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{{NeedingWork|lack of content, clarity, and organization}}
{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>Pretty Cure (4kids dub)</center>
|title=<center>Pretty Cure (pilot dubs)</center>
|image=Futari wa pretty cure dvd cover.jpg
|image=Futari wa pretty cure dvd cover.jpg
|imagecaption=Dvd cover of ''Futari wa Pretty Cure''.
|imagecaption=Japanese DVD cover for the first entry in the franchise, ''Futari wa Pretty Cure''.
|status=<span style="color:grey;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span> / <span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span> / <span style="color:grey;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''</span>
}}
}}
''Pretty Cure'' is a popular magical-girl anime franchise, starting in 2004 with ''Futari wa Pretty Cure.''


While the franchise has gone from strength to strength in Japan, with multiple series and merchandising, it was nowhere near as successful in English-speaking markets. Only ''Futari wa Pretty Cure'' (now known simply as ''Pretty Cure'') was ever dubbed into English and distributed.
'''''Pretty Cure''''' is a magical-girl anime franchise by Toei Animation and Bandai which initially launched in 2004 with ''Futari wa Pretty Cure.'' The ongoing property has since inspired countless followup seasons, spinoffs, and theatrical adaptations.


When the series was first picked up in 2006,<ref>http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-02-24/4kids-licenses-pretty-cure</ref> however, it was the infamous American distribution company 4Kids.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futari_wa_Pretty_Cure#Media</ref> CEO Al Kahn announced the acquisition at New York City Comic Con in February of that year.<ref>http://icv2.com/articles/news/view/8287/4kids-licenses-pretty-cure-anime-series</ref>
The franchise has spawned two notable English versions: first in 2009, when Toei Animation's US division commissioned an English dub of the first series produced by the Vancouver based Ocean Productions, with voice recording outsourced to their Calgary studio. Then, in 2015, Saban Brands launched an adaptation of 2012/2013's ''Smile Pretty Cure!'' as ''Glitter Force.'' This moniker was later used for the followup series, ''Dokidoki! Pretty Cure,'' which Toei Animation USA launched internationally in 2017 as ''Glitter Fore: Doki Doki.'' Both of these productions used voice actors from the Los Angeles area.


4Kids are said to have struggled to find a broadcaster for the show. It is uncertain if they actually ''made'' an English dub (different sources say different things), but they seem to have let the rights lapse back to parent company Toei Animation, who subtitled the show and put it onto a variety of online streaming services before famous Canadian dubbing studio Ocean Productions were able to complete a dub for international distribution at Toei's request, which aired on YTV from 2009-2010, and in the UK on PopGirl in 2010.
However, these are far from the only attempts to bring the franchise to the English speaking world. Toei Animation has attempted to sell ''Pretty Cure'' globally since shortly after the property's debut. Multiple pilots for multiple different series have been produced.
 
==Toei Animation==
 
In September 2005, German broadcaster RTL2 aired an English pilot for the original series.<ref>[https://precure.livejournal.com/52108.html ENGLISH DUBBED PRETTY CURE CLIPS] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref> This came as a result of the German dub not yet being finished despite the broadcaster's eagerness to run the show.<ref>[http://kidscreen.com/2004/10/01/rtl-20041001/ RTL2 wants tomboys, not girly girls] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref> Footage from this broadcast surfaced online, with commentators identifying it as a Los Angeles based production. Stephanie Sheh played Honoka/Cure White and Mepple, Lara Cody was Nagisa/Cure Black, with Doug Stone as the villains.<ref>[http://www.crystalacids.com/news/2005/09/27/246/#comments Pretty Cure dubbed - Crystal Acids] Note: The comment lists pseudonyms for the first two actors. Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref>
 
The next month, Toei Animation USA launched an English language online portal to sell ''Pretty Cure'' abroad.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060630211147/http://prettycure.tv:80/index.html Pretty Cure - Official Site for Business Opportunities] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref> The website hosted three videos, which were allegedly the same production used in the German broadcast.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060630211647/http://prettycure.tv:80/trailer/index.html Pretty Cure - Trailers] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref><ref name="Sam">[https://www.animenation.com/forum/anime-related-forums/ask-john/22446-what-is-toei-animation-s-problem?p=924277#post924277 What is Toei Animation's Problem?] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref> Both the rips of the German broadcast and the videos hosted on Toei's site have gone offline.
 
