The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers is a 2D Flash animation series for television. It was commissioned by CITV
and Cartoon Network
in the UK, YTV
and VRAK.TV
in Canada and is a co-production between UK studio Pesky and Studio B in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. The series aired on CITV
and for a short while on Cartoon Network in 2007. Reruns are currently shown on Boomerang since 2009.
The show's directors Claire Underwood and Dan Chambers and producer David Hodgson picked up a Best Animation BAFTA for the series in 2006.
that experiences an unusually high rate of natural disasters), the three Adrenalini brothers (Xan, Enk and Adi) eat, sleep and breathe danger. They tour around the world staging ridiculously hazardous stunts, not so much to make a living as because they enjoy the adrenaline rush. In their travels, the Adrenalinis have visited many countries in the world, and even many periods in history (and, in some cases, fiction).
A typical Adrenalini adventure involves the brothers coming across some sort of trouble in their latest location, usually involving an antagonist bullying the locals. The brothers invariably get involved in the trouble, and beat the antagonist using their daredevil stunts (usually more out of luck than skill), bickering and causing havoc all the while. No matter what happens, the Brothers always come out on top in the end, and regroup in time to chime in with their catchphrase: "Yahzaa Adrenalini!"
The brothers, interestingly, do not speak a word of English. Instead, they speak a made-up gibberish-laden called Rendoosian "foreign" tongue, although it contains many standard reused words and phrases and is constructed so the audience usually can tell more or less what they are saying (also, their written language can be translated to English via a simple substitution cypher). The brothers do not understand English, but since the English words spoken to them often have obvious emotional overtones ("Get out of my bonsai garden" or "Eek! You're not bears! Get out, Get out! Get out!") there is usually no need for translation.
In the episode "Guitars of Destiny!", Enk sees a flyer advertising a heavy metal band, and reads it aloud saying "Rock Hammer". Later in the episode, Xan tries to say "Rock music!", but it comes out, "Rok moozik!"
In the episode "City of Heroes!" Enk is captivated by the superhero "Hero Man" and says his name admiringly, while Xan says it contemptuously later in the episode.
Xan says "Vukala! Oh, noompla! Scramalam!" which is "Look out! Oh, no! Let's get out of here!", in the episode "Knights of Ineptitude". In the episode "Gondolas of Jealousy", Xan speaks "Ploonky mumbutz!" which is "Silly bus!", and in "Sleighs of Hazard", Xan says "Nooty meena floompa!" as in "We'll use my umbrella!".
to develop a new Flash Animation series for the relaunch of its CBBC
website - they immediately saw the potential and The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers cartoons were born.
The original 10 two-and-a-half-minute 'shorts' where shown on online and then CBBC television in 2002 and the episode "Ocean of Terror" was awarded the Prix des Internautes at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival
that summer, and went on in 2003 to win a People's Choice Award at Anima Mundi
in Brazil.
By 2004 plans were hatched to create a longer-running television series based on the Adrenalini bros. And in 2005 the series of 78 seven-minute episodes went into production as a UK-Canadian a co-production, with pre- and post-production by Pesky in their London studio and animation by Studio B in Vancouver, and scripting shared between writers on both sides of the Atlantic. The series first aired in March 2006 on CITV
in the UK, then YTV
in 2007 (and later also VRAK.TV
in Canada) followed by Cartoon Network
across Europe and Asia. The series has enjoyed particular success in Australia where it was aired by ABC Australia on a regular slot early evening slot until 2010, and where two DVD collections have also been released (the show's only official DVDs to date).
In 2006 the series began the year by picking up a Pulcinella Award at the Cartoons On The Bay festival in Italy and ended the year with the episode "Hunchback of Heartbreak" winning a BAFTA for Best Animation Series.
