Animalia (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Animalia is an Australian children's television series based on the 1986 picture book of the same name
by illustrator Graeme Base
.
's taxation laws so that projects claiming special tax status had to be delivered in the financial year they were claimed. After three years of re-financing, Animalia began production in 2005.
The book on which the series was based is a picture book with each spread depicting an elaborate illustration in which every animal and object begins with a particular letter of the alphabet. As there was no coherent narrative or central characters, these were developed with the concept of a fantasy world where animals of all kinds intermingled and interacted becoming the central theme.
As the series was to be broadcast internationally, the alphabetical theme central to the book was dropped, as it was based on the English language
alphabet
, and would make no sense if the program was redubbed into another language.
and Iggy the iguana
to save Animalia from evil and comical villains.
) – Alex is a natural artist and is hardly ever seen without a sketchbook and pencil. He keeps a cool level head and is rather enthusiastic with a sense of adventure. What makes him special is his ability to see forgotten portals that can transport anyone anywhere in Animalia. He is seen to be the only character to have a birthday as seen in "The Mystery of the Missing Melba". In "Tunnel Vision", he helped a weasel out of the tunnels named the Creeper, but didn't know he was a villain. He and The Creeper are the only characters that can see through tunnels, but in "Taking a Guilt Trip", The Creeper said he couldn't see the portal the kids used to escape from the giant frogs so this means Alex has got better Tunnel Vision.
Zoe (Katie Leigh
) – A sassy and smart-mouthed Hispanic girl, Zoe met Alex by accident where she followed him to the world of Animalia. Despite a few grudges, she manages to find a friend in Alex, who she refers to as "Sketch Boy". She is high-spirited and plucky and can be a schemer when she needs to be, although she can be a bit arrogant at times. She is also careless in her actions, as in "What's The Good Word?", she incited Tyrannicus' wrath. She is a very good story teller, as evidenced in "Over and Beyond". Between herself and Alex, she wants to get back to the human world, either through purpose or guilt. In "The Day Zoe Listened", she learned to nature speak, but throughout the series, she's the only one who does. In "What The World Needs Most",she managed to summon butterflies to revive Livingston.
Stanely (Chris Hobbs) – Stanely is the Librarian of the Metro Library. He made his appearances in "Hello, We must be going", "Whistling in the Dark", "Paradise Found", "Back to the Present" and "What the World Needs Now". He is like Livingstone's human counterpart.
Emma (Voiceover) – Emma is Zoe's friend. Although she's not seen, she is heard in Zoe's PDA when she's calling her. Emma is heard in "Goodbye, We Must Be Staying" and "Back to the Present". She often doesn't believe Zoe that Animalia exists.
G'Bubu (Chris Hobbs) – G'Bubu is a large, green
American
gorilla
who lives in his treehouse home with his best friend Iggy. Still a teenager himself, G'Bubu is fun-loving and enjoys monkeying around. Despite this, he still has a sense of acumen, be it about Animalia or his family tree. He was shown to have a fear of frogs in "The Mists of Time", but conquered it when Alex, Zoe and Iggy were eaten by giant frogs (saying that "sometimes, you can't let the fear get in the way of what you've got to do!"). In "The Ballad of the Creeper", it is revealed that gorillas are unaffected by the core spore of Deep Thoughts and he's a gorilla.
Iggy (R. Martin Klein
) – Iggy D'Iguana is a Castilian
iguana
with a slightly excitable personality. He thinks himself to be bigger than anyone else but always gets ahead of himself. He and G'Bubu were the first to befriend Alex and Zoe when they first arrived and are always on hand to help their new friends with any problem. He also fancies Zoe. Later in the series, his voice has been changed. Iggy finally knew he's a clueless loser in "The World According to Iggy", but he finally had a chance to show his worthy by saving Echo. In "Don Iguana", he tries to prove his bravery to Zoe by disguising himself as Don Iguana, D'Avengger of Animalia. Don Iguana reappeared in "Paradise Found". In "Iggy's Quest", it is revealed he is part chameleon. He can camouflage and change color.
Livingston T. Lion (Chris Hobbs) – Livingston the lion
is the youthful leader of Animalia and the Keeper of the Core. He is one of the main protagonists of the TV series. He has a vast knowledge of the Core itself and just about everything and everyone in Animalia. He can be gentle, helpful and is always up for a game, but sometimes he is rather self-deprecating, wondering whether he can manage to bring Animalia back on track with its unstable Core. In "Brain Drain", it is revealed whether he's smart or not, he's afraid of swamp water. Livingstone appeared in "Back to the Present", but only said a few words in the end. He was brought back in Animalia by G'Bubu and Iggy in "What the World Needs Now".
