/18 N, 10/22/18 DC) – Mavis hopes impressing an author writing about the hotel will lead to her becoming a full-time manager. / Lydia puts the kids on trial to determine who broke a priceless Dracula family heirloom.

 

“Mummyfest Destiny / Bandages of Brothers” (6/25/18 N, 10/23/18 DC) – Against warnings, Mavis decides to make use of Pedro’s time-freezing amulet. / A rift grows between Pedro and Hank that begins to affect the entire hotel.

 

“Creepover Party / Frankenstein & Son” (6/25/18 N, 10/24/18 DC) – Mavis’ old Ghoul Guide friends are coming to the hotel, meaning they can finally earn their last merit badge. / Frank wants to try dramatic acting so he can win an award, and decides to cast his next film at the hotel.

 

“Fangceañera” (6/25/18 N, 10/25/18 DC) – Mavis wants to spend her 115^th birthday earning her Dracula cape in the dangerous Fangceañera realm, but Drac’s overprotectiveness spoils her plans.

 

Season 2:

“Welcome to Human Park / Must Scream TV” (10/8/19) – Mavis and her friends set out to get themselves scared silly before Halloween. / When Pedro fixes the TV, Mavis ends up trapped inside.

 

“Married to the Blob” (10/9/19) – Mavis intends to throw the best wedding ever for Pedro’s mother and Wendy’s father.

 

“Portrait of Mavis as a Young Vampire / Goo Crush” (101/10/19) – When the kids attempt to fix Mavis’ ruined portrait, they end up causing a bunch of magical problems. / Mavis encourages Wendy to find a crush, but her missing glasses leads to her making a big mistake.

 

“Frankerheads / For Whom the Smell Tolls” (10/11/19) – Hank asks Mavis to get him a rare collectible, but she ends up losing out on it to Klaus. / Puberty gives Mavis “the vapors”, making her repulsive to all the monsters.

 

“Cries and Dolls / Hypnosferatu” (10/15/19) – Mavis’ clingy doll begins to haunt her dreams. / Mavis new hypnosis power causes Donald to sweep Lydia off her feet.

 

“Best Friends Furever / Fantasy Vamp” (10/16/19) – Mavis uses Lydia’s staff to hang out with both Wendy and werewolves Sophie and Charlotte at the same time. / Mavis wins a trip to a Phlegm Ball fantasy camp where she has to put its leader in his place after he insults her friends.

 

“Stepmonsters / Better Know Your Mavis” (10/17/19) – Marvis convinces Pedro and Wendy to get to know their new stepparents. / Wendy competes against Sophie and Charlotte to see who can better care for a sick Mavis.

 

“The Northern Frights / Don’t Fear the Realtor” (10/18/19) – Mavis tricks Uncle Gene to get him away from his constant gaming. / A realtor sets her sights on selling the hotel.

 

“Holy Babies / Aunt Lydia’s New Clothes” (10/21/19) – Lying about their birthdays to get free ice cream has Death turning Mavis and Pedro into babies to fix his own records. / Mavis accidentally ruins Lydia’s new invisibility poncho.

 

“I Only Have Eyes for Goo / Talk Blobbish to Me” (10/22/19) – Mavis takes advantage of Wendy’s mind-reading glasses to get herself a promotion. / Mavis casts a spell to help Pedro learn Blobbish, but accidentally causes everyone else to only speak it instead.

 

“Wand Ambition / Lost in Transylvation” (10/23/19) – Mavis accidentally throws way Tiffany’s magic wand, which Kitty finds and uses to cast a spell on the hotel. / Mavis accidentally invents a new word that gets added to the Vampire Dictionary.

 

“The Song Remains Asleep / Baby Got Hunchback” (10/24/19) – The song Donald sings in his sleep becomes a big hit when used as the hotel’s elevator music. / Quasimodo gets unwanted attention when the kids market and sell his dirt flame recipe without his knowing.

 

“Afterlifestyles of the Rich and Mavis / The Mavysitters Club” (10/25/19) – Mavis is so focused on plans for the Steins’ AniverScary that she ends up losing Frank’s body. / Lydia puts Klaus in charge of wrangling the out-of-control wolf pups.

 

“A Year Without Creepmas” (12/7/19) – When Mavis accidentally causes Krampus to take a vacation, she must team-up with Santa to save Creepmas.

 

“Casualties of Wart / When the Afterlife Gives You Phlegmonade” (10/3/20) – Mavis is invited into the witches’ clique when they mistake her pimple for a wart. / Mavis convinces Sophie and Charlotte to spend time apart when they have a falling out.

 

“Undead Red / Klaus of the Rising Sun” (10/4/20) – Mavis learns the surprising identity of a being that scares humans when they chant his name three times. / Inadvertently saving Mavis from the sun turns Klaus into a hotel hero.

 

“Say Princess to the Dress / The Naming of the Shrew” (10/10/20) – When Mavis sniffs a flower meant for Kitty she becomes a dainty princess. / Mavis takes away everyone’s fear of Lydia when she reveals her real name during a game.

 

“Death Becomes Him / Purse of the Mummy” (10/11/20) – Pedro steals Death’s robe and ends up stuck with his job. / Mavis loses control of the magic purse Shonda got for Wendy’s birthday.