At Anime Expo 2007, Toei Animation USA intended to screen a dubbed episode of the 2004/2005 entry ''Pretty Cure: Max Heart''.<ref>[http://precure.livejournal.com/184394.html Pretty Cure Max Heart... Dubbed?! Premiere? At Anime Expo?] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref> However, the company ended up screening episodes 30 and 31 of the original series.<ref name="Sam"></ref> While there was some speculation the dub used for the event was [[Pretty Cure and Pretty Cure: Max Heart (lost English dubs of anime series; mid-2000s)|the Singaporean one]], an attendee claimed to have heard Stephanie Sheh as Nagisa.<ref>[https://precure.livejournal.com/184394.html?thread=1202506#t1202506 Pretty Cure Max Heart... Dubbed?! Premiere? At Anime Expo?] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref> The same person also stated that Toei was showcasing an English dubbed version of the 2006/2007 series ''Pretty Cure: Splash Stars'', but did not specify whether it was an episode or a trailer.
 
In 2009, Toei Animation Europe began streaming an English trailer for the first series.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20090701000000*/http://www.toei-animation.com/en/catalog/prettycure Pretty Cure | Toei Animation Europe] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref>  It features an unknown cast separate to that of the Ocean Productions dub with non-localized names. It's not known if this trailer has any relation to the earlier pilots.
 
<div style="margin:0 auto; text-align: center;">
 
<div style="width:320px; display:inline-block; margin-right:25px; margin-bottom:0px;">{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NabKkGICdQo|320x240|center|Toei Animation Europe trailer|frame}}</div>
</div>
 
===Ocean Productions===
Around the time the company worked on the first television series, Toei Animation USA commissioned Ocean Productions to create a promotional video for ''Pretty Cure: Splash Stars''. The promo was recorded at Bluewater Studios, the company's Calgary office.<ref>[http://www.bluewaterstudios.ca/ BLUEWATER STUDIOS] Note: To view the source, click on "Production" and then "Pilots/Promos." Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref> An English dubbed trailer for this series is available on Toei Animation Europe's website, though it's not known if this is the one Ocean created.<ref>[http://www.toei-animation.com/en/catalog/pretty_cure_splash_star Pretty Cure Splash Star | Toei Animation Europe] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref> If it is, the company likely also did work on the 2007/2008 entry ''Yes! Pretty Cure 5'' as an English trailer for that series is available on Toei Europe's website, with the same unidentified narrator.<ref>[http://www.toei-animation.com/en/catalog/yes_pretty_cure_5 Yes! Pretty Cure 5 | Toei Animation Europe] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref> It's not known if Ocean's involvement in later ''Pretty Cure'' series was limited solely to promotional trailers. Nor is it known if their work was showcased at Anime Expo 2007.
 
<div style="margin:0 auto; text-align: center;">
 
<div style="width:320px; display:inline-block; margin-right:25px; margin-bottom:0px;">{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Dh02Um0oA|320x240|center|''Pretty Cure: Splash Star'' English Trailer|frame}}</div>
 
<div style="width:320px; display:inline-block; margin-right:25px; margin-bottom:0px;">{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp57fj_j-0g|320x240|center|''Yes! Pretty Cure 5'' English Trailer|frame}}</div>
</div>
 
===William Winckler Productions===
 
In 2011, Toei Animation Japan commissioned the Los Angeles-based William Winckler Productions to create three English language pilots of 2007/2008's ''Yes! Pretty Cure 5''.<ref>[https://withthewill.net/threads/11802-Xros-Wars-Pilot-Dub-Info Xros Wars Pilot Dub Info] Retrieved October 30, 2017.</ref> The dubs featured, among others, Aurelia Scheppers, Laura Siegel, Alexa Kahn, and Marieve Herington.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1978227/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm Pretty Cure 5 (TV Series 2011 - ) Full Cast & Crew - IMDb] Retrieved October 30, 2017.</ref> These pilots have not surfaced in any form.
 
