George Shrinks
George Shrinks is a Canadian–Chinese children's animated television series. It is based on the children's book by William Joyce, produced in China by Jade Animation and Canadian studio Nelvana, in association with Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).[2] It tells the story of a ten-year-old boy named George who, one night dreams that he is three inches tall, only to wake up and discover that it is true. The show details his navigating life with his friends and family as he solves problems using machines he and his father have created.[3]
| George Shrinks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Animated series |
| Created by | William Joyce |
| Written by | Ken Cuperus Dave Dias Hugh Duffy Richard Elliott Ben Joseph |
| Voices of | Tracey Moore Bryn McAuley Robbi Jay Thuet Paul O'Sullivan Kathleen Laskey |
| Theme music composer | Colin James |
| Composer | Roberto Occhipinti |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 40 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Michelle Melanson (season 2–3) |
| Running time | 26 minutes |
| Production companies | [1] |
| Release | |
| Original network | PBS Kids (United States) CBC/TVOKids/YTV (Canada) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 30, 2000 – January 23, 2003 |
The series started on September 30, 2000, on PBS Kids as part of PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch. The Bookworm Bunch disbanded on August 5, 2004, but George Shrinks was given an individual PBS debut on January 6, 2003, along with The Berenstain Bears and Maurice Sendak's Seven Little Monsters. Reruns continued to air on PBS Kids until August 30, 2009.
Content
George's tiny size turns mundane activities, such as working around the house or playing outside, into dramatic adventures. His primary mode of transportation is his Zoopercar, a multi-purpose miniature vehicle he built with his father that can do things like transform into a submarine or a helicopter. George often has interesting encounters with animals who, although they do not talk, seem to be able to communicate with George throughout the series. On one occasion, he encountered a robotic alien that was his own size and helped it get back home.
The show affects a retro-1950s look, with simple animation and colours. Primarily jazz is used for background music, reflecting both his father's occupation as a musician who tinkers with inventing new musical instruments and his mother's style as an avant-garde artist. However, statements made in the characters' dialogue imply that events take place in the present, or the year that the showing episode was produced and filmed.
The theme song, composed by Roberto Occhipinti, in a jumping blues style, is sung by Canadian musician Colin James.
One main difference from the book and the series is that in the book, George turns back to normal size by the end-his small stature lasting only a day while his parents are out (it could've all been a dream as well, as it is not explained how he turns back). In the series, George appears to be permanently small with no explanation, appearing big in one episode (which was a dream).
Characters
Main
- George Bernard Shrinks: George, 10, is the titular protagonist of the series, who wakes up from a dream to discover he is small;[4] his golden plated baby shoes were extremely tiny seen in "Round Up the Usual Insects". Because of his small stature, George has had to invent his own adaptive devices, most notably the Zooper car (a small vehicle which George built with his father, and which can be automatically transformed into an airplane, a helicopter, or a submarine). Another invention is a system of pneumatic tubes, which George also uses for transportation. He is voiced by Tracey Moore.
- Harold Shrinks Jr. (referred to as "Junior" in the series): George's little brother, who often accompanies George in his adventures around the house. Junior is George's "sidekick" and "gofer", doing the tasks that are too difficult for George because of the latter's stature. However, his playfulness and his size sometimes lead to accidents, though Junior's sincere "Sowwy, George", always gets his brother to forgive him. He is voiced by Robbi Jay Thuet.
- Becky Lopez: Becky Lopez is George's best friend who lives next door. She and George go on many exploits and adventures. Becky is the captain for a Little League ice hockey team called, "The Storks", whose terribly bad-scoring drought was the focus of one of the later episodes. She is voiced by Bryn McAuley.
- "Mom" Perdita Shrinks: Mom is a freelance artist by trade who builds, sculpts and welds with a very abstract style. She is a member of the town's art committee and is into organic foods. Mom is also very supportive of the projects that the family and kids work on, and she enjoys helping out in the community. She also used to be a Radio City Rockette which George reveals his dad told him in "If It Ain't Broke" episode. She is voiced by Kathleen Laskey.
- "Dad" Harold Shrinks Sr.: Dad is a musician in a jazz band, and is constantly building and trying out new instruments (most of which resemble oversized and distorted tubas and saxophones) in the search for the "perfect sound". Dad is a bit eccentric, but still loves his family and is a good father. He is voiced by Paul O'Sullivan.