 

“Cape Boss / Diner of the Dead” (10/17/20) – If Mavis can’t show that her cape is well-trained, she could lose it. / Pedro causes a zombie apocalypse when he feeds the zombie staff human food.

 

“Six Feet Undercover Boss / Ghost Effect” (10/18/20) – Everyone suspects the new janitor may be Lydia in disguise spying on them. / Mavis goes safety-crazy to prevent accidents at the hotel.

 

“World Wide Wendy / Stuck in the Middle with Goo” (10/24/20) – Mavis attempts to bring the hotel into the future by going wireless. Competing stepsiblings Pedro and Wendy find themselves in need of a tiebreaker.

 

“The Shawhank Redemption / Friendship is Tragic” (10/25/20) – Hank’s friends attempt to help him conquer his fears. / Mavis’ friends worry they’re drifting apart when she looks forward to a day without them.

 

“Cursery Rhymes / I Did It All for the Cookie” (10/26/20) – The kids try to restore Baby Blendy’s crying before her giggling annoys the whole hotel.

 

“Fangs for the Memories / Sleepers Creepers” (10/27/20) – Mavis accidentally erases the memories of her favorite vampire singer. / Quasimodo’s jar of misfortune cookies gets raided.

 

“Polterguest / Hair Raiser” (10/28/20) – When the hotel is booked solid, Mavis rents out the Cartwright’s house. / Mavis’ attempts at giving herself a haircut results in disaster.

 

“What Lycidias Beneath” (10/29/20) – Mavis accidentally unleashes her ancestor who’s intent on dominating the monster world and the underworld.

 

Shorts:

“Summer Vacation” (6/9/17) – A clip show.

 

“Drac be Trippin’” (6/11/17) – Mavis helps Drac pack for his trip as he’s a terrible packer.

 

“Who’s the Boss” (6/18/17) – Mavis shows off her accomplishments around the hotel to prove she can be the temporary manager.

 

“Ballad of Mavis” (6/24/17) – Mavis lays the scares down on Bad Friday.

 

“Nothing But Web” (7/15/17) – Mavis is determined to beat Drac at truck-shot basketball.

 

“Mavis Monster P.I.” (1/7/20) – Mavis investigates a claim that the wolf pups will become a pack of humans during the Evil Full Moon.

 

“Monster Fear Factor” (1/8/20) – Hank challenges the others to a duel in which they have to face their greatest fears without freaking out.

 

“Holy Rabies” (1/9/20) – Mavis raps her catch-phrase: “Holy Rabies!”

 

“The Mavis Dracula Show” (1/10/20) – Mavis’ latest podcast to her father manages to capture Lydia breaking her own “no dancing” rule.

 

“What’s Cooking?!” (4/16/20) – Wendy, Pedro and Hank compete to see who’ll be the next cooking champ.

 

“Humie Repellent” (4/17/20) – Mavis wants to show Drac she can take initiative and sends him a video pitch for a new idea.

MICHAEL KOPSA DEAD AT 66

 

You can read the full story here.

He played Doctor X in Action Man (2000); Hank McCoy aka Beast in X-Men: Evolution; Samukai, Vex and Elder Three in Ninjago; and Roger Baxter and several minor voices in Littlest Pet Shop (2012). He also provided voices for Gadget and the Gadgetinis.

JULES BASS DEAD AT 87

 

You can read the full story here.

He co-founded Rankin/Bass Productions with Arthur Rankin Jr., who are probably best-known for their collection of holiday stop-motion animated specials. He was involved in the making of The King Kong Show, The Smokey Bear Show, The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show, Tomfoolery Show, The Jackson 5ive, Kid Power, The Osmonds and several episodes of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie. He was also credited as a consulting producer on ThunderCats Roar; his first work in television since the death of Rankin in 2014.

VICTOR AND VALENTINO

 

VICTOR AND VALENTINO
(Cartoon Network, March 30, 2019-August 26, 2022)
 
Cartoon Network Studios

 

 

MAIN CAST:
Diego Molano – Victor Guadalupe Morena Laguna Calaca Calavera, Pineapple, Reynaldo
Rico Rodriguez (pilot) & Sean-Ryan Petersen – Valentino Calavera
Carla Tassara (pilot) & Laura Patalano – Chata Calavera

 

Victor and Valentino followed the adventures of Victor Calavera (Diego Molano) and his half-brother, Valentino Calavera (Rico Rodriguez & Sean-Ryan Petersen), as they spend a summer with their abuela, Chata (Carla Tassara & Laura Patalano), in the Mexican town of Monte Macabre. They would soon learn that the town held many secrets because it was a place where myths, legends and the supernatural were all very, very real. Imagine Gravity Falls meets Once Upon a Time with a Latin flavor.

Pineapple, Charlene, Maria Teresa, Valentino, Chata, Vic, Xochi and Don Jalapeño.

Created by Diego Molano, the idea for Victor and Valentino began life as a 2002 thesis project titled High Noon in Mexico during his time at the Maryland Institute College of Art. The titular characters and a third brother, Vicente, were part of a video game idea whose gameplay focused on cooperation between them to utilize their unique attributes to solve puzzles and progress through levels; similar to the game The Lost Vikings. Eventually moving out to Los Angeles, Molano ended up interning at animation studio Titmouse. When network studios were coming around looking for pitches for new shows, he revised his concept into a series and presented it to Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Both were interested, but Molano chose the latter.