The showman of the brothers, Xan is the oldest and acts as their leader, constantly trying (and often failing) to keep the other two out of mischief. He has a large ego and is constantly dreaming up new stunts to further his fame. Xan also has an eye for the ladies, and has made several unsuccessful attempts to woo the many females he has encountered in his travels. Although not all attempts are unsuccessful, all of them end with either Xan or the lady being rejected for some odd reason(usually Xan finds that the female is either ugly or a man). As a stunt man, Xan's contribution to the team seems to be as an escape artist, an ability that has served him well when he's accidentally ended up on the wrong side of the law. In fact, he has effortlessly evaded or escaped police on several occasions. Xan can always be seen wearing his trademark sunglasses (which were given to him by the Réndøosîan prime minister in honor of his excellent hair) and while he prefers to wear them to look cool, they also happen to be prescription lenses. Without them, Xan can barely see anything.
Enk
The youngest (and tiniest) of the brothers, Enk is a small, sausage-shaped fellow with long whiskers and tiny limbs. His role in the stunts is generally that of being tossed into the air. This treatment has made Enk a rather panicky little fellow - his trademark is a high-pitched "Eeeeeeee!" whenever things go wrong. His small size also makes him more perceptive to the dangers around him, which tends to make him the voice of reason on the team (particularly whenever Xan's ego and/or ambition runs away with him). Despite this, Enk is no coward. He has a strong sense of justice, and is usually the first to take on the villains, even if he is initially alone. He also has a rather notable temper and can become quite vengeful if provoked. He has a weakness however, in fact, more than one weakness; one of them being that he likes anything shiny, but this often leads him into "borrowing" shiny things which don't belong to him (like trophies, for example). Another weakness of his is that he can't resist opera singing, as evidenced in "Voices of Madness". Enk's dark secret is he used to learn English by watching BBC World Service at night.
Adi
The largest and strongest of the brothers, Adi is more or less an overgrown child, and has a very mischievous streak to him. He is usually called upon for those stunts which require his great strength, although he has also performed extreme acrobatic feats, showing that he is far more agile than a man his size has any right to be. He is easily amused and often laughs merrily at his brother's misfortunes, much to their annoyance. Totally devoted to his brothers, Adi will merrily go along with any idea Xan comes up with, until something trivial inevitably distracts him. With the ability to uproot trees and even lift elephants, one would think that Adi would be quite fearless. But in truth, he doesn't have a lot of confidence in his own abilities without at least one of his brothers present to show support. In fact, when he is alone, he often becomes quite nervous and timid. He is most notably recognized by his enormous bushy moustache, which can actually grow back within minutes if he ever loses it (apparently, Xan has shown that he can grow his moustache back almost as quickly).
