Around the World with Willy Fog

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Around the World with Willy Fog
Format Animation
Created by Jules Verne
BRB Internacional
Nippon Animation
Claudio Biern Boyd
Developed by Luis Ballester
Fumio Kurokawa
Opening theme "La vuelta al mundo de Willy Fog" by Mocedades
"Sky Way" by Keiko Han
Ending theme "Sílbame" by Mocedades
"Our 2 Watches" by Keiko Han
Country of origin Flag of Spain Spain
Flag of Japan Japan
No. of episodes 26 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive
producer(s)		 Claudio Biern Boyd
Running time 26 mins
Broadcast
Original channel RTVE/TV Asahi
Original airing 1981
External links
IMDb profile

Around the World with Willy Fog (original Spanish title La vuelta al mundo de Willy Fog) is a cartoon version of Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne in the same vein as Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds, and like that series produced by BRB Internacional. The characters are anthropomorphisms of various animals, Willy Fog (Phileas Fogg in the original book by Jules Verne) himself being a lion and Romy (Aouda) and Rigodon (Passepartout) being cats.

The series was broadcast on TV Asahi in Japan in 1987, with episodes 14, 18, 21 and 22 deleted from the Japanese series run. The title of the series in Japanese is Anime 80 (Hachijuu) Nichikan Sekai Isshuu ("Around the World in 80 Days in Animation").

Contents

[edit] Plot

As he has done every morning since he moved into Savile Row, Willy Fog awakens at 8.00am and rings for his manservant, only to remember that he fired him the previous day for his inability to follow Fog's precise schedule. He has already arranged an interview for a replacement - former circus performer Rigodon, who is even now rushing towards Fog's house to make his 11.00am appointment. Rigodon is accompanied by his old circus colleague Tico, who hides within his travelling bag, and prompts him through the interview, which gets off to a bad start when Rigodon arrives four minutes late. Nonetheless, Rigodon is hired by Fog as his butler, and soon departs for the Reform Club.

At the club, the main topic of conversation is the recent theft of £55,000 from the Bank of England until the bank's governor Mr. Sullivan arrives and requests a change of topic. Sullivan's off-hand remark that the thief is still in London, however, causes the elderly Lord Guinness to bring up an article in the Morning Chronicle, detailing how it is now possible to travel around the world in eighty days. The article states that one departs London by train for Dover, where one crosses to Calais, and on to Paris. From there, it is a train journey to Brindisi, and the Suez Canal, all within a week. Having rounded the Arabian peninsula, you arrive in Bombay on day 20 and then a three day railway journey to Calcutta. Hong Kong is reached on day 33, Yokohama on day 39, and then a mammoth three week crossing of the Pacific to arrive in San Francisco on day 61, a week long train crossing to New York and then finally a nine day crossing of the Atlantic back to London making it possible to circumvent the globe in eighty days. The other members of the club laugh at Lord Guinness's suggestion that he would take on the challenge if he were younger, prompting Fog to defend his honor by taking up the task himself. Sullivan bets Fog £5,000 that it is impossible, and additional wagers by three other club members increase this amount to £20,000. He then stuns the club by announcing that he will leave that very evening and promises to return to the club by 8.45pm on December 21, 1872.

Rigodon is less than thrilled to hear the news of their impending trip, having spent his life travelling with the circus, but dutifully accompanies his master as they set out, with Tico still in hiding. Little are they aware, however, that they are pursued by three individuals determined to halt their progress - Inspector Dix and Constable Bully of Scotland Yard, who are convinced that Fog is the thief who robbed the Bank of England, and the wicked and conniving Transfer, a saboteur hired by Mr. Sullivan to impede Fog's journey in any way.

See also: List of Around the World with Willy Fog episodes

[edit] Differences from the novel

Despite its addition of three prominent new characters into the story (Tico, Bully and Transfer) and changing the names of the established characters, Around the World with Willy Fog remains one of the most accurate media adaptations of the original novel. Most digressions from the original plot are the result of some action performed by these or other additional characters (usually Transfer) - in a general sense, there are substantially more "close shaves" in the series, where Fog and his companions only just manage to catch their next transport, thanks to diversionary tactics by Transfer. Indeed, Transfer is responsible for three incidents during the North American leg of the journey (the buffalo stampede, the collapsing bridge and the attack by American Indians) all of which happen purely by chance in the novel. The most prominent alterations from the book include:

  • Firstly, the discussion which prompts the wager begins over a game of billiards, not whist. Also, four, rather than five, members of the Reform Club bet against Fog.
  • In the series, Dix and Bully pursue Fog and his party from London, after Dix sees a newspaper photograph of Fog and notices that Fog resembles the suspected bank-robber. In the novel, however, these suspicions do not arise until the travellers pass through Suez.
  • Though the European leg of the journey passes without incident in the novel, the same is not true of the series, where Fog and his party have two encounters with a cross-dressing Transfer and Fog is involved in a confrontation with a gang who were attempting to rob a young flower-seller.
  • Accompanied by an additional character, Brigadier Corn of the British army, Fog and his party do not purchase an elephant to take them through the jungle; rather, Transfer incapacitates the owner (who, in the series, regretfully declines to escort Fog and his party, saying his elephant needs a rest) and takes his place, intending to guide Fog into the jungle and abandon him. This leads to a further deviation from the novel, with the elephant's rightful owner pursuing Fog and his party, along with Dix and Bully, who suspect Fog is the elephant thief.
  • Rather than having Inspector Dix arrange for Fog and Rigodon's arrest in Calcutta, it is Rigodon and Tico who are arrested on a different charge (defiling a temple's sacred cow, after Rigodon is caught hanging his hat on its horns). The resolution is the same, as the characters are released on bail.
  • As in the novel, it is initially planned that Romy will travel with Fog and his party only until she has found her family. However, the resolution of her search differs in one important aspect; rather than learning that they have moved to Europe, she is told they were killed in a flash flood. She visits their graves with Fog, who, as in the novel, later invites her to come to England with him.
  • As a means of leaving Inspector Dix's comedic characterization untarnished, is it Transfer who is responsible for drugging Rigodon in Hong Kong, after knocking Dix out and impersonating him. Also, rather than leaving Rigodon and Tico behind in the bar (with them later waking up and boarding the Carnatic while still drug-addled) Transfer has Bully place the two friends on board the ship. He then disguises himself as the ship's stoker and, accusing Rigodon and Tico of being stowaways, forces them to work to pay for their passage.
  • Rather than joining an acrobatic troupe in Japan, Tico and Rigodon are hired as a living cannon ball and a knife-thrower's assistant respectively, with Transfer posing as the knife-thrower.
  • The trip to San Francisco sees two of the biggest changes from the novel, with two entirely new adventures added to the story, rather than simply modifying existing aspects. Both are the work of Transfer - first, he contaminates all the drinking water aboard the ship with salt, leading to a one-episode side-trip to Hawaii, then, he sets the boat aflame, forcing them to drift to the nearest port, which is in Mexico. This leads to the incorporation of a variation of the hot-air balloon journey made famous by the 1956 film into the series, as Fog purchases one to take them to San Francisco, where, rather than becoming caught up in a crowd which has turned ugly, the travellers encounter another of Transfer's traps, with Transfer attempting to have Fog shot by a local outlaw.
  • After Rigodon and Tico are captured by Indians, the pair are shown making friends with the chief of the tribe, something which does not happen in the novel. Also, rather than accompanying a party of thirty soldiers to look for his missing companions, Fog ventures into Indian territory accompanied only by Dix, with Bully and Romy remaining behind.
  • On arriving in Chicago, our heroes are stymied by a blizzard that halts all rail travel, preventing them from reaching New York. Instead, they take an ice-boat across the frozen Great Lakes and Niagara Falls, but when the freezing weather causes Tico to fall ill, they are delayed and, as in the novel, miss their steamer to Liverpool. Though the characters in the novel use a similar mode of transport to travel from Fort Kearney to Omaha (covered by railroad handcart and stagecoach in the series) none of them suffer any ill effects from the cold.
  • In order to preserve Fog's heroic characterization, he does not pay the crew to mutiny so that they can travel to Liverpool; instead, Rigodon, fearing any such attempt will ruin Fog's reputation, reluctantly agrees to go along with Dix's plan to stage a mutiny. But, before they can carry out their plan, Transfer, posing as the ship's cook, attempts to poison Fog, only for the ship's captain to wind up the recipient of the tainted dish. Thusly poisoned, the captain hands command of the ship over to Fog so that he can get him to a port with a doctor as quickly as possible, and Fog steers the ship to Liverpool.
  • As in the novel, the ship in which the travellers are sailing to England runs out of coal on the high seas, prompting Fog to buy the ship in order to burn all its furniture and fittings. However, while the characters in the novel are ultimately forced to dock in Queenstown and travel across Ireland, their counterparts in the series succeed in reaching Liverpool.
  • Although Dix's arrest of Fog contributes to making him miss his train to London, it is a final scheme by Transfer, posing as a coachman, that ultimately leads Fog too far from the station to make the connection. Dix (who recently learned that Fogg is not, in fact, the bank robber and is deeply regretful) is also not punched by Fog in this version, who remains the model of stiff-upper-lippery, saying he has "wasted enough time" and asking the police to help him reach the train station in time - instead, Dix requests that Bully punch him to help clear his conscience.
  • In the wake of Fog's apparent defeat, Rigodon and Tico reluctantly decide to leave his employ, feeling they will be a burden to him if they stay. This does not happen in the novel. Also, since the series is aimed at children, there is no hint that Fog is "planning some fatal project" (ie, suicide) as is the case at the same stage in the novel. However, there is a brief moment where Fog disappears, causing concern on the part of Rigodon and Tico. The resolution is the same as in the novel, with Fog and the others, having learned of their mistake with the date, racing to the Reform Club and arriving with only seconds to spare.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Main characters

