Little Shop
Encyclopedia
Little Shop is a 1991 animated television series about a teenager and a giant talking plant that eats everything in sight. Little Shop was based on the off-broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors
, which was based on the 1960 Roger Corman film The Little Shop of Horrors
. The concept of the adaptation is credited to Frank Oz
, and the series was produced by Tom Tataranowicz
. The horror
elements in previous versions of the story, in which characters are eaten by the plant, are toned down for children in this series.
named Junior. Junior sprouted from a 200 million year-old seed and has the ability to talk and hypnotize people. Only Seymour is aware of Junior's abilities. The flower shop is owned by stodgy Mr. Mushnik, whose daughter Audrey is the object of Seymour's affections. Audrey, however, does not seem to reciprocate his feelings. Buck-toothed Paine Driller, a neighborhood bully, continuously targets Seymour.
Episodes focused on the pubescent exploits of the leads and frequently featured a moral. They also featured a couple of musical numbers per episode. Consistent with the "urban" persona of the plant in the musical, Audrey Junior raps in the series during his numbers, and speaks in a hip-hop dialect. Also featured are a trio of singing flowers reminiscent of Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon, the three chorus girls in the musical.
, as well as the ability to telekineticly manipulate meat - an ability he dubbed his "vegetable magnetism
." Audrey Junior was also no longer a potty mouthed, trash-talking psycho-plant. He was on Seymour's side, though more often than not, would aid without Seymour's knowledge (often because its actions were generally cheating—sometimes by using its hypnotic abilities). However, he did insult Seymour more often sometimes, like 'meathead' or 'pest' and said he'd "rather be talking to a termite."
Brace-faced neighborhood bully Paine Driller replaces the character of Orin Scrivello, D.D.S.
Audrey, who was a blonde in the play, was now a black-haired bow-wearing brunette who was always thinking about what job she wanted when she grew up. The other most notable change is that she became the daughter of Mr. Mushnik in this incarnation.
Little Shop of Horrors (musical)
Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
, which was based on the 1960 Roger Corman film The Little Shop of Horrors
The Little Shop of Horrors
The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 American comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about an inadequate young florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human flesh and blood. The film's concept is thought to be based on a 1932...
. The concept of the adaptation is credited to Frank Oz
Frank Oz
Frank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...
, and the series was produced by Tom Tataranowicz
Tom Tataranowicz
Tom Tataranowicz is a cartoon animator and director. His first credit was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He is president of Gang of 7 Animation.-External links:...
. The horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
elements in previous versions of the story, in which characters are eaten by the plant, are toned down for children in this series.
Synopsis
Self-proclaimed nerd Seymour Krelborn, an adolescent boy who works in a flower shop, keeps a pet Venus FlytrapVenus Flytrap
The Venus Flytrap , Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces...
named Junior. Junior sprouted from a 200 million year-old seed and has the ability to talk and hypnotize people. Only Seymour is aware of Junior's abilities. The flower shop is owned by stodgy Mr. Mushnik, whose daughter Audrey is the object of Seymour's affections. Audrey, however, does not seem to reciprocate his feelings. Buck-toothed Paine Driller, a neighborhood bully, continuously targets Seymour.
Episodes focused on the pubescent exploits of the leads and frequently featured a moral. They also featured a couple of musical numbers per episode. Consistent with the "urban" persona of the plant in the musical, Audrey Junior raps in the series during his numbers, and speaks in a hip-hop dialect. Also featured are a trio of singing flowers reminiscent of Crystal, Ronette, and Chiffon, the three chorus girls in the musical.
Differences between the musical and cartoon
Junior (the plant known as "Audrey, Junior" in the 1960 film and "Audrey II" in the musical) is a kind-hearted and helpful plant, not a "mean, green mother from outer space" who, unlike his live-action counterparts, has eyeballs. In the first episode, it's revealed that Junior was hatched from a prehistoric Earth plant that had been dormant for over 200 million years. Although Junior has a voracious appetite, this version of the plant does not feast on human blood. There was, however, a running gag which involved Audrey Junior eating the piano teacher in every episode in which the teacher appeared, and then belching out the teacher's scarf. While based mainly on the musical, the plant did retain its ability to hypnotize people, as it did in the 1960 filmThe Little Shop of Horrors
The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 American comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about an inadequate young florist's assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human flesh and blood. The film's concept is thought to be based on a 1932...
, as well as the ability to telekineticly manipulate meat - an ability he dubbed his "vegetable magnetism
Animal magnetism
Animal magnetism , in modern usage, refers to a person's sexual attractiveness or raw charisma. As postulated by Franz Mesmer in the 18th century, the term referred to a supposed magnetic fluid or ethereal medium believed to reside in the bodies of animate beings...
." Audrey Junior was also no longer a potty mouthed, trash-talking psycho-plant. He was on Seymour's side, though more often than not, would aid without Seymour's knowledge (often because its actions were generally cheating—sometimes by using its hypnotic abilities). However, he did insult Seymour more often sometimes, like 'meathead' or 'pest' and said he'd "rather be talking to a termite."
Brace-faced neighborhood bully Paine Driller replaces the character of Orin Scrivello, D.D.S.
Audrey, who was a blonde in the play, was now a black-haired bow-wearing brunette who was always thinking about what job she wanted when she grew up. The other most notable change is that she became the daughter of Mr. Mushnik in this incarnation.
Episodes
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Bad Seed" | September 7, 1991 |
| 1-2 | "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche" | September 14, 1991 |
| 1-3 | "Back to the Fuchsia" | September 21, 1991 |
| 1-4 | "Unfair Science" | September 28, 1991 |
| 1-5 | "Stage Blight" | October 5, 1991 |
| 1-6 | "I Loathe a Parade" | October 12, 1991 |
| 1-7 | "Air Junior" | October 19, 1991 |
| 1-8 | "Halloween Story" | October 26, 1991 |
| 1-9 | "It's a Wonderful Leaf" | November 2, 1991 |
| 1-10 | "Tooth or Consequence" | November 9, 1991 |
| 1-11 | "Walk Like a Nerd" | November 16, 1991 |
| 1-12 | "Pulp Fiction" | November 23, 1991 |
| 1-13 | "Married to the Mush" | November 30, 1991 |
Cast
- Jana Lexxa as Seymour Krelborn
- Jennie KwanJennie KwanJennie Kwan is a Filipino-American actress and singer from Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her roles as Samantha "Sam" Woo on California Dreams and as Suki on Avatar: The Last Airbender.-Career:Jennie began acting at age 11, when she started performing with the touring company,...
as Audrey Mushnik - Michael Rawl as Mr. Mushnik
- Terry McGee as Audrey Junior
- Mark Ryan as Paine Driller