==4Kids Entertainment==
 
New York-based 4Kids Entertainment announced that they had acquired the license to the original ''Pretty Cure'' series at the 2006 New York Comic-Con.<ref>[https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/8287/4kids-licenses-pretty-cure-anime-series 4KIDS LICENSES 'PRETTY CURE' ANIME SERIES] Retrieved October 30, 2017.</ref> At the event, the company confirmed the series would air on their FOX 4KidsTV Saturday morning block in the fall of that year. However, that never came to pass. In 2008, the company officially relinquished the rights to the series back to Toei.<ref>[https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/13338/4kids-drops-pretty-cure-anime 4KIDS DROPS 'PRETTY CURE' ANIME] Retrieved October 30, 2017.</ref> Shortly after, Toei sold ''Pretty Cure'' to the Canadian broadcaster YTV, which resulted in the Ocean Productions dub of the first series.<ref>[http://kidscreen.com/2008/12/16/prettycure-20081216/ Toei sells Pretty Cure to YTV] Retrieved October 30, 2017.</ref>
 
4Kids never publicly stated why they dropped the series, though it's been speculated the poor performance of the company's other magical girl anime, ''Mew Mew Power'' and ''Magical Do-Re-Mi'' may have dissuaded them from continuing forward with ''Pretty Cure''.<ref>[http://www.animenation.net/ask-john-what-happened-to-the-american-release-of-pretty-cure/ ASK JOHN: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE AMERICAN RELEASE OF PRETTY CURE?] Retrieved October 31, 2017.</ref> It has also been speculated but never confirmed, that the company produced an internal pilot dub for the series.
 
==Saban Brands==
 
Prior to launching the ''Glitter Force'' adaptation, Saban Brands had sold their version of the ''Smile Pretty Cure!'' as ''Gangnam Girls'' in 2013.<ref>[http://www.licensemag.com/license-global/saban-plans-new-superhero-series Saban Plans New Superhero Series] Retrieved October 30, 2017.</ref> It's not known if the company commissioned any production work for the series when it was under this title.
 
==See also==
*[[Pretty Cure and Pretty Cure: Max Heart (lost English dubs of anime series; mid-2000s)|''Pretty Cure'' and ''Pretty Cure: Max Heart'']] - The first two entries in the franchise received a complete English dub produced exclusively for the South East Asian market. No footage of it has surfaced.


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Lost TV]]
[[Category:Lost TV]]
[[Category:Lost audio]]
[[Category:Lost audio]]
[[Category:Partially found media]

Revision as of 10:21, 31 October 2017

Futari wa pretty cure dvd cover.jpg

Japanese DVD cover for the first entry in the franchise, Futari wa Pretty Cure.

Status: Partially Found / Lost / Existence Unconfirmed


Pretty Cure is a magical-girl anime franchise by Toei Animation and Bandai which initially launched in 2004 with Futari wa Pretty Cure. The ongoing property has since inspired countless followup seasons, spinoffs, and theatrical adaptations.

The franchise has spawned two notable English versions: first in 2009, when Toei Animation's US division commissioned an English dub of the first series produced by the Vancouver based Ocean Productions, with voice recording outsourced to their Calgary studio. Then, in 2015, Saban Brands launched an adaptation of 2012/2013's Smile Pretty Cure! as Glitter Force. This moniker was later used for the followup series, Dokidoki! Pretty Cure, which Toei Animation USA launched internationally in 2017 as Glitter Fore: Doki Doki. Both of these productions used voice actors from the Los Angeles area.

However, these are far from the only attempts to bring the franchise to the English speaking world. Toei Animation has attempted to sell Pretty Cure globally since shortly after the property's debut. Multiple pilots for multiple different series have been produced.

Toei Animation

In September 2005, German broadcaster RTL2 aired an English pilot for the original series.[1] This came as a result of the German dub not yet being finished despite the broadcaster's eagerness to run the show.[2] Footage from this broadcast surfaced online, with commentators identifying it as a Los Angeles based production. Stephanie Sheh played Honoka/Cure White and Mepple, Lara Cody was Nagisa/Cure Black, with Doug Stone as the villains.[3]

The next month, Toei Animation USA launched an English language online portal to sell Pretty Cure abroad.[4] The website hosted three videos, which were allegedly the same production used in the German broadcast.[5][6] Both the rips of the German broadcast and the videos hosted on Toei's site have gone offline.

At Anime Expo 2007, Toei Animation USA intended to screen a dubbed episode of the 2004/2005 entry Pretty Cure: Max Heart.[7] However, the company ended up screening episodes 30 and 31 of the original series.[6] While there was some speculation the dub used for the event was the Singaporean one, an attendee claimed to have heard Stephanie Sheh as Nagisa.[8] The same person also stated that Toei was showcasing an English dubbed version of the 2006/2007 series Pretty Cure: Splash Stars, but did not specify whether it was an episode or a trailer.