Reenie (Peta Johnson) – Reenie Rhino is a Scottish
Black Rhino. She works at Animalia's Great Library and helps Livingston with keeping the Core stable whenever something goes wrong. Almost as smart as Livingstone and just as friendly, Reenie has a big heart with room for everyone. But Reenie she is a love friend Rumble. In "The Call to Action", she took control in the Library while Livingstone is gone.
Allegra (Kate Higgins
) – A teenage alligator
who lives in the swamps, Allegra is a self-loving and snappy creature who is very protective of her land. Sometimes, she is a villainess of the TV show. She dreams of being a singer but the others find that unlikely due to her terrible voice, except for her two "gal pals", Bitzy and Snitzy, who constantly follow Allegra and admire her thoughts. Her singing got better when Zoe taught her in "Animalia's Talent-o-Topia" and she's been better ever since. Her catch phrase
is "bang-a-lang!", which she utters at some point in almost every episode.
Tyrannicus (Dean O'Gorman
) – A sly smooth-talking tiger
who serves as the main antagonist
, Tyrannicus feels he should be ruler of Animalia rather than Livingston. He finds ways of getting ahead by the use of various get-rich-quick schemes. He despises Alex and Zoe, who he refers to as "stink bugs" and especially wants to get rid of them. He is known also trying to get G'Bubu and Iggy out of Animalia. He is assisted by Fuchsia the fox. Later in the series, he formed an short-lived alliance with the Creeper. "Ah, my public; they love me!" Later in the series, he reunited with his assistant, Fuchsia (right after his ex-assistant The Creeper was arrested and jailed).it is also revealed that he likes Alex and Zoe in What this world needs now
Fushia (Katie Leigh) – Fushia is a French
Red fox
and Tyrannicus's assistant; always sent to help him arrange or develop plans, she is very smart. She serves as a secondary antagonist
in the TV series. Fushia is often reluctant to help Tyrannicus carry out his plans. In the episode "Whistling in the Dark" when she discovered that her boss and the Creeper are working together, she abandoned Tyrannicus and worked briefly as a double agent to pass on the Creeper's plans to Livingstone. She renuited with her boss, thus The Creeper was sent away to the Wind of No Return. In "The Call To Action", however, she was found out, and she might have been replaced by the Creeper, since he escaped from jail. It was revealed in the episode "Taking the Guilt Trip" that Fushia has a crush on Tyrannicus. Fushia only a main character in "Whistling in the Dark", "The Call to Action", "Taking a Guilt Trip" and "What the World Needs Now". She respects her boss, even though she often seems amused by Tyrannicus's actions, she also gets slightly annoyed at him. "Sorry Tyrannicus, but there's nothing illegal about eating bananas."
Elni & Erno (Peta Johnson & Chris Hobbs) – The two friendly Australian elephants who run the Elephants Eatery, the local restaurant for all Animalians. Elni's warm personality makes her lovable by all, while Erno's cooking is something worth trying, despite his tendency to panic. Later in the series, Elni gives birth for a baby girl called Echo. They were shown as main characters in "The World According to Iggy."
Herry & Horble (Dean O'Gorman and R. Mark Klein) – Harry and Horble (known as the "Horrible Hogs") are Cockney
Warthogs who are a little crass at times. They are a duo of criminals. They are mostly seen riding on their large motorcycles, specially equipped with loud speakers that play music (usually Wagner) wherever they go. Most of the time, they normally did deeds or followed orders for either Allegra or Tyrannicus. Sometimes, they were arrested and jailed. They were main characters in "The Animal Within" and "Tomorrow."
Melba and Melford (Kate Higgins and Chris Hobbs) – Melba and Melford Mouse
are the main news reporters on Animalia News, broadcasting all the current news and happenings on Fluttervision. Melba is more level-headed and calm, whereas Melford is slightly more neurotic and rather slow thinking. Melba is seen as a main character in "The Mystery of the Missing Melba". Melford is shown as a main character in "The Dragon in the Night". They're both main characters in "Scary Story-Go-Round".
Zee & Zed (Peta Johnson and R. Mark Klein) – Zee and Zed are Texan
Zebras who ride in their large zeppelin-like balloon giving the low-down on Animalia from a bird's eye view. While Zed has a level head on his shoulders, Zee is very excitable and sometimes can't stop herself talking excitedly. They were main characters in "From A to Z."