Promotional artwork depicting magical shenanigans over Monte Macabre.

Molano was paired with the more experienced Casey Alexander to help develop and plan out the show with a group of writers. From the outset, the series was very heavily steeped in Mesoamerican folklore; something Molano’s grandfather got him into with frequent stories during his childhood. He saw it as an opportunity to expose audiences to this lesser-explored realm of mythology. Although he wanted to do a serialized story, Cartoon Network wanted it to be episodic self-contained episodes. However, Molano was sure to weave in an ongoing story, hidden characters and secret plot elements that would pay off later. The major challenge for the crew was to try and condense the large, epic, frequently adult-themed myths and stories he wanted to use into comprehensive kid-friendly 11-minute episodes while also dealing out a life lesson. Vicente was ultimately dropped entirely.

Chata's house in Monte Macabre.

For the style of the show, art directors Josh and Justin Parpan did intense research into Latin American art and architecture, Mexican horror movies and 1960s Lucha posters. The Mexican cities of Guanajuato, Cuernavaca and Mexico City were among the main inspirations for the look of Monte Macabre. Additionally, elements of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan were included at Molano’s request with an eye to future story developments. During production, to showcase all the work being put into the series, the Parpans started a (now empty) Tumblr to host it.  Their team was comprised of Marcos Cohen, Kari Casady, Victoria Shifke, Olivia Aserr, Katherine Tsai, Michelle Park, Wendy Park, Tania Franco, Tanner Wilson, Maryam Sefati, Paul Tuo Tsui and Eric Gonzalez. The characters were designed by Fabien Mense, Roxann Cole, Brandon Wu, Arem Pak and Adam Dix.

Like most brothers, they don't always see eye-to-eye.

Vic and Val were total opposites. Vic was impulsive, feisty, arrogant and obnoxious, always looking for the easy way out of doing things and a victim to prank, while Val was the calmer and more responsible one with a sensitive and artistic disposition. These differences meant they often didn’t get along, and that Vic often led the two into trouble. Despite his actions (and frequent wishing Val didn’t exist), Vic really did love his family. He just had trouble confronting his own flaws, which included misspelling, mispronouncing, and using incorrect words. Val’s tendencies sometimes led him to develop a superiority complex and overconfidence that overrode his better qualities.

Don't make Chata angry. You wouldn't like her when she's angry.

Chata was mostly blind, but had constant awareness of the brothers’ actions through her “abuela senses.” Typically soft-spoken, she could get extremely fierce when the occasion called for it; especially when the two boys acted up. While generally wise, she was prone to bouts of competitiveness and aggressiveness, as well as vanity as she deemed herself beautiful and celebrated her Quinceañera every 15 years. Chata owned a food cart where Vic and Val worked during their stay called Chata’s Stand. She also had a pet hummingbird named Huitzi (Milizia), who frequently attacked Vic and Val by pecking their rear ends. His rival was the bat-like Camazotz adopted by Vic, Cammy (Dee Bradley Baker).

Magician Tez and his deceptively-dangerous obsidian mirrors.

Other characters included Charlene (Cristina Milizia), one of the brothers’ frenemies who also had a massive crush on Vic (despite his not being able to stand her); Pineapple (Molano), Charlene’s brother who could only say “Pine” and “Apple” and was very protective of Charlene, a dancer and wrestler, and owned a cat café; Maria Teresa (Frankie Quinones), Charlene and Pineapple’s grandmother and Chata’s rival who tended to use magical relics for her own selfish means; Don Julio Jalapeño (Jason Hightower), owner of the mini-mart who kept a codex full of information on Mexican and Mesoamerican culture and cryptids that he allowed the boys to use, had extensive files on all of the townsfolk, and a crush on Chata; Xochi Jalapeño (Cristina Valenzuela), Don Jalapeño’s moody teenaged daughter who used chlorokinesis (power over plants) to tend to the mystical plants in the back of her father’s store, and who respected the brothers for the way they often made her father angry; Amabel (Alex Cazares), a crass punk girl that was Xochi’s best friend and love interest; Sal (Jorge Gutierrez), the brothers’ friend who was an aloof free spirit that possessed a magic shell flute that could teleport them anywhere and once had a relationship with a queen ant; Isabella (Milizia), a laid-back 11-year-old girl that sometimes hung out with the brothers, was good at puzzles and had even better deductive reasoning than Val, whom she would eventually date; and Tez (Christian Lanz), Maria Teresa’s husband and an all-powerful magician with sinister plans for the town that he hid behind doing common parlor tricks, and was actually in league with an entity known as Coyolxāuhqui (Valenzuela) to destroy the world.

Some character concept designs.

