Octonauts
(Redirected from The Octonauts)
| Octonauts | |
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| Creative director | Stephen Robinson |
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| Theme music composer | Darren Hendley |
| Composer | Darren Hendley |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 143 + 12 specials (list of episodes) |
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| Original release | |
| Network | CBeebies |
| Release | 4 October 2010 – present |
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Octonauts is an animated children's television series produced by Sony Pictures Television Kids for the BBC's CBeebies network. It is based on the children's books written by Meomi, the design team of Vicki Wong and Michael C. Murphy.
The show follows an underwater exploring crew made up of stylised anthropomorphic animals, a team of eight adventurers who live in an undersea base, the Octopod, from which they go on undersea adventures with the help of a fleet of aquatic vehicles. Although its technology is fictional, the exotic creatures and locations that the crew encounter are based on real marine animals. The show's subject matter has been compared to that of Star Trek and Thunderbirds[1] blended with Jacques Cousteau.
The show was animated in Ireland by Brown Bag Films for its first four series.[2] The show was renewed for a fifth series in 2018, with Canada's Mainframe Studios taking over animation work.[3][4] A Netflix-original spinoff, subtitled Above & Beyond, was released In September 2021, and features the Octonauts venturing onto more land-based habitats of the natural world, Journey to China.
In March 2023, 5 new episodes under the original Octonauts branding and format were released via the BBC iPlayer.
Characters
[edit]
Main characters
[edit]- Barnacles (voiced by Simon Greenall; singing voice provided by Ross Breen) is a polar bear who is the captain of the Octonauts. He is skilled in piloting many vehicles and is strong enough to lift a giant clam. In the episode "The Caves of Sac Actun", it is revealed that Barnacles is claustrophobic.
- Kwazii (voiced by Rob Rackstraw) is a cat lieutenant and cryptozoologist who speaks in a Cockney accent. Kwazii is a daredevil cat with a mysterious pirate past. He believes in many sea monsters such as the Nackerwhack, Tri-Toothed-Terror, Giant Shrimp Monster and Monster of Creepy Cove.
- Peso (voiced by Paul Panting in the British version, Wayne Grayson in the American version) is a penguin with a British accent (Spanish accent in the US version) and the medic of the Octonauts. He is not fond of scary situations, but steps up if someone is hurt or in trouble.
- Professor Inkling (voiced by Keith Wickham) is a dumbo octopus who speaks in a posh accent. Inkling is an oceanographer and assembled the Octonauts to study the oceans.
- Dr. Shellington (voiced by Keith Wickham) is a sea otter who speaks with a Scottish accent. Dr. Shellington is a biologist who assists the Octonauts on missions. He is not a very good driver and once crashed the GUP-D.
- Tweak (voiced by Jo Wyatt; Jaimie Kelton in season 1 of the American version) is a rabbit who speaks with a Southern-US accent. Tweak works as an engineer and is based in the launch bay, where she created the GUP-X and GUP-S.
- Dashi (voiced by Teresa Gallagher in the UK version, Mary Murphy in seasons 1–4 of the US version, Jenny Yokobori in "The Caves of Sac Actun"–present of the US version) is a Dachshund who is the photographer for the Octonauts and takes care of all the computers aboard the Octopod. She is also a professional surfer.
- Tunip (voiced by Michael C. Murphy) is a Vegimal who is half-tuna, half-turnip, but has the outward appearance of a harbour seal mixed with a turnip. He loves to make kelp cakes and work in the greenhouse as the Octonauts' head cook and gardener.
Vegimals
[edit]Vegimals are half-animal, half-vegetable creatures who Shellington initially found as eggs attached to the side of the Octopod. To protect them he brought them into his lab, where they hatched a few days later. After a few weeks, the Vegimals established themselves as an integral part of the crew.[5] They primarily speak Vegimalese, a language made of chirps and warbles (heavily accented English with inter-mixed gibberish), though they also speak a limited amount of English (with an accent). Shellington is the only non-vegimal Octonaut who has some fluency in Vegimalese.
- Albachoy is a bok choy-albacore hybrid.
- Barrot is a carrot-bass hybrid. Although nervous, he can go super fast in an emergency.
- Carprika is a paprika-carp hybrid.
- Charchard is a chard-char hybrid.
- Codish is a radish-cod hybrid. He is very clumsy and tends to cause accidents.
- Grouber is a tuber-grouper hybrid. He is big and can eat almost anything.
- Halibeet is a beet-halibut hybrid.
- Maccoli is a broccoli-mackerel hybrid.
- Perchkin is a pumpkin-perch hybrid.
- Pikato is a tomato-pike hybrid.
- Salepeño is a jalapeño-salmon hybrid.
- Sharchini is a zucchini-shark hybrid.
- Tominnow is a tomato-minnow hybrid. She is a daredevil and the smallest of the Vegimals.
- VegiBot is a robotic Vegimal.
- Wallabaga is a rutabaga-walleye hybrid.
- Yamchovy is a anchovy-yam hybrid.
Minor characters
[edit]- Calico Jack is a pirate who is Kwazii's grandfather.
- Pinto is Peso's younger brother. He initially aspires to be a pirate, like Kwazii, but later decides he would rather be a medic like Peso.
- Sandy is a sea turtle and friend of Tweak. She swims long distances and makes appointments to meet the Octonauts in several episodes.
- Boris is a narwhal and childhood friend of Barnacles. Boris remains in the Arctic but the Octonauts meet him in several episodes.
