Ultimate Book of Spells | |
---|---|
Also known as | U.B.O.S. |
Genre | Animated children's television series |
Developed by | Sean Catherine Derek |
Directed by | Chuck Patton |
Voices of | Michael Dobson Ron Halder Cathy Weseluck Janyse Jaud Jim Byrnes Patricia Drake Saffron Henderson Kirby Morrow Pauline Newstone Nicole Oliver Kathleen Barr |
Theme music composer | Will Anderson Jim West |
Country of origin | Germany |
Original languages | English German |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 26 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Allen Bohbot Nadia Nardonnet Stephanie Graziano |
Running time | 20 minutes |
Production company | BKN International |
Original release | |
Network | YTV (Canada) |
Release | 12 September 2001 – 7 April 2002 |
Ultimate Book of Spells is a German children's animated television series produced by BKN International. [1] It ran for twenty-six episodes, having been cancelled.
Inspired by the popular Harry Potter book and movie series, the show presents a trio of "wizards-in-training" at an enchanted private school run by Miss Crystalgazer. Cassy is a junior witch, Gus is a half-elf/half-human junior wizard, and Verne is a promising "mortie", i.e. a non-magical human. With the guidance of the talking Ultimate Book of Spells (aka UBOS), the three have to battle the evil wizard Zarlak, who's trying to steal all of the world's spells. [2]
Copyright to the Ultimate Book of Spells series was acquired by EMBA Media Associates Limited from BKN International AG on March 20, 2015. [3]
Ep. # | Broadcast Date | Title | Written by | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 12 September 2001 | Three Is A Charm | Sean Catherine Derek | A mortie named Verne arrives at a magic school. He meets Gus, a half-elf second-year junior wizard and Cassandra, a third-year junior witch who aspires to become a full-fledged supreme sorceress. He also meets the evil twins, Lucretia and Borgia, and the headmistress Miss Crystalgazer. The talking all-powerful spellbook-of-spellbooks U.B.O.S. takes the three friends to the center of the Earth, where an evil supreme wizard Zarlak is stealing magic from the outside world. U.B.O.S. tells the trio that are the prophesied "Power of Three," the only ones magically strong enough to beat Zarlak and defeat him should his release come to pass. |
2 | 19 September 2001 | Man or Mortie | Sean Catherine Derek | Cassandra, Gus and Verne need to come up with an antidote to stop winged beings from crashing into turrets of the castle. |
3 | 26 September 2001 | He Who Laughs Last | Sean Roche | The trio have to stop Zarlak's plan to take joy from the surface world by abducting fairies. How Verne came to be at Vonderland School is revealed. |
4 | 3 October 2001 | Rootopia of All Evil | Jack & Carole Mendelsohn | Zarlak plans to steal all the flowers (and the happiness) for himself. As volunteer gardener, Cassy is determined to help the flowers grow, even missing a race between the Twins. Zarlak takes her and the remaining Forget-Me-Not to his underground domain and seemingly hypnotizes Cassy into helping him. Verne and Gus need to work together to reclaim the happiness of the world and the flowers before everything comes up Zarlak. |
5 | 10 October 2001 | Time and Again | Dennis Haley Marcy Brown | The class goes back in time to Zarlak's trial, and Gus inadvertently takes a red crystal that Cassy's great-grandfather Gez needed for his final battle with Zarlak in 1776. This small act creates a dystopia in the present timeline. |
6 | 17 October 2001 | Fire with Fire | Bob Forward | Gus discovers that the elves are losing their magical powers because a huge dragon has stolen the Elfin Stone, which Zarlak intends to use to destroy the Power of Three once and for all. |
7 | 24 October 2001 | The New Librarian | Douglas Gayeton | Professor Beagleboyce becomes the new librarian, and absorbs the contents of all of the library's books, making Verne suspicious. It's revealed that Zarlak is using the old wizard to gain all of the knowledge the books pages contain. |
