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Ratz (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Ratz is an animated television series created by France
's Xilam
studios, with joint production from Canada
.
The show stars two rat
s, Rapido and Razmo, aboard the S.S. Wanderer, a cheese
ship with (seemingly) no actual destination. The focus of the series is on the adventures of the two rats, including guarding the cheese, interacting with other stowaways and various ill-fated encounters with the crew. The rats themselves live in the hull of the ship in a lavish two-bedroom apartment
.
While being targeted at young children in France
, the series has gained a small cult following
of older ages in Canada
, due to its original late night air time. The French version features the voices of the comedy duo Éric et Ramzy. Unlike most animated programs designed for a younger audience, Ratz has (except for the episode "The Genie") no moral resolve at the end of each episode.
The show is also notable for its positive portrayal of rats, unusual for Western
and North America
n cultures, which often give its fictional rats selfish, antagonizing and evil characteristics. Also of interest is the pure blend of traditional animation
and 3D animation, and the eclectic soundtrack by Hervé Lavandier.
Ratz was originally titled Rapido and featured a chunkier animation style; some websites (including Xilam's own website http://www.xilam.com/) still reflect this.
with a jet engine
strapped to the back (though in the episode "The Rat Exterminator", the rats do not recognize an actual mousetrap). The ratboard provides the rats with speedy travel in and around the ship. Rapido is very fond of his ratboard and enjoys challenging Razmo to races, often winning.
Ratboards are also used to reach otherwise inaccessible places, provide speedy rescues, move things by tether
or simply to impress guests.
-wannabe with a huge ego to maintain. To get over his large self-doubts and low self-esteem, he acts in a condescending manner and often boasts having personal connections to various celebrities. Rapido is also a hypocrite, scolding Razmo sharply for engaging in an activity, then secretly pursuing the same later on. Rapido only has interest in himself and will not aide Razmo at all, unless the situation adversely affects himself. His interests include ratboard racing
, celebrity magazines, fashion
, house music
and feeling important and wooing women.
, emotionally scarred and obsessive-compulsive
. Razmo is also childish, sometimes speaking to a plush toy and wetting the bed. His interests include playing stringed bass
, jazz
, counting the cheese, inventing and making friends. In the original Rapido short, Razmo had a Deep South
accent; the voice was changed to have a slight Brooklyn
accent during production of Ratz.
Oddly, Razmo is called 'Ratz' (as in the name of the show) on the blurb for the show in Sky
programme guides.
The Captain is a Scottish
seaman and veteran of the seas. He is the only person who knows the final destination of the cheese in the cargo hold. Over the years he has gone from a rather serious captain to a rather goofy one, often falling into reverie or suggesting absurd courses of action during crises
. All of his orders are directed towards Svetlana, the Russia
n engineer. She is responsible for keeping the S.S. Wanderer afloat and is usually found in situations requiring her massive size and strength. Despite her role on the ship, Svetlana attempts to act feminine whenever possible, which isn't very often. She is often talking to or conspiring with Benny, the Asia
n chef (Benny has been hinted as being either Chinese
or Japan
ese.) Benny is the only one that will actually give chase to the rats. Despite having five years of culinary arts under his belt, Benny is usually preparing soufflé
s or sushi
for the rest of the crew. Rapido and Razmo usually interfere when Benny brings aboard a live animal to be slaughtered.
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...
's Xilam
Xilam
Xilam is a French production company that specializes in animated series feature films. Originally founded as Gaumont Multimédia, the company adopted it's current name in 1999...
studios, with joint production from 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 show stars two rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, Rapido and Razmo, aboard the S.S. Wanderer, a cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
ship with (seemingly) no actual destination. The focus of the series is on the adventures of the two rats, including guarding the cheese, interacting with other stowaways and various ill-fated encounters with the crew. The rats themselves live in the hull of the ship in a lavish two-bedroom apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
.
While being targeted at young children in France
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...
, the series has gained a small cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
of older ages 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...
, due to its original late night air time. The French version features the voices of the comedy duo Éric et Ramzy. Unlike most animated programs designed for a younger audience, Ratz has (except for the episode "The Genie") no moral resolve at the end of each episode.
The show is also notable for its positive portrayal of rats, unusual for Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n cultures, which often give its fictional rats selfish, antagonizing and evil characteristics. Also of interest is the pure blend of traditional animation
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
and 3D animation, and the eclectic soundtrack by Hervé Lavandier.
