Animorphs (TV series)
Animorphs (also known under the promotional title AniTV) is a Canadian-American television adaptation made by Protocol Entertainment based on the Scholastic book series of the same name by K. A. Applegate. It was made for YTV for Season 1 and Global for season 2 in Canada and Nickelodeon for the United States. The series was broadcast from September 1998 to March 2000 in the United States and Canada, and in May 2013, reruns began airing on Qubo until September 27, 2015.[1]
| Animorphs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Science fantasy, drama, teen, suspense |
| Created by | K. A. Applegate (book series) |
| Starring | Shawn Ashmore Boris Cabrera Nadia-Leigh Nascimento Brooke Nevin Christopher Ralph |
| Theme music composer | Craig Hazen, Julie Dansky, and David Wolfert |
| Opening theme | "It's All in Your Hands", "It's All in Your Hands" (instrumental; later episodes) |
| Ending theme | "It's All in Your Hands" (instrumental; episode 3 onwards) |
| Composer | Norman Orenstein |
| Country of origin | Canada United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Deborah A. Forte Bill Siegler |
| Production locations | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Running time | 22–23 minutes per episode |
| Production companies | Protocol Entertainment Scholastic Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | YTV/Nickelodeon (first season) Global (second season) |
| Original release | September 15, 1998 – October 8, 1999 |
Cast
Main
Recurring
- Paulo Costanzo as Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill
- Eugene Lipinski as Visser Three/Victor Trent
- Dov Tiefenbach as Erek King
- Allegra Fulton as Eva / Visser One
- Joshua Peace as Tom Berenson
- Terra Vanessa Kowalyk as Melissa Chapman
- Richard Sali as Principal Chapman
- Diego Matamoros as Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul
- Peter Messaline as the Ellimist
- Frank Pelligrino as Jeremy, Marco's father (Peter in the books)
- Cassandra Van Wyck as Sara Berenson, Rachel's younger sister (Sarah in the books)
- Jonathan Whittaker as Greg, Jake's father (Steve in the books)
- Karen Waddell as Nikki, Jake's mother (Jean in the books)
- Melanie Nicholls-King as Aisha, Cassie's mother (Michelle in the books)
Episodes
The Animorphs television series was broadcast on YTV (season 1) and Global Television Network (season 2) in Canada and on Nickelodeon from 1998–2000.
Season 1 (1998–1999)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "My Name is Jake, Part 1" | Timothy Bond | Neal Shusterman, Jeff Vlaming |  Sept. 4, 1998.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Sept. 15, 1998 | 101 |
| Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie, and Marco, five teenagers only vaguely acquainted with one another, choose to take a shortcut through a construction site and wind up encountering Elfangor, an alien who offers them the power to morph into animals to save the Earth from the Yeerks and an insidious secret invasion. Based on The Invasion. Narrated by Jake. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "My Name is Jake, Part 2" | Timothy Bond | Neal Shusterman, Dan Angel, Billy Brown | Sept. 11, 1998 Sept. 15, 1998 | 102 |
| Jake and his friends must decide how to make use of their newfound power to outsmart and fight back against the Yeerks, an alien race that have parasitically begun taking over humans through a group known as The Sharing. Based on The Invasion. Narrated by Jake. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Underground" | Ron Oliver | Neal Shusterman, Jeff Vlaming | Sept. 18, 1998 Sept. 22, 1998 | 106 |
| The group begin acquiring morphs from the zoo where Cassie's mother works in their first attempt to confront the Yeerks. Meanwhile, Jake discovers his brother Tom has become a Controller—a human who has become a host for a Yeerk. Their assault is a failure; they don't free any humans and apparently lose both Tobias and the mysterious disc that Elfangor entrusted to him. Based on The Invasion. Narrated by Marco. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "On the Run" | Ron Oliver | Scott Peters | Sept. 25, 1998 Sept. 29, 1998 | 103 |