Others and one-time characters
- Aunt Eunice: Aunt Eunice is George and Junior's Great-Aunt (but whom the whole family calls 'aunt'), who sometimes serves them as their babysitter. The first time she watched the boys, she was very patronizing toward George, treating him as though his size were a handicap and "assisting" him. However Aunt Eunice's ways have changed when George fixes her prized plant, a Bonsai tree "Maurice", which seemingly been damaged beyond repair. In "Return to Sender", she expresses complete confidence in that George will handle himself just fine when he was mailed to different locations across the planet, and that he could mail himself back home safely. She has travelled around the world; as such, she knows a great deal about different places as well as people. The boy's mother, Perdita Shrinks, is Eunice's niece. She is voiced by Catherine Gallant.
- Sparkle Tangerine: A bright orange stray cat that roams George's neighbourhood, also the main antagonist. She often tries to eat George or anyone his size. A similar cat, though unnamed, appeared in the original book by William Joyce. Seen in Can We Keep Him?, Close Encounters of the Bird Kind, Zoopercar Caper, King Kongo, George vs. the Space Invaders, Journey to the Centre of the Garden, George-Lo-Phone, Small of the Wild, Hound of the Bath-ervilles, George Unshrinks, Becky in Wonderland, and The Lost World of George Shrinks.
- Russell Copeland: Russell is a kindhearted senior that used to live in George's house as a boy. He is also a retired veterinarian. He is voiced by Sean McCann.
- Ellen: Ellen is a kind-hearted girl next door of Chinese heritage. Despite only appearing in three episodes, Ellen plays a major role in two of them. Ellen is a fan of old horror movies and enjoys playing harmless practical jokes. She has an older brother, Matt, who is an owner of an anole lizard named Ting-Ting (which, as Ellen describes, is literally Chinese for "Gracefully Graceful"). She is left-handed and a member of the Storks, Becky's hockey team, as a forward on the left wing. She is voiced by Lisa Yamanaka.
- Timmy and Jimmy Fortevoce: Timmy and Jimmy are identical twins, members of Becky's hockey team- Jimmy plays centre and Timmy plays defence. Despite appearing in just two episodes, they still play an important role as supporting members of the cast. In Italian, their last name literally means, "Loud Voice".
- Hilda and Henry: Hilda and Henry are two blond-haired, glasses wearing dizygotic fraternal twins/sororal twins. They say almost everything in unison and only appeared in two episodes. They enjoy playing tricks on one another, such as during a scary movies night at the Shrinks' residence. They are somewhat competitive but are good friends with George and Becky.
- Helga: Helga is the goaltender for the Storks, Becky's Little League hockey team. Coach Shrinks is the only episode she appears in, which she plays a major role. She usually wears glasses, except on the ice because the lenses fog up.
- Lizzy: Lizzy is right-wing forward for the Storks, Becky's Little League hockey team. She's skilled at turning on the spot because of her previous experience figure skating; she joined the hockey team because she thought it was kind of lonely and wanted to join the team. She only appears in the episode, Coach Shrinks.
- The Cadwells: The Cadwells appear only in the episode, Speed Shrinks. these kids are two twins similar to Hilda and Henry, but are somewhat villainous. They build a craft similar to the SR-71 Blackbird and use its special features to sabotage and unfairly halt the other racers in order to win. The boy is voiced by, Michael Cera and the girl is voiced by Annick Obonsawin.
- Skyler: Skyler is George and Junior's first cousin once removed. Seen only in Toy George. She is about the same age as Junior and has similar personalities to him. She attended the school play George was putting on, "Pinocchio".
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 13 | September 9, 2000 | December 2, 2000 | ||
| 2 | 13 | September 8, 2001 | December 1, 2001 | ||
| 3 | 14 | January 6, 2003 | January 23, 2003 | ||
Season 1 (2000)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "If It Ain't Broke" | Doug Thoms | Pete Sauder | September 9, 2000 | 101 |
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George and Junior sneak a peek at Mom's surprise birthday sculpture for Dad (something she told them not to do), and get more trouble than they bargained for.