Willy Fog
Willy Fog (Phileas Fogg in the original novel) is a well-mannered, well-read English gentleman who is loyal to his friends and always true to his word. He leads his life according to many strict, precise rules - something afforded him by his long-term bachelor lifestyle. He resides in London and although he is well-known for his wealth, the precise source of his money is unknown as his occupation is never elaborated on. Ever the gentleman, he eschews violence of any form whenever possible, but is never without his cane, which is all he needs to defend himself and others. Willy Fog is a member of the Reform Club in London and is challenged to travel around the world in 80 days; prior to this, he had not travelled for several years.
Rigodon
Prior to working for Willy Fog, multi-talented French feline Rigodon (occupying the role of Passepartout from the original novel) was a circus performer, but wanted to escape the travelling life of the circus, Rigodon sought out employment as a manservant. His first attempt was a failure, as he worked for a gentleman who constantly travelled, and so he sought out employment with Willy Fog, knowing that Fog's strict routine meant he never travelled far. Rigodon's hopes of a quiet lifestyle, however, were quickly dashed when Fog accepted the wager to travel around the world in eighty days. Nevertheless, Rigodon dutifully accompanies his master on his trip, his circus-born agility and daring coming in handy on more than one occasion.
Tico
Self-proclaimed "mascot" of the show, the Spanish Tico is Rigodon's best friend and former partner in the circus. The pair are inseparable, but Rigodon was forced to hide Tico from Mr. Fog at first, concealing the small mouse within his travelling bag until their journey was underway. Tico is well-known for his epic appetite, and is rarely seen without his "sun-clock," an archaeological artifact gifted to him early on the trip that uses the sun to tell time.
Princess Romy
Orphaned following the deaths of her parents, Romy (Aouda in the original novel) became a princess when she was married to an Indian Rajah who worshipped the goddess Kali. When the Rajah died, she was destined to be suttee, burned alongside him on the funeral pyre, but was rescued by Rigodon, who risked his own life in the process. Accompanying Willy Fog on his journey with the intent of finding relatives of hers in Singapore, Romy's role in their party is as a tender medic to care for the wounded that they encounter. Tico has a crush on her and is always looking out for her safety, but as their journey together continues, it becomes clear she only has eyes for Mr. Fog. Romy is a cat, her dark colouration and continental origin suggesting she may be a panther.
Inspector Dix
The blustering Inspector Dix (based on Inspector Fix from the original novel) is a scent hound who works for Scotland Yard. Convinced that Fog is the one responsible for robbing the Bank of England, he trails the travellers around the world looking for the proof he needs to arrest Fog, constantly trying to delay their travels to keep them on British soil so that he might arrest them, if the warrant he awaits is ever delivered. Despite his role of antagonist, he is an honorable character, driven by a strong sense of duty and is often outraged to see Fog spending what he believes to be stolen money, but is also exceptionally excitable, and frequently muddles his words, at point point claiming to be a "pursuit officer in police of the criminal who robbed the Yank of Bingland!" In addition, he has a tendency to forget Rigodon's name, regularly addressing and referring to him as "Brigadoon".
Constable Bully
Constable Bully - a cockney bulldog, as his name implies - is Inspector Dix's partner, although he would rather be playing darts at the pub or enjoying a Sunday roast at his mum's house than trekking across the globe. A good-hearted fellow at his core, Bully is subject to the whims of the demanding Inspector Dix, and his general clumsiness and tendency to get travel-sick often strain the inspector's patience to the breaking point.
Transfer
Transfer is a cunning wolf hired by to sabotage Fog's journey by his rival, Mr. Sullivan. Throughout the series, he employs a variety of tactics to delay Fog and his party, ranging from leading them in the wrong direction to deliberately causing accidents. He is a master of disguise and can imitate perfectly the voices and mannerisms of those he is impersonating - but the audience can always identify him by his strange, glowing left eye.

