Amazing Animals
British television series, 1996–1999
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amazing Animals (sometimes marketed as Henry's Amazing Animals for home video) is an educational children's animated TV show series nature program produced by Dorling Kindersley Vision and Partridge Films in association with the Disney Channel.[1] It was originally broadcast on the service in 1996. It also aired on Family Channel in Canada. It is also available on VHS.
Also known asHenry's Amazing Animals
StarringEric Meyers
Tom Clarke-Hill
Tom Clarke-Hill
Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- United States
Original languageEnglish
| Amazing Animals | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Henry's Amazing Animals |
| Starring | Eric Meyers Tom Clarke-Hill |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | 16 April 1996 – 6 July 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 (voiced by Eric Meyers) is 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 (example Monty the Monitor Lizard). His favorite food is pizza.
- The Narrator (voiced by Tom Clarke-Hill in the US version and Nigel Greaves in the UK version) 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.
- Crab Tuesday: Henry met Crab Tuesday (vocal effects provided by Fred Newman) 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
Season 1 (1996)
| Episode Number | Title | Title card animal | Date first aired | Plotline | Golden Gecko Award Winners & Henry's Special Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tropical Birds | Scarlet macaw | 16 April 1996 | Henry lands in a tropical rainforest and learns about tropical birds – including, but not limited to, parrots. |
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| 2 | Animal Disguises | Chameleon | 23 April 1996 | Henry learns about camouflaged animals after looking for his own disguise. |
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| 3 | Nighttime Animals | Springhare | 30 April 1996 | After a long day with cousin Rex, Henry can't get to sleep, and learns about animals which stay up during the night. |
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| 4 | Animal Appetites | King penguin | 7 May 1996 | Henry opens a café for animals, but learns that different animals eat different things. | |
| 5 | Animal Survivors | Wolf | 14 May 1996 | After avoiding the dangerous animals on the desert island he is on, Henry learns about strategies that help animals to survive. |
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| 6 | Animal Senses | Siamese cat | 21 May 1996 | After knocking over some sense blocks, Henry learns about how animals explore the world around them using their senses. |
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| 7 | Animal Weapons | Goat | 28 May 1996 | Guarding his toy castle from an attack, Henry learns about animals that can fight other animals using body weapons. |
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| 8 | Animal Builders | Beaver | 4 June 1996 | Henry is building a house, to learn that he is not the only animal that builds a home. |
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| 9 | Armored Animals | Tortoise | 11 June 1996 | Henry learns that there are different animals with protective armor. | |
| 10 | Mini Beasts | Tarantula | 18 June 1996 | Henry learns that there are many very small animals that inhabit the wild. |
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| 11 | Animal Babies | Kitten, Puppy, Duckling | 25 June 1996 | An egg belonging to Henry's cousin hatches in its pram, and Henry has to babysit it. He gets advice from how animals babysit their young. |
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| 12 | Poisonous Animals | Gila monster | 2 July 1996 | Thinking of eating the contents of a nearby cauldron, the narrator warns Henry that the contents may be poisonous, and he shouldn't eat them. He also learns about animals which can be poisonous to protect themselves. |
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| 13 | Animal Journeys | Camel | 9 July 1996 | Globetrotting (literally walking across the surface of a globe), Henry learns that animals also move long distances too. |
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Season 2 (1997)
| Episode Number | Title | Title card animal | Date first aired | Plotline | Golden Gecko Award Winners & Henry's Special Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Birds of Prey | Black vulture | 15 April 1997 |
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| 15 | Desert Animals | Dromedary camel | 22 April 1997 |
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| 16 | Scary Animals | Tarantula | 29 April 1997 |
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| 17 | Animal Records | Tortoise, rabbit | 6 May 1997 | ||
| 18 | Animal Colors | Golden pheasant | 13 May 1997 |
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| 19 | Animal Mothers | Lioness | 20 May 1997 | Henry learns to appreciate his mother. | |
| 20 | Animal Pets | Puli | 27 May 1997 |
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| 21 | Seashore Animals | Pelican | 3 June 1997 |
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| 22 | Animal Families | Ducks | 10 June 1997 |
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| 23 | Endangered Animals | Bengal tiger | 17 June 1997 |
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| 24 | An Animal Year | Red squirrel | 24 June 1997 | ||
| 25 | Prehistoric Animals | Crocodile | 7 July 1997 | ||
| 26 | Monkeys and Apes | Mandrill | 8 June 1997 |
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Season 3 (1998)
| Episode Number | Title | Title card animal | Date first aired | Plotline | Golden Gecko Award Winners & Henry's Special Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Animal Hunters | Golden eagle | 14 April 1998 |
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| 28 | Animal Talk | Dog | 21 April 1998 | ||
| 29 | Slimy Animals | Apple snail | 28 April 1998 |
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| 30 | Rainforest Animals | Scarlet macaw | 5 May 1998 |
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| 31 | Animal Acrobats | Chimpanzee, Sea lion, Wallaby | 12 May 1998 |
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| 32 | Underwater Animals | Fish | 19 May 1998 |
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| 33 | Animal Neighbors | Rabbit | 26 May 1998 |
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| 34 | Giant Animals | Great Dane | 2 June 1998 |
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| 35 | Creepy Crawly Animals | Grasshopper | 9 June 1998 |
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| 36 | Farm Animals | Cow, Sheep | 16 June 1998 |
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| 37 | Animal Changes | Lion cub, Lioness | 23 June 1998 |
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| 38 | Extinct Animals | Footprints | 30 June 1998 |
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| 39 | Animal Eggs | Egg | 7 July 1998 |
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Season 4 (1999)
| Episode Number | Title | Title card animal | Date first aired | Plotline | Golden Gecko Award Winners & Henry's Special Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Animals Around the World | Red kangaroo, Monarch butterfly, Chimpanzee, Fish | 13 April 1999 | Insects
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| 41 | Polar Animals | Siberian Husky | 20 April 1999 |
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| 42 | Clever Animals | American crow | 27 April 1999 |
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| 43 | Underground Animals | Rabbit | 4 May 1999 | Note: The only episode to not feature the Golden Gecko Awards
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| 44 | Animal Helpers | Collie | 11 May 1999 |
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| 45 | Woodland Animals | Squirrel | 18 May 1999 |
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| 46 | Mountain Animals | St. Bernard | 25 May 1999 |
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| 47 | Backyard Animals | Mockingbird | 1 June 1999 |
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| 48 | Tiny Animals | Mice | 8 June 1999 |
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| 49 | Animal Partners | Mule | 15 June 1999 |
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| 50 | Scaly Animals | Crocodile, Fish | 22 June 1999 | Note: The only episode where Henry reads the title and the Narrator does the report. |
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| 51 | River Animals | Beaver, Neon tetra | 29 June 1999 |
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| 52 | Animal Flight | Ladybug | 6 July 1999 |
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Merchandise
Some merchandise was also released during the activity of the series. An educational computer game was also released with the television show.[2][3] A board game known as The Really Amazing Animal Game was also sold but was shortly discontinued.