8 | 31 October 2001 | Shadow Land | Sean Roche | Verne has to fight a shadow creature who has taken Cassy and Gus' shadows for Zarlak. Without them, Cassy and Gus' light side take over, making them goofy and playful. Once in Shadow Land, Verne uses his mortie smarts to distract Zarlak and return Cassy and Gus' shadows to them. |
9 | 7 November 2001 | Once in a Blue Moon | Sean Roche | Zarlak kidnaps the Charmlings, little elf-like people who can grant any wish. He is looking for the ancient Ring of the Blue Moon, which shall make his release a reality. Cassy needs to do well on her test to level up in order to get into Advanced Sorcery class. With the Ring in his possession, Zarlak finally breaks free and wrecks havoc and chaos onto the surface. The Power of Three go the rescue the Charmlings in their home realm, and try to get Cassy's school project back from Zarlak. Cassy wishes the Ring to be in her hands and they return to Vonderland, but U.B.O.S. has a bad feeling. |
10 | 14 November 2001 | The Bind That Ties | Glenn Leopold | Zarlak has captured all the bookbinder gnomes, which makes all the books unglued and devastates U.B.O.S. In his delirium, he hints to Verne that he is Gez himself to remain hidden from both the magical world and Zarlak. Verne promises to not tell Cassy of U.B.O.S.' direct connection to her maternal great-grandfather. |
11 | 21 November 2001 | Coat of Arms | Christy Marx Randy Littlejohn | Cassy finds out that her maternal great-grandaunt Cassandra VII had teamed up with Zarlak many years ago. U.B.O.S. takes back in time to learn what had really happened, but end up being captured by Zarlak. In the end, it is revealed that Cassandra VII was merely deceiving Zarlak that she was one of his minions. |
12 | 28 November 2001 | Out of Shape | Glenn Leopold | transform]] into the Ultimate Book of Spells to deceive Zarlak. Cassy has to save the day, but she's having a hard time using her own newly developed shapeshifting powers. |
13 | 5 December 2001 | The Rift | Don Gillies | Scavenger imps use a portal to steal objects from the surface world, and two of their friends are in the hands of Zarlak. |
14 | 9 January 2002 | What a Cut-Up! | Julia Lewald | The Power of Three fight Zarlak again who has turned everything dull, from knives, to utensils, to the world itself. |
15 | 16 January 2002 | Multiple Mayhem | Sean Catherine Derek | Cassy creates a duplicate of herself to get to all her classes, but the duplicate starts acting out in unpredictable ways. |
16 | 23 January 2002 | The Tear of Moolana | Stevie Stern | Gus and Cassy compete with Zarlack to obtain the Tear of Moolana, a teardrop-shaped gemstone that offers infinite magical power. It's up to Verne to snap his best friends out of it before Zarlak becomes the most powerful of supreme wizards. |
17 | 30 January 2002 | Magical Logical | Michael Edens | Everything is losing its logic - Video games, computers, wands and even U.B.O.S. - and the trio has to find a way to bring it back. |
18 | 10 February 2002 | Veil of Illusion | Glenn Leopold | The "Veil of Illusion" disappears from the magic school, which is now visible to morties. The trio has to retrieve the Veil from a great wizard who is quite the collector of rare and powerful artifacts. |
19 | 17 February 2002 | Dark Image | Bob Forward | A magical artifact turns Verne into a dark wizard, and Cassy a dark sorceress. Gus has to stop them from destroying the earth and each other, but Zarlak takes full advantage of the situation. |
20 | 24 February 2002 | Sleeping Beauty School | Sean Roche | Creatures from a land behind the grandfather clock came to Vonderland and cast a sleeping spell on everyone except the trio. |
21 | 3 March 2002 | Eclipsed | B.W. Glass | At the famous Festivus Solarus (the festival where all witches and wizards at Vonderland get together to celebrate the time when the Moon eclipses the Sun), the Moon is frozen in front of the Sun and the temperature drops below zero. |
22 | 10 March 2002 | Big Girls Don't Cry | Nathan Long | Cassy's new roommate, a giant named Ilsa, is manipulated by Lucretia and gets kidnapped by Zarlak to trade for U.B.O.S. |