[edit] Supporting characters

Mr. Sullivan
Mr. Sullivan, the head of the Bank of England, is a wolf and rival of Willy Fog in the Reform Club. He accepts Fog's bet and, determined to ensure Fog's failure and expose him as a "worthless bragger", decides to send a saboteur, Transfer, after Fog's steps. Following Transfer's failure to stop Fog he is sacked as head of the Bank of England on charges of misappropriation of funds.
Farrel, Johnson and Wesson
Farrel, Johnson and Wesson are the other Reform Club members who bet against Fog. Wesson (a stoat) is the owner of the Morning Chronicle and Ralph's boss, while Farrel (a fox) and Johnson (a raccoon) own a shipping line and a railway respectively.
Lord Guinness
Lord Guinness, the wheelchair-bound oldest member of the Reform Club, is a white goat. He and Ralph continue to support Fog and his party, even when popular opinion has turned against them, and he sometimes expresses regret that his age has prevented him from joining the expedition.
Ralph
Ralph, a chipmunk, is the idealistic young reporter who wrote the article which inspired Fog's journey. Even when the odds seemed stacked against Fog and his party, he rarely loses hope that they will succeed.
Commissioner Rowan
Commissioner Rowan, a cat, is the head of Scotland Yard and was the one responsible for sending Dix and Bully after Fog, warning them they would be fired if they bungled the assignment. Throughout the series, he has to fend off the demands of Sullivan, who has learned of the suspicions against Fog.
Brigadier Corn
A member of the British Army stationed in India, Brigadier Corn is on his way to rejoin his regiment when he cross pathes with Fog and his friends. He chooses to accompany them on their journey through India "for the honour of Great Britain," and is instrumental in helping to mount the rescue of Princess Romy. Whether or not his being both a deer and a brigadier is a deliberate pun is unknown.

Mr Jenkins

Mr Jenkins (a sheep) is a teller at the Bank of England. He was attacked during the robbery which took place just before the start of the series and later identifies Fog as the suspect.

Bartholemew Bottomley

Bartholemew Bottomley, the British Consul in Suez, is a warthog. On arriving in Suez, Fog and his party visit the Consulate to have their passports stamped; while they are there, Transfer (disguised as an antiques dealer) approaches Bottomley and distracts him and the others with a "priceless vase" while he steals Fog's passport.

Professor Frick and Professor Frock

Professors Frick and Frock (dogs) are German archeologists who are digging in a temple in Suez when they meet Fog and his party, who have been lured there by Transfer. They later show the travellers some of the treasures they have found and give Tico an ancient sun clock after he expresses an interest in it. They are identical twins and, though Rigodon tries to tell them apart, he is unable to do so.

Captain of the Mongolia

The captain of the Mongolia is a proboscis monkey. He is under orders to complete the voyage from Suez to Bombay in no less than 320 hours and to avoid burning coal if there is enough wind to fill the sails. But, having already been delayed after Transfer sabotaged the ship's anchor, Fog needs to make up for lost time and promises to not only pay for any extra coal burned, but that he will also pay the captain £5 for every hour of lost time regained.

Bombay Monks

These red-robed canines are members of a religious order based at Malabar Hill in Bombay. Catching Rigodon and Tico within the walls of their temple, in the act of defiling the temple's sacred cow, they chase the pair throughout the city. Though Rigodon and Tico manage to escape (after Rigodon has received a beating from several of the monks) two of the monks later travel to Calcutta and have them charged with sacrilege.

Parsi guide

The Parsi guide is a tiger whom Fog, Rigodon and Tico encounter shortly after learning that the railway linking Bombay and Calcutta is not yet completed. After his elephant is stolen by Transfer, he seeks help from Dix and Bully, who, believing Fog to be the thief, set off with him in pursuit of the travellers.

