# The Mysterious Cities of Gold (2012 TV series)

The Mysterious Cities of Gold (French: Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or) is an animated series that serves as a sequel and a continuation of the original 1982 television series of the same name. The series premiered on La Trois in Belgium on November 17, 2012.

## Characters

The main cast of the series includes:
* Esteban (voiced by Audrey Pic) – An orphan who was rescued at sea as a baby twelve years ago by the Spanish navigator Mendoza. He wears one of the two sun medallions. He dreams of adventure and is extremely impulsive. Esteban has a fear of heights which is confounded by the people of Barcelona who believe him to be the "Child of the Sun" and hoist him up high at the port to call out the sun to aid the departing ships. He joins the Spaniards in their search for one of The Seven Cities of Gold in the New World, hoping to find his father.
* Zia (voiced by Adeline Chetail) – The daughter of an Inca high priest. She was kidnapped from Peru five years ago, when she was seven, by the Spanish invaders and given as a present to the Queen of Spain for her daughter, Princess Margarita. She met Esteban when she was kidnapped by Mendoza for Governor Pizarro who wanted her to read the golden quipu. Zia wears a sun medallion like Esteban's, with an interlocking sun and moon disc.
* Tao (voiced by Caroline Mozzone) - The last living descendant of the sunken empire of Mu. He lived alone on the Galápagos Islands following the death of his father. Initially he is evasive of the others' company when they wash up on his island, but when the ship Solaris was revealed he joined them on their journey.
* Mendoza (voiced by Bruno Magne) – A Spaniard, navigator for the Spanish fleet. He rescued a young Esteban from a shipwreck during one of his voyages. An experienced sailor, a proficient navigator and a master swordsman, Mendoza places himself in the role of a leader. It is not always clear, however, where his loyalties lie and he is often at odds with the other characters. He is accompanied by two mercenaries: Sancho and Pedro. Mendoza has spent many years searching for information about the Mysterious Cities of Gold, which eventually led him to the sun medallions — one of which he took from Esteban when rescuing him for safe keeping.

## Episodes
### Season 1

| No. in series | No. in season | English title | Original title | UK airdate | Original airdate |
| 1 | 1 | Back To Barcelona: Episode 1 | Retour à Barcelone 1re partie | 9 November 2013 11 November 2013 (repeat) | 17 November 2012 (La Trois) |
| 2 | 2 | Back To Barcelona: Episode 2 | Retour à Barcelone 2e partie | 9 November 2013 12 November 2013 (repeat) | 24 November 2012 (La Trois) |
| 3 | 3 | The Secret of the Drum | Le secret du tambour | 13 November 2013 | 23 March 2013 (La Trois) |
| 4 | 4 | In The Hands of the Pirates | Aux mains des pirates | 14 November 2013 | 30 March 2013 (La Trois & RTS Deux) |
| 5 | 5 | The Alchemist | L'alchimiste | 15 November 2013 | 31 March 2013 (RTS Deux) |
| 6 | 6 | All Aboard! | À l'abordage ! | 18 November 2013 | 31 March 2013 (RTS Deux) |
| 7 | 7 | Shaolin | Shaolin | 19 November 2013 | 1 April 2013 (RTS Deux) |
| 8 | 8 | The Treason | La trahison | 20 November 2013 | 27 April 2013 (La Trois) |
| 9 | 9 | The Prophecy | La prophétie | 21 November 2013 | 4 May 2013 (La Trois) |
| 10 | 10 | The Black Pearl | La perle noire | 22 November 2013 | 11 May 2013 (La Trois) |
| 11 | 11 | In Search of the Yellow Dragon | À la recherche du dragon jaune | 25 November 2013 | 18 May 2013 (La Trois) |
| 12 | 12 | In the Forbidden City | Dans la Cité Interdite | 26 November 2013 | 25 May 2013 (La Trois) |
| 13 | 13 | Like a Prince | Comme un prince | 27 November 2013 | 1 June 2013 (La Trois) |
| 14 | 14 | The Escape | L'évasion | 28 November 2013 | 8 June 2013 (La Trois) |
| 15 | 15 | The Stomach of Buddha | Le ventre de Bouddha | 29 November 2013 | 25 August 2013 (La Trois) |
| 16 | 16 | The Labyrinth | Le labyrinthe | 2 December 2013 | 1 September 2013 (La Trois) |
| 17 | 17 | The Sleeping Garden | Le jardin endormi | 3 December 2013 | 8 September 2013 (La Trois) |
| 18 | 18 | The Son of the Sun | Le fils du soleil | 4 December 2013 | 15 September 2013 (La Trois) |
| 19 | 19 | The Oasis | L'oasis | 5 December 2013 | 22 September 2013 (La Trois) |
| 20 | 20 | The Fresco of the Evil Eyes | La fresque des yeux maudits | 6 December 2013 | 29 September 2013 (La Trois) |
| 21 | 21 | The Separation | La séparation | 9 December 2013 | 6 October 2013 (La Trois) |
| 22 | 22 | The Fire of the Dragon | Le feu du dragon | 10 December 2013 | 13 October 2013 (La Trois) |
| 23 | 23 | The Expedition | L'expédition | 11 December 2013 | 20 October 2013 (La Trois) |
| 24 | 24 | The Nest of the Condor | Le nid du Condor | 12 December 2013 | 27 October 2013 (La Trois) |
| 25 | 25 | The Revelation | La révélation | 13 December 2013 | 3 November 2013 (La Trois) |
| 26 | 26 | Face To Face | Face à face | 13 December 2013 | 10 November 2013 (La Trois) |
* Episodes 1 and 2 were shown on 9 November 2013 as a premiere double bill edition. They were repeated on 11 and 12 November at 6pm on Kix (UK and Ireland) before continuing on a daily basis every weekday until the end of the series.

