Siegfried, Roy’s lions put through hoops in series

Larry the lion is feeling frisky. The fat cat is ready to go, and his lovely lioness Kate is in heat. The kids are away, the house is quiet, and he’s even gone to the bathroom, he tells the less-than-impressed Kate.

Such is foreplay in this new half-hour animated TV series brought to life by DreamWorks, producer of the “Shrek” movies.

Larry and his family live in Las Vegas, behind the neon lights of the strip and the Mirage hotel, home of Siegfried and Roy’s magical extravaganza. The lions are just part of the menagerie whose daily antics are the focus of “Father of the Pride” Tuesdays on NBC. The animals star in Siegfried and Roy’s show and reside in a tropical oasis – based on the real Secret Garden set up by the magicians.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, 53, creator of “Pride” and a partner at DreamWorks, said he’s been friends with the illusionists for years and has seen their show 14 times.

The show was already in production when Horn was mauled by a tiger and then suffered a stroke in October 2003. After a period of uncertainty about the show’s future, it was Horn who persuaded Katzenberg to go on with “Pride.”

“From the moment he was conscious and able to communicate, he was for it,” Katzenberg said.

On screen, the animated Siegfried and Roy are parodies of the real pair. They bicker back and forth, finish each other’s sentences and have over-the-top, humorous moments.

“Pride” executive producers and writers Jonathan Groff, 42, and Jon Pollack, 37, helped develop the characters and worked with the actors who do the voice-overs.

“Once we found Dave Herman (the voice of Roy) and Julian Holloway (Siegfried), and they had such chemistry, we started to conceive them almost as superheroes, who want to save the world through magic,” Groff said.

Groff and Pollack spent time with the magicians, learning their mannerisms and watching their interactions.

John Goodman lends his voice to Larry, and Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) is Kate. Carl Reiner (“The Dick Van Dyke Show”) is Larry’s live-in father-in-law Sarmoti.

Other famous faces will lend their voices to guest spots on “Pride.” Eddie Murphy will return as the donkey from “Shrek.” Cameron Diaz voices Foo-Lin the panda. And Danny DeVito is a political-activist lobster.