'It's been a wonderful ride': Reunited 'X-Men' cartoon voice cast excited to meet fans new and old at Calgary Expo
If you've spent any amount of time scrolling TikTok at 3 a.m. (it's OK -- we all have), you probably know the meme.
A guy looks at the camera and says, "You can't summon an entire generation with just one song." Then, the shot cuts to somebody hitting play on their device of choice and the song that is their rebuttal kicking in.
Sometimes, it's "Baba O'Riley". Sometimes, it's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Opinions differ and so, there are others.
But if you did any amount of growing up in the '90s, your own answer might just as easily be the theme song to the Saturday morning "X-Men" cartoon, often celebrated as a high point in animated superheroics.
The impact of that show on that generation is massive.
And now, it's back again, picking up where it left off, complete with many of the same actors voicing the same characters, for a second generation in addition.
"Somebody got in touch with me and said they were doing 'X-Men' again, and I sort of went, 'Yeah, right. That was 30 years ago, darling -- I don't think so,'" said Alison Sealy-Smith, who was and is again the voice actor behind the character Storm.
"And then it all just sort of came together and it's been a wonderful ride."
Alison Sealy-Smith was and is again the voice actor behind the character Storm on the 'X-Men' cartoon series.
"It was the most euphoric experience I've ever had -- to go back into the very same studio (in Toronto) where we did the original record," said George Buza, the voice actor behind the character Beast, then and now.
Several members of the voice cast are at the Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo this year, meeting with fans from both back in the day and today -- undoubtedly some from the same families, sharing the same excitement for each new episode.
"I think what's made it exceptionally wonderful this time around is we're much more aware this time of the impact of the show," Sealy-Smith told CTV News on Thursday.
At Calgary Expo with Sealy-Smith and Buza are Chris Potter, the voice actor behind the character Gambit in the original series and now bringing the character Cable to life in the new one, and Matthew Waterson, joining the legacy as the new voice actor behind the character Magneto.
George Buza was and is again the voice actor behind the character Beast on the 'X-Men' cartoon series.
Both Sealy-Smith and Buza say tapping their old iconic characters again was a quick and natural thing.
But both spent decades between stints as X-people doing many other things -- many other wonderful things.
And so of course, there was some question -- maybe some doubt.
Turns out, they needn't have been concerned.
"As soon as you saw the script and as soon as you started saying it, it just came back," Sealy-Smith said.
"It really was as if Storm had just been in here the whole time, just waiting for the chance to fly again."
"It was like getting back on a bike. Instant -- absolutely instant," Buza said.
"(Beast) was always there.
"The character was built on what was always me -- I identified very deeply with Beast."
Sealy-Smith, Buza, Potter and Waterson have been at Calgary Expo Thursday and Friday so far, and will be there Saturday and Sunday as well.
If that theme song did indeed start playing in your head before, you might consider swinging by the BMO Centre for a visit...
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Defence rests without Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Canada's inflation cools to 3-year low of 2.7%, in boost for rate cut bets
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
Independent stores and grocery alternatives see sales boost amid Loblaw boycott
As the month-long boycott of Loblaw-owned stores wears on, small independent food retailers and alternative grocery options say they're seeing a boost in traffic and sales.
London judge rejects Prince Harry's bid to add allegations against Rupert Murdoch in tabloid lawsuit
Prince Harry can't expand his privacy lawsuit against The Sun tabloid publisher to include allegations that Rupert Murdoch and some other executives were part of an effort to conceal and destroy evidence of unlawful information gathering, a London judge ruled Tuesday.