Bitsy and Snipsy (Peta Johnson and Katie Leigh) – Bitzy and Snitzy are Allegra's two gal pals. They do whatever she says. In "The Call to Action", Snitzy found the Superspore, but didn't know what it was. In "Paradise Found", she left it after Bitzy rejects to have it. They're the only ones who respects Allegra's singing before Zoe taught her how. They're main characters in "From A to Z"
Victor and Verbal – Introduced in "Getting Over the Glums", they are a Vulture
Comedy Double Act: Victor, a Jewish sounding comedian, and his wise-cracking Ventriloquist Dummy, Verbal. They're hugely popular for, not only are they vegetarians; unlike normal vultures, but their years of hilarious stand-ups have made them an unforgettable duo.
Rumble (Dan Green
) – Rumble is a black rhino
and the head boss of the Fluttervision Office. Rumble made his first appearance in "Tunnel Vision". Later in the series, he finally exposed his feelings to love Reenie in "Tomorrow". He joined Reenie in the library in "The Guardians of the Core." Rumble is known saying "Charge!" several times.
The Toucans (Peta Johnson, R. Martin Klein) – A colourful band of birds who, whenever they talk, speak only one word in every sentence. Sometimes they get the words mixed up and confuse their sentences, sometimes having disastrous results; this was especially evident in "Long Story Short". They were also shown as main characters in "Tomorrow".
Butterflies – In the world of Animalia, rather than television sets, the residents watch Fluttervision. Large beautiful butterflies fly from home to home and arrange themselves as a large screen where the Animalians can watch the latest happenings from the Animalian news. They only do this for a short time as they do get worn out if watched for too long. They were seized by Tyrannicus Tiger in the episode "Butterfly Winter". One butterfly stayed with Dagmont in "The Dragon and the Night" just to be a night light for him.
The Creeper (Joey Lotsko) – An antagonist
who was once part of the Community Team until he was banished for using the secret portals to steal from the Animalians' homes. During the series' run, the form of the Creeper turns out to be a long-tailed weasel
, who ended up lost in his own portals. Alex comes across him one day and, masquerading as "TC", The Creeper is freed without Alex realising who he is. Now The Creeper plans to overthrow Animalia by taking control over the Core. The Creeper is a main character in all his appearances, except "Iggy's Quest" because he only appeared in Iggy's nightmare. At the end of the series, he is defeated when Livingstone touches the Core which the Creeper was still inside of, causing him to be shot out like a Core-spore, into the Wind of No Return. He was an assoiciate of Tyrannicus (who often refers to him as Wheez) early in the series.
Petter Applebottom – (Chris Hobbs) Petter Applebottom is a mad gorilla scientist. He is mentioned in "Righting the Writing" by G'Bubu. He made his first appearance is "Being Petter Applebottom". Unfortunately, Applebottom is from the past, but because G'Bubu got conked on the head by a bongo berry nut, he was brainwashed into thinking he's Peter Applebottom (through "Bongobeania", an amnesia-like condition in which not only do you forget who you are, you become someone else) so it's true it's his first appearance. He reappeared in "The Ballad of the Creeper", but he was just in a fluttervision screen showing the Creeper how he can corrupt a core spore. G'Bubu being Petter Applebottom reappeared in "What the World Needs Now".
Dagmont Dragon
(Dan Green) – a protagonist who first appears in the episode "Over and Beyond" who captured Zee and Zed Zebra. Later in the series, he has a son who is also an antagonist like his dad. His son's name is Dimitri, although he appears infrequently. He was a protagonist in "Dream Weavers" and was again an antagonist in "The Dragon in the Night" where it is revealed he's afraid of the dark so he's rewarded a butterfly by Livingstone to be his night light.
Carmine Chameleon
(Scottie Ray
) – Iggy's grandfather. He first appeared in "Iggy's Quest" and told his grandson that he, Iggy, is part chameleon. Later in the series, he sometimes tells his grandson to never give up.
Echo Elephant
(Katie Leigh) – Echo is Elni and Erno's daughter. First seen in "Whistling in the Dark" and shown as a main character in "The World According to Iggy". Later in series, she is shown with her parents, seen as a Jungle Scout with G'Bubu, Iggy and the Blue-cap Mice.
Whim Unicorn
– (Peta Johnson) Whim is a unicorn in Over and Beyond. She made her first appearance in "Over and Beyond". When Zoe and Iggy touched her horn, they got transferred back to Animalia which she didn't know. She made her final appearance in "Alex's Treasure Island" where she's a main character, but not quite much.
Hope & Harmony Hogs – (Peta Johnson) Hope and Harmony are Cockney Warthogs. They are the love interests of Herry & Horble Hogs.
