The Secret of the Sword

The Secret of the Sword
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Ed Friedman
  • Lou Kachivas
  • Marsh Lamore
  • Bill Reed
  • Gwen Wetzler
Written by
Produced by
Starring
Edited byJoe Gall
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byAtlantic Releasing
Release date
  • March 22, 1985 (1985-03-22)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$2 million[1]
Box office$6,500,000[2]
$7,500,000[3][4]

The Secret of the Sword, also known as He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, is a 1985 American animated superhero film produced by Filmation. Although released before the series She-Ra: Princess of Power began, the film was a compilation of the first five episodes with minor edits made.[5] The film was part of a trend of theatrically released animated films created by producers of TV shows and toys during the 1980s.[6] It is part of the same continuity as the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon series, and was created by the same Filmation production team and cast. It was the first He-Man theatrical film, and the first theatrical release to feature She-Ra or any Masters of The Universe/Princess of Power characters.

Six months after its theatrical release, The Secret of the Sword was televised in episodic form, during the premiere week of the She-Ra TV series, from September 9 to 13, 1985. For series purposes, the film is known as the storyline The Sword of She-Ra.

  1. ^ Harmetz, Aljean (May 1, 1985). "Video alters economics of movie animation". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2010. The Secret of the Sword, which cost $2 million and consists of three half-hour television programs stitched together, is faring less well. Mr. Scheimer said he was planning a high-budget movie starring He-Man for the summer of 1987.
  2. ^ "A Rally For G Ratings Clubhouse Gets Bandwagon Rolling For Family Entertainment". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
  3. ^ "He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword (1985)". IMDb. 22 March 1985. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  4. ^ Scheimer, Lou; Mangels, Andy (2012). Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation. Raleigh, NC (USA): TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 224. ISBN 9781605490441. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  5. ^ Douglass Jr., Todd (July 3, 2006). "The Best of She-Ra - Princess of Power". DVD Talk. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  6. ^ Maltin, Leonard (1987). Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons. New American Library. p. 351. ISBN 0-452-25993-2.