The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo
Encyclopedia
The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo was a series of five minute cartoons produced 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...

 in the mid-1970s. They told the story of Captain Mark Nemo and his young assistants, Christine and Robbie, in their nuclear powered submarine, the Nautilus.

Background

In the fall of 1975, children in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and 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...

 were introduced to the animated series The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo. In America, Captain Nemo was introduced as part of the long running children's program Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...

on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

. In Canada, one five minute Captain Nemo cartoon was shown during each episode of Peanuts and Popcorn which ran on the 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...

.

Created by Al Guest & Jean Mathieson who were also the producers and directors as well as writers, it was produced by their studio, Rainbow Animation of Toronto, Ontario, 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 Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo was a fanciful re-imagining of the original Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...

 character Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo, also known as Prince Dakkar, is a fictional character featured in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island ....

, from his book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne published in 1870. It tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax...

.

This time Nemo was depicted as an ocean researcher named Mark Nemo. Blonde and hunky, Mark traveled the world's oceans doing scientific research, providing assistance to both humans and animals and thwarting evil doers. Along for the ride came two kids Christine and Robbie who learned (along with the viewers) about life beneath the sea as they went.

These cartoons were quite short, exactly five minutes in length (30 seconds of which was the opening). Besides being educational, these cartoons are an insight into some of the philosophy around children's education of the mid 70's. Each episode would attempt to convey some information about oceanography or marine biology, and all of the plot lines would be resolved cleanly in five minutes without resorting to much violence.

At times, Captain Nemo reflects the influence of the 1970s environmental movement
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....

, but the sometimes serious attempts to convey environmentalist themes are softened by its lighthearted style.

Voice Talent

Len Carlson
Len Carlson
Len Carlson was a Canadian voice actor on many animated television series from the 1960s onward, an occasional live-action TV actor, and a Kraft Canada TV pitchman during the 1970s and 1980s...

 and Billie Mae Richards
Billie Mae Richards
Billie Mae Richards was a Canadian voice actress, who also appeared onstage and on television.-Career:...

provided all of the character voices for the entire series.

Production

Al Guest was a legend in Canadian broadcasting circles since the 1960s. His partner, Jean Mathieson joined him in the seventies to found Rainbow Animation in Toronto which produced Nemo.

Episodes

Airdates are unknown, nor is this a confirmed airing order.

Rescue of a Killer

Battle of the Giants

Poachers of the Deep

Jaws of Death

Monsters on the Beach

The Invisible Girl

Deadly Ribbons

The Floating Peril

Guess What's Coming for Dinner

Killer From the Past

The Golden Trap

The Floating Gold Mine

The Tuna Trapper

The Fish Bomber

The Devil's Doorway

The Coral Maze

The Mine at the Bottom of the Sea

Wild Water and Oil

The Silver Age

The Ice Menagerie

Behind Bars

Shark Patrol

Dolphin Express

Collision At Sea

Eyes of the Deep

The Bloodhound of the Sea

The Arab Solution

The Undersea Looters

Shadow of Death

The Pearl Snatchers

Circle of Fire

Rapture of the Deep

Fish Farm

Cool It, Captain

The Little Island

Mystery Island

All That Glitters

Queen of the Deep

Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River

The Big Prize

Go Fetch, Killer

Dangerous Welcome

Mystery Triangle

The Meteorite Shower

Snake Charmer

Haul Away Joe

See Through Killer

The Shark Catalog

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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