### Season 2

| # | Episode Name | Original air date |
| 01 | "Kagoshima" "Kagoshima" | 12 October 2016 (2016-10-12) 24 September 2018 (Australia) 23 September 2019 (UK) |
| After leaving China under the threat of Zares, our heroes finally arrive in Japan. They must absolutely find there the third City of Gold against which the infamous Zarès promises to release Athanaos, the father of Esteban. |||
| 02 | "The Daimyo Shimadzu" "Le Daimyo Shimazu" | 12 October 2016 (2016-10-12) 24 September 2018 (Australia) 23 September 2019 (UK) |
| The one who attacks Esteban, Tao and Zia is Yoshi, an old man who keeps fiercely the impressive Orichalcum sphere. Yoshi reveals to the children that it is a utsuro bune, a sacred object, rejected by the sea thousands of years ago and revered since as a gift of the gods. |||
| 03 | "The Golden Bird" "Le Grand Oiseau d'or" | 13 October 2016 (2016-10-13) 25 September 2018 (Australia) 24 September 2019 (UK) |
| Using his gift to make the sun reappear, Esteban allows Zia to take off in the Condor. Under the astonished eyes of Yoshi, the immense golden bird finally emerges from the waves. Mendoza, Sancho and Pedro manage to escape from the castle. |||
| 04 | "The Anger Of Nao No Kami" "La Colère du Naï No Kami" | 13 October 2016 (2016-10-13) 25 September 2018 (Australia) 24 September 2019 (UK) |
| Near the temple of Izumo, the children succeed in extracting Esteban from the water, but attract the attention of one of the guards who go after them. Within the walls of the temple, they finally see the mirror shield out for the parade, but an earthquake creates panic. |||
| 05 | "The Mirror-Shield" "Le Bouclier miroir" | 14 October 2016 (2016-10-14) 26 September 2018 (Australia) 25 September 2019 (UK) |
| Inside the temple, the shield-mirror leaves the children perplexed: according to the silhouette in the utsuro bune, it is the path and the key to the next golden city. They realize then that the ornaments of the mirror represent a volcano, off Kagoshima. |||
| 06 | "The Return Of Zares" "Le Retour de Zarès" | 14 October 2016 (2016-10-14) 26 September 2018 (Australia) 25 September 2019 (UK) |
| At night, as Ichiro goes to take his guard duty at the castle, Esteban follows him and tries to convince him to help him to escape Mendoza and his men. Ichiro refuses, reminding Esteban how his presence and those of his friends already endangers his whole family. |||
| 07 | "The Sabre Of The Samurai" "Le Sabre du samouraï" | 17 October 2016 (2016-10-17) 27 September 2018 (Australia) 26 September 2019 (UK) |
| Mendoza and his men takes control of the nave and makes the prisoners Gaspard and Ambrosius. They spot the Condor and rediscover the children who introduce Yoshi and his family. Mendoza reveals to them the betrayal of Ambrosius who delivered them to Shimazu: Esteban and Zia are stunned but Tao doesn't believe it at all. He wants Mendoza to keep Ambrosius prisoner. |||
| 08 | "Unmasked" "Quand le masque tombe" | 17 October 2016 (2016-10-17) 27 September 2018 (Australia) 26 September 2019 (UK) |
| Mendoza narrowly escapes Ambrosius' attack. The latter claims that it was Mendoza who assaulted him, but he loses his compass, which Esteban picks up and tends to him by reflex. Suddenly, the young boy realizes: this compass should be in the possession of Zares, who stole it from Ichiro. |||
| 09 | "The Thallios" "Le Thallios" | 18 October 2016 (2016-10-18) 28 September 2018 (Australia) 27 September 2019 (UK) |
| In the center of the cave, at the top of a pyramid, our heroes discover a sphere of orichalcum floating on a lake. Attacked by thousands of giant crabs, they manage to take refuge inside. They are also surprised to find the emblem of the Shimazu but realize that it is just the shape of the key that they have recovered on his saber. By placing it on, they activate what turns out to be a ship with the shape of a nauplius sailing underwater, the Thallios. |||
