Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders
Cover art of the Family Home Entertainment VHS release Full Circle
Also known as	Starla & the Jewel Riders
Genre	Adventure Fantasy comedy Magical girl Musical
Created by	Robert Mandell
Written by	Robert Mandell Christopher Rowley Robin Young James Luceno Katherine Lawrence Linda Shayne Mary Stanton
Directed by	Robert Mandell Peter Fernandez (recording) James Tang (animation)
Voices of	Kerry Butler Jean Louisa Kelly Corinne Orr Deborah Allison Laura Dean John Beach Voiceguy Bob Kaliban Peter Fernandez Henry Mandell
Theme music composer	Jeff Pescetto
Composers	Jeff Pescetto (songs) Louis Fagenson (score)
Country of origin	United States China Romania
Original languages	English Romanian
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producers	Allen J. Bohbot Joseph Cohen Robert Mandell Ralph Sorrentino
Producers	Winnie Chaffee Eleanor Kearney Raissa Roque
Running time	22 minutes
Production companies	New Frontier Entertainment Enchanted Camelot Productions Golden Films Hong Ying Animation Bohbot Entertainment Televiziunea Romana
Original release
Network	Syndication (Amazin' Adventures) TVR 1
Release	September 9, 1995 (1995-09-09) – December 12, 1996 (1996-12-12)
Related
Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders (2024)

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, also known outside of North America as Starla & the Jewel Riders and sometimes spelled as the more traditionally Arthurian "Guinevere", is an American fantasy animated television series aimed at a pre-teen girl audience and produced by Bohbot Entertainment in association with Hong Ying Animation Company Limited. It was internationally syndicated by Bohbot on their syndicated Amazin' Adventures block, where it originally ran from 1995 to 1996, with two seasons and twenty-six episodes.

The series follows the titular protagonist, Princess Gwenevere of Avalon, and her fellow Jewel Riders, Fallon and Tamara, in their quest to find the seven lost enchanted jewels and stop the evil sorceress Lady Kale from conquering Avalon. In the second season, the Jewel Riders gain new powers and fight against Kale and new enemy Morgana as they search for more magical jewels in order to rescue their banished mentor, Merlin, and restore harmony in magic.

The series bears similarities to The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, as they had the same creator and director, Robert Mandell, as well as some writers in common, notably Christopher Rowley. The series was initially planned to be an adaptation of Dragonriders of Pern and came in the wake of Bohbot's earlier take on the Arthurian legends, King Arthur and the Knights of Justice.

In the 2000s, the series was rebooted as the novel series Avalon: Web of Magic. In 2023, a sequel comic was announced by Mad Cave Studios. Its first volume was released in May 2024.

Plot

Premise

The series is set on the legendary island of Avalon, where mystical jewels help their users cast spells, and whose inhabitants include several characters from Arthurian legend, such as Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. It is threatened by unstable "wild magic", which comes from another dimension also known as Wild Magic and is kept in check by the Crown Jewels of the Kingdom, which each represent a realm of Avalon. The story takes place a thousand years after Merlin's initial victory over the evil queen Morgana and her dark wizards. The eponymous Jewel Riders are an order of magical guardians of the city of New Camelot who, mentored by Merlin and aided by their magic animals, have defended the realm and its people for centuries, with each generation bequeathing their jewels to the next generation. When a new evil threatens Avalon and Merlin suddenly disappears, the current generation of Jewel Riders is tasked with recovering the scattered Crown Jewels and containing wild magic before it gets out of control.

The latest incarnation of the group consists of its leader, the 16-year-old Princess Gwenevere, a distant descendant of King Arthur's wife, Queen Guinevere, who was named after her, and her friends Fallon and Tamara. In addition to granting them powers, their personal jewels allow them to safely traverse the tunnels of Wild Magic and communicate with their Special Friends, magic animals who wear a jewel identical to that of their rider. They are often aided by the Pack, a trio of wolf-riding knights of Avalon who wield the Forest Stones. Together, they fight against the evil Lady Kale, the former princess of Avalon who wields dark magic and seeks to command all magic and rule the kingdom. An emphasis is placed on the "power of friendship", which allows the Jewel Riders to overcome evil and befriend some of their enemies. In the second season, the threat to Avalon is not yet over, as the Jewel Riders battle not only Kale, but also Morgana. Instead of the Crown Jewels, they search for another set of magical jewels while battling the forces of darkness and containing the growing chaos in magic.

First season

Princess Gwenevere, the daughter of the rulers of Avalon, Queen Anya and King Jared, is being prepared by Merlin for the ceremony in which she will receive the Sun Stone, one of the Enchanted Jewels, and meet her magic animal, who will bond with it. This will allow her to become the new leader of the Jewel Riders along with Tamara and Fallon, who wield the Heart Stone and Moon Stone, respectively. Meanwhile, the sorceress Lady Kale, Queen Anya's power-hungry sister who was banished after being denied the Sun Stone, plans to steal Merlin's Crown Jewels and use their magic to conquer Avalon. She finds a mysterious jewel of dark magic, which she names the Dark Stone, and uses it to banish Merlin to Wild Magic. However, in an effort to prevent her from using the Jewels' power, he sends them back to where they came from, scattering them throughout the kingdom and beyond. However, without the Jewels, magic becomes unstable and goes out of control, causing dangerous outbreaks until they can be gathered, which the Jewel Riders learn may also be the only way to free Merlin from Wild Magic.

