PAC-MAN
AND THE GHOSTLY ADVENTURES
(Disney XD, Family Chrgd, Netflix, June 15, 2013-May
29, 2015 US
Tokyo MXTV, BS11, April 5, 2014-June 27, 2015 JAP)
Tokyo MXTV, BS11, April 5, 2014-June 27, 2015 JAP)
41 Entertainment, Arad Animation Inc., Bandai Namco
Entertainment, OLM Digital, Sprite Animation Studios
MAIN CAST:
Erin Mathews – Pac-Man, Ms.
Globular
Andrea Libman – Cylindria
Sam Vincent – Spiralton, Lord
Betrayus Sneakerus Spheros, President Stratos Spheros, Count Pacula
Ian James Corlett – Blinky, Sir
Cumference, The Pacinator
Lee Tockar – Inky, Mr. Dome,
King Obtuse, Cyclops Ghosts, Tentacle Ghosts, Fuzbitz
Ashleigh Ball – Pinky, Spheria
Suprema, The Easter Pac-Peep
Brian Drummond – Clyde,
Butt-ler, Dr. A.H. Buttocks, Ogle, Professor Pointybrains
Developed by Tom Ruegger and Paul Rugg, two of the people
responsible for the Warner
Bros. Television Animation renaissance of the 90s, and Avi Arad, who was responsible
for the majority of Marvel Comics’
television and film output since the 1990s, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures saw
the return of Namco’s classic
character since the 1980s
Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
![]() |
Betrayus while he was still alive. |
The computer animated series
centered around an orphaned and teenaged Pac-Man (Erin Mathews). His parents
had fought in the war against the ghosts, led by Lord Betrayus Sneakerus
Spheros (Sam Vincent), who tried to conquer Pac-World. He was stripped of his
corporeal form and banished to the Netherworld with the ghosts. The seal to the
Netherworld was accidentally opened by Pac when he was avoiding school bully
Skeebo (Matt Hill), allowing
Betrayus and his ghosts access to Pac-World once again.
![]() |
The Ghost Gang: Blinky, Clyde, Inky and Pinky. |
As in the video games on which the
show is based, Pac had the ability to eat ghosts and destroy their ectoplasm,
leaving only their eyeballs to fly off and reconstitute their forms in a
regeneration chamber. This was because he was a Yellow Pac, and one of the
last—if not THE last—in all of Pac-World. The ghosts are made tastier when Pac
eats berries from the Tree of Life, which also give him a variety of different
powers and allow him to withstand the hostile environment of the Netherworld.
Included from the games was the Ghost Gang: crafty leader Blinky (Ian James
Corlett), smart and sarcastic Inky (Lee Tockar), dim-witted-though-wise and
caring Clyde (Brain Drummond), and Pinky (Ashleigh Ball), who developed a crush
on Pac. Unlike in the games, they only pretend to serve Betrayus; playing dumb
and foiling his plans in an effort to aid Pac in exchange for access to their
bodies held in the hidden repository.
![]() |
Pac with Spiral and Cylindria. |
Pac lived at Maze Academy, a
boarding school in the city of Pacopolis, with his friends Cylindria (Andrea
Libman) and Spiralton (Vincent). They often aided Pac in his adventures, and
Cylindria tended to get into arguments with Pinky who believed she also had a
crush on Pac. Sir Circumference (Corlett) was a goofy scientist who created a
variety of gadgets to help fight against the ghosts and was in charge of the
repository. The President of Pac-World was Stratos Spheros (Vincent), the
younger brother of Betrayus.
![]() |
Betrayus amidst a horde of ghosts with Dr. Buttocks and Butt-ler. |
Serving Betrayus was the mad
scientist ghost Dr. A.H. Buttocks (Brian Drummond), who specialized in monster
experimentation and created a variety of device to aid in Betrayus’ schemes. He
often suspected that the Ghost Gang was working with Pac, but Betrayus chose to
ignore his warnings. His brother, Butt-ler (also Drummond), served as Betrayus’
servant and sometimes spy. Specter (Brendon Ryan Barrett)
was a spy ghost who was stronger and smarter than the others since he was never
eaten by a Pac. Master Goo (Vincent
Tong) was a calm yet cocky ninja ghost who was a master of Pac-Fu and
trained Betrayus’ armies.