- Pearl is a sea otter who is Shellington's sister.
- Bianca is a polar bear who is Captain Barnacles' twin sister.
- Orson and Ursa are Bianca's children and respectively Barnacle's niece and nephew.
- Professor Natquik is an Arctic fox and old friend of Barnacles. He is a polar explorer and loves to explore rivers under the ice.
- Marsh is a rabbit and Tweak's father. He works as a park ranger and loves to explore swamps.
- Koshi is Dashi's younger sister.
- Squirt is Professor Inkling's nephew. He lives in a 'sea mount', which is an underwater mountain.
Vehicles
[edit]- The Octopod is the Octonauts' mobile home base. It is modeled after a giant octopus.
- The GUP-A is a propeller-powered vehicle and Captain Barnacles' favourite. It is modeled after an anglerfish.
- The GUP-B is a turbo sub favored by Kwazii that is modeled after a tiger shark. Tweak modified the Gup-B with adjustable fins resembling a shark's and a camouflage mode to resemble a shark.
- The GUP-C is a vehicle is modeled after a blue whale and is powerful enough to tow an elephant seal or the entire Octopod. It can also be used as an icebreaker when fitted with a special reinforced prow.
- The GUP-D is a multi-purpose vehicle modeled after a manta ray that is favored by Tweak. It is equipped with two claws, two drills, and six legs.
- The GUP-E is an ambulance vehicle modeled after a guppy. It has a tank at the vehicle's rear that can be filled with water to transport aquatic animals.
- The GUP-F is a pedal-powered vehicle modeled after a clownfish and the first GUP built. It was destroyed by a hurricane and converted into an artificial reef.
- The GUP-G is a ship modeled after a salamander. It is designed to function on land and water, similar to a salamander.
- The GUP-H is a helicopter modeled after a dragonfly that is designed to observe the ocean from above.
- The GUP-I is a polar exploration station and rugged vehicle. It is modeled after a tardigrade.
- The GUP-J is a small, swift hovercraft modeled after a tree frog. It exclusively appeared in the series' toy line.
- The GUP-K is a half-air-boat, half-tank vehicle that can float on the surface. It is modeled after a crocodile or alligator.
- The GUP-L is a seaplane modeled after a flying fish. It exclusively appeared in the series' toy line.
- The GUP-M is a three-wheeling buggy designed to scout and search swamps and marshes. It is modeled after a mudskipper.
- The GUP-N is a red coloured all-purpose vehicle.
- The GUP-O is a jet ski designed to mimic the movements of an orca, including a tail that moves up and down as it travels. It exclusively appears in the end credits of the fourth season episodes and the series' toy line.
- The GUP-P is a first response emergency vehicle and medical station modeled after a parrotfish. It has a beak-like hatch at the nose of the vehicle for transport.
- The GUP-Q is an undersea exploration vehicle for search and rescue, especially in dark caves. It is modeled after a hammerhead shark, featuring a flat head with searchlights for eyes.
- The GUP-R is a vehicle modeled after a sailfish that is designed for rescue missions in and out of water. It possesses a dorsal fin and wings that are lower for hydroplane mode. The GUP-R exclusively appeared in the series' toy line.
- The GUP-S is a propeller-powered amphibious Antarctic exploration vehicle, modeled after a narwhal or a swordfish, which can split into two sections, like the GUP-X. The main body of the vehicle is an underwater Octo-Shuttle, which has two pairs of continuous track wheels for travelling on the Ocean floor, an antifreeze system to prevent the ship from freezing over, a research lab, and a sleeping quarters. The detachable cockpit forms a snowmobile called the Octo-Sled, which is equipped with a heated drill and an extendable rescue line.
- The GUP-T is a rescue rover that is modeled after a sea pig and travels on rotating tread wheels. It is equipped with cannons that shoot out a special sanitising slime to break down pollutants. The GUP-T exclusively appeared in the series' toy line.
- The GUP-U is an agile vehicle modeled after a frogfish that can travel fast and also stand in patrol position for lookout. The GUP-U exclusively appeared in the series' toy line.
- The GUP-V is a train-like vehicle designed by the Vegimals and made from improvised materials.
- The GUP-W is a mobile emergency medical centre modeled after a whale shark that is specially designed to treat coral reefs. The front can open, creating a ramp that can also function as a launch bay for other GUP vehicles.
- The GUP-X is an armoured tracked vehicle modeled after a horseshoe crab. It can split into three sections: a glider, the 'Octo-Ski' and its central main section with the caterpillar tracks.
- The GUP-Y is a deep-sea excavation vehicle that is modeled after a yeti crab and designed for deep-sea environments. It has long arms, ideal for hauling and transporting material. The GUP-Y exclusively appeared in the series' toy line.
- The Mega GUP-Z is a specialised vehicle modeled after a mantis shrimp and designed for volcanic environments. It is also capable of assuming a humanoid robot configuration for a limited amount of time.
- The Deep Sea Octolab is a moveable base from which the deepest parts of the ocean can be studied. It is dome-shaped and stands on springy legs to deal with subterranean tremors.
- The Octo Servicing Station is a vehicle servicing scaffold constructed on the seabed. It is used to refurbish the Octopod and manufacture the GUP-K and GUP-H.
Books
[edit]The original books were first published in the US by Immedium in 2006 and were republished in the UK by HarperCollins in 2009. 6 titles by Meomi have been published:
- The Octonauts & the Only Lonely Monster, about an