Gwenevere successfully completes her Sun Stone bonding ceremony with Sunstar, a flying unicorn she rescues from Lady Kale's castle. The story then follows the adventures of the Jewel Riders as they search for the Crown Jewels while dealing with outbreaks of wild magic. The seven Crown Jewels are the Jewel of the North Woods, the Rainbow Jewel, the Jewel of the Burning Ice, the Misty Rose Jewel, the Desert Star Jewel, the Jewel of the Dreamfields, and the Jewel of the Jungle. The Jewel Riders must find them before Kale does in order to save Merlin and Avalon.

In the season finale, Lady Kale seizes control of the Jewel Keep at the Crystal Palace and overthrows Anya, unleashing dark magic onto Avalon and stripping the Jewel Riders of their powers. She then seeks out Merlin to finish him off and become queen, but he uses his remaining power to pull her into Wild Magic, allowing the Riders to release the hidden magic of the Crystal Palace, which is revealed to be an Enchanted Jewel. Kale attempts to absorb the powers of the Crown Jewels, but is destroyed. As the Riders celebrate their victory, they discover that the Crown Jewels have been tuned to their Enchanted Jewels, allowing them to channel the magic of Avalon. Merlin also appears to congratulate them, informing them that he sacrificed his staff jewel so that Kale could be defeated and that without it, he will be lost to Wild Magic.

Second season

While Lady Kale is defeated and Avalon is at peace, Merlin is still trapped in Wild Magic and the kingdom is not yet safe, as outbreaks of wild magic continue and, without Merlin's jewel, they have lost a chance of solving the magic crisis. However, the Jewel Riders gain new and more powerful magic from the Crown Jewels, allowing them to deal with the outbreaks. Meanwhile, Kale's Dark Stone is summoned to a floating palace, where she re-materializes and meets her rescuer: the legendary enchantress Morgana, the creator and original wielder of the Dark Stone. A millennium ago, she led the ancient wizards against Merlin but failed and, having lost her jewel, has been trapped in Wild Magic since. United by their mutual hatred of Merlin and his followers, the two decide to join forces, and Morgana sends Kale to Avalon in search of the Wizard Jewels in preparation for her return.

As the Jewel Riders search for the Wizard Jewels, they fight against Kale, who has her own agenda and seeks the Jewels for herself while working for Morgana, who wants to use their magic to conquer Avalon. The seven Wizard Jewels, not counting the Dark Stone, are the Unicorn Jewel, the Jewel of Arden, the Garden Jewel, the Jewel of the Sea, the Time Stone, and the Fortune Jewel. Soon, Tamara gains a magic animal for herself; the otherworldly unicorn Shadowsong.

In the final battle between the Riders and Kale and Morgana at the Heart of Avalon and then at the Heart of Wild Magic, Gwenevere is given the magic Staff of Avalon by the Lady of the Lake, the Spirit of Avalon, allowing her to defeat her a second time. The Riders and their allies then unite to fight Morgana, and Gwenevere fuses the Dark Stone with the Sun Stone and obtains the One Jewel, which is forged from the Wizard Jewels. A restored Merlin uses it to destroy Morgana and the ancient wizards' ghosts, after which the Riders and their friends reunite with Merlin and return home.

Characters

Jewel Riders

The Jewel Riders consist of Gwenevere (Starla in the Starla version), Fallon, and Tamara, who each possess an Enchanted Jewel, a special magical gemstone that grants them powers and allows them to communicate with their magic animal.

• Princess Gwenevere (voiced by Kerry Butler in the first season and Jean Louisa Kelly in the second season) is the daughter of the rulers of Avalon, Queen Anya and King Jared, and its destined future queen, who is adventurous and romantic. She is the current leader of the Jewel Riders and wields the royal Sun Stone, which gives her powers of light and goodness. Her magic animal is the winged unicorn Sunstar (voiced by Deborah Allison).

• Fallon (voiced by Deborah Allison) is a member of the Jewel Riders and Gwenevere's bodyguard, who is tomboyish and practical. She wields the Moon Stone, which gives her powers of movement and illusion. Her magic animal is the unicorn Moondance (voiced by Barbara Jean Kearney).

• Tamara (voiced by Laura Dean) is a member of the Jewel Riders, who is empathetic and spiritual and a longtime close friend of Fallon. She wields the Heart Stone, which gives her the ability to talk to animals as well as healing powers and magical music. In the second season, she pairs with the "zebracorn" Shadowsong (voiced by Henry Mandell).

Allies

• Merlin (voiced by Bob Kaliban), is a wizard who serves as a mentor to the Jewel Riders. After Kale banishes him to Wild Magic, the Jewel Riders search for the Crown Jewels to save him and Avalon, and his talking owl familiar, Archimedes (voiced by John Beach 'Voiceguy'), becomes their companion.
• The Wolf Pack is a trio of knights of the Crystal Palace, who wield the Forest Stones and serve as allies to the Riders. They are led by Drake (voiced by John Beach), who Gwenevere has a crush on and who rides the wolf Thunderbolt. Its other members are Josh (voiced by Bob Kaliban) and Max (voiced by Peter Fernandez), whose wolves are Stormrunner and Windwalker, respectively.
• Queen Anya (voiced by Corinne Orr) and King Jared (voiced by Bob Kaliban) are the rulers of Avalon and Gwenevere's parents. Anya was previously a wielder of the Sun Stone, while Jared was the previous leader of the Wolf Pack and wields a Forest Stone.
• Ian (voiced by Bob Kaliban) is a man-wolf prince of the Forest of Arden who falls in love with Gwenevere and becomes her devoted champion and second romantic interest after Drake.