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| 2 | 2 | "Can We Keep Him?" | Doug Thoms | Pete Sauder | September 16, 2000 | 102 |
| George nurses a mouse with an injured leg back to health, but not without upsetting Junior, who feels that the mouse has taken away all of George's attention. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Close Encounters of the Bird Kind" | Doug Thoms | Richard Elliott and Simon Racioppa | September 23, 2000 | 103 |
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George meets a new kid on the block named Becky, and helps a little bird learn to fly.
| ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Ants in the Pantry" | Doug Thoms | Richard Elliott and Simon Racioppa | September 30, 2000 | 104 |
| An army of ants threatens to attack the family's picnic and George tries to stop them by himself. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Round Up the Usual Insects" | Doug Thoms | Terry Saltsman | October 7, 2000 | 105 |
| George and Becky carry out another science project about bugs, but when Junior releases them all, the pair need to round them up before Mom's party is ruined. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "From Bad to Worse" | Doug Thoms | Richard Elliott and Simon Racioppa | October 14, 2000 | 106 |
| When Aunt Eunice is left to babysit George and Junior, George sets out to prove he can do all the things a regular ten year old boy can do – but not without various mishaps. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Sunken Treasures" | Doug Thoms | J.D. Smith | October 21, 2000 | 107 |
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George and Becky find a hidden room in the attic belonging to a boy named Russell, they find a pile of comic books that say "The Adventures Of Spaceboy Bob" when they open one of the books, they find a journal belonging to Russel who lived in the house 70 years ago, when Russel lived in the house, he had a toy named Spaceboy Bob that it was lost in the pond.
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| 8 | 8 | "Snowman's Land" | Doug Thoms | Richard Elliott and Simon Racioppa | October 28, 2000 | 108 |
| After a huge snowfall, everyone is having fun but a disappointed Becky, who has the measles and won't be able to make her annual snowman from the first snowfall. George decides to make one for her, but risks being lost in a terrible blizzard. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Zoopercar Caper" | Doug Thoms | Jennifer Pertsch | November 4, 2000 | 109 |
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After the Zoopercar goes missing, George tells the story of how he made it with his father.
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| 10 | 10 | "Down the Drain" | Doug Thoms | Richard Elliott and Simon Racioppa | November 11, 2000 | 110 |
| George promises to keep a ring well hidden and safe that Dad plans to give Mom for their anniversary, but ends up going through the house's drainage system when the ring accidentally falls into the sink drain so George must venture into the drain pipes to find it. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "A Day at the Beach" | Doug Thoms | Jennifer Pertsch | November 18, 2000 | 111 |
| The Shrinks family spends the day at the beach, even though Mom is suffering from artist's block near a deadline and Dad needs to come up with a new tune soon. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "King Kongo" | Doug Thoms | Richard Elliott, Simon Racioppa, and J.D. Smith | November 25, 2000 | 112 |
| Junior is supposed to be starring in George and Becky's monster movie. However, much to Becky and George's chagrin, Junior is more interested in eating cookies than in acting. They decide to find a replacement right in their backyard — a monkey who has escaped from the circus. But things get a little crazy when their new star crashes the arts fund-raiser, which Mom and Dad are hosting. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "George vs. the Space Invaders" | Doug Thoms | J.D. Smith | December 2, 2000 | 113 |
| Too much pepperoni pizza and scary movies, along with Dad's new musical instrument, have George on edge, especially when real space aliens drop by for a visit and George can't convince anyone he isn't just imagining things. | ||||||
Season 2 (2001)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "The Ghost of Shrinks Manor" | Doug Thoms | Ken Cuperus | September 8, 2001 | 201 |
| After Dad tells a spooky ghost story, George and Becky are so convinced that there is a ghost in the Shrinks House that they forget to think about a logical explanation for the spooky goings on at night. | ||||||
| 15 | 2 | "Journey to the Centre of the Garden" | Doug Thoms | Richard Elliott and Simon Racioppa | September 15, 2001 | 202 |
| George and Becky's bean project is going AWOL so George sets out to find out what could be causing the trouble. | ||||||
