The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan

I saw this one quite a few times on Cartoon Network's "Boomerang" previews, and I must admit: It really sucks. If you've seen any of the great Charlie Chan movies, you will HATE this cartoon. It stars Charlie Chan (in cartoon form), who along with his kids (I think there were 10 of them plus a dog I think. I can't remember.) solved crimes that idiotic villians committed. And that basically sums it up there.

I got to admit, this has to be one of the WORST Hanna-Barbera cartoons ever, and a slap in the face to Charlie Chan fans everywhere. If you ever see this one by accident, just change the channel. It's a waste of time. 0/10

I was in my late preteens when I came across repeats (which were new to me) on Cartoon Network back in the late '90s. I haven't seen every Hanna-Barbera cartoon ever made, so at the time, I didn't know about the amount of shows that imitated or ripped off any other. But after learning more about the less-than-interesting animation studio/company's track record and history, I know that I must not be missing much. Therefore, I'm not in any rush to check for the H-B shows I missed growing up. It's well-known (especially to me now) that Hanna- Barbera was one of the cheapest cartoon studios that ever existed (although Cambria Studios is even cheaper from what I read about them, yet it doesn't seem to get ragged on as much, probably because it had much less shows but still), as well as the most overrated. As such, I now decided that it's one of my least favorite animation companies. It wasn't always like this though. It took some time, but eventually they'd come around gradually with a few of their productions in the '80s, especially those that weren't/aren't T.V. series. As a result, there was more bad stuff than great and I now realize that there are only a few of its productions I truly like or have as favorites. If anyone like me has ever wondered why the majority of the founding duo's shows were so short-lived like I have, the aforementioned about them should answer your question. They deserved to get dropped as soon as they did. It also answers my question of why some adults are so against all cartoons, because of the stereotype that cheap 'toons like this are the only kind that are capable of being made and that all of them are a joke.

Sorry for the rant but I tend to do that when it comes to my passion and love for great cartoons, and I had to get what was on my mind out in the open. Now about the show. What else can I add that hasn't already been mentioned? I used not to mind this at all, but after noticing the difference in the quality of the animation in this and other, better, higher-quality shows, I've been having second thoughts for some time now. It's just among the same-old, same-old, formulaic routine as all the other crime/mystery-themed, Hanna-Barbera series following the original Scooby Doo series, "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?". As much as it pains me to say and admit it, I must concur with the fact that it isn't on the same level as the Charlie Chan movies, one or a couple of which I have seen and I found them more enjoyable. Although the animated Charlie Chan's kids were always the ones who did most of the sleuthing, at least for once, the writers could've and should've had him contributing to do more of the crime/mystery solving to make thing more intriguing. I want to truly like it and I wish it were much better. But for the facts that I and others pointed out, I find it too indefensible. Sometimes I wonder if it would've been better off if Hanna and Barbera had never founded their own animation studio or created most of their material (unless it was for feature-length films), as most everything by them and their studio is a waste of time, and almost only all kids would genuinely be into all of them, more so than any adults. But then, it probably would've taken longer for made-for-T.V. cartoons to hit the small screens and we probably would've had to wait until some people who were able to make better animation productions arrived on the scene. For better, crime/mystery-theme cartoons, I'd recommend Fillmore!, Sally Bollywood, Famous 5: On The Case, and Sandra, The Fairy Tale Detective, rather than any Hanna-Barbera. You seen one Scooby Doo-like show, you seen them all.

I can recall thinking this show was good at six years old. Having never seen any of the old Charlie Chan movies, I always believed this concept had to do with the unavailability of an actor, possibly Keye Luke, to portray Chan's son in a movie, so it was recast and we had number two son. This cartoon merely sought to carry it all the way to ten kids.

Keye Luke was the connection. Having played Number One Son in the old movies to Warner Olandt as Detective Charlie Chan, he now did the voice of the father. Luke is possibly better known to a later generation as the Ancient One on the seventies show, Kung Fu, with David Carradine as Grasshopper. I would like to think he had fun doing this cartoon.

The Chan Clan was another Scooby Doo clone and this time seemed to have a Partridge Family influence, which I didn't remember. I have seen episodes since on Cartoon Network. Several of the older kids had a band and performed, and very forgettable songs are played. Look for one child to be playing the drums in one scene and another child is playing them in the next scene.

If the show had any thing going for it, it was the kids' stereotypical characters; the smart one, the obese one, the beautiful one, the tomboy one, the bossy one, the stylish one (funny for the seventies), even an Oriental Shaggy one. A turnoff is the adventures and I do recall disliking the pet, Chu-Chu. It was joked in one episode as to if it were a cat or a dog and I didn't like that it was unclear. I think now it was a dog. I had also totally forgotten the Chan van that can change appearance.

Robert Ito, who did the voice of the oldest son, Henry Chan, is perhaps better known for appearing on the seventies show, Quincy, with Jack Klugman, and funnily enough, when the children who did the voices had too thick accents and couldn't be understood and were recast with obviously Anglo children, Jodie Foster, about ten or eleven years old at this time, came in and did the voice of the tomboy.

Not the greatest cartoon. If you can't get enough Scooby Doo in your system, you can check this one out. I remember thinking the beautiful one was like an Oriental version of Daphne Blake in Scooby Doo.

This is one of the more interesting interpretations of the legendary detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1925. For one, it is the only time an Asian actor had taken on the role (voice of Keye Luke, who actually played the Number One Son on the big screen). For another, it follows one of the more popular Hanna-Barbera formulae of the time: a family or group with a pet (in this case, Chu-Chu, probably a Shih Tzu). And for yet another, the voices of the 10 children that form the clan were provided by actors of Asian lineage. (However, Jodie Foster did provide Anne's voice toward the end of its shamefully short run.) While not a particularly amazing rendition of the Chan franchise, the Scooby-Doo-tinged misadventures of the well-meaning and highly dedicated clan as they try to be worthy of Pop's enduring legacy, coupled with the nifty transforming vehicle, make for a hilariously interesting supporting cast. Now, why the animators had to turn around and make Charlie into an incompetent figurehead when he was portrayed on the big screen as so much more is very hard to understand.

The theme track is only truly memorable, if at all, for the whispering male voice ("that's the Chan Clan").

This series stands out from the rest of the teen sleuth cartoons that dominated Saturday morning in the 70's. The focus is primarily on the 10 children of Charlie Chan as they interfere with his cases by trying to solve them. Charlie Chan is in control all of the time and makes the key conclusions in the manner one would expect him to make but as for the children their antics lead them to hilarious encounters with the multiple suspects during undercover work. Often times these acts may hold Charlie back some in solving the case but in their acts they manage to find various clues relevant to the cause. The 10 kids tend to take a lesson from the old JSA/JLA comics where they split up into groups generally age specific. The groups are generally broken up into three. The kids perform many slapstick type routines when pursuing the criminals placing this in the lead in humor. A Few of the kids perform in a band, as was the rage in the day and the viewer is treated to a nice period pop song that still appeals to the modern ear. As for Charlie Chan, he is handled with full respect as to the character and any Chan fan should be glad to experience this wonderful take on the characters.The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan still stands out from other shows of its era and is still featured Prominently on Cartoon Network's Boomerang. Can a DVD release be far behind?