Villains

• Lady Kale (voiced by Corinne Orr) is Gwenevere's aunt and Anya's twin sister, who wields the Dark Stone. She is an "outlaw princess" who believes she is the rightful heir to the throne, a position which was "stolen" from her after Merlin chose Anya to be queen. She was once Merlin's prodigy student and would-be Jewel Rider, but was denied the Sun Stone and then banished for plotting against him and Anya. After being defeated at the end of the first season, she is revived and teams up with Morgana to find the Wizard Jewels while having her own agenda to use their power for herself. She has her own bonded magic animals, the dragon Grimm (voiced by Peter Fernandez) and a duo of mischievous dragon-weasel creatures, brothers Rufus and Twig (voiced by John Beach and Henry Mandell, respectively). She also has human servants, including a gang known as the Outlaws.
• Queen Morgana (voiced by Deborah Allison), is an enchantress who was the creator and original wielder of the Dark Stone. A millennium ago, she led the ancient wizards against Merlin but failed and, having lost her jewel, has been trapped in Wild Magic since. After Kale is revived and teams up with her, they fight against the Jewel Riders together, but secretly plot to betray each other.
• The ancient wizards were wizards who allied with Morgana against Merlin. Among them, the most notable is Derek, who sides with Merlin against Morgana.

Episodes

Season 1 (1995)