Notable residents of the town included Guillermo (based on H.R. Giger, voiced by Tom Kenny), a creepy-looking but friendly boy who tended to face in the opposite direction of whoever he was speaking to, and had a “girlfriend” made out of an artistic construct he made named Ripley (after Ellen Ripley from the Alien franchise); Alma Creator (Erica Luttrell), Guillermo’s mother who doted on him and believed Tez was evil; Guillermo’s father (based on Guillermo del Toro, voiced by Gutierrez), who supported his son’s unique qualities; Lupe (Jenny Lorenzo), the short-tempered local baker; Tula (Montse Hernandez), a snobby rich girl that looked down on Vic and Val; The Cupcake Man (Danny Trejo), a former gang member that dedicated his life to cupcakes and keeping youth out of trouble; Carla Maria Jimenez Cejas (Carolina Ravassa), an auto mechanic that took her job extremely seriously; Ramon (Oscar Montoya), a cool guy that everyone liked and who tended to tell exciting-sounding stories that ended up being very mundane; Miguelito (Spencer Rothbell, later Carlos Alazraqui), Vic’s sidekick with numerous younger siblings; Rosita (Arianna Villavicencio), an easily-distracted girl who loved to learn; and CaCao (Debi Derryberry & Carl Jones), an infant boy only capable of saying his name (although one time he spoke in full sentences from a baby’s perspective) that was addicted to chocolate and often hustled others for money; among others.

The Bone Brothers, guardians of The Underworld.

On the supernatural side, Vic and Val encountered many different types of beings. The Bone Boys, Mic (Daran Norris) and Hun, were skeletal brothers and keepers of the Realm of the Dead that could combine into an entity called Mictlantecuhtli (Fred Tatasciore) and came to be amused by Vic, Val and their adventures; Achi (Lanz) was the Bone Boys’ undead chihuahua-like minion that liked Val’s tacos because he found them so terrible; Huehue (Lanz), an evil coyote-like trickster spirit and a stickler for proper spelling; El Pintor (Tony Plana), a ghost painter that lost the love of his life and was forced to haunt an isolated mansion where the brothers, Charlene and Pineapple befriended him; Lechuza (Vanessa Marshall), an owl-woman that kidnapped children who cried to loudly and pampered them excessively as they became lazy, baby-like adults; Chip (James Arnold Taylor), a creepy man that resembled a ventriloquist’s dummy that captured people and turned them into dolls for his collection; Matty (Olivia Trujillo), a girl that resembled Val and shared all of his interests that turned out to be an evil spirit that wanted to woo him in order to eat him; Lana (Haley Mancini), a mermaid that befriended Vic and attempted to teach him how to swim but became obsessed with taking other people’s legs for herself via a magic pearl; Nagual (Baker), a goat that could change into an old man and turn others into animals; Dolores Del Rey (Renee Victor), the ghost of a silent film actress that tried to absorb Val’s youth to reclaim her glory; Cristina (Hernandez), a ghost girl that became fast friends with Vic over their mutual love of pranking; Chupa (Tatasciore), a Chupacabra that turned out to be more docile than legends proclaimed; Rick and Richard (both Eric Bauza), the spirit of humor that resembled a two-headed flamingo and forced people to laugh; Xipe (Miggs Perez), owner of a thrift store capable of altering any fabric or object into clothing; and Miguel (Baker),  the spirit of music resembling a green monkey orchestra conductor that could transform people into instruments; among others.

Keeping ghostly company.

Victor and Valentino was introduced to the world with a special pilot presentation on October 29, 2016 on Cartoon Network two days before Dia de los Muertos, a holiday which also factored into the short, and the day of on the network’s YouTube channel. With a positive response, the series was greenlit and made its official debut on March 30, 2019. Monte Macabre underwent a major facelift between the two episodes; going from a hilly region to a much flatter one with some changes to the structures and Chata’s stand. Both Val and Chata’s voices were also recast for the series proper. Molano had intended to recast himself as well, but as Vic was an extension of himself as a young boy (Val represented the wisdom he wished he had at that time), he decided it was easier to just continue the role rather than attempt to explain the minutia of the performance to someone else. Molano also handled the Spanish dub for the first 19 episodes.

Confronting a trickster god.

The series was written and storyboarded by Molano along with Rothbell, Mancini, Perez, Corey Barnes, Leticia Silva, Ryan Kramer, Isaac Gonzalez, Mark Galez, Jon Feria-Moreno, Carmen Liang, Kayla Carlisle, Chris Allison, Tom Welch, Julie Whitesell, Dana Starfield, Zeus Cervas, Katherine Frasier, Daniel Villa De Rey, Zach Bellissimo, April Amézquita, Jason Dwyer, Mike Diederich, Gina Gress, Chris Jiménez, Zach Paez, Anna Lencioni, Erin Shade, David Teas, Makena Bajar and Lalo Alcaraz, with a special episode completely produced by animation supervisor Peter Chung, one of Molano’s idols, who also created the main title. Tennant, Gonzalez and Rothbell also served as story editors. The theme and music were composed by Arturo Rodriguez, and animation duties were handled by Sunmin Image Pictures, Young-Hwan Sang, Digital eMation Inc. The episode “Rival Stands” was never shown in America for unknown reasons; however, it would become available on HBO España in late 2020.

Promo art for the Villainous crossover.

Victor and Valentino performed well for the network, receiving heavy promotion and prime scheduling. Cartoon Network held an all-day marathon of the show on Halloween in 2019, the first day of Dia de los Muertos in 2020, and to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. A second season was announced by the network four months after the premiere, and would feature a crossover with fellow Cartoon Network series Villainous. Halfway through production of the second season, the network surprised the crew with the invitation to tell more serialized stories with overreaching plots and episodes that connected together to form “specials”, or “event-izing” as they called it, as that was becoming the trend in animation at the time. With the season mostly written out already, Molano decided to begin the serialization with the season’s final four episodes.

