Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
8 suggestions available
Watchlist
Sign in
Sign in
New customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

The Mysterious Cities of Gold

Original title: Taiyô no ko Esuteban
  • TV Series
  • 1982–1983
  • TV-Y7
  • 28m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
4.5K
YOUR RATING
Adrian Knight, Janice Chaikelson, 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
78 Photos
AnimeAdventureAnimationComedyFamilyFantasySci-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
    • Janice Chaikelson
    • Adrian Knight
    • Michael Rudder
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.6/10
    4.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • Janice Chaikelson
      • Adrian Knight
      • Michael Rudder
    • 48User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Episodes39

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 season

    Videos2

    Mysterious Cities of Gold aka "Taiyô No Ko Esteban"
    Trailer 1:58
    Mysterious Cities of Gold aka "Taiyô No Ko Esteban"
    The Mysterious Cities Of Gold
    Trailer 2:01
    The Mysterious Cities Of Gold
    The Mysterious Cities Of Gold
    Trailer 2:01
    The Mysterious Cities Of Gold

    Photos78

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 72
    View Poster

    Top cast80

    Edit
    Janice Chaikelson
    • Zia
    • 1982–1983
    Adrian Knight
    Adrian Knight
    • Tao
    • 1982–1983
    Michael Rudder
    • Pedro
    • 1982–1983
    Terrence Labrosse
    • Sancho
    • 1982–1983
    Vlasta Vrana
    Vlasta Vrana
    • Kokapetl…
    • 1982–1983
    Matt Birman
    Matt Birman
    • Captain Gomez
    • 1982–1983
    Maurice Podbrey
    Maurice Podbrey
    • Governor Pizarro
    • 1982–1983
    Anick Faris
    • Lana…
    • 1982–1983
    Shiraz Adam
    • Esteban
    • 1982–1983
    Howard Ryshpan
    Howard Ryshpan
    • Mendoza
    • 1982–1983
    Kelly Ricard
    • Narrator
    • 1982–1983
    Walter Massey
    Walter Massey
    • The Doctor
    • 1982–1983
    Dean Hagopian
    • Kalmec
    • 1982–1983
    Richard M Dumont
    Richard M Dumont
    • Menator…
    • 1982–1983
    A.J. Henderson
    • Captain Gaspard…
    • 1982–1983
    Shigeru Chiba
    Shigeru Chiba
    • Priest
    • 1982–1983
    Tesshô Genda
    Tesshô Genda
    • General Gomez
    • 1982–1983
    Tomoko Ai
    Tomoko Ai
    • Lana
    • 1982–1983
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews48

    8.64.4K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    agolba

    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.
    10THX1701

    Children of the Sun

    This program is everything that represents my childhood and I dare say more so than my all time favorite The Transformers. The Transformers had the best toys, however The Mysterious Cities of Gold was special; it was animation magic.

    This was a multinational effort by France, Japan and Canada where the English dub was recorded. Together they made something wonderful and unforgettable.

    This story follows the adventures of three children who are in search of the Cities of Gold along with three Spanish sailors. Each is searching for these mysterious cities for their own reasons. There are many mysteries they have to solve along the way, including the mysterious circumstances of the main character's past.

    I give thanks to my mother who encouraged me to sit down and watch this while it was airing on Nickelodeon in the late 1980's.

    Few people here in North America are aware of this gem in animation. Kudos to you if you are a fellow MCoG fan; we are kindred spirits.
    Angel_Meiru

    Best example of the "Euro-Anime" genre

    Ah, how I miss this series.

    Yes, I have seen the French version of this series and I say, they did a great job (the creators of this also did Ulysse 31 and Spartakus). Though the story was based on a Scott O'Dell novel about a boy named Esteban and Pre-American history, there are also some mythic elements too, such as a flying condor made of pure gold and the allerged civilization of Mu as well.

    I wish they would have this on again, instead of that teeny-bopping B.S. or sell-out shows claiming to be "educational" Like what are kids gonna learn from all that?