No.	Title	Written by	Original air date
1	"Jewel Quest"	Robert Mandell	September 10, 1995 (1995-09-10)
2			September 17, 1995 (1995-09-17)
Gwenevere (Starla), Princess of the Kingdom of Avalon, is about to follow in the footsteps of her mother before her as a Jewel Rider. Finally, the time is about to come for her to receive the special Enchanted Jewel, the Sun Stone, in the traditional Friendship Ring ceremony and join her friends Tamara and Fallon. For her part, Sunstar, a young winged unicorn, dreams of having a friend who would understands her. Meanwhile, Gwen's evil aunt Lady Kale plans to steal the seven Crown Jewels of the Kingdom that she needs to reign over Avalon forever. She finds the powerful Dark Stone and uses it to trap Merlin and banish him into the deadly realm of wild magic. The arriving Jewel Riders are able to secure the key to the magical Jewel Box where the Crown Jewels are kept, but Kale captures the Box itself along with a winged unicorn named Sunstar. In the second part, the girls, aided by their male counterparts known as The Pack, embark on a mission to rescue Sunstar and take back the Jewel Box from Kale, who awaits them in her dark Castle Thornwood. Gwenevere agrees to surrender the key to the Jewel Box in exchange for Sunstar, but Merlin uses his remaining powers to thwart Kale at the last moment. The Seven Crown Jewels are scattered into their original lands, while the friends manage to free Sunstar and escape. Back in New Camelot, Gwen enters the Circle of Friendship to bond with Sunstar as her magical animal, sharing the Sun Stone with her in order to become a Jewel Rider. But with the Crown Jewels dispersed, the magic in Avalon is no longer stable and so the quest to recover them begins.
3	"Travel Trees Can't Dance"	Christopher Rowley & Robin Young	September 24, 1995 (1995-09-24)
Princess Gwenevere and Sunstar discover that the Travel Trees, which are used to "ride" the wild magic, are getting erratic. The two become separated from the other Jewel Riders, who are trying to track down the source of a wild magic outbreak in the Great Northwoods. It turns out that the Trees have a Crown Jewel stuck in their portal, which creates a wild magic dance floor for all the forest animals. Lady Kale, who has followed them, steals Gwen's dance partner and seizes the Jewel of the Great Northwoods to use it for evil, but the reunited Jewel Riders outwit Kale and reclaim it.
4	"Song of the Rainbow"	Mary Stanton & Robin Young	October 1, 1995 (1995-10-01)
Tamara is caught in an enchantment when she plays a strange harp given to her for a performance at a craft fair. After Lady Kale attacks the fair and steals the harp, Gwen and Fallon embark on the quest to save Tamara from going into weird trances and learn what happened to the Rainbow Jewel upon returning to the land. They manage to get back the harp and again succeed in thwarting Kale when the music of the harp leads Tamara to a hidden magic cave in the Rainbow Falls where this Crown Jewel has returned.
5	"Wizard's Peak"	James Luceno & Robin Young	October 8, 1995 (1995-10-08)
The Jewel Riders and the Pack go all together on a quest to the Crystal Cliffs to find the Crown Jewel of Burning Ice on the mountain of Wizard's Peak. When the group is attacked by Lady Kale, they separate into two groups. Fallon and the boys bait Kale away from Gwen and Drake, who together discover an entry into the mountain but soon find themselves trapped in a labyrinth of ice caverns on a romantic but dangerous adventure. Trying to locate the jewel, the Jewel Riders instead find the magical genie Guardian, intent on protecting the magical treasures of the ancient Hall of Wizards from both them and from Kale and her dweasels. In the end, with the help of Tamara and her animals, Gwen and Drake manage to escape and the third Crown Jewel is secured.
6	"For Whom the Bell animalsTrolls"	Marianne Meyer & Robin Young	October 15, 1995 (1995-10-15)
The Pack finds a strange troll in the Misty Moors with the Misty Rose Crown Jewel. The troll uses it to turn the Pack into frogs and their wolves into lizards, but Josh escapes and contacts the Jewel Riders. Princess Gwenevere, Fallon and Tamara need to figure out the answers to the riddles of the troll in order to rescue the boys from being cooked and eaten. But a mysterious talking swan steals the jewel and runs off in order to give it to Lady Kale, unaware of the wild magic havoc it is causing on its trail. The Jewel Riders chase after the swan to recover the jewel and manage to restore all the Misty Moors to normal. This also reverts the troll and the swan to their true forms of the local noble brothers.
7	"Theł Faery Princess"	Linda Shayne & Robin Young	October 22, 1995 (1995-10-22)
A faery princess named Wisp, daughter of Faery King Odeon, searches for her lost flock of faery sheep. The sheep have become affected by wild magic, turning them into "biker-sheep" that run away from the hidden faery realm, crossing over through a rainbow portal into the Great Deserts of Avalon. Wisp gets lost following them and now needs help to find her way back home, so she enlists the help of the Jewel Riders. The girls manage to discover the passage into Faeryland, finding it an alternate dimension where magic works differently. To their unpleasant surprise, they also find out that their enemy Lady Kale has arrived there first and decided this is perfect new kingdom for her to rule. But the Riders find the Desert Star Crown Jewel with the help of the Faery Princess, and they arrive in time to free the realm from Kale before she can master the faery magic. Once the evil is expelled from the Faeryland, King Odeon agrees to unite his kingdom with Avalon under the protection of the Jewel Riders.
8	"Badlands"	Katherine Lawrence & Robin Young	October 29, 1995 (1995-10-29)
Princess Gwenevere, Fallon, and Tamara escort a trading caravan through a canyon across the Badlands to the party at Castle Greenwood. In the caravan are Fallon's artisan parents, who disapprove of her having become a Jewel Rider instead of continuing their trade, leading Fallon to hate Gwen for forcing her to see them again. On the way, they are ambushed by Lady Kale and a band of outlaws working for her. When Gwen needs help, Fallon puts aside her anger and bravely saves her friend from Kale at almost the cost of her own life. Rescuing Gwen and protecting the caravan, Fallon proves to her parents that she excels as a Jewel Rider, and her parents come to accept her choice.
9	"Home Sweet Heart Stone"	Robin Young	November 5, 1995 (1995-11-05)
Tamara is called by her parents to Heartland Animal Farm housing magic animals to examine a recently discovered prism fox. These are legendary animal from a world across the wild magic that they can enter at will and traverse through safely. The evil Lady Kale too heard the news and, believing it to be a great and powerful creature, she wants it as her new magic animal. Using enchanted bagpipes and other instruments, Kale plays a song to lure all the animals from the farm, only to discover that her prize is just a baby prism fox named Kit. Tamara and friends manage win a magic music battle against Kale and bring the animals back home, while Kit gets reunited with her parents and returns home.
10	"Love Struck"	James Mattson	November 12, 1995 (1995-11-12)
Drake finds the talking Magic Sword of Garmondale in a tree at a carnival. Hungry for magic from the Enchanted Jewels of the Jewel Riders, the sword promises Drake that women will now fall madly in love with him. With the sword as his love coach, Drake tries some unusual magic love poems out on each of the Riders. The girls, sensing a trick, turn the tables on Drake by pretending to go along with "his" ruse. All of it then turns out to be a plot by the sword which then almost drains away their magic, however the girls and Drake manage to win and force it back to its original state.
11	"Dreamfields"	Robin Young	November 19, 1995 (1995-11-19)
Princess Gwenevere runs off into the magical Dreamfields of the Great Plains after she becomes bored with her date with Drake at a nearby party. There, she becomes caught in a battle of dreams with Lady Kale, who is also trying to find the Crown Jewel. In a wild dream, Kale switches Gwen's Sun Stone with her Dark Stone, and thus a dream world is created in which Gwen has become evil, and her aunt has become good. Gwen must rely on her friends to help her fight the nightmares of the Dark Stone and to not let Kale get away with the Jewel of the Dreamfields.
12	"Revenge of the Dark Stone"	Robin Young & Christopher Rowley	November 26, 1995 (1995-11-26)
Just when the Jewel Riders try to find the last Crown Jewel and complete the magic of Merlin's Jewel Box, Lady Kale disguises herself as Queen Anya and sneaks into the Crystal Palace. Kale seizes the Jewel Keep and with it the Jewel Box, as well as all the various other magic jewels stored there. She uses their powers to create an "antimagic" device and time-freeze all of New Camelot. When the Jewel Riders find the final Jewel, which was located in Morgana's old lair, Kale magically transports it into her hands and strips them of their powers, proclaiming herself the new Queen of Avalon. (Cliffhanger ending.)
13	"Full Circle"	Robin Young & Christopher Rowley	December 3, 1995 (1995-12-03)
(Continued from the previous episode.) With Avalon cast in darkness and the evil Lady Kale working to finally gain the power of the Crown Jewels, the Jewel Riders refuse to give up and return to the Friendship Ring to perform the Circle of Friendship ceremony again. With their Enchanted Jewels recharged, they enter the wild magic to find Merlin, helped by their friend Kit and guided by special creatures called magic gliders. Merlin reveals that the Crystal Palace itself is an Enchanted Jewel with great powers of goodness. While Merlin and Kale fight in the wild magic over the control of the key to Merlin's Jewel Box, the girls manage to release the magic of both the Crystal Palace and the Crown Jewels. With that, Kale is destroyed and Avalon is restored to normal. However, it is revealed that Merlin has sacrificed his magic jewel to achieve this and thus he cannot come back.