There's more to Sal than there appears.

The third season, however, was completely serialized outside of a couple of standalone episodes. It was produced with the full expectation of getting a fourth season. However, that took a turn during the merger between Warner Bros., Cartoon Network’s parent company, and Discovery. As part of the restructuring, a number of projects at every level were reevaluated in an effort to cut costs. Part of those savings came in the form of reducing residual payouts by removing a number of programs from streaming service HBO Max without much warning to creators. Victor and Valentino was among those programs. While the remaining new episodes were still planned to air on Cartoon Network, any hopes for a fourth season were dashed and it ended on an unresolved cliffhanger.

Coyolxāuhqui waiting for her moment.

Had the series continued, the plan was to reveal that everyone in Monte Macabre were the actual gods of the Aztec pantheon cursed to forget who they were and that Vic and Val were demi-gods. Vic and Val’s parents would have appeared and their whereabouts all this time explained, while the brothers attempted to master their grandfather’s lightning and rain powers. The entire town would have risen up against Coyolxāuhqui and her Tzitzimime minions, who could possess people and objects, in a major cosmic war with the Earth hanging in the balance. After learning about the cancellation, Molano began work on a potential spin-off starring Charlene called The Lonely Haunts Club based on the four episodes of the series with that title. It would have involved her and her friends finding and befriending ghosts and have them come live in her haunted house. Unfortunately, it didn’t get much traction. Molano has said in an interview that he’s open for finishing the show in whatever form he can—comics, a movie, extended episode specials—and that Warner Bros. Discovery was reportedly shopping it and the other affected programs to new homes.

Xochi only has so much patience for buffoonery.

While the entire series is no longer available to stream as of this writing, the pilot and an assortment of clips are still hosted on Cartoon Network’s YouTube channel. Seasons and episodes were also still available for purchase on Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu. A DVD containing the first 18 episodes called Folk Art Foes was released in 2021 by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

Pilot:

“Victor and Valentino” (10/29/16) – Following a dog into the underworld leaves Victor and Valentino with having to work together to solve a maze…it’s just too bad they can’t.

 

Season 1:

“Folk Art Foes” (3/30/19) – Vic and Val accidentally unleash a trickster coyote spirit that Vic finds hilarious until his pranks grow increasingly dangerous.

 

“Dead Ringer” (3/30/19) – Vic snubs Val in selecting his soccer team, leading Val to summoning a deceased soccer player to give his team an edge over Vic’s.

 

“Brotherly Love” (3/30/19) – After a fight leads to Chata’s plant being broken, Vic and Val go to Xochi for a new one only to learn that it’s a monster that grows whenever they fight.

 

“Chata’s Quinta Quinceañera” (3/30/19) – Vic and Val make use of a magic teleportation flute so that they can attend Chata’s Quinta Quinceañera and Andres’ pool party at the same time.

 

“Legend of the Hidden Skate Park” (4/6/19) – Tired of rules, Vic and Val search out a skate park run by kids which ends up not being the better situation they hoped for.

 

“Cleaning Day” (4/6/19) – Vic and Val’s dirty room causes the house to send them into a video game where they can only escape by cleaning up everything.

 

“The Babysitter” (4/13/19) – Vic and Val must get past the babysitting Xochi to see a fireworks show, only to discover she snuck out herself for dance lessons.

 

“Hurricane Chata” (4/13/19) – A trip to the lake turns into a squall when Vic and Val bother Chata, whose emotions control the weather there.

 

“The Lonely Haunts Club” (4/20/19) – Charlene and Pineapple invite Vic and Val to explore a haunted house as a ploy for Charlene to kiss Vic, but they soon discover the ghost is real.

 

“Suerte” (4/20/19) – When Vic cheats at the new game Chata bought, the characters from it come to life and start plucking the townspeople into it.

 

“The Dark Room” (4/27/19) – Val gets laughed out of joining the photography club and decides to get the best picture he can by tracking down the legendary Chupacabra.

 

“The Collector” (5/4/19) – Val goes to a rarity shop to replace a coin Vic stole from his collection to play a game but the price ends up being Vic ends up in the shopkeeper’s puppet collection.

 

“The Boy Who Cried Lechuza” (5/11/19) – Vic’s faking an injury to get out of work leads to him being taken by the Lechuza, a woman/owl who pampers children.

 

“Boss For a Day” (5/18/19) – Chata lets Vic run the taco stand after complaining Val is too bossy, but the power ends up going to his head.

 

“Cuddle Monster” (5/25/19) – Vic and Val adopt a reptilian Zepotle they find, but upon accidentally giving it an unnatural food it begins to grow and develop a hunger for Huitzi.

 

“Los Cadejos” (6/1/19) – Chata sends Vic and Val to harvest peppers in the mountains while Val is angry at Vic, and they end up being followed by a wolf that feeds off of anger from grudges.

 

“It Grows” (6/8/19) – Vic steals and uses Maria Teresa’s hair growth formula when he becomes jealous of Val’s new facial hair, but his mustache ends up getting a mind of its own.