| 16 | 3 | "Dog-Sitting Miss Daisy" | Doug Thoms | Jennifer Pertsch | September 22, 2001 | 203 |
| George is planning a surprise birthday party for Becky... but her present (a little dog) keeps messing things up. | ||||||
| 17 | 4 | "Return to Sender" | Doug Thoms | Dave Dias and Kim Thompson | September 29, 2001 | 204 |
| George is inadvertently mailed to Nigeria, he ends up going all around the world in a strange turn of events. | ||||||
| 18 | 5 | "The More Things Change" | Doug Thoms | Richard Elliott and Simon Racioppa | October 6, 2001 | 205 |
| George and Becky find half of a treasure map belong to Russell Copeland and the trio set out with Russell's friend Edna (who has the other half) to find their buried treasure, though not without some friction between some old friends. | ||||||
| 19 | 6 | "The George-Lo-Phone" | Doug Thoms | Ben Joseph | October 13, 2001 | 206 |
| When George is rejected by the school's band because he is too small to play the piano, George and Dad resolve to create a one-of-a-kind musical instrument to prove everyone otherwise. | ||||||
| 20 | 7 | "Down on the Bayou" | Doug Thoms | Jennifer Pertsch | October 20, 2001 | 207 |
| The Shrinks family take their annual camping trip, and this year, George inherits his father's special compass. | ||||||
| 21 | 8 | "Tankful of Trouble" | Doug Thoms | Matthew Cope | October 27, 2001 | 208 |
| George and Becky planned to raise a frog for a science project, but things get out of hand when they end up with a bunch of frog eggs and far too many baby frogs. | ||||||
| 22 | 9 | "All Along The Clock Tower" | Doug Thoms | Ken Cuperus | November 3, 2001 | 209 |
| For the town's big anniversary, everyone decides to fix up town hall and the broken clocktower attached, despite rumors that the clocktower is cursed. | ||||||
| 23 | 10 | "Return of the Space Invaders" | Doug Thoms | Richard Elliott and Simon Racioppa | November 10, 2001 | 210 |
| George, Junior, and Aunt Eunice end up meeting Manigishi (Manny for short), a space alien who appears to be of the same kind as George met earlier. She needs their help repairing her crashed spaceship. She needs it too; an upcoming meteor shower will make it impossible to get back home. | ||||||
| 24 | 11 | "Small of the Wild" | Brian Lee | Dave Dias | November 17, 2001 | 211 |
| George and Becky prepare for the worst and attempt to save a yard full of animals when a bad winter storm comes around. | ||||||
| 25 | 12 | "Speed Shrinks" | Doug Thoms | Scott Kraft | November 24, 2001 | 212 |
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George races the Zoopercar in an R/C Race, but need to watch out for competitors who aren't beyond winning if it means cheating.
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| 26 | 13 | "Hound of the Bath-ervilles" | Brian Lee | Ken Cuperus | December 1, 2001 | 213 |
| To raise money and awareness for a local animal shelter, George and Becky set up a pet-wash-a-matic, but finds things turning upside down when a stray dog turns out to be someone's cherished pet. | ||||||
Season 3 (2003)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "On the Road" | Brian Lee | Jennifer Pertsch | January 6, 2003 | 301 |
| George and his family go to Capital City for Dad's big band concert. | ||||||
| 28 | 2 | "A Star is Shrunk" | Doug Thoms and Karen Lessmann | Scott Kraft | January 7, 2003 | 302 |
| Mom, Dad, and Aunt Eunice all get small parts in a movie being filmed in town, but George becomes the real star when he gets to stand in for the hero of the movie. | ||||||
| 29 | 3 | "George Unshrinks" | Brian Lee | Ken Cuperus | January 8, 2003 | 303 |
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When George, Dad, and Junior all have dreams about being different sizes, they find out that staying their original size would have prevented a lot more problems.
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| 30 | 4 | "Monster Mash" | Doug Thoms and Karen Lessmann | Jennifer Pertsch | January 9, 2003 | 304 |
| A new neighbour proves that everyone's negative first impression of her was wrong with her clever contributions to George and company's annual Monster Movie Marathon. | ||||||
| 31 | 5 | "In the Duck Soup" | Brian Lee | Dave Dias | January 10, 2003 | 305 |
| When Junior's beloved toy duck "Wiggy" is broken, George and Junior take it to a local toy inventor to fix it. The duck is saved, but will not stay safe unless George can stop a legion of flawed toy robots from wrecking Junior's duck. | ||||||
| 32 | 6 | "Friends and Anemones" | Doug Thoms and Karen Lessmann | Ken Cuperus | January 13, 2003 | 306 |
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During a trip to the aquarium, When Junior accidentally loses his simian shrimp at an aquarium, George must save a family of "Sea Symies" before they are eaten by residential fish.