| When the Yeerks offer to exchange the Andalite disc for an Andalite, Jake and Marco come up with a risky plan to get a Controller to capture an animal instead. When the Yeerks realize they've been duped, they arrange for The Sharing to move forward with a plan to harvest more humans to become Controllers. Narrated by Jake. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Between Friends" | Shawn Levy | Ron Oliver | Oct. 2, 1998 Oct. 6, 1998 | 104 |
| Now that it's certain that Tobias is trapped in his hawk morph, Rachel attempts to rescue her friend, Melissa Chapman, from infestation. When it turns out that Melissa's father, Principal Chapman, is an important Controller and Rachel is captured and taken to Visser Three, the Animorphs must rescue her and avoid recklessly endangering themselves. Based on The Visitor. Narrated by Rachel. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Message" | William Fruet | Marc Scott Zicree, Neal Shusterman | Oct. 9, 1998 Oct. 13, 1998 | 105 |
| Cassie and Tobias suspect another Andalite is on Earth when a different thought-speak contacts them and Visser Three. It soon becomes a race between the Animorphs and the Yeerks to claim the Andalite. Based on The Message. Narrated by Cassie. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Escape" | Ron Oliver | Jessica Scott, Mike Wollaeger | Oct. 16, 1998 Oct. 20, 1998 | 109 |
| The Animorphs discover that a certain type of oatmeal is a stimulant to the Yeerks, and they are unable to control their hosts' actions. The usage of this "drug" also affects the hosts, but the Animorphs know they must use this advantage to inflict some serious damage upon the Yeerk pool. Based on The Underground. Narrated by Rachel. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Alien" | Don McCutcheon | Marc Scott Zicree | Oct. 23, 1998 Oct. 27, 1998 | 110 |
| Ax, seeming foreign to his new surroundings, tries to fit in with his new friends. After making the grave mistake of giving technology to humans, he must fix his error by Andalite law and defeat Visser Three—alone. Based on The Alien. Narrated by Ax. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "The Capture, Part 1" | William Fruet | Neal Shusterman | Nov. 3, 1998 Jan. 10, 1999 | 107 |
| Jake discovers Victor Trent, his father's business partner in opening a new health clinic, is actually Visser Three. When the Animorphs go to destroy the Yeerk pool in the building, Jake falls into the pool and unknown to his friends, becomes a Controller. Based on The Capture. Narrated by Jake. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "The Capture, Part 2" | William Fruet | Neal Shusterman, Marc Scott Zicree | Nov. 10, 1998 Jan. 10, 1999 | 108 |
| Ax realizes that after falling into the Yeerk pool they destroyed, Jake has become a Controller; the group must prevent Jake from using his morphing powers to escape and reveal the Animorphs to Visser Three. Jake and the Yeerk inside him struggle to maintain control of his body as Jake attempts to kill the Yeerk by depriving it of the nourishing Kandrona rays it needs. Based on The Capture. narrated by Ax. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "The Reaction" | Graeme Lynch | Carl Ellsworth | Nov. 6, 1998 Nov. 17, 1998 | 111 |
| Cassie rescues a boy from a crocodile pit during a field trip at the zoo and develops an allergic reaction to the crocodile DNA she has acquired and cannot control her morphing abilities. When she is invited to a popular television show featuring star Jason Jon McCole as a guest, the Animorphs must find a way to stop him from encouraging millions of fans to join the Sharing. Based on The Reaction. Narrated by Cassie. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "The Stranger" | Don McCutcheon | Marc Scott Zicree | Nov. 13, 1998 Nov. 24, 1998 | 112 |