| 10 | "Sundagatt" "Sûndagatt" | 18 October 2016 (2016-10-18) 28 September 2018 (Australia) 27 September 2019 (UK) |
| In the treasure chamber of the Golden City, the crowns found by our heroes allow the wearer to control the orichalcum cubes by thought. As Estéban goes to look for Tao in the Thallios to show him their discovery, he passes by the statue: he seizes the crystal pearl. |||
| 11 | "The Shadows Of The Jungle" "Les Ombres de la jungle" | 19 October 2016 (2016-10-19) 1 October 2018 (Australia) 30 September 2019 (UK) |
| Zarès manages to escape with the crown and the crystal pearl. Aboard the Condor, Esteban explains his plan to his friends. He arranges for Zarès to take the crystal pearl that has guided the Thallios to the golden city. With a little luck, she will guide the Condor in the same way towards Zarès and her nave. So they can follow him to his landmark. It is perhaps there that he retains Athanaos. |||
| 12 | "The Memorial Temple" "Le Temple mémoire" | 19 October 2016 (2016-10-19) 1 October 2018 (Australia) 30 September 2019 (UK) |
| The mysterious pursuers turn out to be children whose parents were abducted by the men of Ambrosius to work forcibly at the Fort of Pattala. When they learn that our heroes are not friends of Ambrosius and that Esteban's father is also a prisoner, they decide to unite their strength to deliver them all. |||
| 13 | "Laguerra" "Laguerra" | 20 October 2016 (2016-10-20) 2 October 2018 (Australia) 1 October 2019 (UK) |
| At the fort of Pattala, Esteban is spotted by Ambrosius. When escaping, he sees his father in a cell but must flee because he is persecuted by Laguerra, the right arm of Ambrosius, and the guards of the palace. |||
| 14 | "The Order Of The Hourglass" "L'Ordre du Sablier" | 20 October 2016 (2016-10-20) 2 October 2018 (Australia) 1 October 2019 (UK) |
| Tao is now in the hands of Ambrosius. The latter tries to return to his good graces, but Tao sees him as a traitor and refuses to trust him. However, Tao discovers the laboratory of Ambrosius and is impressed by all that it reveals to him. |||
| 15 | "Ambrosius' Secret" "Le Secret d'Ambrosius" | 21 October 2016 (2016-10-21) 3 October 2018 (Australia) 2 October 2019 (UK) |
| Following the plans of Ambrosius, Laguerra and the soldiers find only a deserted village. Laguerra spots the children hidden in the trees. She hesitates, but does not denounce them and leaves without saying anything with her men in direction of the fort. Reluctant, but not trusting Laguerra, Mendoza decides that they must act fast. |||
| 16 | "The Black Suns" "Les Soleils noirs" | 21 October 2016 (2016-10-21) 3 October 2018 (Australia) 2 October 2019 (UK) |
| While in the village, the children try to repair the Condor, Pichu sent by Tao finds them and deliver them a message from Atanaos. He reveals that the Rajah was drugged by Ambrosius. Recognizing a drug in his country, Zia tries to make an antidote that will make her lucidity to the Raja. If they manage to administer him, he and his guards will turn against Ambrosius. |||
| 17 | "Free!" "Libres!" | 24 October 2016 (2016-10-24) 4 October 2018 (Australia) 3 October 2019 (UK) |
| The fort is taken by assault from all sides: the villagers, Tao and Atanaos are freed. Esteban manages to inject the antidote to the Raja who regains his spirits and realizes the betrayal of Ambrosius. To escape the soldiers of the Rajah, Ambrosius uses the black suns that trigger a fire in the fort. |||