Season 2 (1996)

No.	Title	Written by	Original air date
14	"Morgana"	Robert Mandell	September 8, 1996 (1996-09-08)
The Jewel Riders learn about their newly enhanced magic. They decide to begin a new quest to somehow give Merlin his powers back and return him home safely from his wild magic exile, but are puzzled by continued wild magic outbreaks in Avalon. Unknown to them, trouble is brewing inside the wild magic, where the evil ancient wizard Queen Morgana has been just restored by the Dark Stone, which she had created in first place as her own a thousand years ago. But when she tries to use it again, Morgana brings back Lady Kale into existence too and discovers that the Dark Stone has been meanwhile tuned to Kale. Grudgingly, the two make a deal to work together against Merlin and the Jewel Riders, and Morgana sends Kale to Avalon to retrieve information about the powerful Wizard Jewels. The Jewel Riders return to the Hall of Wizards, where they encounter Kale and face Morgana's powers for the first time, but are victorious with the help of the Guardian and find out about the Wizard Jewels.
15	"Shadowsong"	Robin Young	September 15, 1996 (1996-09-15)
The Jewel Riders ride the wild magic looking for Wizard Jewels, but the Travel Trees cannot handle their new powers, and so they must travel on their own. Tamara finds a place of strong magic and the Riders head there with magic gliders as their guides. But turns out that Morgana had set a trap that sends Gwenevere, Sunstar, Fallon, Moondance, and Archie to a place where the witch can drain and steal the magic of their own Enchanted Jewels. Tamara is sent to another place in the Wild Magic, where she makes friends with a frightened magical zebracorn named Shadowsong. The two form a strong bond and come to rescue the other Jewel Riders from Morgana. By doing it, Shadowsong sacrifices himself but is then brought back to life when Tamara shares her Heart Stone with him.
16	"Fashion Fever"	Robin Young & Christopher Rowley	September 22, 1996 (1996-09-22)
It is high fashion and high-jinx as the annual charity fashion show opens at the Crystal Palace fairgrounds. It is Queen Anya's birthday, and King Jared wants to surprise her with a new dress. When he assigns Princess Gwenevere to handle this "secret mission", she ends up getting Fallon, Moondance, Tamara, and Tamara's baby animals involved in a comedy of errors as each girl and animal tries to complete the task. Meanwhile, Lady Kale sneaks into the show and creates a style-shifting dress that is too magical for Gwen to resist. When Gwen puts the dress on, she falls under Kale's hypnotic spell. It makes her lead her evil aunt into the Jewel Keep and even attack her own friends, all while a wild magic outbreak causes further chaos. It is up to Fallon and Drake to save the day when they manage to fight off Kale in sword combat and break the enchantment over Gwen, but their enemies have learned the locations of the Wizard Jewels.
17	"The Wizard of Gardenia"	James Luceno	September 29, 1996 (1996-09-29)
In the magical gardens of the realm Gardenia, a gardener gnome fools the Jewel Riders into thinking that he is one of the Great Wizards from Avalon's past and capable of great magic. The gnome has the ability to sculpt magical topiary animals that transform into crystal creatures. When the Jewel Riders discover that the gnome is not what he appears to be (actually just a wizard's apprentice), they convince the gnome to help them retrieve a powerful Wizard Jewel from a dangerous place called the Sorcerer's Playground. He then helps the girls foil Kale and Morgana when the evil sorceresses arrive to take it.
18	"Vale of the Unicorns"	Katherine Lawrence	October 6, 1996 (1996-10-06)
The Jewel Riders journey to the enchanted lands of the unicorns to learn about the secret of their magic. These most magical animals in Avalon are in danger as the Unicorn Queen is missing and was kidnapped by Morgana to obtain the Unicorn Wizard Jewel. Moondance, daughter of the Queen, must go to a magical labyrinth and perform a series of dangerous trials to determine whether she should become the new queen. However, this would also mean that Moondance could no longer be with the Jewel Riders and leave Fallon, which would force her to choose whether her loyalties are with the unicorns or with her best friend. Eventually, with the help of their friends, they manage to not only to complete all the trials but then also to win against Morgana, saving the unicorn queen in addition to obtaining the jewel.
19	"Prince of the Forest"	Robin Young	October 13, 1996 (1996-10-13)
While searching for Faery Wraiths in the Forest of Arden, Princess Gwenevere finds romance with a very handsome and equally mysterious boy named Ian when they rescue each other in turns. However, he does not reveal to her the jewel he had found and how it enables him to transform into a human, as his true form is that of wolfman-like beast. Now that Ian has met Gwen, he is worried that he may lose her love. When Lady Kale captures Ian and discovers his secret, she offers him a chance to remain human forever if he gives the jewel to her, but Ian rejects Kale and saves Gwen from her and Morgana. The princess then assures him that no matter what shape he takes, she will always be his friend.
20	"The Wishing Jewel"	Laura Munro	October 20, 1996 (1996-10-20)
Princess Gwenevere and Drake go on an adventure together but get lost in the misty walls that surround Avalon and discover a new magical but dangerous place outside the borders of the kingdom. Lost, they must work together to unravel a riddle told to them by the Travel Trees. Gwen and Drake must search for a magic jewel that will turn this land to goodness and extend the borders of Avalon before wild magic causes this place to vanish completely. Each discover half of the Wishing Jewel, but they can not figure out why it does not work quite right until they realize that neither of them have the entire jewel so they must work together in order to reassemble its pieces.
21	"The Jewel of the Sea"	Linda Shayne	October 27, 1996 (1996-10-27)
The Jewel Riders embark on a great sea voyage to a magical island where a Wizard Jewel has landed. Sailing over the great Sea of Avalon, the girls discover an underwater kingdom of mermaid creatures. A merboy steals Tamara's Heart Stone and becomes human, but Tamara is transformed into a mermaid when she takes the Magic Pearl. The other Jewel Riders must find the merboy who has run off to the magic atoll and convince him to give the Heart Stone back to Tamara. Meanwhile, in the undersea lagoon gardens, Tamara confronts a big sea dragon guarding his territory. The adventure ends with the Jewel Rider's obtaining the Jewel of the Sea.
22	"Trouble in Elf Town"	Laraine Arkow & Marlowe Weisman	November 3, 1996 (1996-11-03)
A gang of three troll brothers finds three new Enchanted Jewels in the wild magic and use them to try to steal elf magic from the Elf Woods. The Jewel Riders ride into town and engage in a Western-style showdown with the trolls to get their jewels and save the elves.
23	"Mystery Island"	Robin Young	November 10, 1996 (1996-11-10)
Wild the magic gliders tell the Jewel Riders a creature is crying out from somewhere in the Wild Magic, and Tamara convinces the Jewel Riders to go and rescue it. The girls ride into wild magic, and discover a lost island. But their enemies have also found this island and so Morgana sends Kale after them and a hidden Wizard Jewel. The Jewel Riders find a giant creature who, amazingly, only responds to the baby animals. It is up to Cleo, Sugar, and Spike to save the day. In the end, the Jewel Riders find the Time Stone, Kale is bested once again, and their new friend returns to his own world.
24	"The Fortune Jewel"	Robin Young	November 17, 1996 (1996-11-17)
A fortune teller named Esmerelda and her mysterious cat use the Fortune Jewel to tell people's fortunes. When the Jewel Riders have their fortunes read, a dark future is revealed to Princess Gwenevere that tells of the fall of the Crystal Palace and the rise of Morgana to rule Avalon. After Gwen and her friends fall into a magical trap set up by Lady Kale, the cat's secret is revealed, him being really the ancient wizard Derek who has lost his human form when he was tricked by Morgana. With Esmerelda's and Derek's help, the Jewel Riders win again and capture the final Wizard Jewel.
25	"Lady of the Lake/Spirit of Avalon"	Robert Mandell & Christopher Rowley	November 24, 1996 (1996-11-24)
Determined to prevent the Fortune Jewel's prophecy from coming true, the Jewel Riders travel to seek out the wisdom of the Lady of the Lake. The girls to the shore of the mysterious Isle of Myst, where Kale and Morgana had arrived there first and ambush them using the place's powerful magic to turn most of them into statues. Only Princess Gwenevere and Sunstar escape across a magical lake, where Gwen is given the Staff of Avalon so she can merge the collected Wizard Jewels into a new magical jewel for Merlin. With help of arriving Ian, Gwen uses the Staff to combine the power of the Wizard Jewels, finally defeating Lady Kale and saving their friends from peril. However, Morgana steals the Jewel Box and disappears. (Cliffhanger ending.)
26	"The Last Dance/The One Jewel"	Robert Mandell & Christopher Rowley	December 12, 1996 (1996-12-12)
(Continued from the previous episode.) Having dealt with Kale, the Jewel Riders and Ian find out that Morgana is heading to the center of wild magic. They journey there and meet up with Merlin as he confronts Morgana, who plans to forge the Wizard Jewels together and create the One Jewel that will control all the magic of Avalon, and witness the arrival of ghosts of several other evil wizards summoned by their jewels. Merlin's champions then fight against Morgana in a series of magical events to determine the future of Avalon and the fate of Merlin. They are leading the contest until Ian sacrifices himself to save Sunstar's life, after which Gwen manages to revive him with a kiss but Morgana succeeds in winning the Jewel Box. However, the boys of the Pack save the day when they arrive to help Gwen use the Dark Stone to create the One Jewel for Merlin, who quickly uses it against Morgana and the wizard ghosts. He then happily reunites with his friends at long last.