Blue Cap Mice
– These little mice are just helpless little blue mice wearing blue coconuts
on their heads. They made their first appearance in "Scary Story-Go-Round". They were chased out from the jungle by Harry and Horble so Tyrannicus can build his theme park. Later in the series, they found the Super Spore after Bitzy and Snitzy left it.
on 2 November 2007.; in Australia on Network Ten
at noon on Sundays beginning on 11 November 2007 also on Nickelodeon since the start of May 2008; and in the United Kingdom
on CBBC
on BBC One
on 19 November 2007. As of 3 November 2008, the show is also running on NRK in Norway. In Latinoamerica the series began running on Animal planet. In India
, the shows is broadcast on Cartoon Network
India
The other broadcast partners and investors in the series have not yet announced their broadcast schedules. The international networks involved in the production are: the BBC in the United Kingdom
, PBS Kids GO! HD
in the United States
and CBC
in Canada
. The series will also be broadcast by SABC 2
in South Africa
, Al Jazeera
and in Israel
.
in the UK, entitled Animalia: Where Animals Rule!.
In 2009, composer Christopher Elves won a Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for his work on Animalias musical score.
are presented by Australasian Performing Right Association
(APRA) and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC).
Animalia (book)
Animalia is an illustrated children's book by Graeme Base. It was published in 1986.Animalia is an alliterative alphabet book and contains twenty-six illustrations, one for each letter of the alphabet...
by illustrator Graeme Base
Graeme Base
Graeme Rowland Base is an Australian author and artist of picture books. He is perhaps best known for his second book, Animalia published in 1986, and third book The Eleventh Hour which was released in 1989....
.
Development
The series was first conceived in 1999 when Australian producer Ewan Burnett met with Base, and obtained the rights to an adaptation of the best-selling book. In early 2002, Burnett finalised the funding arrangements with Australian and international broadcast partners and investors, but the project was delayed when the British government revised the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's taxation laws so that projects claiming special tax status had to be delivered in the financial year they were claimed. After three years of re-financing, Animalia began production in 2005.
The book on which the series was based is a picture book with each spread depicting an elaborate illustration in which every animal and object begins with a particular letter of the alphabet. As there was no coherent narrative or central characters, these were developed with the concept of a fantasy world where animals of all kinds intermingled and interacted becoming the central theme.
As the series was to be broadcast internationally, the alphabetical theme central to the book was dropped, as it was based on the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
alphabet
Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
, and would make no sense if the program was redubbed into another language.
Production
The series is computer-animated, and 40 half-hour episodes were produced by Animalia Productions, based at Village Roadshow Studios in Queensland, and Australian visual effects companies Photon VFX, and Iloura Digital Pictures.Plot
Animalia tells the story of two human children, Alex and his friend Zoe, who stumble into the magical library which transports them to the animal-inhabited world of Animalia. Strange events have undermined the Animalian civilization, and Alex and Zoe join forces with their new friends G'Bubu the gorillaGorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
and Iggy the iguana
Iguana
Iguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
to save Animalia from evil and comical villains.
Humans
Alex (Brooke Mikey AndersonBrooke Mikey Anderson
Brooke Paige "Mikey" Anderson is an Australian actress, who has acted in two episodes of the series Lost....
) – Alex is a natural artist and is hardly ever seen without a sketchbook and pencil. He keeps a cool level head and is rather enthusiastic with a sense of adventure. What makes him special is his ability to see forgotten portals that can transport anyone anywhere in Animalia. He is seen to be the only character to have a birthday as seen in "The Mystery of the Missing Melba". In "Tunnel Vision", he helped a weasel out of the tunnels named the Creeper, but didn't know he was a villain. He and The Creeper are the only characters that can see through tunnels, but in "Taking a Guilt Trip", The Creeper said he couldn't see the portal the kids used to escape from the giant frogs so this means Alex has got better Tunnel Vision.
Zoe (Katie Leigh
Katie Leigh
Katherine "Katie" Leigh is an American voice actress best known for her role as Connie Kendall on the Focus on the Family radio program Adventures in Odyssey since 1987...
) – A sassy and smart-mouthed Hispanic girl, Zoe met Alex by accident where she followed him to the world of Animalia. Despite a few grudges, she manages to find a friend in Alex, who she refers to as "Sketch Boy". She is high-spirited and plucky and can be a schemer when she needs to be, although she can be a bit arrogant at times. She is also careless in her actions, as in "What's The Good Word?", she incited Tyrannicus' wrath. She is a very good story teller, as evidenced in "Over and Beyond". Between herself and Alex, she wants to get back to the human world, either through purpose or guilt. In "The Day Zoe Listened", she learned to nature speak, but throughout the series, she's the only one who does. In "What The World Needs Most",she managed to summon butterflies to revive Livingston.
