ICarly: iGo to Japan
Encyclopedia
iGo to Japan is a 2008 three-part episode of iCarly
that premiered on November 8, 2008 on Nickelodeon
, and November 21 on YTV. It was the first episode to be promoted as a "movie". The television movie stars Miranda Cosgrove
, Jennette McCurdy
, and Nathan Kress
.
when their webshow iCarly is nominated for the best comedy category. However, Mrs. Benson does not approve of her son Freddie going, so she and Spencer supervise the group. The nomination was to have been all-expenses paid trip; however, airplane tickets were only issued to the iCarly members. To include himself and Mrs. Benson on the trip, Spencer finds an alternative mode of transportation: a freighter aircraft
driven by Freightdog and filled with opossi. As the plane is bound to land in Korea
instead, the group skydives from the airplane when it flies over Tokyo
. Eventually, with the guidance of an officer, they find a hotel
where the iWeb Awards make their reservations. While everyone is sleeping in their room, Kyoko and Yuki, stars of a competing webshow Kyoko and Yuki, visit them. The two give Spencer and Mrs. Benson free passes to a spa to get seaweed massages, and take the iCarly members shopping
.
Yuki drives for three hours and argue with Kyoko over driving directions, escalating to physical contact between the two after stopping their car. After Sam breaks them up, Kyoko and Yuki apologize the iCarly members for spoiling their welcome to Japan; however, they go back into the car and drive off, leaving the three behind. At that point, Carly intuitively figures out Kyoko and Yuki are sabotaging iCarly's chances of winning the iWeb Awards.
Meanwhile, Spencer and Mrs. Benson attend a spa, where Kyoko and Yuki's cousins trap them in large seaweed
wrap, not planning to unwrap them until Kyoko and Yuki win the iWeb Awards. Shocked by the news, the two struggle to warn the children of Kyoko and Yuki's plan. They eventually manage to free themselves from the wrap. As they notify the hotel receptionist of their dilemma, Mrs. Benson suddenly recalls of a chip implanted in Freddie's head by a doctor. She uses a GPS device to track down Freddie and manage to find him, along with Carly and Sam.
The entire group arrives at iWeb Awards studio but cannot get in because Carly and Sam cannot prove they are performers to the security guards, who do not speak English
. Following Mrs. Benson's plan, Carly, Sam, Freddie, and Spencer run inside as Mrs. Benson distracts the guards. Inside, the guards find the group and detain them in their office. Failing to communicate with them with words, Carly and Sam act out what happened to them throughout their trip. Freddie videotape
s them and plugs his camcorder
onto the front stage screen
. The audience sees Carly and Sam's act, finding it to be hilarious. Although their production is not what Carly and Sam originally recorded to present at the awards, the managers declare them as the iWeb Awards winners for best comedy
. Kyoko and Yuki are arrested for kidnapping
, and the group returns to Seattle on a fishing boat.
gave it a 6.5 out of 10.
ICarly
iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
that premiered on November 8, 2008 on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, and November 21 on YTV. It was the first episode to be promoted as a "movie". The television movie stars Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Her career began at the age of three, where she participated in television commercials. Cosgrove's film debut was in 2003, as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock...
, Jennette McCurdy
Jennette McCurdy
Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy is an American film and television actress and country pop singer-songwriter. She is best known for her role as Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly...
, and Nathan Kress
Nathan Kress
Nathan Karl Kress is an American film and television actor. A professional child model and actor since the age of three, he is best known for his role as Freddie Benson on the Nickelodeon television series iCarly.-Early life:...
.
Plot
Carly, Sam, and Freddie receive an invitation to the iWeb awards in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
when their webshow iCarly is nominated for the best comedy category. However, Mrs. Benson does not approve of her son Freddie going, so she and Spencer supervise the group. The nomination was to have been all-expenses paid trip; however, airplane tickets were only issued to the iCarly members. To include himself and Mrs. Benson on the trip, Spencer finds an alternative mode of transportation: a freighter aircraft
Cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. They are usually devoid of passenger amenities, and generally feature one or more large doors for the loading and unloading of cargo...
driven by Freightdog and filled with opossi. As the plane is bound to land in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
instead, the group skydives from the airplane when it flies over Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Eventually, with the guidance of an officer, they find a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
where the iWeb Awards make their reservations. While everyone is sleeping in their room, Kyoko and Yuki, stars of a competing webshow Kyoko and Yuki, visit them. The two give Spencer and Mrs. Benson free passes to a spa to get seaweed massages, and take the iCarly members shopping
Shopping
Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one....
.
Yuki drives for three hours and argue with Kyoko over driving directions, escalating to physical contact between the two after stopping their car. After Sam breaks them up, Kyoko and Yuki apologize the iCarly members for spoiling their welcome to Japan; however, they go back into the car and drive off, leaving the three behind. At that point, Carly intuitively figures out Kyoko and Yuki are sabotaging iCarly's chances of winning the iWeb Awards.