Ratz was originally titled Rapido and featured a chunkier animation style; some websites (including Xilam's own website http://www.xilam.com/) still reflect this.
Ratboarding
An integral part of Ratz is the ratboard, a transportation device resembling a mousetrapMousetrap
A mousetrap is a specialized type of animal trap designed primarily to catch mice; however, it may also trap other small animals. Mousetraps are usually set in an indoor location where there is a suspected infestation of rodents. There are various types of mousetrap, each with its own advantages...
with a jet engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
strapped to the back (though in the episode "The Rat Exterminator", the rats do not recognize an actual mousetrap). The ratboard provides the rats with speedy travel in and around the ship. Rapido is very fond of his ratboard and enjoys challenging Razmo to races, often winning.
Ratboards are also used to reach otherwise inaccessible places, provide speedy rescues, move things by tether
Tether
A tether is a cord, fixture, or signal that anchors something movable to a reference point which may be fixed or moving. There are a number of applications for tethers: balloons, kites, tethered wind-energy conversion systems, anchors, tethered water-flow energy conversion systems, towing, animal...
or simply to impress guests.
Rapido
Rapido is a jet setJet set
"Jet set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social activities that are unreachable to ordinary people...
-wannabe with a huge ego to maintain. To get over his large self-doubts and low self-esteem, he acts in a condescending manner and often boasts having personal connections to various celebrities. Rapido is also a hypocrite, scolding Razmo sharply for engaging in an activity, then secretly pursuing the same later on. Rapido only has interest in himself and will not aide Razmo at all, unless the situation adversely affects himself. His interests include ratboard racing
Racing
A sport race is a competition of speed, against an objective criterion, usually a clock or to a specific point. The competitors in a race try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time...
, celebrity magazines, fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
, house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and feeling important and wooing women.
Razmo
Razmo is the shorter and stouter rat. He is a highly productive genius and mechanic, having invented the ratboard and being responsible for all mechanical and electrical issues. He is also forced to perform all chores as Rapido never lends a hand. This has led Razmo to become depressedClinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, emotionally scarred and obsessive-compulsive
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive–compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions...
. Razmo is also childish, sometimes speaking to a plush toy and wetting the bed. His interests include playing stringed bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, counting the cheese, inventing and making friends. In the original Rapido short, Razmo had a Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
accent; the voice was changed to have a slight Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
accent during production of Ratz.
Oddly, Razmo is called 'Ratz' (as in the name of the show) on the blurb for the show in Sky
Sky
The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
programme guides.
The crew
The crew of the S.S. Wanderer consists of three personnel: Benny the chef, Svetlana the engineer and The Captain. Neither of them is considered a villain in the series, though Benny is the one most enraged by the rats. Usually the crew will return to their normal duties after brushing shoulders with Rapido and/or Razmo. Humorously enough, the crew's diet consists mostly of cheese, which Svetlana hates and Benny is allergic to (although Benny's allergies are not seen or discussed within the show.)The Captain 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...
seaman and veteran of the seas. He is the only person who knows the final destination of the cheese in the cargo hold. Over the years he has gone from a rather serious captain to a rather goofy one, often falling into reverie or suggesting absurd courses of action during crises
Crisis
A crisis is any event that is, or expected to lead to, an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community or whole society...
. All of his orders are directed towards Svetlana, the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n engineer. She is responsible for keeping the S.S. Wanderer afloat and is usually found in situations requiring her massive size and strength. Despite her role on the ship, Svetlana attempts to act feminine whenever possible, which isn't very often. She is often talking to or conspiring with Benny, the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n chef (Benny has been hinted as being either Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
or Japan
Japan
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...
ese.) Benny is the only one that will actually give chase to the rats. Despite having five years of culinary arts under his belt, Benny is usually preparing soufflé
Soufflé
A soufflé is a light baked cake made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert...
s or sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
for the rest of the crew. Rapido and Razmo usually interfere when Benny brings aboard a live animal to be slaughtered.
Merchandise
- Ratz has Region 2 DVDDVDA 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....
s out in France, containing eight episodes per DVD. - An album, A fond les bananes !, featuring Éric et Ramzy, has also been released in France. The show's theme song "Pas de panique à bord", the record's opening track, was a minor hit in France.