| 18 | "Hormuz" "Ormuz" | 24 October 2016 (2016-10-24) 4 October 2018 (Australia and Singapore) 3 October 2019 (UK) |
| Esteban spends his own time with his father Athanaos finally found. This one reveals to him well to know Ambrosius, to have been his friend when they were young. For their part, Zia and Tao discover in the Memory Temple a key clue in the search for the fourth golden city. |||
| 19 | "A New Beginning" "Un nouveau depart" | 25 October 2016 (2016-10-25) 5 October 2018 (Australia and Singapore) 4 October 2019 (UK) |
| The heroes are surrounded by a troop of Bedouins. Their intrigued chief observes the medallion and then returnes it to Zia apologizing for the young thief: a Bedouin never flies. When the children leave, he asks the young boy to follow them to find out what they are doing in Ormuz. |||
| 20 | "The Mountain Of The Moon" "La Montagne de la lune" | 25 October 2016 (2016-10-25) 5 October 2018 (Australia and Singapore 4 October 2019 (UK) |
| On board the condor, Esteban is worried about what happened to Mendoza and his men, but his friends remind him that Mendoza is resourceful and their priority is to prevent Ambrosius from appropriating the muen knowledge and make it Weapons of war like the black suns. |||
| 21 | "Up Is The Way Down" "En remontant, tu descendras" | 26 October 2016 (2016-10-26) 8 October 2018 (Australia and Singapore) 7 October 2019 (UK) |
| The children finally manages to penetrate inside the ziggurat. They start their descent in search of the sacred sails of Princess Rana'Ori in the bowels of the pyramid, where, according to the inscription discovered in India, they shall be found. |||
| 22 | "The Lord Of The Desert" "Le Seigneur du desert" | 26 October 2016 (2016-10-26) 8 October 2018 (Australia and Singapore 7 October 2019 (UK) |
| Zarès aided by Laguerra captures the children and pushes them towards the exit, revealing to them that he possesses, anyway, another track towards the fourth city of gold. They just need them and their medallions to open it. |||
| 23 | "The Veils Of Rana'Ori" "Les Voiles de Rana'Ori" | 27 October 2016 (2016-10-27) 9 October 2018 (Australia and Singapore) 8 October 2019 (UK) |
| In the desert, the suspected noises heard are produced by none other than Sancho and Pedro lost in the dunes. They finally found their friend Mendoza. In Manfuha, the children try to leave the oasis to reach the Condor, but the compass they steal from Zarès detects something. They discover in the treasure room of Jabbar a box containing the sails of Rana'Ori. |||
| 24 | "The Chaldean Desert" "Le Désert des Chaldis" | 27 October 2016 (2016-10-27) 9 October 2018 (Australia and Singapore 8 October 2019 (UK) |
| The children reach the Great Condor thanks to Laguerra who confronts the soldiers alone at the risk of his life. Despite the reluctance of Tao, our heroes return to collect it and make it climb aboard. Under the fire of the defensive guns of the fort, they manage with the Condor to recover the box containing the sails. |||
| 25 | "The Serpent And The Lion" "Le Serpent et le Lion" | 28 October 2016 (2016-10-28) 10 October 2018 (Australia and Singapore) 9 October 2019 (UK) |
| The Bedouin chief presents to the children the second veil they were looking for, transmitted from generation to generation by the Chaldis tribe. They try to read a plan to the city of gold, but the sails do not reveal anything. |||
| 26 | "Kumlar" "Kûmlar" | 28 October 2016 (2016-10-28) 10 October 2018 (Australia and Singapore) 9 October 2019 (UK) |
| On board the nave, Laguerra prevents Gaspard from killing Mendoza, arguing that Mendoza will be more useful to their living plan than dead. The children enter the city in search of the tomb of Princess Rana'Ori, but the sumptuous city seems deserted. |||