 

“Welcome to the Underworld” (6/22/19) – Achi takes Vic and Val into the underworld so Vic can meet his famous wrestling uncle, but the Bone Boys want to make sure they never leave.

 

“A New Don” (6/29/19) – Attempting to play a prank on Don Jalapeño leads Vic and Val to discover that he’s acting really strangely.

 

“Churro Kings” (7/6/19) – When the other residents begin selling churros after Vic and Val and steal their customers, the brothers plan to clean out the competition.

 

“Know It All” (7/13/19) – The brothers go to Don Jalapeño for help when Vic accidentally released some demonic creatures, but Vic keeps acting like a know-it-all and ignores Jalapeño’s advice.

 

“Fistful of Balloons” (7/20/19) – When one of his teammates betrays him in a water balloon fight, Vic sets out on a mission of revenge.

 

“Love at First Bite” (7/27/19) – Val falls for a new girl that resembles him and shares all of his interests, but Vic becomes suspicious of her and follows the two on their dates.

 

“Go With the Flow” (8/3/19) – Chata invites Sal to stay with them when his house gets blown away, but the brothers soon learn he’s a messy houseguest that never wants to leave.

 

“Aluxes” (8/10/19) – Vic finds a crown that brings the living room statures to life and has fun messing with Val and his LARPer friends until the statures become dangerous.

 

“Guillermo’s Gathering” (8/17/19) – Vic and Val are forced to attend Guillermo’s boring birthday party and while searching for party favors activate his super-fast and fun train set.

 

“Balloon Boys” (8/24/19) – Sal invites the brothers for a balloon ride to paint over the Nazca Lines, which have reality-altering abilities the brothers seek to tap into to become Sal’s favorite.

 

“The Great Bongo Heist” (10/5/19) – Forgetting a gift for Abuela Day, the brothers give Chata bongos Xochi lent them and plan to disguise themselves as burglars to steal them back.

 

“Escape from Bebe Bay” (10/5/19) – To escape a water war, the brothers use Maria Teresa’s cream as camouflage only to discover it’s actually an anti-aging cream that turns them into babies.

 

“Band for Life” (10/5/19) – Xochi is forced to take the brothers to a concert and immediately regrets it, so they decide to get up on stage and show off how cool they can be.

 

“Tez Sez” (10/5/19) – Chata forbids the brothers from attending a party where Maria Teresa is performing magic, but they sneak out and go anyway and Vic ends up trapped in a magic mirror.

 

“Forever Ever” (10/12/19) – The brothers clean Maria Teresa’s attic for some movie money and accidentally activate a statute that traps them in a time loop.

 

“Dance Reynaldo Dance” (10/12/19) – Vic wants to win the dance contest so badly that he ditches Val for Reynaldo and works him too hard to fulfill his artistic vision.

 

“Tree Buds” (10/19/19) – Val reluctantly lets Vic help him perfect his tree house, but getting a splinter from a branch of the legendary vampire tree starts turning Vic into a tree himself.

 

“Lonely Haunts Club 2: Doll Island” (10/26/19) – Vic and Val and Charlene and Pineapple compete to see who can reclaim Hairy Mary’s doll from Doll Island.

 

“Cat-Pocalypse” (10/26/19) – A sick Vic spies on his neighbors and becomes convinced Pineapple is acquiring cats to build a zombie cat army.

 

“El Silbón” (10/26/19) – When their corn maze fails to be scary, Charlene convinces the brothers to recruit a demon capable of scaring anyone…a little too well.

 

“On Nagual Hill” (10/26/19) – When the brothers transform a waterfall into a water slide, a Nagual transforms them into animals to show them how they’ve been mistreating the local wildlife.

 

“Rival Stands” (2020) – During the annual food contest the brothers discover that Charlene and Pineapple add a mysterious liquid to their tacos that makes them irresistible to customers.

 

Season 2:

“The Guest” (4/18/20) – Chata refuses to let the brothers go to El Lucha Libra until they clean up the kitchen, despite their insistence that they weren’t the ones who messed it up.

 

“Ener-G-Shoes” (4/18/20) – Vic’s desire for some expensive sneakers is so strong that he steals them from Maria Teresa’s yard sale, failing to remember her items are usually cursed.

 

“La Cucarachita” (4/25/20) – Having Charlene reanimate his dead pet cockroach causes Vic to bring all of her taxidermy to life.

 

“Lords of Ghost Town” (4/25/20) – The brothers go recruit a ghost to scare Lupe out of their tree house, unfortunately they unleash a dangerous ghostly motorcycle gang in the process.

 

“My Fair Achi” (5/2/20) – The brothers enter Achi into a dog competition to show up Tula.

 

“Oddities” (5/2/20) – The brothers head to a Larry Ladron’s carnival against Chata’s warnings, and Larry plans to enter them into the oddities exhibit by combining them into a worm boy.

 

“I……am Vampier” (5/9/20) – Vic decides to plagiarize his film for the film festival after Andres makes fun of his idea.

 

“Victor the Predictor” (5/9/20) – When a fortune teller tells Vic he has psychic abilities, Vic goes around town making outrageous predictions.

 

“Kindred Spirits” (5/16/20) – Val sees a classic silent film by himself and ends up befriending the ghost of the lead actress, but she plans on draining Val of his youth to relive her glory days.