1. High Dive of Doom!
2. Ocean of Terror!
3. Volcano of Venom!
4. Monster of Mayhem!
5. Wings of Destiny!
6. Box of No Return!
7. Slopes of Peril!
8. Joust of Glory!
9. Cannon of Chaos!
10. Tightrope of Triumph!
11. Trampoline of Treachery! (Competition Winning Entry)
2. Guitars of Destiny!
3. Fangs of Horror!
4. Jungle of Ruin!
5. Waves of Turmoil!
6. Kilts of Uproar!
7. Flames of Fury!
8. Convicts of Shame!
9. Claws of Malice!
10. Cape of Majesty!
11. Bellies of Belligerence!
12. Peaks of Peril!
13. Knights of Ineptitude!
14. Wheels of Destruction!
15. Hunchback of Heartbreak!
16. Pirates of Greed!
17. Sleighs of Hazard! (Christmas Episode)
18. Chute of Death!
19. Voices of Madness!
20. Gondalas of Jealousy!
21. Pyramids of Panic!
22. Diapers of Despair!
23. Lamps of Confusion!
24. Dolphins of Doom!
25. Factory of Malfunction!
26. Biceps of Triumph!
27. Kangaroos of Menace!
28. Cruise of Disaster!
29. Rollercoaster of Wreckage!
30. Bears of Disruption!
31. Hooves of Thunders!
32. Actors of Infamy!
33. Rockets of Rage!
34. Oil of Avarice!
35. Swords of Justice!
36. Vikings of Romance!
37. Flowers of Dread!
38. Logs of War!
39. Growls of Hunger!
41. Camp of Calamity!
42. Field of Frights!
43. Crate of Expectations!
44. Beans of Magnitude!
45. Builders of Frenzy!
46. Bones of Disbelief!
47. Wings of Ambition!
48. Ghosts of Intangibility!
49. Lederhosen of Desire!
50. Corporation of Carnage!
51. City of Heroes!
52. Leprechauns of Mischief!
53. Barrels of Love!
54. Catwalk of Outrage!
55. Ladders of Courage!
56. Jobs of Jeopardy!
57. Mathematics of Misery!
58. Tails of Longing!
59. Mother of Mayhem!
60. Razors of Allure!
61. Vovage of Discovery!
62. Dragon of Antagonism!
63. Farm of Forgetfulness!
64. Goalposts of Glory!
65. Rapids of Revenge!
66. Balloon of Lunacy!
67. Sands of Thirst!
68. Railroad of Misfortune!
69. Gladiators of Bewilderment!
70. Cavemen of Invention!
71. Monsters of Immensity!
72. Siesta of Spite!
73. Clubs of Hope!
74. Visitors of Vengeance!
75. Island of Isolation!
76. Heist of Absurdity!
77. Mission of Impossibility!
78. Rivals of Wrath!
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
and 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....
in the UK, YTV
YTV (Canadian TV channel)
YTV is a Canadian English-language Category A specialty channel aimed at youth, available nationwide through cable and satellite television. Presently it is wholly owned by Corus Entertainment and Shaw Media. The "YTV" name is thought by some viewers to be an abbreviation for "Youth Television",...
and VRAK.TV
VRAK.TV
VRAK.TV is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel aimed at youth audiences. VRAK.TV is currently owned by Astral Media.-History:...
in Canada and is a co-production between UK studio Pesky and Studio B in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The series aired on CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
and for a short while on Cartoon Network in 2007. Reruns are currently shown on Boomerang since 2009.
The show's directors Claire Underwood and Dan Chambers and producer David Hodgson picked up a Best Animation BAFTA for the series in 2006.
Overview
Travelling showmen hailing from the mysterious land of Réndøosîa (a fictional Eastern European countryCountry
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
that experiences an unusually high rate of natural disasters), the three Adrenalini brothers (Xan, Enk and Adi) eat, sleep and breathe danger. They tour around the world staging ridiculously hazardous stunts, not so much to make a living as because they enjoy the adrenaline rush. In their travels, the Adrenalinis have visited many countries in the world, and even many periods in history (and, in some cases, fiction).
A typical Adrenalini adventure involves the brothers coming across some sort of trouble in their latest location, usually involving an antagonist bullying the locals. The brothers invariably get involved in the trouble, and beat the antagonist using their daredevil stunts (usually more out of luck than skill), bickering and causing havoc all the while. No matter what happens, the Brothers always come out on top in the end, and regroup in time to chime in with their catchphrase: "Yahzaa Adrenalini!"
The brothers, interestingly, do not speak a word of English. Instead, they speak a made-up gibberish-laden called Rendoosian "foreign" tongue, although it contains many standard reused words and phrases and is constructed so the audience usually can tell more or less what they are saying (also, their written language can be translated to English via a simple substitution cypher). The brothers do not understand English, but since the English words spoken to them often have obvious emotional overtones ("Get out of my bonsai garden" or "Eek! You're not bears! Get out, Get out! Get out!") there is usually no need for translation.
In the episode "Guitars of Destiny!", Enk sees a flyer advertising a heavy metal band, and reads it aloud saying "Rock Hammer". Later in the episode, Xan tries to say "Rock music!", but it comes out, "Rok moozik!"
In the episode "City of Heroes!" Enk is captivated by the superhero "Hero Man" and says his name admiringly, while Xan says it contemptuously later in the episode.
Xan says "Vukala! Oh, noompla! Scramalam!" which is "Look out! Oh, no! Let's get out of here!", in the episode "Knights of Ineptitude". In the episode "Gondolas of Jealousy", Xan speaks "Ploonky mumbutz!" which is "Silly bus!", and in "Sleighs of Hazard", Xan says "Nooty meena floompa!" as in "We'll use my umbrella!".
