The Wild Thornberrys
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| The Wild Thornberrys | |
|---|---|
 The Wild Thornberrys, left to right, Nigel, Marianne (with camera), Eliza (with glasses) and Darwin (the ape) on a vine, Donnie (with Nickelodeon Hair), and Debbie (sitting down) |
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| Format | Animation |
| Created by | Arlene Klasky Gabor Csupo Steve Peppon David Silverman Stephen Sustaric |
| Directed by | Mark Risley |
| Starring | Lacey Chabert Tom Kane Flea Danielle Harris Jodi Carlisle Tim Curry |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 91 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Nickelodeon |
| Original run | September 1, 1998 – June 11, 2004 |
The Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series.
Contents |
[edit] Premise
The series follows the adventures of a fictional wildlife program-making family, the Thornberrys, as they travel the world in their "comvee" (a convertible RV) looking for rare animals to film. Their youngest daughter, Eliza is the main character. An African shaman gave her the power to speak to animals. She can speak to the families pet chimpanzee, who is also her best friend. She travels the world with her family and usually helps animals solve their problems.
At the beginning of every episode, Eliza recites a monologue, which is then followed by the theme music. It states the basic premise of the show, and provides a brief backstory so anyone new to the show would understand what's going on.
"This is me, Eliza Thornberry, part of your average family. I've got a dad, a mom, and a sister. There is Donnie - we found him. And Darwin, he found us. Oh yeah, about our house - it moves, because we travel all over the world. You see, my dad hosts this nature show, and my mom shoots it. Okay, so we're not that average. And between you and me, something amazing happened... and now I can talk to animals. It's really cool, but totally secret. And you know what? Life's never been the same."[1]
[edit] Production
The Wild Thornberrys was produced by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon. It premiered in September 1998, and was the first Nicktoon to exclusively use 22-minute stories (episodes of other Nicktoons usually featured two 13-minute stories, using 22-minute stories only on occasion).
[edit] Broadcast history
- USA
- Nickelodeon (1998-2007)
- Nicktoons Network (2002-2005), (2006-2007) (Reruns)
- CBS (2002-2004 Reruns)
- Portugal
- SIC
- Nickelodeon Portugal
- United Kingdom
- Australia
[edit] Characters
[edit] Main characters
- Elizabeth "Eliza" Thornberry
- Voiced by Lacey Chabert, Eliza is the main character, who (unknown to most) gained the ability to speak with animals after an encounter with an African shaman (as shown in the episode "Gift of Gab"). Eliza is portrayed as a geek by her extensive zoological knowledge and her glasses and braces. She almost always wears a yellow shirt and red and yellow shorts. On Valentine's Day Eliza had to have an emergency appendectomy. Eliza is 12.
- Deborah "Debbie" Thornberry
- Voiced by Danielle Harris, Debbie is a typical teenage girl, interested in music and fashion, who longs for a normal suburban life, but her parents' job deprives her of this. Despite being rough around the edges, she does care for Eliza. She commonly wears an orange bra, a green jacket, blue jeans (with holes in them) and brown shoes. In "The Wild Thornberrys Movie," she learns Eliza's secret, but if she tells anyone she'll become a baboon. It is shown in the episode "Chew by Sea" that Debbie suffers from chronic seasickness. Debbie is 16.
- Sir Nigel Thornberry
- Voiced by Tim Curry, Nigel travels around the world with his family making wildlife documentaries for his own show. He resembles Steve Irwin and David Attenborough, and speaks with an English accent. He somewhat resembles Lt. Col. Algernon Hawthorne in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, played by Terry Thomas. He is easily excited, even in the face of danger, and his catchphrase is "Smashing!" Nigel was knighted by the queen of England, and offered a job as a teacher in England. Much to his mother's disapproval, Nigel turned down the queen's offer. Nigel has an odd predilection for kippers.
- Marianne Hunter Thornberry
- Voiced by Jodi Carlisle, Marianne is Nigel's wife and operates the film camera. Marianne is a strong woman, often the voice of reason, and sometimes loses patience with Nigel. She is usually the one to take on disciplinary duties, forcing Eliza to stay in the confines of the comvee, or forcing Debbie to complete her schoolwork.
- Darwin Thornberry
- Voiced by Tom Kane, Darwin is a chimpanzee that travels with the family, and a loyal companion and pet to Eliza. He usually wears a regular sleeveless shirt with blue stripes and blue shorts. He has a craving for cheese crunchies, especially Swiss cheese crunchies. He was found by Eliza, and was the first animal she ever talked to.
- Donald "Donnie" Thornberry
- Voiced by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and occasionally Macaulay Culkin, Donnie is a feral boy who (as revealed in the 2001 4-part TV movie, "The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin of Donnie") was raised by orangutans after his real parents were killed by poachers, before the Thornberrys adopted him. He commonly just wears a pair of shorts and he loves to eat bees. He talks very wildly and incoherently. Donnie is 5, but turns 6 in "The Origin of Donnie."
[edit] Other family members
- Tyler Tucker
- Voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Tyler is Eliza's cousin, who travelled with them in five episodes. Eliza and Tyler don't get along at all, and Tyler likes to remind Eliza that he's older than her (only by a few months). Tyler's mom is Marianne's sister.
- Sophie and Frank Hunter
- Voiced by Betty White and Edward Asner, Sophie and Frank are Marianne's parents. Grandpa Frank only appeared in the episode "The Anniversary." Sophie eats spicy buffalo wings for every meal.
- Radcliffe and Cordelia Thornberry
- Voiced by Tim Curry and Lynn Redgrave, Radcliffe and Cordelia are Nigel's parents. In "The Wild Thornberrys Movie," when they learn of Eliza's adventures with animals, Cordelia immediately assumes that Eliza is wild and undisciplined. Fearing Eliza will injure herself one day, Cordelia arranges to have her sent off to boarding school.
[edit] Episodes
| Season | Ep # | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 20 | September 1, 1998 | April 1, 1999 |
| Season 2 | 37 | August 16, 1999 | March 27, 2000 |
| Season 3 | 20 | September 12, 2000 | May 14, 2001 |
| Season 4 | 14 | August 18, 2001 | June 11, 2004 |
[edit] Films
Three movies have been released:
- "The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin Of Donnie" (2001): This prequel was released as a TV miniseries and explores Donnie's life before he was found by the Thornberrys.
- "The Wild Thornberrys Movie" (2002): This theatrical film enjoyed a good reception and an Academy Award nomination.
- "Rugrats Go Wild" (2003): This theatrical film was a cross-over between Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys.
[edit] References
- ^ The Wild Thornberrys. www.imdb.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
[edit] External links
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