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Animorphs is a television series based on the book series of the same name. It was broadcast from September 1998 to March 2000 on Nickelodeon in the United States. It aired a total of 26 episodes.
Cast[]
- Shawn Ashmore as Jake
- Brooke Nevin as Rachel
- Boris Cabrera as Marco
- Nadia-Leigh Nascimento as Cassie
- Christopher Ralph as Tobias
- Paulo Costanzo as Aximili
- Eugene Lipinski as Visser Three
- Richard Sali as Principal Chapman
- Terra Vanessa Kowalyk as Melissa Chapman
- Joshua Peace as Tom
Plot []
My Name is Jake pt 2
The story revolves around five humans, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias, and one alien, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill (nicknamed Ax), who obtain the ability to transform into any animal they touch. Naming themselves "Animorphs" (a portmanteau of "animal morphers"), they use their ability to battle a secret alien infiltration of Earth by a parasitic race of aliens resembling large slugs, called Yeerks, that take humans as a host by entering and merging with their brain through the ear canal. The Animorphs fight as a guerrilla force against the Yeerks, led by Visser Three.
The Animorphs carefully protect their identities; the Yeerks assume that they're a strike force sent by the Andalites, the alien race that created the transformation technology. To protect themselves and their families from Yeerk reprisals, the Animorphs keep up the facade. Over the run of the series, the pretense becomes harder to maintain; the Yeerks grow more cautious and dedicate more time and resources to capturing the 'Andalite bandits'.
Though the Animorphs can assume the form of any animal they touch, there are several limitations to the ability: they can only stay in animal form for two hours, or they will be unable to return to human form. Also, the process requires some level of concentration to prevent the animal's natural instincts from overwhelming the human intellect.
Reception[]
'Watch TV' logo placed on book covers and merchandise to promote the show.
The TV series was not well-received among fans and even the authors due to its low budget in addition to toned down violence. The show was cancelled after two seasons, though it did rerun at Qubo in 2015.
On IMDb, the series has a rating of 6,6/10 out of 1.190 viewers.[1]
VHS Releases[]
(full article: Animorphs VHS Releases )
- Part 1:The Invasion Begins ("My Name is Jake" parts 1 and 2, and "Underground ")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 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). VHS tapes were also released in (at least) French and Swedish, and in the UK.
All 26 episodes are currently available on iTunes, Vudu and Amazon Video spread across three volumes.
Gallery[]
Screenshot and Promo Image Gallery[]
Meet the Stars of Animorphs[]
The book Meet the Stars of Animorphs was released to promote the show. It included information about the actors and a sixteen-page picture insert.
Article Gallery[]
Advertising[]
Videos[]
See Also[]
- List of Animorphs episodes
- Listen to the theme song - Ogg file.
External Links[]
- Episode Summaries on scholastic.com/animorphs
- Promo pics on Nick.com
- Episode Summaries on Nick.com (These are slightly different than the scholastic.com/animorphs episode summaries).
- Animorphs VHS Part 1 advertised on scholastic.com/animorphs
- Behind the Scenes videos on scholastic.com/animorphs
- Click on 'TV show Cast interviews' to see interviews with each of the six main actors
References[]
| TV Episodes | ||
| Season 1 | My Name is Jake (Part 1) | My Name is Jake (Part 2) | Underground | On the Run | Between Friends | The Message | The Escape | The Alien | The Reaction | The Stranger | The Forgotten | The Capture | The Leader | Tobias | Not My Problem | The Release | Face Off Parts 1 and 2 | |
| Season 2 | Face Off Part 3 | My Name is Erek | Changes | The Front | |