History
The series had its origins as a British student review act in the 1990s, written and performed by The Pox, aka Dan Chambers, Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler. With ambitions to turn their live act into animation the trio presented their ideas to Pesky, who had just been approached by the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
to develop a new Flash Animation series for the relaunch of its 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...
website - they immediately saw the potential and The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers cartoons were born.
The original 10 two-and-a-half-minute 'shorts' where shown on online and then CBBC television in 2002 and the episode "Ocean of Terror" was awarded the Prix des Internautes at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became annual in 1998...
that summer, and went on in 2003 to win a People's Choice Award at Anima Mundi
Anima Mundi (event)
Anima Mundi is a competitive Brazilian video and film festival devoted exclusively to animation, held every July in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil.-History:...
in Brazil.
By 2004 plans were hatched to create a longer-running television series based on the Adrenalini bros. And in 2005 the series of 78 seven-minute episodes went into production as a UK-Canadian a co-production, with pre- and post-production by Pesky in their London studio and animation by Studio B in Vancouver, and scripting shared between writers on both sides of the Atlantic. The series first aired in March 2006 on CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
in the UK, then YTV
YTV (Canadian TV channel)
YTV is a Canadian English-language Category A specialty channel aimed at youth, available nationwide through cable and satellite television. Presently it is wholly owned by Corus Entertainment and Shaw Media. The "YTV" name is thought by some viewers to be an abbreviation for "Youth Television",...
in 2007 (and later also VRAK.TV
VRAK.TV
VRAK.TV is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel aimed at youth audiences. VRAK.TV is currently owned by Astral Media.-History:...
in Canada) followed by 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....
across Europe and Asia. The series has enjoyed particular success in Australia where it was aired by ABC Australia on a regular slot early evening slot until 2010, and where two DVD collections have also been released (the show's only official DVDs to date).
In 2006 the series began the year by picking up a Pulcinella Award at the Cartoons On The Bay festival in Italy and ended the year with the episode "Hunchback of Heartbreak" winning a BAFTA for Best Animation Series.
The Brothers
XanThe showman of the brothers, Xan is the oldest and acts as their leader, constantly trying (and often failing) to keep the other two out of mischief. He has a large ego and is constantly dreaming up new stunts to further his fame. Xan also has an eye for the ladies, and has made several unsuccessful attempts to woo the many females he has encountered in his travels. Although not all attempts are unsuccessful, all of them end with either Xan or the lady being rejected for some odd reason(usually Xan finds that the female is either ugly or a man). As a stunt man, Xan's contribution to the team seems to be as an escape artist, an ability that has served him well when he's accidentally ended up on the wrong side of the law. In fact, he has effortlessly evaded or escaped police on several occasions. Xan can always be seen wearing his trademark sunglasses (which were given to him by the Réndøosîan prime minister in honor of his excellent hair) and while he prefers to wear them to look cool, they also happen to be prescription lenses. Without them, Xan can barely see anything.
Enk
The youngest (and tiniest) of the brothers, Enk is a small, sausage-shaped fellow with long whiskers and tiny limbs. His role in the stunts is generally that of being tossed into the air. This treatment has made Enk a rather panicky little fellow - his trademark is a high-pitched "Eeeeeeee!" whenever things go wrong. His small size also makes him more perceptive to the dangers around him, which tends to make him the voice of reason on the team (particularly whenever Xan's ego and/or ambition runs away with him). Despite this, Enk is no coward. He has a strong sense of justice, and is usually the first to take on the villains, even if he is initially alone. He also has a rather notable temper and can become quite vengeful if provoked. He has a weakness however, in fact, more than one weakness; one of them being that he likes anything shiny, but this often leads him into "borrowing" shiny things which don't belong to him (like trophies, for example). Another weakness of his is that he can't resist opera singing, as evidenced in "Voices of Madness". Enk's dark secret is he used to learn English by watching BBC World Service at night.