Koa

Koa is an Indian elephant belonging to the Parsi guide, who regards him as a "brother". Transfer steals him and (posing as the Parsi guide) uses him to lead Fog and his party deep into the jungle, intending to leave them stranded; however, Koa foils his attempt to lead him away. Koa helps the travellers to escape after they rescue Romy and, shortly afterwards, is reunited with his rightful owner.

Priestess of Kali

The Priestess of Kali is a tiger, who (according to Corn) is "as bloodthirsty as the goddess she serves"; her followers are members of an indeterminate rat-like species. She condemns Romy to burn on the late raja's funeral pyre and orders Rigodon killed after he pulls Romy out of the flames; when Fog, Corn and Tico come to the rescue, she condemns them as well. Due to a continuity error, the following episode depicts her as a panther and her followers as tigers.

Chinese junk captain

The captain of the Chinese junk on which Fog and Romy book passage after Transfer's scheming causes them to miss the Carnatic is a panda and the son of a pirate named One-eyed Jim. He prides himself on being able to locate any ship in the China Sea and, when one of his crew sights the General Grant, fires cannon balls into the water to attract attention.

Mr Guwenzi

Mr Guwenzi is a monkey who lives in Yokohama. He meets Rigodon and Tico shortly after they arrive in the city and, later, helps them find work at the circus.

Circus manager

The manager of the circus where Rigodon and Tico seek work after finding themselves stranded in Yokohama is a dog. He is uninterested in the pair's repetoire of acrobatics, but takes them on as a knife-thrower's assistant and a living cannonball respectively.

Gunda

Gunda is a pig who is under contract with the circus in Yokohama, where she works as a tightrope walker. She develops a crush on Rigodon after he catches her when she falls during rehearsal.

Captain of the General Grant

The captain of the General Grant is a bear. During the voyage to San Francisco, he is forced to make unscheduled stops in Hawaii and Mexico following acts of sabotage by Transfer, who puts salt in the ship's water supply and, later, sets fire to the sails.

Princess Kowula

Princess Kowula (a pig) is the daughter of a Hawaiian king. When she is taken seriously ill, her superstitious father blames evil spirits and refuses to consult a doctor, instead preferring to rely on his sorceress. However, Fog and his party learn of the situation and Romy is able to use her medical knowledge to nurse Kowula back to health.

Mani

Mani (a monkey) is in love with Kowula. Fog and his party find him in a cave where Kowula's father has imprisoned him after he tried to persuade the king to consult a doctor about Kowula's illness.

Hawaiian King

The proud Hawaiian king whom Fog and the others encounter when they are forced to make an unscheduled visit to the island is a pig and the father of Kowula. Believing the travellers to be "demons", he has them arrested and, though he allows Romy to nurse his sick daughter, he warns Romy that she and the rest of the travellers will be killed if Kowula fails to recover.

Tekamaki

Tekamaki (species indeterminate) is a Hawaiian sorceress who attempts to cure Kowula by chanting incantations at her bedside. She convinces Kowula's father that "devil people" will come to the island in a ship, leading to the capture of Fog and his party.

Manolo Perez

Manolo Perez, a balloonist, is a Spanish dog. He is trying to set a new speed record for travelling from Mexico to San Francisco when he runs out of fuel and crashes into the General Grant, which is under repair after Transfer burned the sails. After Fog buys his balloon, he advises him on how to fly it.

The Dingo Kid

The Dingo Kid, the leader of a band of outlaws from California, is a dog. Following a tip-off from Transfer, the gang arrive at the hotel at which Fog and his party are resting before they catch the train to New York, where the Dingo Kid compels Fog to fight in defence of Romy's honour. But Fog disarms him and he is arrested shortly after.

Sheriff Johnson

Sheriff Johnson is a puma. He welcomes Fog and his party when they arrive in San Francisco and, later, arrests the Dingo Kid following the fight in the hotel bar; at the same time, he orders the rest of the gang (including Transfer) to "get out of town and stay out".

Mr Bullman

Mr Bullman, the president of the Union Pacific railroad, is a bear. He is inclined to boast (among other things, he claims to personally know Ulysses S. Grant) and strenuously objects to Fog's plan to disconnect the dining and freight cars so the train can attempt to cross the bridge Transfer deliberately damaged.

Calm Buffalo

Calm Buffalo (a coyote) is the chief of a Sioux tribe. Transfer (disguised as a warrior from a neighbouring tribe) tricks him and his tribe into attacking the train in which Fog and his party are travelling. Later, he and his warriors find Rigodon and Tico (who have fallen from the train while grappling with Transfer) lying unconscious on the ground and take them prisoner.