History

Development

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders was produced by the New York-based studios New Frontier Entertainment and Enchanted Camelot Productions for Bohbot Productions (later BKN) in 1995. The series was produced by much of the team behind the late 1980s science fiction cartoon The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, including the creator, co-writer and main director of both shows, Robert Mandell, after a long development process. Despite a similar theme and title, there are no connections with King Arthur and the Knights of Justice, which was Bohbot Entertainment's other Arthurian-inspired cartoon series that was produced in 1992–1993. It was originally supposed to be a cartoon adaptation of the Dragonriders of Pern series of fantasy novels by Anne McCaffrey but eventually went in a different direction. The project was renamed repeatedly in the course of its development, including to Enchanted Jewel Riders sometime in late 1994 or early 1995 and Princess Guinevere & Her Jewel Adventures in March 1995, before ultimately becoming Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders (which was again retitled as Starla & the Jewel Riders for the export version). One of the several work-in-progress titles for the show was Enchanted Camelot, which was acquired as such in March 1994 by LIVE Entertainment (along with Skysurfer Strike Force and Highlander: The Animated Series). Enchanted Camelot had some major differences in its character design. The August 1994 draft script for the pilot episode of Enchanted Camelot ("Enchanted Quest", which would become "Jewel Quest") has been different in many aspects.

According to The Buffalo News, "the production team intended for the Jewel Riders to serve as positive role models for girls." Bohbot's press kit for the series described it as "classic story-telling," incorporating "strong themes of friendship, teamwork, responsibility and conflict resolution." Each episode was constructed as an animated minimusical. The animation work on the series was done in Taipei, Taiwan by Hong Ying Animation Company Limited; one of the show's character designers was the future Emmy Award winner Rob Davies. The overall design was done by Jane Abbot, with Billy Zeats and Greg Autore serving as art directors. Enrico Casarosa was one of the storyboard artists. It was the first series scored by Louis Fagenson; though the French version's soundtrack was the work of Julie Zenatti. The show's CGI effects were created by Ian Tetrault in Autodesk 3ds Max and Adobe After Effects. The actress for Gwenevere/Starla was changed for the second season because Kerry Butler had to go to Canada for the musical Beauty and the Beast.