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| 33 | 7 | "Coach Shrinks" | Brian Lee | Jennifer Pertsch | January 14, 2003 | 307 |
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George coaches Becky's struggling hockey team (which has yet to win a single game) to score a goal.
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| 34 | 8 | "Migrate-est Adventure" | Karen Lessmann | Ken Cuperus | January 15, 2003 | 308 |
| After a monarch butterfly emerges from its cocoon in George's room, George and his family follows a migrating butterfly on its migration route and participating in a scientific study with a scientist. | ||||||
| 35 | 9 | "George's Apprentice" | Brian Lee | Dave Dias | January 16, 2003 | 309 |
| George manages to get his parents to buy him a new cool robot, but the toy proves to be more troublesome than he anticipates. | ||||||
| 36 | 10 | "If I Ran the Circus" | Karen Lessmann | Matthew Cope | January 17, 2003 | 310 |
| The circus is in town, and the Shrinks family is all excited about going. But everyone's plans are threatened when a surprise attack of chicken pox hits Junior. | ||||||
| 37 | 11 | "Becky in Wonderland" | Brian Lee | Ken Cuperus | January 20, 2003 | 311 |
| George and Becky read Alice in Wonderland and are transported into a fantasy world of caterpillars, rabbits, and creatures. | ||||||
| 38 | 12 | "Toy George" | Karen Lessmann | Scott Kraft | January 21, 2003 | 312 |
| George puts on a school play of Pinocchio, featuring Junior and their first cousin once removed, Skyler. | ||||||
| 39 | 13 | "The Lost World of George Shrinks" | Brian Lee | Ken Cuperus | January 22, 2003 | 313 |
| George and Ellen release Ting-Ting, Ellen's older brother's lizard, when they aren't supposed to and must track it down to the local zoo while learning about following instructions. | ||||||
| 40 | 14 | "Lost and Found Art" | Karen Lessmann | Alice Prodanou | January 23, 2003 | 314 |
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After George and Becky carelessly lose Mom's found art sculpture, they set out to recover all of the pieces before they are recycled and permanently lost.
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Home media
| DVD title | Episode count | Release date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Shrinks: Down the Drain | 3 | February 28, 2006 | "Coach Shrinks", "In the Duck Soup", and "The Lost World of George Shrinks" |
| George Shrinks: Ghost Grabber Machine | May 9, 2006 | "Ghost of Shrinks Manor", "All Along the Clock Tower", and "Journey to the Center of the Garden" | |
| George Shrinks: George Vs Space Invaders | 2 | "George vs Space Invaders", and "Close Encounters of the Bird Kind" | |
| George Shrinks: Speed Shrinks | 3 | "Speed Shrinks", "Hound of the Bath-Ervilles", and "George-Lo-Phone" | |
| George Shrinks: King Kongo | 2 | "King Kongo", and "Ants in the Pantry" | |
| George Shrinks: Toy George | 3 | "Toy George", "Dog-Sitting Miss Daisy", and "Down on the Bayou" | |
| George Shrinks: Snowman's Land | 2 | November 10, 2009 | "Snowman's Land", and "From Bad to Worse" |
| George Shrinks: Zoopercar Caper | January 26, 2010 | "Zoopercar Caper", and "If If Ain't Broke" | |
| George Shrinks: Sunken Treasures | March 9, 2010 | "Sunken Treasres", and "Can We Keep Him?" | |
| George Shrinks: The Lost World of George Shrinks | 4 | "If I Ran the Circus", "Becky in Wonderland", "Toy George" and "Lost and Found Art" |
References
- "Dog Sitting Miss Daisy". George Shrinks. Season 1. Episode 15. Event occurs at 25:30.
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 369–370. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 238–239. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- "Based on William Joyce's book, George Shrinks is an animated series about a boy who wakes up and discovers he's the size of a mouse". Retrieved May 17, 2014.
External links
- George Shrinks Episode Guide at Big Cartoon DataBase
- George Shrinks at IMDb
- Retrojunk: George Shrinks
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