The Gargoyles
One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled.
It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear.
It was the age of gargoyles.
Stone by day, warriors by night,
we were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect,
frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years.
Now, here in Manhattan, the spell is broken, and we live again!
We are defenders of the night!
We are Gargoyles!
The Gargoyles are a group of creatures from Scotland, 994 A.D. who are stone by day, and come alive by night to protect their castle and the humans who inhabit it, particularly Princess Katharine and her advisor, the Magus. It's a bittersweet existence, as most of the humans look down on the gargoyles and treat them like dangerous and heartless monsters. Goliath, the only named gargoyle at the time, is the leader and with his love and second-in-command, a fiery and beautiful blue female gargoyle, he tries to maintain a certain level of peace between the Scottish and the gargoyles. When the captain of the castle army betrays his princess by allowing a siege by the enemy during the day when the castle is defenseless, without the help of the gargoyles, he shows who he truly is. Still, he's surprised when the enemy shatters the gargoyles, which wasn't a part of their plan. All are destroyed, except for a few, some of whom were led on a wild good chase to get them away from the castle, and a few of which were sent to the underground rookery as a punishment for misbehaving. When they awake and find their friends and comrades in pieces, they're devastated, the Magus, furious, thinking the kidnapped Princess has been killed, and the gargoyles are to blame, casts a spell on the survivors that turns them into stone by day AND night, until the day the castle rises above the clouds, according to the spell. Goliath and another gargoyle awake and rush to the castle to find what Magus has done, and asks that his spell be cast on them as well. Goliath is unaware that Demona had actually escaped before the destruction of the gargoyles, and was currently in hiding. 1000 years later, a rich and ambitious businessman from New York, David Xanatos, bought the castle (and everything therein and thereon), and, believing the legend, had the castle lifted in pieces by helicopter above the clouds, where he installed it on top of his Manhattan skyscraper. When night fell, he was thrilled to find the spell was broken and the surviving six gargoyles awoke to a completely new world. He masqueraded as a friend, with ulterior motives all along, and the others named themselves after things they saw and placed they visited in their new home (Hudson, Broadway, Brooklyn, Lexington, Broadway and Bronx). When Goliath meets a savvy and stunning police detective, Elisa Maza, he finds the gargoyles' first human friend and ally, someone who will keep their secret and not use them. Their adventures as they vow to protect their new home and Manhattan from crime and evil help them to grow and become more accustomed to their new life, and they find plenty of new things to learn and do, especially when a certain blue lady gargoyle returns, and Xanatos's true motives are revealed...
When the castle is no longer safe for the Gargoyles, Elisa finds a clock tower at the top of the police station skyscraper, a perfect place for the gargoyles to reside. Working the night beat, she finds she keeps a perfect schedule to keep in contact with the stone-by-day gargoyles. Later, Goliath and Elisa are met with a mysterious stranger from the gargoyles' past, and they soon find themselves on the legendary island of Avalon, with Bronx along for the ride, where they meet an entire clan of gargoyles, alive and well, including Goliath and Demona's daughter, Angela. They head on a series of adventures on several continents and in several countries, finding international gargoyles all along the way and helping where they're needed. In their absence, Brooklyn takes control of the clan, and they look forward to their friends' return.
Goliath is voiced by Keith David, while Hudson is voiced by Edward Asner, Jeff Bennett provides Brooklyn's husky tones, Broadway is voiced by Bill Fagerbakke and Lexington's innocence is portrayed by Thom Adcox-Hernandez.
Goliath is the leader of the small clan, having led the group in Scotland in 994 A.D. He's big, strong, lavendar, intelligent, quick of mind and great of heart. He's sincerely interested in his gargoyle family and their life in Manhattan. He finds, when he, Elisa and Bronx go on a journey to Avalon, that he and Demona had a daughter, Angela. He's torn romantically, but finds his equal and true kindred spirit in Elisa.