Adi
The largest and strongest of the brothers, Adi is more or less an overgrown child, and has a very mischievous streak to him. He is usually called upon for those stunts which require his great strength, although he has also performed extreme acrobatic feats, showing that he is far more agile than a man his size has any right to be. He is easily amused and often laughs merrily at his brother's misfortunes, much to their annoyance. Totally devoted to his brothers, Adi will merrily go along with any idea Xan comes up with, until something trivial inevitably distracts him. With the ability to uproot trees and even lift elephants, one would think that Adi would be quite fearless. But in truth, he doesn't have a lot of confidence in his own abilities without at least one of his brothers present to show support. In fact, when he is alone, he often becomes quite nervous and timid. He is most notably recognized by his enormous bushy moustache, which can actually grow back within minutes if he ever loses it (apparently, Xan has shown that he can grow his moustache back almost as quickly).
Episodes
The online episodes (also known as the 'shorts') are approximated 2'30" in duration. The two full seasons consist of 39 seven-minute episodes, aired separately or combined into 13 half-hours, for a total of 78 episodes in all. More information on each episode can be found on the official website.Online Episodes
These were originally commissioned by the BBC1. High Dive of Doom!
2. Ocean of Terror!
3. Volcano of Venom!
4. Monster of Mayhem!
5. Wings of Destiny!
6. Box of No Return!
7. Slopes of Peril!
8. Joust of Glory!
9. Cannon of Chaos!
10. Tightrope of Triumph!
11. Trampoline of Treachery! (Competition Winning Entry)
Season One
1. Saddles of Insanity!2. Guitars of Destiny!
3. Fangs of Horror!
4. Jungle of Ruin!
5. Waves of Turmoil!
6. Kilts of Uproar!
7. Flames of Fury!
8. Convicts of Shame!
9. Claws of Malice!
10. Cape of Majesty!
11. Bellies of Belligerence!
12. Peaks of Peril!
13. Knights of Ineptitude!
14. Wheels of Destruction!
15. Hunchback of Heartbreak!
16. Pirates of Greed!
17. Sleighs of Hazard! (Christmas Episode)
18. Chute of Death!
19. Voices of Madness!
20. Gondalas of Jealousy!
21. Pyramids of Panic!
22. Diapers of Despair!
23. Lamps of Confusion!
24. Dolphins of Doom!
25. Factory of Malfunction!
26. Biceps of Triumph!
27. Kangaroos of Menace!
28. Cruise of Disaster!
29. Rollercoaster of Wreckage!
30. Bears of Disruption!
31. Hooves of Thunders!
32. Actors of Infamy!
33. Rockets of Rage!
34. Oil of Avarice!
35. Swords of Justice!
36. Vikings of Romance!
37. Flowers of Dread!
38. Logs of War!
39. Growls of Hunger!
Season Two
40. Child of Danger!41. Camp of Calamity!
42. Field of Frights!
43. Crate of Expectations!
44. Beans of Magnitude!
45. Builders of Frenzy!
46. Bones of Disbelief!
47. Wings of Ambition!
48. Ghosts of Intangibility!
49. Lederhosen of Desire!
50. Corporation of Carnage!
51. City of Heroes!
52. Leprechauns of Mischief!
53. Barrels of Love!
54. Catwalk of Outrage!
55. Ladders of Courage!
56. Jobs of Jeopardy!
57. Mathematics of Misery!
58. Tails of Longing!
59. Mother of Mayhem!
60. Razors of Allure!
61. Vovage of Discovery!
62. Dragon of Antagonism!
63. Farm of Forgetfulness!
64. Goalposts of Glory!
65. Rapids of Revenge!
66. Balloon of Lunacy!
67. Sands of Thirst!
68. Railroad of Misfortune!
69. Gladiators of Bewilderment!
70. Cavemen of Invention!
71. Monsters of Immensity!
72. Siesta of Spite!
73. Clubs of Hope!
74. Visitors of Vengeance!
75. Island of Isolation!
76. Heist of Absurdity!
77. Mission of Impossibility!
78. Rivals of Wrath!