| Rachel spends time with her father, struggling whether she should move away with him or not. Meanwhile, Visser Three captures Ax and the rest of the Animorphs in a cunning trap until a mysterious figure known as the Ellimist arrives and offers them a dangerous choice. Based on The Stranger. Narrated by Rachel. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "The Forgotten" | William Fruet | Scott Peters | Nov. 20, 1998 Dec. 1, 1998 | 115 |
| Rachel's amnesia causes her to forget everything she knows, including everything about being an Animorph, and the battle against the Yeerks. When she unknowingly wanders into a human-Controller infested area and is about to be taken by the Yeerks, her friends must find a way to save her and restore her memory. Based on Megamorphs: The Andalite's Gift. Narrated by Rachel. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "The Leader, Part 1" | Shawn Levy | Jessica Scott, Mike Wollaeger | Jan. 5, 1999 Feb. 7, 1999 | 113 |
| Jake finds out Visser One will be at the EGS Tower, where the Yeerk Kandrona ray generator is located. When Jake and Marco are captured while spying on the Yeerks and brought on board their spaceship, their escape is hindered when they discover Visser One's Controller is Marco's missing mother. Based on The Stranger and The Predator. Narrated by Marco. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "The Leader, Part 2" | Shawn Levy | Jessica Scott, Mike Wollaeger | Jan. 12, 1999 Feb. 12, 1999 | 114 |
| Now that Marco has found his mother again, he is reluctant to leave the Yeerk ship without her. Cassie and Rachel destroy the Kandrona ray generator while Ax must devise a way to bring Jake and Marco back to Earth. Meanwhile, their actions have revealed the existence of a new enemy. Based on The Stranger and The Predator. Narrated by Marco. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "Tobias" | Graeme Lynch | Carl Ellsworth | Jan. 17, 1999 Jan. 19, 1999 | 116 |
| Ax creates a device that allows an individual to relive their most cherished memories, which Tobias and Ax use to relive their past days. Tobias relives his pre-Animorph life, remembering how he met Rachel, how he first acquired animal DNA, and how awkward Ax was at first when he became human. Narrated by Tobias and Ax. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Not My Problem" | Stacy Curtis | George Melrod | Jan. 24, 1999 Jan. 26, 1999 | 117 |
| When Jake succumbs to the pressures of being the Animorphs' leader, the Ellimist appears and grants him the wish. However, in the alternate reality, everyone but Tobias is infested by the Yeerks and Tobias must carefully plot his next move to avoid the same fate. Shares similarities to Megamorphs: Back to Before, although the book came out after the episode. Narrated by Jake. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "The Release" | Robert K. Sprogis | Marc Scott Zicree, Carl Ellsworth | Feb. 2, 1999 Feb. 21, 1999 | 118 |
| With too many Controllers and not enough Kandrona rays, Yeerks are dying and losing control of their hosts, including Tom, whom Jake and Marco try to rescue. Among the Controllers regaining their freedom include Jake's science teacher, Mr. Perkins, who has begun a crusade to free other Controllers. Based on The Alien. Narrated by Jake. | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Face Off, Part 1" | Graeme Lynch | Jessica Scott, Mike Wollaeger | Feb. 9, 1999 Feb. 28, 1999 | 119 |
| At the basketball final, the Animorphs discover that all of their enemies will be in one place, giving them to opportunity to deal a blow to the Yeerks. However, a plan goes horribly wrong as Jake is trapped. The Animorphs must now split up to find the Andalite disk and free Jake. Based on The Change. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Face Off, Part 2" | Graeme Lynch | Mike Wollaeger, Jessica Scott | Feb. 16, 1999 Mar. 7, 1999 | 120 |
| Separated and surrounded by enemies, the Animorphs struggle to avoid being captured. Rachel manages to save Tobias by morphing into a Yeerk, but Jake remains in Tom's clutches as everyone else becomes dangerously close to being infested. Based on The Sickness. | ||||||
Season 2 (1999)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "Face Off, Part 3" | Don McCutcheon | Rhonda Olson | Sept. 3, 1999 Feb. 20, 2000 | 221 |