Hudson is the oldest, and probably the wisest of the group. An old warrior, scarred and weary from his years of battle, Hudson (named after the river) spends most of his time in a recliner with a remote control in his hand, with Bronx at his side. He's a fighter when called upon, tough as nails and as fierce as the youngest gargoyle, but if he could, he would rather study and spend time at home. He's an old coot, a sort of loveable curmudgeon, and full of the wit that often comes with old age. Hudson befriends a blind man, Jeffrey Robbins, and spends many evenings visiting with him (neglecting to mention that he's a gargoyle to his blind friend). Hudson finds comfort in a friend who won't judge him based on his appearance but who will talk to him like an intelligent being rather than a monster.
Brooklyn is the rebel of the group. He's young, impetuous, a rascal with a good heart. He picks up the modern slang ("cool", "awesome", etc.) in a heartbeat, and loves to ride the motorcycle Lexington rigs up, trying to fit right in and rid0ing with the best of them. He's one of the younger group, part of the "trio" (including Broadway and Lexington), and his scruffy, edgy demeanor makes him a unique part of the Manhattan clan. Tough, brave and strong, he becomes Goliath's second-in-command when Hudson realizes he's too old to rely on in case of Goliath's incapacitation as leader. Young as he is, Brooklyn is uncomfortable at first with his responsibility, especially when Goliath and Elisa go missing (on their Avalone adventures, unknown to the clan), but he learns to accept it. He has a bit of a soft spot when it comes to Demona, having been manipulated and hurt personally by her. She used him to get to Goliath, proving her deviousness in his eyes once and for all. He's trusting, but not too trusting, and in the end, pretty much the coolest gargoyle of all. Brooklyn began to fall for the cat-like mutant, Maggie Reed, but reluctantly (and gallantly) gave her up to her love, Elisa's brother, Derek. When Goliath, Elisa and Bronx return from Avalon, he falls for Goliath's daughter, Angela, who, unfortunately, quickly hits it off with Broadway.
Lexington is the mechanic of the group, he's attracted immediately the the new technology and mechanics of the new millennium they find themselves in. He finds he's a whiz with a toolbox and can even work his way around a computer and inside a TV set. He's probably the youngest gargoyle of the Manhattan clan, and is a little naive and impetuous, but when needed, he's also a very fierce figher, small, light and agile. He worships The Pack, a group of heroes on a television show who turn out to be a group of assassins and criminals, owned by Xanatos. When they turn on him and use him to get to Goliath and bring him down, essentially in a glorified hunting game, he is personally offended and vows never to be so manipulated again. Lex is a clever little guy, and provides a little sense to the trio.
If, in the trio, Brooklyn is the guts and Lexington is the brains, then Broadway is the heart. He's a big old guy, someone who loves good times and good food, but will be a big warrior if the situation called for it. Always hungry, and always looking for fun, Broadway is pleasant and easy to get along with. When he accidentally shoots Elisa with her own gun, after watching a western movie and mimicking the actions he learned from the shootouts on it, and even after she recovers, he takes personal offense when he encounters criminals with guns. When Goliath, Elisa and Bronx return from their Avalon adventures with Goliath's beautiful daughter, Angela, she and Broadway quickly become lovers, much to Brooklyn's dismay.
Bronx is, for lack of a better word, the pet of the clan. A perfect watchdog and a great fighter in battle, Bronx's only handicap is that he doesn't have wings, and can't glide along with the rest of the group (he's carried when they need to travel, usually by Hudson). He can't speak, but growls and barks, like a dog, and is defensive and protective of his clan and their friends and allies. He's a cuddly little monster, when threats aren't near, and spends a lot of time at the castle with Hudson.
David Xanatos: So now you know my weakness.
Goliath: Only you would regard love as a weakness.
Hudson: A gargoyle can no more stop protecting the castle than breathing the air.
Goliath: Time is like a river, correcting its course against any change. History cannot be altered.
Angela: Oh, and another thing- Stop calling me ANGIE!
Brooklyn: You got it!
Broadway: No problem!
Lexington: 'Angela', it is!
Broadway: What's this? A new kind of gun? A new way to kill people?
Broadway: (to Angela) I'm Broadway. This is Lexington and Brooklyn. And these are for you.
(hands her a box of candy)
Brooklyn: Well, uh... at least what's left of them.
Lexington: Hey! What happened to the motorcycle?
Brooklyn: Um... it... blew up.
Lexington: Oh. WHAT?
Goliath: I've been denied everything... EVEN MY REVENGE!