![]() |
A mean genie. |
Aside from ghosts, other inhabitants
of the Netherworld included Count Pacula (a play on Dracula, voiced by Vincent),
a vampire who could only be summoned when two moons turned blue every 100
Halloweens; Madame Ghoulasha (Kathleen
Barr), a witch who did favors for Betrayus in order to win his affections;
Jean (Nicole Oliver), a
genie used by Buttocks to trap Pac and keep the ghosts in Pac-World; The Easter
Pac-Peep (Ball), a humanoid marshmallow chicken who became hostile due to
Betrayus’ past pranks; Dentures of Doom (Paul Dobson), living dentures
belonging to the Mummy Wizard (also Dobson) that brings him to life and gives
him his powers; and Dr. Pacenstein (a play on Frankenstein), a mad
scientist who was a talking brain in a glass jar whose limbs were granted
autonomy and usually annoyed him. Aliens, known as Pointy Heads, also
frequently set their sights on Pac-World; particularly their overlord, Apex
(Colin Murdock), scientist Professor Pointybrains (Drummond), and minion Tip (Gabe Khouth).
![]() |
Pac and his friends leaving Maze Academy. |
Pac-Man
and the Ghostly Adventures debuted on Disney
XD on June 15, 2013 in the United States. It subsequently ran on Disney XD,
and later Family Chrgd, in Canada beginning
on March 17, 2014, and on Tokyo MX and BS11 in Japan on April 5, 2014. The series was
produced by 41 Entertainment, Arad Productions
and Bandai Namco Entertainment,
and was animated by Sprite Animation
Studios and OLM Digitial, Inc. The
theme was composed by William Anderson
with lyrics by Arad, and performed by Gabriel
C. Brown. The rest of the series’ music was composed by Tetsuya Takahashi, Naoyuki Horiko, Shogo Ohnishi, Reiji Kitazato, Masafumi Okubo and Kuniyuki Morohashi and
often took cues from the games’ sound effects. Tetsuya Ishii was the lead
character designer.
![]() |
The Netherworld. |
The first season ran for 26
episodes. The second season was set to run for the same length but was instead
cut in half by distributors to make a third season. The new third season aired
in Japan first between January and April of 2015, while in the United States it
didn’t begin until that May. Two specials were made: Santa Pac’s Merry Berry Day and Pac’s
Scary Halloween, which were later broken up into the episodes “Happy
Holidays and a Merry Berry Day” and “Santa Pac” and the two-part “Pac’s Very
Scary Halloween” respectively. The Halloween and second Christmas episodes
first aired on Netflix in the United States. The
series was written by Arad, Ruegger and Rugg, along with Ken Pontac, Marcy Brown, Dennis Haley, Michael Maurer, Jymn Magon, Cydne Clark, Bob Forward, Steve Granat, Glenn Leopold, Eric Shaw, Len Uhley, Mark Young, Alexandra Bland and story editor
Sean Catherine Derek.
![]() |
Pinky flirts with Pac. |
Episodes of the series have been
released to DVD beginning in 2013. In Australia, 12 episodes were released
between the sets The Adventure Begins and Pac to the Future. In North America
in 2014, The Adventure Begins was released
containing only the first episode. Following that, each release contained four
episodes each: Pac is Back (initially a Wal-Mart exclusive), All You Can Eat, Let the Games Begin! (exclusive to
Target), Ghost Patrol! and A Berry Scary Night. Three-episode
collections Indiana Pac and the Temple of Slime and Mission Impacable! were released
exclusively to Redbox,
with Pac to the Future going to
Redbox Canada. Additional collections included Movie 4-Pac, Jurassic Pac and 8-Pac, as well as a 3-DVD
collection. The series
has also been made available for streaming on Amazon Prime and Netflix.
Bandai produced a line of toys to
coincide with the show. They included standard figures of Pac and his friends, spinning
figures, three versions of Pac with special tongue features, and plush dolls.
There was also a giant Pac who could spit-up slime from his mouth, symbolizing
his having just eaten some ghosts. K’Nex put out a several sets with
figures to form a constructible maze
playset. Video games based on the show were also
published by Bandai Namco. An endless runner for mobile devices called Pac-Man
Dash! was
developed by M2
and released in 2013. It was available until Bandai Namco had it removed from
online stores in 2017. A 3D platformer sharing
the show’s name was developed by Monkey Bar Games was
released for home consoles in late 2013, with a 2D platformer for the Nintendo 3DS
following by Inti Creates.
A
sequel for the home consoles followed in October 2014. The
characters from the show were also featured in the menus of the compilation
game Pac-Man Museum (the games based
on the show, however, were not included).
