Amazing Animals
Amazing Animals (sometimes marketed as Henry's Amazing Animals for home video) is an American/British educational children's animated TV show series nature program produced by Dorling Kindersley Vision and Partridge Films in association with The Disney Channel. It was originally broadcast on the service in 1996. It currently plays in syndication on Treehouse TV in Canada. It is also available on VHS.
| Henry's Amazing Animals | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Eric Meyers, Tom Clarke-Hill |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Dorling Kindersley Vision Partridge Films |
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney Channel Disney Channel UK |
| Original release | April 16, 1996 – July 6, 1999 |
The show centers on the interactions of Henry the Lizard, a green CGI anthropomorphic lizard with purple spots, and an unseen narrator. Each episode centers on a theme relating to the episode's subject matter, such as Henry traveling through prehistory in a time machine in an episode about prehistoric animals. Henry is usually faced with some kind of predicament or work, always relating to the episode's theme, which he resolves by the end of the episode, often learning a lesson of some sort in the process.
Plot
Each episode is made up of sections in which Henry is featured, video sequences of animals narrated by the off-screen narrator with replies by Henry, and cartoons featuring recurring unnamed cartoon animals. There are also two recurring segments: "Henry's Report" and "The Golden Gecko Awards". Early episodes depicted Henry's Report as a school report, though later episodes changed it to a news report. In either case, the report is comical and almost always wildly inaccurate. The correct information is given by The Narrator after the report.
In Henry's Amazing Golden Gecko Awards, Henry picks three animals relating to the subject of the episode and presents them with awards. Unlike the report, the Golden Gecko Awards are typically more genuine. Henry does most of the narration and often gets annoyed at the Narrator for interrupting him. Henry's Report occurred in every episode; the only episode that did not have the Golden Gecko Awards was "Underground Animals", probably because of timing issues.
Cast and major characters
- Henry the Lizard: The show's main protagonist. He is a small green lizard with purple spots and yellow eyes. Henry is portrayed as being enthusiastic, albeit foolish and immature. He is generally depicted as ignorant of the episode's subject matter and typically fails in the endeavours he attempts to undertake. Sometimes, he can prove himself to be quite smart, he is also an inventor. He often identifies lizards seen in the video sequences as his cousins. His favorite food is pizza. Henry the Lizard is voiced by Eric Meyers.
- The Narrator: The Narrator is Henry's co-star, but he is never seen and almost never named. He is depicted as being wise and knowledgeable. In addition to teaching Henry about animals and correcting his special reports, the Narrator acts as a comedic foil to Henry: the show's "straight man", who cuts Henry down for his immaturity and lack of knowledge with some combination of a mature seriousness and a dry sarcasm. The Narrator is voiced by Tom Clarke-Hill (and Nigel Greaves in the UK version).
- Crab Tuesday: Henry met Crab Tuesday during a visit to the seashore, and the crab has been Henry's best friend and assistant ever since. Henry names him Tuesday after Robinson Crusoe's "man Friday". Henry can often tell what Tuesday is saying, although he has no voice at all and communicates by snapping his claws. However, in Amazing Animal Hunters, he is heard mumbling "I don't know" to Henry.
Episodes
All episodes are shown in the order that Disney Channel and Discovery Kids aired them.
Season 1 (1996)
1. Tropical Birds (scarlet macaw) – April 16, 1996
2. Animal Disguises (chameleon) – April 23, 1996
3. Nighttime Animals (springhare) – April 30, 1996
4. Animal Appetites (king penguin) – May 7, 1996
5. Animal Survivors (wolf) – May 14, 1996
6. Animal Senses (cat) – May 21, 1996
7. Animal Weapons (goat) – May 28, 1996
8. Animal Builders (North American beaver) – June 4, 1996
9. Armored Animals (tortoise) – June 11, 1996
10. Mini Beasts (tarantula) – June 18, 1996
11. Animal Babies (puppy, kitten, duckling) – June 25, 1996
12. Poisonous Animals (Gila monster) – July 2, 1996
13. Animal Journeys (camel) – July 9, 1996
Season 2 (1997)
14. Birds of Prey (vulture) – April 15, 1997
15. Desert Animals (dromedary camel) – April 22, 1997
16. Scary Animals (tarantula) – April 29, 1997
17. Animal Records (tortoise, rabbit) – May 6, 1997
18. Animal Colors (golden pheasant) – May 13, 1997
19. Animal Mothers (lioness) – May 20, 1997
20. Animal Pets (Puli) – May 27, 1997
21. Seashore Animals (pelican) – June 3, 1997
22. Animal Families (ducks) – June 10, 1997
23. Endangered Animals (Bengal tiger) – June 17, 1997
24. An Animal Year (red squirrel) – June 24, 1997
25. Prehistoric Animals (crocodile) – July 1, 1997
26. Monkeys and Apes (mandrill) – July 8, 1997
Season 3 (1998)
27. Animal Hunters (golden eagle) – April 14, 1998
28. Animal Talk (dog) – April 21, 1998
29. Slimy Animals (apple snail) – April 28, 1998
30. Rainforest Animals (scarlet macaw) – May 5, 1998
31. Animal Acrobats (chimpanzee, sea lion, wallaby) – May 12, 1998
32. Underwater Animals (fish) – May 19, 1998
33. Animal Neighbors (rabbit) – May 26, 1998
34. Giant Animals (Great Dane) – June 2, 1998
35. Creepy Crawly Animals (grasshopper) – June 9, 1998
36. Farm Animals (cow, sheep) – June 16, 1998
37. Animal Changes (lion cub, lioness) – June 23, 1998
38. Extinct Animals (footprints) – June 30, 1998
39. Animal Eggs (egg) – July 7, 1998
Season 4 (1999)
40. Around the World Animals (red kangaroo, monarch butterfly) – April 13, 1999
41. Polar Animals (Arctic hare) – April 20, 1999
42. Clever Animals (dolphin) – April 27, 1999
43. Underground Animals (rabbit) – May 4, 1999
44. Animal Helpers (llama) – May 11, 1999
45. Woodland Animals (giant panda) – May 18, 1999
46. Mountain Animals (St. Bernard (dog)) – May 25, 1999
47. Backyard Animals (mockingbird) – June 1, 1999
48. Tiny Animals (ant) – June 8, 1999
49. Animal Partners (white horse) – June 15, 1999
50. Scaly Animals (crocodile) – June 22, 1999
51. River Animals (beaver) – June 29, 1999
52. Animal Flight (ladybug) – July 6, 1999
Merchandise
Some merchandise was also released during the activity of the series. An educational computer game was also released with the television show. A board game known as The Really Amazing Animal Game was also sold but was shortly discontinued.