Stanely (Chris Hobbs) – Stanely is the Librarian of the Metro Library. He made his appearances in "Hello, We must be going", "Whistling in the Dark", "Paradise Found", "Back to the Present" and "What the World Needs Now". He is like Livingstone's human counterpart.
Emma (Voiceover) – Emma is Zoe's friend. Although she's not seen, she is heard in Zoe's PDA when she's calling her. Emma is heard in "Goodbye, We Must Be Staying" and "Back to the Present". She often doesn't believe Zoe that Animalia exists.
Animalians
Note: In a nod to the book, the names of all the Animalians begin with the first letter of their species name.G'Bubu (Chris Hobbs) – G'Bubu is a large, green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
who lives in his treehouse home with his best friend Iggy. Still a teenager himself, G'Bubu is fun-loving and enjoys monkeying around. Despite this, he still has a sense of acumen, be it about Animalia or his family tree. He was shown to have a fear of frogs in "The Mists of Time", but conquered it when Alex, Zoe and Iggy were eaten by giant frogs (saying that "sometimes, you can't let the fear get in the way of what you've got to do!"). In "The Ballad of the Creeper", it is revealed that gorillas are unaffected by the core spore of Deep Thoughts and he's a gorilla.
Iggy (R. Martin Klein
R. Martin Klein
Robert Martin Klein is a voice actor who is known to play characters in Japanese animation and video games. He is also known as Bob Marx...
) – Iggy D'Iguana is a Castilian
Castilian people
The Castilian people are the inhabitants of those regions in Spain where most people identify themselves as Castilian. They include Castile-La Mancha, Madrid, and the major part of Castile and León. However, not all regions of the medieval Kingdom of Castile think of themselves as Castilian...
iguana
Iguana
Iguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
with a slightly excitable personality. He thinks himself to be bigger than anyone else but always gets ahead of himself. He and G'Bubu were the first to befriend Alex and Zoe when they first arrived and are always on hand to help their new friends with any problem. He also fancies Zoe. Later in the series, his voice has been changed. Iggy finally knew he's a clueless loser in "The World According to Iggy", but he finally had a chance to show his worthy by saving Echo. In "Don Iguana", he tries to prove his bravery to Zoe by disguising himself as Don Iguana, D'Avengger of Animalia. Don Iguana reappeared in "Paradise Found". In "Iggy's Quest", it is revealed he is part chameleon. He can camouflage and change color.
Livingston T. Lion (Chris Hobbs) – Livingston the lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
is the youthful leader of Animalia and the Keeper of the Core. He is one of the main protagonists of the TV series. He has a vast knowledge of the Core itself and just about everything and everyone in Animalia. He can be gentle, helpful and is always up for a game, but sometimes he is rather self-deprecating, wondering whether he can manage to bring Animalia back on track with its unstable Core. In "Brain Drain", it is revealed whether he's smart or not, he's afraid of swamp water. Livingstone appeared in "Back to the Present", but only said a few words in the end. He was brought back in Animalia by G'Bubu and Iggy in "What the World Needs Now".
Reenie (Peta Johnson) – Reenie Rhino is a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Black Rhino. She works at Animalia's Great Library and helps Livingston with keeping the Core stable whenever something goes wrong. Almost as smart as Livingstone and just as friendly, Reenie has a big heart with room for everyone. But Reenie she is a love friend Rumble. In "The Call to Action", she took control in the Library while Livingstone is gone.
Allegra (Kate Higgins
Kate Higgins
Catherine Davis "Kate" Higgins is an American voice actress, singer, and jazz pianist. She was born in Charlottesville, Virginia grew up in Auburn, Alabama, and currently lives in Los Angeles. She is best known as the English voice of Sakura Haruno on the hit anime series Naruto, Talho Yūki from...
) – A teenage alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
who lives in the swamps, Allegra is a self-loving and snappy creature who is very protective of her land. Sometimes, she is a villainess of the TV show. She dreams of being a singer but the others find that unlikely due to her terrible voice, except for her two "gal pals", Bitzy and Snitzy, who constantly follow Allegra and admire her thoughts. Her singing got better when Zoe taught her in "Animalia's Talent-o-Topia" and she's been better ever since. Her catch phrase
Catch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
is "bang-a-lang!", which she utters at some point in almost every episode.