In 2009, Toei Animation Europe began streaming an English trailer for the first series.[9] It features an unknown cast separate to that of the Ocean Productions dub with non-localized names. It's not known if this trailer has any relation to the earlier pilots.

Toei Animation Europe trailer

Ocean Productions

Around the time the company worked on the first television series, Toei Animation USA commissioned Ocean Productions to create a promotional video for Pretty Cure: Splash Stars. The promo was recorded at Bluewater Studios, the company's Calgary office.[10] An English dubbed trailer for this series is available on Toei Animation Europe's website, though it's not known if this is the one Ocean created.[11] If it is, the company likely also did work on the 2007/2008 entry Yes! Pretty Cure 5 as an English trailer for that series is available on Toei Europe's website, with the same unidentified narrator.[12] It's not known if Ocean's involvement in later Pretty Cure series was limited solely to promotional trailers. Nor is it known if their work was showcased at Anime Expo 2007.

Pretty Cure: Splash Star English Trailer

Yes! Pretty Cure 5 English Trailer

William Winckler Productions

In 2011, Toei Animation Japan commissioned the Los Angeles-based William Winckler Productions to create three English language pilots of 2007/2008's Yes! Pretty Cure 5.[13] The dubs featured, among others, Aurelia Scheppers, Laura Siegel, Alexa Kahn, and Marieve Herington.[14] These pilots have not surfaced in any form.

4Kids Entertainment

New York-based 4Kids Entertainment announced that they had acquired the license to the original Pretty Cure series at the 2006 New York Comic-Con.[15] At the event, the company confirmed the series would air on their FOX 4KidsTV Saturday morning block in the fall of that year. However, that never came to pass. In 2008, the company officially relinquished the rights to the series back to Toei.[16] Shortly after, Toei sold Pretty Cure to the Canadian broadcaster YTV, which resulted in the Ocean Productions dub of the first series.[17]

4Kids never publicly stated why they dropped the series, though it's been speculated the poor performance of the company's other magical girl anime, Mew Mew Power and Magical Do-Re-Mi may have dissuaded them from continuing forward with Pretty Cure.[18] It has also been speculated but never confirmed, that the company produced an internal pilot dub for the series.

Saban Brands

Prior to launching the Glitter Force adaptation, Saban Brands had sold their version of the Smile Pretty Cure! as Gangnam Girls in 2013.[19] It's not known if the company commissioned any production work for the series when it was under this title.

See also

  • Pretty Cure and Pretty Cure: Max Heart - The first two entries in the franchise received a complete English dub produced exclusively for the South East Asian market. No footage of it has surfaced.

References

  1. ↑ ENGLISH DUBBED PRETTY CURE CLIPS Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  2. ↑ RTL2 wants tomboys, not girly girls Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  3. ↑ Pretty Cure dubbed - Crystal Acids Note: The comment lists pseudonyms for the first two actors. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  4. ↑ Pretty Cure - Official Site for Business Opportunities Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  5. ↑ Pretty Cure - Trailers Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 What is Toei Animation's Problem? Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  7. ↑ Pretty Cure Max Heart... Dubbed?! Premiere? At Anime Expo? Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  8. ↑ Pretty Cure Max Heart... Dubbed?! Premiere? At Anime Expo? Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  9. ↑ Pretty Cure | Toei Animation Europe Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  10. ↑ BLUEWATER STUDIOS Note: To view the source, click on "Production" and then "Pilots/Promos." Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  11. ↑ Pretty Cure Splash Star | Toei Animation Europe Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  12. ↑ Yes! Pretty Cure 5 | Toei Animation Europe Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  13. ↑ Xros Wars Pilot Dub Info Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  14. ↑ Pretty Cure 5 (TV Series 2011 - ) Full Cast & Crew - IMDb Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  15. ↑ 4KIDS LICENSES 'PRETTY CURE' ANIME SERIES Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  16. ↑ 4KIDS DROPS 'PRETTY CURE' ANIME Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  17. ↑ Toei sells Pretty Cure to YTV Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  18. ↑ ASK JOHN: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE AMERICAN RELEASE OF PRETTY CURE? Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  19. ↑ Saban Plans New Superhero Series Retrieved October 30, 2017.

[[Category:Partially found media]

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