Meanwhile, Spencer and Mrs. Benson attend a spa, where Kyoko and Yuki's cousins trap them in large seaweed
Seaweed
Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
wrap, not planning to unwrap them until Kyoko and Yuki win the iWeb Awards. Shocked by the news, the two struggle to warn the children of Kyoko and Yuki's plan. They eventually manage to free themselves from the wrap. As they notify the hotel receptionist of their dilemma, Mrs. Benson suddenly recalls of a chip implanted in Freddie's head by a doctor. She uses a GPS device to track down Freddie and manage to find him, along with Carly and Sam.
The entire group arrives at iWeb Awards studio but cannot get in because Carly and Sam cannot prove they are performers to the security guards, who do not speak English
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...
. Following Mrs. Benson's plan, Carly, Sam, Freddie, and Spencer run inside as Mrs. Benson distracts the guards. Inside, the guards find the group and detain them in their office. Failing to communicate with them with words, Carly and Sam act out what happened to them throughout their trip. Freddie videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
s them and plugs his camcorder
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
onto the front stage screen
Projection screen
A projection screen is an installation consisting of a surface and a support structure used for displaying a projected image for the view of an audience. Projection screens may be permanently installed, as in a movie theater; painted on the wall; or semi-permanent or mobile, as in a conference room...
. The audience sees Carly and Sam's act, finding it to be hilarious. Although their production is not what Carly and Sam originally recorded to present at the awards, the managers declare them as the iWeb Awards winners for best comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
. Kyoko and Yuki are arrested for kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
, and the group returns to Seattle on a fishing boat.
Cast
- Miranda CosgroveMiranda CosgroveMiranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Her career began at the age of three, where she participated in television commercials. Cosgrove's film debut was in 2003, as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock...
as Carly Shay - Jennette McCurdyJennette McCurdyJennette Michelle Faye McCurdy is an American film and television actress and country pop singer-songwriter. She is best known for her role as Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly...
as Sam Puckett - Nathan KressNathan KressNathan Karl Kress is an American film and television actor. A professional child model and actor since the age of three, he is best known for his role as Freddie Benson on the Nickelodeon television series iCarly.-Early life:...
as Freddie Benson - Jerry TrainorJerry TrainorGerald William "Jerry" Trainor is an American actor, comedian and voice actor, widely known for playing Spencer Shay on iCarly. He is also known as Crazy Steve on Drake & Josh and the title character, Dudley Puppy, on T.U.F.F. Puppy...
as Spencer Shay - Mary ScheerMary ScheerMary Scheer is an American actress and comedian. She is best known as one of the original cast members of the sketch comedy series MADtv and for playing Freddie's mother, Marissa Benson, on iCarly...
as Marissa Benson - Ally MatsumuraAlly MakiAllyson Matsumura, known as Ally Maki, is an American television and movie actress.- Career :Maki made a notable guest appearance on the series Bones as the androgynous Dr. Haru Tanaka. She appears in a short featurette on the Bones: Season 4 DVD entitled "Androgyny: Playing Haru Tanaka" where she...
as Kyoko - Harry Shum, Jr.Harry Shum, Jr.Harry Shum, Jr. is an American dancer, actor, and choreographer. He is best known for his role as Mike Chang on the FOX television show Glee. He has appeared in dance films such as Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D...
as Yuki - Jonathan MangumJonathan MangumJonathan Mangum is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member of the variety show, The Wayne Brady Show and is an announcer for the game show Let's Make a Deal.-Early life:...
as Henri Henri P'Twa - Michael Butler Murray as Mr. Wilkins
- Don Stark as Freight Dog
- Andrew KishinoAndrew KishinoAndrew Kishino is a Japanese-Canadian voice actor in video games, animation and voice-over narration.-Animation:*The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy - Additional Voices...
as Japanese Standee - Jeremy RowleyJeremy RowleyJeremy Rowley is an American character actor and comedian. He has appeared in a number of television shows and movies, often portraying somewhat "ballistic" characters, especially on television shows. For example, on the Nickelodeon television series iCarly, he plays Lewbert who is the mean and...
as Lewbert - Good CharlotteGood CharlotteGood Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been lead vocalist Joel Madden, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Benji Madden, bass guitarist Paul Thomas and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin...
as themselves
Reception
The film has been given mostly positive reviews. Newsday rates the movie a B. Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
gave it a 6.5 out of 10.
Nielsen ratings
| Network | Date | Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (TV channel) Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers... |
November 8, 2008 | 15.83 Million |
| Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (TV channel) Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers... |
November 10, 2008 | 4.83 Million |
| YTV | November 21, 2008 | 0.32 Million |
| Nick UK | April 4, 2009 | 0.29 Million |
| Nick Germany | October 17, 2009 | 0.22 Million |