Tyrannicus (Dean O'Gorman
Dean O'Gorman
-Early life:Born in Auckland, New Zealand; he has a brother named Brett. He attended Rangitoto College and earned a black belt in karate by the age of ten. -Career:...
) – A sly smooth-talking tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
who serves as the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
, Tyrannicus feels he should be ruler of Animalia rather than Livingston. He finds ways of getting ahead by the use of various get-rich-quick schemes. He despises Alex and Zoe, who he refers to as "stink bugs" and especially wants to get rid of them. He is known also trying to get G'Bubu and Iggy out of Animalia. He is assisted by Fuchsia the fox. Later in the series, he formed an short-lived alliance with the Creeper. "Ah, my public; they love me!" Later in the series, he reunited with his assistant, Fuchsia (right after his ex-assistant The Creeper was arrested and jailed).it is also revealed that he likes Alex and Zoe in What this world needs now
Fushia (Katie Leigh) – Fushia is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
and Tyrannicus's assistant; always sent to help him arrange or develop plans, she is very smart. She serves as a secondary antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
in the TV series. Fushia is often reluctant to help Tyrannicus carry out his plans. In the episode "Whistling in the Dark" when she discovered that her boss and the Creeper are working together, she abandoned Tyrannicus and worked briefly as a double agent to pass on the Creeper's plans to Livingstone. She renuited with her boss, thus The Creeper was sent away to the Wind of No Return. In "The Call To Action", however, she was found out, and she might have been replaced by the Creeper, since he escaped from jail. It was revealed in the episode "Taking the Guilt Trip" that Fushia has a crush on Tyrannicus. Fushia only a main character in "Whistling in the Dark", "The Call to Action", "Taking a Guilt Trip" and "What the World Needs Now". She respects her boss, even though she often seems amused by Tyrannicus's actions, she also gets slightly annoyed at him. "Sorry Tyrannicus, but there's nothing illegal about eating bananas."
Elni & Erno (Peta Johnson & Chris Hobbs) – The two friendly Australian elephants who run the Elephants Eatery, the local restaurant for all Animalians. Elni's warm personality makes her lovable by all, while Erno's cooking is something worth trying, despite his tendency to panic. Later in the series, Elni gives birth for a baby girl called Echo. They were shown as main characters in "The World According to Iggy."
Herry & Horble (Dean O'Gorman and R. Mark Klein) – Harry and Horble (known as the "Horrible Hogs") are Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
Warthogs who are a little crass at times. They are a duo of criminals. They are mostly seen riding on their large motorcycles, specially equipped with loud speakers that play music (usually Wagner) wherever they go. Most of the time, they normally did deeds or followed orders for either Allegra or Tyrannicus. Sometimes, they were arrested and jailed. They were main characters in "The Animal Within" and "Tomorrow."
Melba and Melford (Kate Higgins and Chris Hobbs) – Melba and Melford Mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
are the main news reporters on Animalia News, broadcasting all the current news and happenings on Fluttervision. Melba is more level-headed and calm, whereas Melford is slightly more neurotic and rather slow thinking. Melba is seen as a main character in "The Mystery of the Missing Melba". Melford is shown as a main character in "The Dragon in the Night". They're both main characters in "Scary Story-Go-Round".
Zee & Zed (Peta Johnson and R. Mark Klein) – Zee and Zed are Texan
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Zebras who ride in their large zeppelin-like balloon giving the low-down on Animalia from a bird's eye view. While Zed has a level head on his shoulders, Zee is very excitable and sometimes can't stop herself talking excitedly. They were main characters in "From A to Z."
Bitsy and Snipsy (Peta Johnson and Katie Leigh) – Bitzy and Snitzy are Allegra's two gal pals. They do whatever she says. In "The Call to Action", Snitzy found the Superspore, but didn't know what it was. In "Paradise Found", she left it after Bitzy rejects to have it. They're the only ones who respects Allegra's singing before Zoe taught her how. They're main characters in "From A to Z"
Victor and Verbal – Introduced in "Getting Over the Glums", they are a Vulture
Vulture
Vulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains...
Comedy Double Act: Victor, a Jewish sounding comedian, and his wise-cracking Ventriloquist Dummy, Verbal. They're hugely popular for, not only are they vegetarians; unlike normal vultures, but their years of hilarious stand-ups have made them an unforgettable duo.
Rumble (Dan Green
Dan Green (voice actor)
Daniel Alexander Green , is an American voice actor, voice director and script adapter who has worked for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post and Central Park Media...