Jed Armstrong

Jed Armstrong is a baboon who drives a stagecoach. He meets Fog and his party in the desert (where they are stranded after the railroad handcart in which they were travelling crashed) and agrees to take them the rest of the way to Omaha.

Andrew Speedy

Andrew Speedy (a bear) is the short-tempered captain of the cargo ship Henrietta. He does not normally carry passengers, believing them to be a liability, but agrees to take Fog and his party after Fog offers to pay him $2000 for every member of his party. After falling victim to Transfer's attempt to poison Fog, he gives Fog command of the ship and orders him to head for Liverpool so he can receive medical attention; however, he recovers while still at sea. Shortly afterwards, the Henrietta runs out of coal, compelling Fog to buy the ship in order to burn the wood on board as fuel; Speedy, who will be allowed to keep whatever remains, is forced to look on helplessly as the ship is stripped of wood.

Reverend Wilson

Reverend Wilson, the clergyman at Westminster Cathedral, is a dog. When Rigodon and Tico approach him to arrange a time for Fog and Romy's wedding, he tells them that they have made a mistake with the date, having unknowingly gained an extra day during their travels, meaning Fog and the others are still within the eighty-day time limit.

[edit] Transfer's disguises

Lady traveller

Fog and his party first encounter Transfer on the train to Paris, when he (disguised as a French doe) asks to move to their compartment on the pretext of having been harassed by two male travellers elsewhere on the train. Claiming to need a rest, he extinguishes the lamp in the compartment and tries to rob the travellers under cover of darkness, only to be thwarted when Tico bites him.

Mademoiselle

The next disguise Transfer adopts is a female badger who offers Fog and his party a lift to Gare de Lyon, where they will catch the train to Brindisi. (Though Rigodon finds that all the other coaches in Paris are busy, it is not clear whether this is due to coincidence or Transfer having bribed the drivers beforehand) But Rigodon quickly realises the coach is heading in the wrong direction and Transfer, claiming the driver must have taken a wrong turn, has the coach stop and seizes control of it, throwing the driver off the coach. He later tries to do the same thing to Rigodon (who has climbed on top of the coach to find out what is happening) but Tico comes to the rescue.

Antiques dealer

Fog and his party have their third encounter with Transfer at the British Consulate in Suez. Posing as an antiques dealer (an antelope) he approaches the Consul and shows him a vase which he claims is "priceless"; while everyone is distracted by the vase, Transfer snatches Fog's passport and escapes.

Spirit of the temple

After luring Fog and his party to a ruined temple, Transfer disguises himself as a ghost and threatens Tico (who is separated from Fog and Rigodon) taunting him with the stolen passport and telling him: "If you won't come to me, I'll come to you!" However, the commotion attracts the attention of two archeologists, who come to investigate; moments later, the sheet Transfer has draped over his head catches on a rock. After Tico repeatedly bites him on his leg and tail, Transfer flees, leaving the stolen passport behind.

Willy Fog

During the voyage to India, Transfer disguises himself as Fog and tries to break into Fog's cabin. After his attempt is (unknowingly) thwarted by Dix and Bully, he uses the same disguise in Bombay to trick Rigodon and Tico into thinking the train to Calcutta has been delayed. Later, Dix and Bully, mistaking him for the real Fog, arrest him and take him to the local police station, but Transfer escapes through the window, tearing off the false tail he was wearing.

Parsi guide

After learning that Fog and his party will have to trek through the jungle to Allahabad (since the railway linking Bombay and Calcutta is not yet finished) Transfer steals an elephant from a Parsi guide. Then, posing as the guide, he leads the travellers into the jungle and attempts (without success) to leave them stranded.

Colonel Armstrong

When Fog and his party arrive in Calcutta, Transfer (disguised as a member of the British Colonial Army, a deer named Colonel Armstrong) greets them, claiming he is acting on behalf of Brigadier Corn. He offers to row the travellers across the Ganges to the Rangoon (the ship in which they will sail to Singapore and Hong Kong) but opens a hole in the boat and bails out. He thinks he has finally achieved his objective, but Fog and the others make it to shore.