| With everyone in a desperate situation, Marco manages to save the day when he destroys a number of special Yeerks and creates a sufficient distraction for everyone else to escape. Jake almost gets caught after morphing into Tom to escape from Visser 3. Based on The Encounter. This, and its predecessors of the same name, are narrated by Jake. | ||||||
| 22 | 2 | "My Name is Erek" | Don McCutcheon | Jeff Schechter | Sept. 10, 1999 Feb. 20, 2000 | 222 |
| The Animorphs witness a bizarre child with superhuman strength, who they soon discover is Erek, a member of the android race known as the Chee. Erek and the Chee need Jake and the other Animorphs' assistance to recover their hologram technology from the Yeerks. Based on The Android. Narrated by Marco. | ||||||
| 23 | 3 | "The Front" | Graeme Lynch | George Melrod | Oct. 8, 1999 Feb. 27, 2000 | 223 |
| Ax lands a job at a new electronics store, where he is pressured to sell as many cell phones as possible. When Tom buys a cell phone for himself and his latest crush, Melissa Chapman, Jake and Marco become suspicious and investigate. However, they're horrified to discover what Ax is really selling. Narrated by Ax. | ||||||
| 24 | 4 | "Changes, Part 1" | Ron Oliver | Ron Oliver | Sept. 17, 1999 Apr. 9, 2000 | 224 |
| The Animorphs decide that they've earned a break and plan to go to the spring dance. Cassie tries to urge Jake to help her stop a cosmetics factory's experiments with animals, but it ends up being a disaster. After the remaining Animorphs come to the rescue, Marco is caught on tape demorphing. | ||||||
| 25 | 5 | "Changes, Part 2" | Ron Oliver | Ron Oliver | Sept. 24, 1999 Apr. 16, 2000 | 225 |
| The boy who taped Marco demorphing, Harold Nesbit, is about to reveal his finding for profit. Jake and Marco try to personally steal the tape, but are unsuccessful, so the group must find the tape and stop it from broadcasting. Meanwhile, Visser Three is using a TV executive morph to broadcast a new show that will make human infestation easier, and Ax is behaving strangely. | ||||||
| 26 | 6 | "Changes, Part 3" | Ron Oliver | Ron Oliver | Oct. 1, 1999 Apr. 23, 2000 | 226 |
| Tobias follows the trail of hawk images being left around town, but is shocked by what he finds. Meanwhile, when Marco notices a suspicious looking construction worker hanging around school, he investigates and discovers that friends and the rest of their classmates are in huge danger. Before he can tell anyone, however, Marco finds himself trapped, unbeknownst to his friends, who are now arriving at the dance. This, and its predecessors of the same name, are narrated by Tobias. | ||||||
VHS releases
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (when they were known as Columbia TriStar Home Video) had released twelve episodes in four VHS volumes known as The Invasion Series, collecting episodes from the series. The first 12 episodes are only released on VHS and not re-released on DVD.
- Part 1: The Invasion Begins ("My Name is Jake" parts 1 and 2, and "Underground")
- Part 2: Nowhere to Run ("Between Friends", "The Message" and "The Reaction")
- Part 3: The Enemy Among Us ("The Stranger", "The Leader" parts 1 and 2)
- Part 4: The Legacy Survives ("The Capture" parts 1 and 2, and "Not My Problem")
Seven volumes spanning the first 20 episodes (only the first of which was identical to its U.S. counterpart) were released in Australia. The episodes were placed in chronological order. Each volume had three episodes apart from Volume 7, which had two ("Face Off", parts 1 and 2).
All 26 episodes are currently available on iTunes, Vudu and Amazon Video spread across three volumes. Also, all 26 episodes were previously available on Netflix.[2]
See also
- List of Animorphs books
- Chronological list of Animorphs books
- Manimal
References
- Issam. "Animorphs returns to Television!". hiracdelest.com. Hirac Delest. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- "Watch Animorphs Online - Netflix". netflix.com. 12 March 1998.
External links
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