) – Rumble is a black rhino
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
and the head boss of the Fluttervision Office. Rumble made his first appearance in "Tunnel Vision". Later in the series, he finally exposed his feelings to love Reenie in "Tomorrow". He joined Reenie in the library in "The Guardians of the Core." Rumble is known saying "Charge!" several times.
The Toucans (Peta Johnson, R. Martin Klein) – A colourful band of birds who, whenever they talk, speak only one word in every sentence. Sometimes they get the words mixed up and confuse their sentences, sometimes having disastrous results; this was especially evident in "Long Story Short". They were also shown as main characters in "Tomorrow".
Butterflies – In the world of Animalia, rather than television sets, the residents watch Fluttervision. Large beautiful butterflies fly from home to home and arrange themselves as a large screen where the Animalians can watch the latest happenings from the Animalian news. They only do this for a short time as they do get worn out if watched for too long. They were seized by Tyrannicus Tiger in the episode "Butterfly Winter". One butterfly stayed with Dagmont in "The Dragon and the Night" just to be a night light for him.
The Creeper (Joey Lotsko) – An antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
who was once part of the Community Team until he was banished for using the secret portals to steal from the Animalians' homes. During the series' run, the form of the Creeper turns out to be a long-tailed weasel
Long-tailed Weasel
The long-tailed weasel , also known as the bridled weasel or big stoat is a species of mustelid distributed from southern Canada throughout all the United States and Mexico, southward through all of Central America and into northern South America.-Evolution:The long-tailed weasel is the product of...
, who ended up lost in his own portals. Alex comes across him one day and, masquerading as "TC", The Creeper is freed without Alex realising who he is. Now The Creeper plans to overthrow Animalia by taking control over the Core. The Creeper is a main character in all his appearances, except "Iggy's Quest" because he only appeared in Iggy's nightmare. At the end of the series, he is defeated when Livingstone touches the Core which the Creeper was still inside of, causing him to be shot out like a Core-spore, into the Wind of No Return. He was an assoiciate of Tyrannicus (who often refers to him as Wheez) early in the series.
Petter Applebottom – (Chris Hobbs) Petter Applebottom is a mad gorilla scientist. He is mentioned in "Righting the Writing" by G'Bubu. He made his first appearance is "Being Petter Applebottom". Unfortunately, Applebottom is from the past, but because G'Bubu got conked on the head by a bongo berry nut, he was brainwashed into thinking he's Peter Applebottom (through "Bongobeania", an amnesia-like condition in which not only do you forget who you are, you become someone else) so it's true it's his first appearance. He reappeared in "The Ballad of the Creeper", but he was just in a fluttervision screen showing the Creeper how he can corrupt a core spore. G'Bubu being Petter Applebottom reappeared in "What the World Needs Now".
Dagmont Dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
(Dan Green) – a protagonist who first appears in the episode "Over and Beyond" who captured Zee and Zed Zebra. Later in the series, he has a son who is also an antagonist like his dad. His son's name is Dimitri, although he appears infrequently. He was a protagonist in "Dream Weavers" and was again an antagonist in "The Dragon in the Night" where it is revealed he's afraid of the dark so he's rewarded a butterfly by Livingstone to be his night light.
Carmine Chameleon
Chameleon
Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
(Scottie Ray
Scottie Ray
Scottie Ray , sometimes credited as Scott Rayow, is a voice actor who normally voices characters for properties of 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media and NYAV Post...
) – Iggy's grandfather. He first appeared in "Iggy's Quest" and told his grandson that he, Iggy, is part chameleon. Later in the series, he sometimes tells his grandson to never give up.
Echo Elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
(Katie Leigh) – Echo is Elni and Erno's daughter. First seen in "Whistling in the Dark" and shown as a main character in "The World According to Iggy". Later in series, she is shown with her parents, seen as a Jungle Scout with G'Bubu, Iggy and the Blue-cap Mice.
Whim Unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
– (Peta Johnson) Whim is a unicorn in Over and Beyond. She made her first appearance in "Over and Beyond". When Zoe and Iggy touched her horn, they got transferred back to Animalia which she didn't know. She made her final appearance in "Alex's Treasure Island" where she's a main character, but not quite much.
Hope & Harmony Hogs – (Peta Johnson) Hope and Harmony are Cockney Warthogs. They are the love interests of Herry & Horble Hogs.
Blue Cap Mice
MICE
-Fiction:*Mice , alien species in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*The Mice -Acronyms:* "Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions", facilities terminology for events...