Engine man

Transfer infiltrates the crews of four ships during the series. On the first occasion, he is posing as the engine man on the Rangoon (a raccoon) when he stops the engines, telling Rigodon (who has gone down to the engine room to investigate) that the ship has run out of coal. Later, during the typhoon, he cuts the ropes binding the sails, which are then torn off in the wind.

Inspector Dix

Learning that Dix is trying to use Rigodon and Tico to help him arrest Fog, Transfer turns the situation to his advantage by knocking Dix out and taking his place. He then drugs Rigodon and Tico and has Bully place the unconscious pair on board the Carnatic, preventing Fog and Romy from learning that the Carnatic is departing that evening and not the following morning. As a result of this incident, Rigodon does not trust Dix for the rest of the series.

Stoker

After Rigodon and Tico have been placed on board the Carnatic, Transfer disguises himself as the ship's stoker (a gorilla) and accuses them of being stowaways. He then forces them to work to pay for their passage, subjecting them to verbal and even physical (in the form of kicks) abuse.

Maximillian

On arriving in Yokohama, Transfer gets a job in a local circus, posing as a knife-thrower named Maximillian (a wolf). When Rigodon and Tico later join the same circus, he tries to have them injured in "accidents" he causes during the show, only to be thwarted by Fog, who has traced them to the circus.

Waiter

During the voyage to San Francisco, Transfer poses as a baboon working as a waiter on board the General Grant and twice forces the ship to make unscheduled stops. On the first occasion, he fills the casks containing the ship's supply of drinking water with salt, forcing the captain to stop in Hawaii to obtain a supply of fresh water. Later, as the General Grant nears its destination, he deliberately sets fire to the sails; though the ship itself is saved, the sails are badly damaged and, with the coal supply almost exhausted, the ship must dock in Mexico until the sails are repaired.

Twinko

In San Francisco, Transfer poses as an outlaw named Twinko (a dog) and lures Fog into a fight with the Dingo Kid. However, Fog (whom Transfer had evidently hoped would be killed or seriously injured) emerges from the fight unscathed and the outlaws (including Transfer) are ordered to leave town not long after.

Maintenance man

As Fog and his party travel across America by train, Transfer devises a plan which will endanger not only their lives but the lives of their fellow travellers. Posing as a maintenance man (species indeterminate) he saws through a beam on a bridge spanning a gorge, causing the bridge to become too unstable for the train to cross. However, his plan is thwarted when Fog and Rigodon use a log as a temporary support while the train crosses the damaged bridge at full speed.

Sioux warrior

For his next attempt to delay Fog and his party, Transfer disguises himself as a Sioux Indian (a wolf) and spreads a rumour among a neighbouring tribe that an "iron horse" (actually the train in which Fog and his party are travelling) is going to attack. The Indians launch a pre-emptive strike on the train, during which Transfer knocks the driver and the engineer unconscious, sending the train hurtling out of control. Later, after he and Tico have been captured by the Indians, Rigodon tells their chief that the "iron horse" is harmless; hearing this, Transfer flees as one of the Indians tries to question him.

Outlaw

As Fog and his party travel to Omaha by stagecoach, Transfer poses as the leader of a gang of outlaws and launches an ambush on the stagecoach. However, the travellers manage to evade their pursuers by crossing a river, though Transfer tries (without success) to follow them across.

Ship's cook

When Fog and his party book passage on the Henrietta, Transfer disguises himself as the ship's cook (a gopher) and tries to use his position to poison Fog. But the ship's captain is the one who falls victim to this trap and Transfer is subsequently fired and put to work mopping floors, while Rigodon and Tico take charge of the ship's galley. Later, during a hurricane, Transfer cuts down one of the masts, only to be caught underneath it as it falls.

Cab driver

Fog and his party have their final encounter with Transfer in Liverpool when (posing as the driver of a steam-powered cab) he drives them back to the dock and not to the train station. Though Rigodon manages to eject Transfer and take control of the cab, the travellers are unable to reach the station in time to catch the train. For a time (especially after the travellers arrive in London at 8.50 pm) it looks as though Transfer has succeeded, but the events of the following episode prove otherwise.

[edit] Music

[edit] Spanish

The original Spanish theme song, called like the series "La vuelta al mundo de Willy Fog", was sung by the group Mocedades, as if the song was sung by Willy Fog, Rigodon, Tico and Romy. Rigodon and Tico also sang the ending theme, "Sílbame" ("Whistle to Me"). Both the opening and closing theme tunes were regularly sung by the characters in-show in short musical numbers during the course of the series (an additional verse about the rescue of Romy being added to the opening theme); other songs include a tune sung by Transfer (twice) and Inspector Dix (once) about their dedication to stopping Fog, and two different melodies performed by our heroes about their adventures in the United States.