EPISODE GUIDE:
Season 1:
“The
Adventure Begins, Part I” (6/15/13) – Pac accidently unleashes ghosts on
Pac-World and they manage to steal the Tree of Life.
“The
Adventure Begins, Part II” (6/15/13) – When Pac and his friends fall into a
trap, Pac pretends to have a crush on Pinky in order to be set free and escape
with the Tree.
“No
Pets Allowed…Especially Monsters!, Part I” (6/19/13) – Betrayus sends an army
of cloned monsters after Pac.
“No
Pets Allowed…Especially Monsters!, Part II” (6/20/13) – Dr. Buttocks creates a
machine that makes monsters giant, forcing Pac to go on a size-changing
adventure.
“All
You Can Eat” (6/21/13) – Learning Pac’s weakness is food, Betrayus has his
ghost minions feed Pac until he’s too full to eat ghosts.
“President
Possessed!” (6/24/13) – Buttocks possesses President Spheros and turns the town
against Pac.
“Is
Zit You Or Is Zit Me?” (6/25/13) – When stress causes Pac to get a lot of zits,
Betrayus sends ghosts to make sure Pac is nice and constantly stressed.
“Pac
To The Future” (6/26/13)- Sir Cumference’s vehicle sends Pac back in time where
he ends up babysitting himself as a baby.
“Heebo-Skeebo”
(6/27/13) – Skeebo wants to be a hero so he steals Pac’s berries, which Obtuse
and Betrayus want as well.
“Mission
ImPacable!” (6/28/13) – Pac tries to gain some self-control over his eating
just as Betrayus wants him to eat a ghost with a chip that will let him control
Pac.
“No
Body Knows” (7/1/13) – When President Spheros discovers slug cams in the
roundhouse, Sir Cumference worries Betrayus may have discovered the repository.
“Seems
Like Old Times” (7/2/13) – Sir Cumference needs a very dangerous Netherworld
item for his latest invention, but he worries he isn’t the freedom fighter he
used to be.
“Betrayus
Turns the Heat Up” (7/3/13) – Buttocks creates a super furnace that increases
the already high heat in PacWorld; a heat that threatens to dry out and kill
the Tree of Life.
“Pac-Pong
Fever” (7/5/13) – Betrayus challenges Pac’s aunt to a pac-pong game, believing
she cheated him out of a victory many years ago.
“Driver’s
Pac” (7/22/13) – As Pac and his friends learn to drive, Buttocks creates a
giant drill to burrow into the netherworld that could sink the entire city.
“Jinxed”
(7/23/13) – Buttocks discovers the ghosts have been helping Pac, and Betrayus
sends for a curse from the netherworld to turn Pac into a jinx.
“Indiana
Pac and the Temple of Slime” (8/31/13) – Pac and his friends discover a strange
artifact that belong to his parents, and Buttocks discovers it holds the key to
the secret of the Tree.
“Planet
Pac” (9/14/13) – Buttocks lures in a planet-sized ghost to destroy PacWorld,
but Betrayus discovers it would destroy the netherworld as well.
“Stand
By Your Pac-Man” (9/21/13) – As Pinky and Cylindria fight for Pac’s affections,
Betrayus summons the being who killed every other yellow pac: the Pacinator.
“PacLantis”
(9/28/13) – Pac and his friends learn Betrayus plans to find PacLantis and the
berry bush of youth, which could reanimate Betrayus back into his original
form.
“Jurassic
Pac” (10/5/13) – When Fuzbit finds a dinosaur bone, Buttocks uses his machine
on it to create an army of radio-controlled dinos.
“A
Berry Scary Night” (10/12/13) – It’s Halloween and Betrayus and his minions
call upon Count Pacula to drain Pac.
“The
Great Chase!” (10/19/13) – Betrayus possesses his mother as she visits
President Spheros and Pac.
“Robo
Woes” (10/26/13) – A giant alien robot named Apex seeks to take over PacWorld
by kidnapping President Spheros and rendering the Power Berries powerless.
“The
Spy Who Slimed Me” (11/2/13) – A spy ghost possesses Aunt Sphera’s dog in order
to infiltrate Sir Cumference’s lab and conquer both PacWorld and the
netherworld.
“Invasion
of the Pointy Heads” (11/9/13) – Apex returns and proposes an alliance with
Betrayus to lead an all-out assault, but Apex ends up betraying him in order to
rule by himself.
Season 2:
“Ride
the Wild Pac-Topus” (6/9/14) – Buttocks rigs various carnival rides in an
attempt to steal a key Pac is guarding.