The show was not renewed for 1997, but a third season was rumored in 1998. The series' art director Greg Autore said about the making of the second season in 1995: "Bohbot wanted European distribution which required 26 [episodes]. So they made the next 13. They would have made more but were waiting to see how it succeeded. When the second set of episodes was turned on, the only two directions to start with were – 1) Search for wild magic jewels since the first set was all found 2) Use Morgana as the ultimate villainess instead of Lady Kale. Fortunately, director Robert Mandell was open to many of my suggestions. That second season had many episodes that grew from my concepts and a very rough storyline suggestion. Since the second season were not yet written and were rushed into production, this was where I had the most fun. Instead of just translating the characters and creating new fashions, I was free to create many new powers and adventures for the show. While I had input on many of the first episodes, I was now creating the basic storylines for entire episodes. Robert always had Morgana in the back of his head as a villainess he wanted to do. Now we could break out and expand the world of Avalon in different ways."

Broadcast

The series was first broadcast in the United States in 1995–1996 on Bohbot Entertainment's "Amazin'! Adventures" block, had U.S. coverage of 80% and aired on 106 stations. Internationally, it has been shown in more than 130 countries in the Starla version. It was acquired by Fox Kids Europe in 2000 (Fox Kids UK had aired it in 1996 before the rest of Fox Kids Europe in 2000).

Release

There have been four VHS releases in America by Family Home Entertainment in January 1996 covering only part of the first season and consisting of Jewel Quest (episodes "Jewel Quest Part 1" and "Jewel Quest Part 2"), Wizard's Peak ("Wizard's Peak" and "Travel Trees Can't Dance") and For Whom the Bell Trolls ("For Whom the Bell Trolls" and "The Faery Princess"), followed by Full Circle ("Revenge of the Dark Stone" and "Full Circle") in July 1996. Leading up to the release date, Hasbro and Toys 'R' Us offered an episode from the program on video for free with the pre-order purchase of a related toy. The UK (Carlton Video 1997), Serbian (Vidcom 1996, "Prizor" dub) and French (Warner Home Video 2000) VHS releases include some episodes from the second season.

In 2005, the rights for the DVD retail in the United States and Canada were given to Digiview Entertainment, which has reserved the right to release the show on DVD. They announced plans to release the first two volumes in 2006 and subsequent volumes over the course of the next year. However, the only DVD released by Digiview was Wizard's Peak, containing the first five episodes of the show and available in Wal-Mart stores. Though it says "Princess Gwenevere & the Jewel Riders" on the cover, the show on the DVD is the international version (Starla & the Jewel Riders); in the case of both the cover and the show itself, the Starla-style title fonts (similar to the title fonts in Gargoyles) are used in the logo, and the disc appears to be region-free. The complete first season was released on DVD in France in 2008 dubbed into French. The series was also released on DVD in Serbia in 2007 and 2008 with a Serbian dub. Pidax Film released the German dub together with the English original on DVD in 2021.

In 2008–2009, the series was available to be watched for free in a streaming media form on the Lycos Cinema service and later Kidlet.tv; while it was titled as Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, it was actually the Starla version. In 2009, the show was also made freely available for users of the Internet service SyncTV (available online from the browser for the American users and downloadable for watching for the others). In 2011, the Starla version became available for streaming through Netflix for the users in the United States, expanded to the entire first season in 2012. The first two episodes ("Jewel Quest") have been put on YouTube by 41 Entertainment, a new company founded by the producer Allan J. Bohbot. In 2018, most of the episodes have been released in high quality and wide aspect ratio through the subscription service Watch It Kid!. It has been since also made available on other streaming platforms, including Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, and PeacockTV.

Merchandise

According to Robert Mandell, the show was originally commissioned by Hasbro through reverse toyetic to accompany their line of toys (albeit only in the form of vague outline and the creators developed the plot and the characters). However, according to Variety, Bohbot "took the Princess Gwenevere concept to Hasbro Toys, which after extensive market research, put itself enthusiastically behind the project, collaborating in equal partnership with Bohbot on the development of the property." A national "Watch and Win" contest in February 1996 offered viewers the opportunity to win Princess Gwenevere videos and toys if they mailed in the correct code words from the show. The Hasbro/Kenner toy line had two series of action figures for girls ages 4 and up. The first series contains Princess Gwenevere (Starla), Sun Power Gwenevere, Tamara, Fallon, Drake, Lady Kale, Sunstar, and Moondance; and the second series contains Deluxe Princess Gwenevere (Starla), Deluxe Tamara, and Deluxe Fallon. According to Time to Play, the action figures' sales "bombed". In the fall of 1996, Hasbro planned to reintroduce revamped versions of the figures as well as new characters from the animated series. The toys had a television advertising campaign featuring a 30-second commercial.

Other merchandise included a series of collectible trading cards released by the Upper Deck Company in 1996, a "play-a-sound" children's illustrated sound book by Nancy L. McGill based on the first two episodes and published by Publications International that same year, Panini Group collectible stickers, a makeup kit, Happy Meal and Long John Silver's premium toys, lunchboxes, clothing items, and such. There were unrealized plans to produce a video game adaptation and the series' theme song was included on Mastermix's TV SETS CD 14.

Reception

Ratings

Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders was reported to be "struggling with a 0.6 national Nielsen rating among girls 2–11" in 1995. Bohbot hoped heavy promotion of the merchandise products would raise awareness of the show. Nevertheless, it was the most popular of the first-run cartoon series in the 1995 edition of Bohbot's "Amazin' Adventures II" weekend syndicated package. Daily Herald reported it was "the number one syndicated television show in the U.S. among girls 6 to 11" in 1996. It was reported that Starla became "a huge hit" when it was shown in France. First broadcast there in April 1996, it reached the top of the channel France 3's ratings in children's time slots with a 77.6% market share average, proving "that action, knights and fantastic stories work very well with boys, too."