 

“Decoding Valentino” (5/16/20) – Val takes Isabella to help decipher some glyphs and becomes frustrated when she proves better at solving them than he is.

 

“Journey to Maiz Mountain” (5/23/20) – The brothers accidentally spill Sal’s supply of corn, and to keep the town from getting mad at them they insist on helping him get more from the Queen Ant.

 

“Escaramuza” (10/5/20) – When his favorite Escaramuza player is injured, Val disguises himself as a woman to compete and cheats to win which angers the spirits of the original players.

 

“Los Perdidos” (10/5/20) – Vic wants to join a gang of night skaters who don’t follow any rules, but when he drinks from their punch bowl he begins acting like a vampire.

 

“Los Pajaros” (10/6/20) – Skeptical Val refuses to give Huitzi a decent gift on his birthday for luck, and ends up being attacked by every bird in town.

 

“Get Your Sea Legs” (10/7/20) – Vic meets a mermaid who helps teach him how to swim by using a magic pearl to switch their lower bodies, but she becomes addicted to trying out others’ legs.

 

“Guillermo’s Girlfriend” (10/8/20) – The brothers attempt to rescue the artistic construct Guillermo considers his “girlfriend” from the garbage man who took it.

 

“Starry Night” (10/12/20) – The brothers discover an outdoor sleepover was a trap to get them to tell Tzitzimimes about Chata.

 

“Fueygo Fest” (10/13/20) – The brothers plan to show up Tula by holding a party for kids on her island, however Vic ends up scamming the kids and providing an extremely poor experience.

 

“Folk Art Friends” (10/14/20) – The brothers are forced to turn to HueHue for help when they accidentally release three more spirits from statues.

 

“The Cupcake Man” (10/15/20) – Tired of his misbehavior, Chata takes Vic’s skateboard away and sends him to work with the intimidating Cupcake Man.

 

“Villainy in Monte Macabre” (10/19/20) – The brothers team up with the Black Hat Org. to find an alien in disguise in town, but they realize they may have made a mistake in doing so.

 

“Charlene Mania” (10/20/20) – Charlene sprays Vic with a perfume that attempts to get him to notice her, but instead it makes everyone else in town obsessed with her.

 

“Old Man Teo” (10/21/20) – Chata makes the brothers volunteer at the old folks’ home where Val learns his elder was the fire god Xiuhtechutli whose headpiece was taken from him.

 

“Poacher Patrol” (10/22/20) – Don Jalapeño puts Val on pool patrol duty where he captures someone he believes is a poacher, causing a horde of piranhas to attack the pool attendees.

 

“Lonely Haunts Club 3: La Llorona” (10/26/20) – Val disappears when looking for some alone time, leaving Vic, Charlene and Pineapple to rescue him from a ghostly child abductor.

 

“In Your Own Skin” (10/27/20) – When a quality clothing store mocks Val’s fashion sense, he finds comfort in a mysterious thrift shop run by a man named Xipe.

 

“Ghosted” (10/28/20) – Vic befriends a ghost named Cristina who’s as into pranking as he is, but he ends up ditching her when he thinks he’s getting a chance to play Tlatchtli with the cool kids.

 

“Carmelita” (10/29/20) – Chata loans Xochi a car she was holding for the brothers when they got older on the condition that she drives them wherever they want.

 

“Las Pesadillas” (4/17/21) – The brothers experience lucid dreams that Vic must rescue Val from after learning they’re the work of Tez.

 

“Baby Pepito” (4/24/21) – Chata takes in a baby left on her doorstep, but the brothers learn from Don Jalapeño that it is really a soul-eating mimic.

 

“Cenote Seekers” (5/1/21) – The brothers miss going with Xochi and other kids to a cenote in the desert and try to catch up with them, getting lost along the way.

 

“My Thirsty Little Monster” (5/8/21) – Vic adopts a baby bat-like Camazotz that Val can’t stand.

 

“La Planchada” (5/8/21) – Vic is convinced to summon a ghost to cure his chicken pox, but she demands he makes amends with the other kids in town that he spread it to.

 

“Tez Breaks Bread” (5/15/21) – The Calaveras are invited to a party hosted by Tez where Val ends up disappearing into a mirror and Vic must make a deal with Charlene to save him.

 

“Through the Nine Realms of Mictlan” (5/29/21) – When Vic causes Cristina to miss her train to the ninth realm, he and Val work to get her there before time runs out.

 

Season 3:

“Sal’s Our Pal” (9/4/21) – Tez runs for mayor of the town but the brothers try to get Sal to win the election instead.

 

“The Fog” (9/11/21) – The brothers attempt to leave but discover Tez has cursed the town to prevent anyone from leaving, or returning.

 

“There’s No V in Team” (9/18/21) – When Don Jalapeño bans the kids from playing soccer due to Vic’s poor sportsmanship, Isabella forms an underground soccer league.

 

“Showdown at the Mayahuel Gardens” (9/25/21) – Chata and Maria Teresa must work together to rescue their kids from a spider-like maguey creature.

 

“The Bodyguard” (10/2/21) – Don Jalapeño joins Tez’s new Jaguar Patrol and the brothers try to get him kicked out.