(See merchandise below regarding the Spanish soundtrack).

[edit] English

The English-language dub of the series re-uses the music from the original version, except with new, English lyrics that are similar to (but not a direct translation of) the original Spanish. The tunes are still "sung" by the characters, though their singing voices are not provided by the actors who dub them, and it does not take an especially observant viewer to see that the song is not synchronized with the animation of the characters singing very well. In particular, the theme song was celebrated on "National Willy Fog Day" which took place on April 28, 1988, when Andy Crane (the presenter of Children's BBC at the time) sent copies of the lyrics of the song to anyone who wanted them for a mass singalong of the theme tune (the previous year, something similar happened with The Mysterious Cities of Gold).

[edit] Japanese

Both the opening and ending themes to the Japanese version were sung by Keiko Han.

[edit] Staff

  • Based on the Novel "Around the World in 80 Days" by: Jules Verne
  • Produced by: BRB Internacional, Nippon Animation
  • Collaboration: Televisión Española
  • Music: Izumi Kobayashi, Susume Kikuchi
  • Music Produced by: Guido & Mauricio de Angelis
  • Music Published by: Cabum Magister
  • Special Thanks: Iberia, the airline of Spain
  • Directed by: Luis Ballester, Fumio Kurokawa, Eiji Okabe, Hiromitsu Morita, Toru Hagiwara, Yukio Okazaki, Tom Wyner
  • Produced by: Koichi Motohashi
  • Executive Producer: Claudio Biern Boyd
  • Written by: Claudio Biern Boyd, Izumi Kobayashi, Ryuzo Nakanishi
  • Storyboard: Fumio Kurokawa, Eiji Okabe, Hiromitsu Morita, Katsumi Endo, Ko Suzuki, Shigeo Koshi, Shigeru Ohmachi, Toru Hagiwara
  • Character Design: Isamu Kumata
  • Edited by: Soledad Lopez
  • Special Effects: Luis Castro
  • Music Subpublished by: Southern Pics Music
  • Theme Sung by: Mocedades, Amaya Uranga, Keiko Han
  • Recorded and Re-Mixed at: Intersound

[edit] Willy Fog 2

Due to the massive success of the first series, Willy Fog returned in Willy Fog 2 - this time it was a 30 part series comprising of two stories - again based on Jules Verne novels. The series was again made by BRB now in co-production with Wang Film Productions, and premiered in Spain. It was first shown in the UK in 1993.

The first was Journey to the Centre of the Earth and the second 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The first story was very similar in many ways to the first series. Again a bet was made with Sullivan - and he sent Transfer to cause havoc. This time, however, more people believed in Willy Fog, although all of them (apart from Lord Guinness) turned against him at times - when reports came back that the volcano they journeyed into was about to erupt. Romy, Tico and Rigadon went with Willy on the voyage again and were joined by Professor Lidenbrock - an expert in archeology and Hans - an Icelandic who acted as a general dogsbody. The team again made it - just in time to win the bet.

The second story was completely different from the other two. Willy was invited to help investigate strange goings on - several ships had been attacked by what seemed to be a sea monster. Willy, Romy, Rigadon and Tico went, although soon the ship they were on was invaded and they, alongside Ned the harpoonist (very like Hans from the previous story) and another Professor, were kidnapped by the mysterious Captain Nemo. After having adventures under the sea, they finally escaped.

As production occurred in Taiwan and Korea, Nippon Animation, the Japanese studio who made the first series, was not involved in Willy Fog 2.

[edit] Merchandise

The first series, and both stories from the second were heavily edited and glued together to make a trilogy of Willy Fog films released on DVD in the USA. In 2004 Revelation Films released all 26 episodes on DVD in the UK, in 5 volumes in Region 0. The volumes were later released as a boxset, again by Revelation Films in 2005. Also in 2004, the first 9 episodes of the second Willy Fog series were released on DVD by Direct Video Distribution Ltd. with 3 volumes released with 3 episodes on each. However the rest of the series was not released for unknown reasons. Many other BRB shows had the same fate by the same distributor like Mort and Phil, The Untouchables of Elliot Mouse and Sandokan. Other merchandise such as an LP, cassette and CD of songs and incidental music was released, but only in Spain in 1984.

[edit] External links