Brooklyn: If they think we're beasts and monsters.
Lexington: Then perhaps we better live up to the name.
Goliath: All of my kind are dead... and now... you two will join them!
Goliath: They did this to her... those masked hunters... on my daughter's life, I swear I will hunt them down... and I will kill them.
Hudson: Movies, television, video games... these days it's hard to tell what's real and what's not.
Brooklyn: Defenders of the night, stopping evil stone cold.
(as the sun rises)
Angela: This is a good life.
Broadway: Yeah. Just one thing would make it perfect.
Lexington: Breakfast?
Broadway: How did you know?
Angela: Do you think the thieves will really try to rob this place again?
Hudson: Thieves always return to the scene of the crime, lass. I learned that from the television.
Angela: I thought you said I wasn't supposed to believe everything I saw on television...
Elisa Maza: Shapeshifters, elves, fairies... you mean they're real?
Hudson: As real as I am, if the stories be true.
Brooklyn: Cool!
Goliath: What?
Broadway: It's a new word we learned last night.
Lexington: It indicates a positive response.
David Xanatos: Without you and your friends who knows what those thugs would've done.
Goliath: Someone I once trusted said the same thing to me. And then destroyed my people.
Brooklyn: Who is this "MacBeth" anyway?
Lexington: Uh, the name sounds familliar... Wait, I remember. Goliath was talking about a play called "MacBeth" by some new writer named Shakespeare.
Brooklyn: Uh-huh. Ever read it?
Lexington: No.
Brooklyn: Maybe we should.
(Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington force open an elevator to find a slew of guards with guns pointed at them)
Brooklyn: Sorry, wrong floor.
Brooklyn: (pokes cage) Ouch. (pokes cage) Ouch.
Lexington: How many times are you going to try that?
Brooklyn: Until you find a way to get us out of this. (pokes cage) Ouch. (pokes cage) Ouch. Hey, you know, I'm getting tired of this.
Lexington: Did you just see how the lights dimmed when you did that?
Brooklyn: Oh, sorry no, I was too busy writhing in agony to notice.
(loud pounding and banging, sounds of a fight)
Lexington: Bronx must have found Goliath.
Brooklyn: Yeah.
David Xanatos: Soon everyone in New York will be hunting gargoyles.
Goliath: Because of you!
David Xanatos: If you're going to be picky, we won't get anywhere.
Goliath: It is the nature of humans to fear what they do not understand. Their ways are not our ways.
Coldstone: You said that destroying my brother is the only way to survive. Is that all there is for us, mere survival?
Demona: Isn't that enough?
Goliath: No. Gargoyles protect. It is our nature. Our purpose. To lose that is to be corrupt. Empty. Lifeless.
Elisa Maza: Third race?
Broadway: You know. Gargoyles, humans, and Oberon's children.
Brooklyn: Yeah. That guy Shakespeare wrote a play about them. "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
Broadway: Why stare at marks on a page when you can rent the video?
Broadway: Feel the air currents. Use them, just like you do with your wings.
Brooklyn: Yeah, use the force, Lex
(after Goliath has destroyed a cache of Xanatos's weapons)
Owen Burnett: Mr. Xanatos isn't going to like this...
Goliath: I'll be happy to discuss the matter with him.
Lexington: Boy, the city sure is different when it snows.
Brooklyn: Yeah. It's colder.
Lexington: (walking into the TV room) Hey, it's The Pack!
Brooklyn: Cool!
Hudson: (flipping through the channels) Something's wrong, it's on all the channels again!
Broadway: I thought you liked this show, Hudson.
Hudson: Aye, I do, but not every night!
Elisa Maza: I'm gonna hit the sack. (leaves)
Hudson: I do not understand. Why would she want to hit a sack?
Brooklyn: No, no, it means she's tired and she wants to sleep.
Hudson: Then why did she not say so?
Broadway: I'm hungry.
Brooklyn: You just ate.
Broadway: I know, Chinese food. It was good, too. But the strange thing is, an hour later I was hungry again.
Goliath: (Goliath is wounded. He and Hudson are facing Demona. speaks weakly) You ... can't ... face her.
Hudson: I can face her. I just can't beat her.