Critical reception

The show's critical reception has been mixed and highly divisive. According to Video Librarian, "a cross between She-Ra: Princess of Power and the saccharine My Little Pony, the Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders series is standard Saturday morning cartoon fodder." Scott Moore of The Buffalo News compared the "underwhelming" Princess Gwenevere to the "overhyped" Sailor Moon. Retrospectively, Rob Bricken of Topless Robot ranked Princess Gwenevere fifth on his 2009 list of "most ridiculous" adaptations of Arthurian legend, commenting that shows like that "were clearly made to take advantage of a small, low-aiming school of girl-oriented action cartoons, but it ultimately lost out to a slightly more tolerable Japanese import."

In Arthurian Legends on Film and Television, Bert Olton opined that "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders combines all the worst elements of minimalist cartooning, modern commercialism and vacuous storytelling with a tiny portion of Arthurian legend." In The Middle Ages in Popular Culture: Medievalism and Genre, Clare Bradford and Rebecca Hutton described it as "a disappointing production that is markedly sexist and racist with only tenuous links to the Arthuriad." Kathleen Richter of Ms. called the show "so sexist and racist" for how it has "the powerful female figure demonized as evil and the main character blonde and blue-eyed."

On the other hand, Samantha Kelly of Manchester Metro News called it as "a real gem" of a fairy tale style good-versus-evil story for young girls, who in her opinion would strongly identify with its beautiful royal heroine on her quest against the menace of Lady Kale, praising the show as "full of action and fantasy" and featuring "excellent" character animation. Bustle's Lucia Peters wrote, "Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders followed a pretty classic 'special kid and special friends have awesome powers and must defeat the forces of darkness' format. The fact that it met at the intersection of horses, sparkly things, and girl power, though, means that it holds a special place in many '90s kids' hearts." In King Arthur in America, authors Alan and Barbara Lupack that the show, "with its strong female heroine, is interesting in part because it is designed primarily for girls." In Adapting the Arthurian Legends for Children, Barbara Lupack added that it successfully "translated the Arthurian story into an idiom easily accessible to preteen female viewers and (...) appealed to its young audience." Retrospectively, France's Fun Radio included it among the 14 "probably the best" cartoons of the 1990s as "one of the quintessential girl series".

Contrary to above mentioned criticism of perceived sexism and racism by some, some others noted the show for its positive values for its intended audience. Keith Busby remarked in Arthurian Literature that "the series appeals to young girls and teaches them the values of friendship." According to Billboard, the plot of this "popular" series, "specifically targeting young girls", features "life lessons to be learned along the way, and the program in general promotes brains over brawn." Syfy's Brittany Vincent wrote about how this "pleasant and kitschy relic of the past" had been a "perfect fodder for young girls like me looking for strong women and heroes to imitate."

Legacy

Natoo's jewel line Joyau Magique (Magic Jewel) was inspired by Jewel Riders, her favourite childhood cartoon.

Spiritual sequel

Main article: Avalon: Web of Magic

In 2001, author Rachel Roberts began writing her contemporary fantasy book series Avalon: Web of Magic loosely based on the show and borrowing various concepts and names (including even some of the episode titles), as well as lyrics from some of the songs used in Jewel Riders. As of 2012, the series consists of 12 novels, as well as the three-volume graphic novel adaptation, titled Avalon: The Warlock Diaries. A film adaptation of Avalon: Web of Magic was announced in 2012, but was never released. An Avalon animated series project was revealed in 2017.

Sequel

In 2023, nearly three decades after the end of the television series, licensed Princess Gwenevere & the Jewel Riders graphic novels were announced to be released by the Mad Cave Studios imprint Maverick. According to the cartoon's executive producer and copyright holder Allen Bohbot from 41 Entertainment, they are going "to reflect a modern take of the Arthurian legends with a more dramatized version [and] will target an older audience," and it "may well serve as a foundation of story and design content for potential new YA animated project."

The comic series, written by Jordie Bellaire and illustrated by Koi Carreon, began with Volume 1 published on 28 May 2024. It is a sequel to the animated series: "While the girls remain friends, things are not as they once were. Gwenevere - once the leader of the Jewel Riders - has had to take a step back from her true passion, being a Jewel Rider and protecting Avalon from evil, in order to step into a new role as the future queen. Fallon, holder of the Moon Stone now leads the Pack--an elite group of Avalon's protectors, a role once held by Gwen's fiance. Tamara trains under Merlin to better harness the power of her Heart Stone, but wonders where she--and her powers--truly belong. When Merlin begins acting oddly, it's a sign that evil Wild Magic has returned to the kingdom--and so has a foe the Jewel Riders thought they'd once vanquished. With her kingdom, friends, and magic on the line, Gwenevere must choose between the life she loves and knows as a Jewel Rider and her newfound duties." The art in the series is more manga-esque.

According to Kirkus Reviews, the "story captures the animated television series’ essence while making subtle contemporary updates (...) There’s an unmistakable positivity to the narrative, which encourages openness and demonstrates that vulnerability isn’t always a weakness. (...) Sparkling characters highlight this diverting illustrated fantasy tale."

See also

• Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld
• Lady Lovely Locks
• LoliRock
• Star vs. the Forces of Evil
• Steven Universe
• Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic
• W.I.T.C.H.
• Wildfire
• Winx Club
• Wonder Woman and the Star Riders

References

Other sources

• Enchanted Jewel Riders Show Bible.
• Full Production Credits at NYTimes.com.
• (in Catalan) Jewel Riders at Super3 channel's website.
• Kevin J. Harty, King Arthur on Film: New Essays on Arthurian Cinema, 1999, p. 224.

External links

• Official website (1995 archived)
• Official website (2024)
• Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders at IMDb
• The Jewel Riders Archive