“Meanie
Genie” (6/10/14) – Pac is tricked into finding a genie whose wishes turn out to
be problematic.
“Cave
Pac-Man” (6/11/14) – Pac discovers a prehistoric Cave Pac-Kid while attempting
to stop Mt. Packinely from erupting.
“Cosmic
Contest” (6/12/14) – When the constant battles awaken an ancient napping alien
race, three teams are made to compete in a race to settle the conflict once and
for all.
“That
Smarts!” (6/16/14) – A brainy berry leads to a giant robot battle between Pac
and Buttocks while Betrayus spires on Sir C’s romantic getaway with Spheria and
becomes depressed.
“Pac-Mania”
(6/17/14) – Pac gets a TV show based on his life, but the fame doesn’t seem
worth he and his friends being made to look like fools.
“Rip
Van Packle” (6/23/14) – A wormhole sends Pac 70 years into the future where
Betrayus rules Pacworld.
“Spooka-Bazooka!”
(6/24/14) – Buttocks puts Pac out of a job by inventing a bazooka that can
catch ghosts, but it secretly puts its user to sleep for 100 minutes to allow
Betrayus to invade.
“The
Pac Be With You” (6/30/14) – A ninja ghost trains Betrayus’ army, prompting
Blinky to train Pac with a new fighting technique.
“The
Shadow of the Were-Pac” (10/8/14) – Were-Pac attacks threaten the President’s
spookiest Halloween party.
“Cap’n
Banshee and his Interstellar Buccaneers” (10/14/14) – A summer cruise is
interrupted by ghostly pirates from outer space.
“A
Hard Dazed Knight” (10/15/14) – Buttocks develops an armor coating that allows
a ghostly army to avoid being eaten by Pac.
“Happy
Holidays and a Merry Berry Day” (12/2/14) – When Pac’s parents return from a
top-secret mission, Pac goes to great lengths to hide them from his friends.
Season 3:
“Peace
Without Slime” (1/31/15 JAP, 5/18/15 US) – Betrayus rigs the Pac-World election
to get Obtuse into power while Cylindria and Skeebo run for class president.
“The
Ghost Behind the Throne” (2/7/15 JAP, 5/19/15 US) – Pac and his friends smuggle
the Tree of Life and the repository out of the Round House before Obtuse can be
sworn in.
“Nerd
is the Word” (2/14/15 JAP, 5/20/15 US) – Betrauys and Buttocks send Butt-ler to
spy on Pac and his friends, but their kindness towards him leads him to betray
his evil masters.
“Bride
of the Griner” (2/21/15 JAP, 5/21/15 US) – Grinder builds a girlfriend for
himself which Buttocks steals and plans to use for his next evil plot.
“The
Legend of Creepy Hollow” (3/7/15 JAP, 5/22/15 US) – When Skeebo scares Pac and
his friends with the legend of Hugefoot, Betrayus has Buttocks build a robot
version of the myth.
“Easter
Egg Island” (2/28/15 JAP, 5/26/15 US) – The Pac-Peep has kidnapped all the
ghosts from the Netherworld, prompting Betrayus to ask for Pac’s help to
retrieve them.
“The
Wizard of Odd” (3/14/15 JAP, 5/27/15 US) – A space worm summoned by Buttocks
sends Pac and Fuzbitz to an alternate dimension.
“Indiana
Pac and the Dentures of Doom” (3/21/15 JAP, 5/28/15 US) – If an evil mummy is
reunited with his cursed dentures, it could spell the end for Pacworld.
“Honey,
I Digitized the Pac-Man” (3/28/15 JAP, 5/29/15 US) – Sir C sends Pac into
cyberspace to stop Buttocks’ deadly computer virus.
“Pac’s
Very Scary Halloween – Part One” (4/4/15 JAP, 10/4/16 US) – Dr. Pacenstein
invites Pac and his friends to his castle for a Halloween dinner and ends up
trading bodies with Pac.
“Pac’s
Very Scary Halloween – Part Two” (4/11/15 JAP, 10/4/16 US) – Spiral and
Cylindria try to get help from Count Pacula to stop Dr. Pacenstein.
“Santa
Pac” (4/18/15 JAP, 9/5/15 US) – Pac has to save Santa-Pac and his round-deer
after they’re kidnapped to the Netherworld.
“New
Girl in Town” (4/25/15 JAP, 5/29/15 US) – Betrayus plans to use the President’s
beautiful niece to seduce Pac and lead him to the repository.
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