    But hey, I heard this was released on DVD in Europe and French parts of the world. I might nail this too *L*

    P.S. My favorites are Tao and his pet parrot. They were cute!
    cosmic_quest

    Too good for kids!

    This has to be one of the most thrilling, captivating cartoons I have ever watched.

    Set in the 16th century, it focuses on a Spanish ten-year-old boy called Estaban, who is the Child of the Sun and holds the key to opening the fabled Cities of Gold located in the Andes. He meets three men who offer to help him search for his long-lost father in return for him helping them to find the Cities. Accompanying them is a young girl Zia, who also owns a medallion to open the Cities, and a Hiva boy named Tao who they meet on the journey to the still unexplored South America. Pursing them are three men determined to harness the Cities of Gold and its powers of the Sun for themselves and a strange alien race who need the powers to ensure the survival of their race.

    Although I couldn't have been more than four or five when I first saw 'The Mysterious Cities of Gold', I still relish memory of the wonderful series and its equally enchanting soundtrack. The characters- both the children and adults- were strongly portrayed and the entire story was solid and involving. I remember spending many days playing the story out, pretending to be Estaban or Zia, and forcing my poor mum to look for the medallion in shops (in vain, unfortunately!).

    I wish that either BBC (even one of their rubbish digital channels) or Nickelodeon would repeat this. I'm sure children today would enjoy this as much as myself and my friends did. It's certainly a crime that it's not been put out on DVD yet.
    9Keep_Searching

    The unforgettable children of the Sun!

    I watched that cartoon when I was a kid.I remember that it was very nice.As it was a long time ago I had forgotten most of the plot and the characters.

    Some months ago a local TV channel aired "The Mysterious Cities of Gold" .In spite of not being a 5-year old kid anymore I sat in front of the TV in order to watch it again.And I really enjoyed it!

    It is a masterpiece in the animation genre-a cartoon with an exciting plot,memorable characters and terrific music.Moreover,it takes place at an interesting historical period-the conquest of South America. Most characters in cartoons are rather flat.But here all the characters are intriguing-especially the Spanish navigator Mendosa who is both greedy and kind-hearted.The kids Esteban,Zia and Tao are really nice.The villains also have their charm.

    Hardly any other cartoon has better music score.Not only the starting song "Children of the sun" but all the other melodies are stunning.

    So,if some TV channels in your countries air this cartoon,don't hesitate at all-take your seats in front of the TV and explore the mysterious cities of gold where adventures never end-as well as our enjoyment!

    More like this

    Ulysse 31
    8.0
    Ulysse 31
    Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds
    7.3
    Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds
    Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
    7.2
    Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
    Around the World with Willy Fog
    7.5
    Around the World with Willy Fog
    Treasure Island
    8.4
    Treasure Island
    Future Boy Conan
    8.8
    Future Boy Conan
    Inspector Gadget
    6.8
    Inspector Gadget
    MASK
    7.3
    MASK
    Sherlock Hound
    7.5
    Sherlock Hound
    Il était une fois... la vie
    8.2
    Il était une fois... la vie
    Romeo's Blue Skies
    8.6
    Romeo's Blue Skies
    The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
    7.5
    The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

    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

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ24

    • How many seasons does The Mysterious Cities of Gold have?Powered by Alexa
    • Is a sequel to season 1 (1982) underway?
    • How many episodes will there be?
    • When will season 2 premiere?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 30, 1986 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Japan
      • Luxembourg
    • Official site
      • French video tape site
    • Languages
      • French
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Esteban and the Seven Cities of Gold
    • Production companies
      • Diffusion Information Communication (DIC)
      • MK Company
      • NHK
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      28 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Adrian Knight, Janice Chaikelson, and Shiraz Adam in The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit pageAdd episode

    More to explore

    Poster
    List
    IMDb Summer Watch Guide
    Browse the guide
    Production art
    List
    July 2025 TV and Streaming Premiere Dates
    See the list
    Poster
    List
    Most Anticipated Indian Movies: July-December 2025
    See the list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.