 

“Miguelito the Mosquito” (10/9/21) – When Vic loses his title as town daredevil he challenges his usurper to riding Thunder, the most dangerous hog in town.

 

“Patolli” (10/16/21) – Isabella introduces the game of Patolli to the brothers and Val becomes obsessed with it when he proves good at it.

 

“Plan-De-Monium” (10/23/21) – Val has an entire day planned with Isabella, but everyone else seems intent on keeping him from his itinerary.

 

“The Puzzle Master” (10/26/21) – The brothers, Charlene and Pineapple find themselves in a series of rooms of deadly puzzles set forth by a mysterious Puzzle Master.

 

“Finding Posada” (11/1/21) – To ensure they have the best ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos, the brothers trick famed artist José Guadalupe Posada into doing one for them.

 

“La Catrina” (11/1/21) – Val poses as an adult to sneak into an underworld club to hear La Catrina sing, but Vic follows him and exposes him.

 

“Bone Bike” (11/13/21) – Mic and Hun give the brothers a bone bike to help them win a race for Lucha tickets, but they must figure out how to tame it before they can ride it.

 

“Butterman!” (11/20/21) – Unable to convince Tez from destroying a butterfly habitat for a bowling alley, Sal attacks his workers as the Butterman.

 

“El Bigote” (11/27/21) – Vic interns with veteran luchador El Bigote but it turns out he’s a fake with a supernatural secret.

 

“The Matchmaker” (3/7/22) – Val discovers his talent for matchmaking and Isabella attempts to get him to match each other, but he chickens out and fixes her up with cool kid Ramon.

 

“Pastry Peril” (3/7/22) – After eating someone else’s order at the bakery, Lupe’s grandmother forces him to help her to pay off his debt.

 

“Pokin and Proddin” (3/8/22) – Val infiltrates Tez’s administration to learn more about him, but he ends up falling in love with office life.

 

“Stolen Retriever” (3/8/22) – Vic starts stealing dogs so he can return them for a reward, but he ends up giving one of the owners a creature that kidnaps them.

 

“Jump Scare” (3/9/22) – Feeling like a third wheel, Vic attempts to break up Val and Isabella by sending them on a date to the dark crossroads.

 

“An Evening with Mic and Hun” (3/9/22) – Wanting to avoid Chata’s friends, the brothers head to the underworld to hang out with Mic and Hun.

 

“Another Don” (3/10/22) – Searching for Chata’s missing water pitcher reveals there’s a duplicate Don Jalapeño running around, and Isabella has a terrifying secret.

 

“Starry Eyes” (3/10/22) – Val realizes he doesn’t know anything about Isabella personally, and she reveals herself to be a Mega-mime in league with Tez.

 

“Guillermo in G Flat” (6/6/22) – Val is tricked into playing a mystical piece of music that traps Vic in eternal torment.

 

“Para-Vic” (6/7/22) – Vic has Charlene turn him into a ghost so he can come up with some new pranks, resulting in another ghost taking over his body to prank the living.

 

“Undercover Grandmother” (6/8/22) – Chata is tasked with fixing an important painting but when it somehow ends up ruined, she goes on the run from the Jaguar Patrol.

 

“The Imposter” (6/9/22) – The brothers go to the Cupcake Man for some info on Tez, but the arrival of a Tzitzimime forces him to lock his store down and trap everyone inside.

 

“Pobrecito Pete” (8/22/22) – Val believes Gustavo’s horse Pete ate some rotten fruit meant for Vic and goes to Charlene for help with an antidote for his poisoning.

 

“Vic-lene” (8/22/22) – Charlene switches bodies with Vic so he can attend an alien club while she tries to get personal information about him from Val and Chata.

 

“Home Sweet Hole” (8/23/22) – War erupts between Vic, Miguelito and Gustavo over some holes in the ground.

 

“Star Child” (8/23/22) – The brothers are prophesized to play a role in destroying the Tzitzimimie and Isabella disguises herself as Guillermo to get close to them.

 

“Mission Mariachi” (8/24/22) – When Val and Isabella miss getting tickets to see his favorite Mariachi band, he sneaks into their hotel to try and meet them.

 

“A Simpler Life: Ayohuih Nemilltzli” (8/24/22) – Upset over Isabella’s betrayal, Val wishes for a simpler life and Xipe sends the brothers back in time to Tenochtitlan.

 

“Oneiric Vic” (8/25/22) – A tribal boy encountered by Vic gets eaten by the stone jaguar that’s chasing him.

 

“Lonely Haunts Club 4: La Pablita” (8/25/22) – Charlene convinces the brothers to join her and Pineapple in an abandoned bridal store only to discover it’s still occupied by the ghost of a bride.

 

“Xochi’s Garden” (8/26/22) – The brothers head into Xochi’s garden and stumble upon her secret: she’s able to control plants.

 

“Into the Obsidian” (8/26/22) – It’s discovered that the black mirrors in everyone’s homes not only lets Tez spy on them but also act as portals.

 

“Follow the North Star” (8/26/22) – The brothers discover Tez is really the god Tezcatlipoca trying to end the world and set out to find Quetzalcoatl to stop him, which ends up being Sal.

 

“Fall of the Fifth Sun” (8/26/22) – The brothers restore Sal to his godly form and he engages Tez, but the town may not survive a battle between gods.