The Mysterious Cities of Gold

Original title: Taiyô no ko Esuteban

TV Series
1982–1983
TV-Y7
28m

IMDb RATING

8.6/10

4.4K

YOUR RATING

Adrian Knight, Janice Chaikelson, Isabelle Ganz, Motoko Kumai, and Shiraz Adam in The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982)

Set in the 16th century, this animated tale tells the story of a young boy searching for his identity

Play trailer1:58

2 Videos

76 Photos

Anime Adventure Animation Comedy Family Fantasy Sci-Fi

In the 16th century, a trio of kids must search throughout South America for personal answers linked to El Dorado - the mysterious city of gold.In the 16th century, a trio of kids must search throughout South America for personal answers linked to El Dorado - the mysterious city of gold.In the 16th century, a trio of kids must search throughout South America for personal answers linked to El Dorado - the mysterious city of gold.

Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.6/10

4.4K

YOUR RATING

Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Episodes39

Browse episodes

TopTop-rated Season2 years

‘Snow White’ Stars Test Their Wits

Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and director Marc Webb take our Ultimate Disney Quiz.

Watch now

9:57

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
In the English version the lost continent in the Pacific is referred to as Heva. However in every other version (including the original French) it's called by its far more familiar name: Mu.

Goofs
During the opening credits, Esteban is seen controlling the golden condor using 2 control levers. However, during the episodes proper, he only uses one (the condor just has one, shaped like a cobra).

Quotes
English Opening Titles Narrator: It is the Sixteenth Century. From all over Europe great ships sail west to conquer the New World - the Americas; the men eager to seek their fortune, to find new adventures in new lands. They long to cross uncharted seas and discover unknown countries; to find secret gold on a mountain trail high in the Andes. They dream of following the path of the setting sun, that leads to El Dorado and The Mysterious Cities of Gold.

Alternate versions
The series is a French and Japanese coproduction. Although the opening and ending animations have clearly been designed for the Japanese songs, these animations were edited to fit the song used in the French version and it is this version that has been used for international distribution (like the American version). Also, the background music composed for the French version is the one used in foreign versions.

Connections
Featured in Fan des années 80: 1983 #1 (2009)

Soundtracks
Itsuka Dokokade Anatani Atta
(Japanese Ending song)
Music by Katsuo Ôno (as Katsuo Ono)
Arrangements by Jun Satou
Lyrics by Yû Aku
Performed by Pal

User reviews47

Featured review

Hands down, the BEST cartoon in animation history

I have been on this earth for 20 years, and I have yet to see any cartoon that even matches this one!!! EVERYTHING about this cartoon is the best. The plot, characters, even the intro music is the best!!! I can still remember the golden days when I was a little kid and watch this cartoon on Nickelodeon. Those were the days!!! If it was still on, I would watch it faithfully everyday!! I can't say enough glorious comments about this cartoon. Hands down, the best cartoon. In my opinion, some honorable runner-ups are Cyber Cops, The Adventures of Tintin, The Real Ghostbusters, and Danger Mouse. As great as those are, they can't hold a stick to "The Mysterious Cities of Gold" My only regret is that when the show was on TV, I was old enough to figure out how the VCR worked.