### Season 3

| # | Episode Name | Original air date |
| 01 | "Lalibela" "Lalibela" | TBA |
| 02 | "The dream of Zia" "Le rêve de Zia" | TBA |
| 03 | "Chained" "Enchaînés" | TBA |
| 04 | "The Great Escape" "La grande évasion" | TBA |
| 05 | "The Door of the Ancients" "La porte des Anciens" | TBA |
| 06 | "The Founder" "Le fondateur" | TBA |
| 07 | "The Roaring Smoke" "La fumée qui gronde" | TBA |
| 08 | "Ophir" "Ophir" | TBA |
| 09 | "The Stone of Eternity" "La pierre d'éternité" | TBA |
| 10 | "The Lady who Smiles" "La dame qui sourit" | TBA |
| 11 | "The Bako" "Le Bako" | TBA |
| 12 | "Farewell Master!" "Adieu Maître !" | TBA |
| 13 | "The Night of the Masks" "La nuit des masques" | TBA |
| 14 | "The Spirits' Cliff" "La falaise aux esprits" | TBA |
| 15 | "The Witch" "La sorcière" | TBA |
| 16 | "Orunigi" "Orunigi" | TBA |
| 17 | "Revelations" "Révélations" | TBA |
| 18 | "Beyond the Mirror" "Au-delà du miroir" | TBA |
| 19 | "Fallen from the sky" "Tombés du ciel" | TBA |
| 20 | "The Sacrifice" "Le sacrifice" | TBA |
| 21 | "Hand in Hand" "Main dans la main" | TBA |
| 22 | "The Gate to Hell" "La porte de l'enfer" | TBA |
| 23 | "The Last of the Atlanteans" "Le dernier des Atlantes" | TBA |
| 24 | "Revenge" "Vengeance" | TBA |
| 25 | "The 7th City of Gold" "La 7ème Cité d'or" | TBA |
| 26 | "End of the Adventure?" "Fin de l'aventure ?" | TBA |

## Broadcast

The English version premiered on Kix on November 9, 2013. Fabulous Films released it on DVD and Blu-ray on February 17, 2014, in the UK. In 2016, the third season was made and released in France, and subsequently released in English in Australia in 2018. Season four was broadcast in French on RTS Un, but has yet to receive an English dub.

## Reception

The show was well received by critics such as Starburst and the Huffington Post.

## Video game

A video game called The Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths for Windows (available on Steam), Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and iOS based on the show was published by Ynnis Interactive.