– These little mice are just helpless little blue mice wearing blue coconuts
COcOnuts
COcOnuts is the second album released by Jane, comprising Animal Collective member Panda Bear, and Scott Mou. It was originally self-released on CD-R's, but later became the first album released by Psych-o-path Records in 2005. The Psych-o-path version was remastered by Rusty Santos and Edik Kleyner....
on their heads. They made their first appearance in "Scary Story-Go-Round". They were chased out from the jungle by Harry and Horble so Tyrannicus can build his theme park. Later in the series, they found the Super Spore after Bitzy and Snitzy left it.
Corespore types
There are many different types of Corespore. Here are a few of them:- Memory spore: This makes all Animalians lose their memories. Seen in "Forget Me Not". Symbolised by a compass.
- Rhyme spore: This makes all Animalians have to speak in rhyme. Seen in "Catcher in the Rhyme". Symbolised by a ring.
- Time spore: Seen in "The Mist of Time". Symbolised by a pocket watch. A recurring gag in that episode is the sweet aroma in the past.
- Nature spore: Symbolised by a shell.
- Co-operation spore: Symbolised by gears.
- Generosity spore: Seen in "Alex's Treasure Island". Symbolised by a rainbow. The only Corespore that wasn't figured out until the very end (as generosity is the opposite of greed).
- Portal spore: A spore lost long ago that lets all Animalians see the portals.
- Superspore (AKA the corespore of miracles): A brown core spore that can heal the core
- The word corespore: This makes all Animalian forget words. It appears in "From A-Z"
- Origin Core Spore: This gives all Animalians the ability to talk all animal languages. Appears in "Alex's Secret Code". Symbolised by a chain.
- Stability spore: This causes earthquakes. Appears in "Being Peter Applebottom". Symbolised by measuring scales.
- Intelligence spore: This causes Livingston's and Allegra's intelligence to switch. Appears in "Brain Drain".
- Peace Spore: Causes peace among all Animalians. Appears in "What's the Good Word?" Though a pen was to be found in it, the spore is actually symbolised by the letter Zoe wrote it with.
Broadcast details
The series began running on U.S. cable channel Animania HDAnimania HD
Animania HD was an American television network that showed animation from the newest series, specials and anime produced in high definition to cartoon classics re-mastered into HD. Programming included original series Pet Alien, Ratz, Lola & Virginia as well as classic cartoons like The Pink...
on 2 November 2007.; in Australia on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
at noon on Sundays beginning on 11 November 2007 also on Nickelodeon since the start of May 2008; and in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on 19 November 2007. As of 3 November 2008, the show is also running on NRK in Norway. In Latinoamerica the series began running on Animal planet. In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the shows is broadcast on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
The other broadcast partners and investors in the series have not yet announced their broadcast schedules. The international networks involved in the production are: the BBC in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, PBS Kids GO! HD
PBS Kids GO!
PBS Kids GO! is an educational television brand used by PBS for programs intended for older children, rather than the original PBS Kids. It is primarily broadcast on PBS stations during the afternoons...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The series will also be broadcast by SABC 2
SABC 2
SABC 2 is a South African television channel owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation . SABC 2 broadcasts programming in English, Afrikaans, Venda, and Tsonga.It was created in 1996, after the SABC restructured its television channels...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
and in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
DVD releases
On 30 June 2008, the first seven episodes of the series were released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in the UK, entitled Animalia: Where Animals Rule!.
Awards
In 2008 Animalia was nominated for BAFTA Children's Kids Vote Award. (BAFTA Children's Kids Vote 2008 nominees)In 2009, composer Christopher Elves won a Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for his work on Animalias musical score.
APRA-AGSC Awards
The annual Screen Music AwardsAPRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
are presented by Australasian Performing Right Association
Australasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
(APRA) and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC).
- 2008APRA Awards of 2008The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2008 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards ceremony occurred on 16 June at the Sydney Hilton, they were presented by APRA and the Australasian...
Best Music for Children's Television win for Animalia – "Butterfly Winter" composed by Christopher Elves.
Funding
- Lilly EndowmentLilly EndowmentLilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....
- National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
- Alfred P. Sloan FoundationAlfred P. Sloan FoundationThe Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic non-profit organization in the United States. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., then-President and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors.-Overview:...
- The Arthur Vining Davis FoundationsThe Arthur Vining Davis FoundationsThe Arthur Vining Davis Foundations are a group of charitable foundations established by American industrialist Arthur Vining Davis, onetime Alcoa president and Florida land developer.-History:...
- Park Foundation
- Corporation for Public BroadcastingCorporation for Public BroadcastingThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
- Viewers Like YouPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....