23 | 17 March 2002 | Lucky Gus | Don Gillies | Gus' sudden good luck and popularity make Cassy and Verne quite jealous - just as Zarlak planned! A battle ensues with Zarlak finally getting his hands on U.B.O.S., but is stopped by Verne and Cassy as the luck spell on Gus is lifted. Fortunately, Gus is able to make his own luck and save the day. |
24 | 24 March 2002 | Magic Quest | Bob Forward | Sitting in Merlin's magic chair, Cassandra and Verne start to transform into new creatures. Verne has to find the ingredients for a spell to turn them back. Encountering the spirit of Merlin himself, the resemblance between him and Verne is apparent, which implies that Verne had inherited his increasingly powerful magical abilities from his maternal relatives. Another twist is that Merlin had also trained Supreme Wizard Gez, who he considered his best pupil. |
25 | 31 March 2002 | The Lure | Sean Catherine Derek Lori Librarian | When Gus fails his midterms, he goes on the high seas and gets everyone in big trouble. |
26 | 7 April 2002 | Solo Sorceress | Dennis Haley Marcy Brown Sean Catherine Derek | Cassy sees Lucretia cheat during their scooter race contest, but nobody believes her. Determined to prove it, Cassandra accidentally causes an incident that requires U.B.O.S.'s aid. |
In the U.S. DVD release of this series, [4] "Solo Sorceress" is not the final episode as the show was cancelled, and occurs significantly earlier in the play order.
On 19 April 2001, BKN pre-sold the series to CBBC in the United Kingdom. [5]
On 20 June 2002, Toon Disney purchased the North American broadcast rights for the series. [6]
In 2021, the show started airing on London Live in the United Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom, Universal Pictures Video released two VHS volumes. The first - "Three is a Charm", was released in 2002, and the second: "Solo Sorceress" was released on 21 April 2003. A double-pack containing both tapes was also released.
"Three is a Charm" was later released on DVD by Universal on 10 May 2004.
A VHS tape containing two episodes titled "The Mystic Gem" was released at an unknown date.
Budget distributor Digiview Entertainment released three DVDs each containing four episodes in 2007, titled "Three's a Charm", "Fire with Fire" and "Out of Shape".
Mill Creek Entertainment released a two-disc boxset containing all 26 episodes on 5 January 2010.
On 7 October 2001, TDK Mediactive announced they would produce a video game based on the series in 2002, although nothing was confirmed afterwards. [7]
Magica De Spell is a cartoon character created in 1961 by Carl Barks for the Duck universe. An Italian sorceress, she constantly attempts to steal Scrooge McDuck's Number One Dime, which she believes will play a vital role in magically obtaining the same fabulous wealth of its owner.
The Sword of Truth is a series of 21 sword and sorcery novels and six novellas written by Terry Goodkind. The books follow the protagonists Richard Cypher, Kahlan Amnell, Nicci, Cara, and Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander on their quest to defeat oppressors who seek to control the world and those who wish to unleash evil upon the world of the living. While each novel was written to stand alone, except for the final three that were intended to be a trilogy, they follow a common timeline and are linked by ongoing events that occur throughout the series.
Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, also known as the "Wizard of Oz" and, during his reign, as "Oz the Great and Terrible" or the "Great and Powerful Oz", is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. The character was further popularized by a stage play and several films, including the classic 1939 film and the 2013 prequel adaptation.
Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his Oz novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country South of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.
Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light is a science fantasy media franchise that consisted of a short-lived toyline of action figures and vehicles produced by Hasbro, and an animated television series by Sunbow Productions that ran for one season of thirteen episodes in 1987. Star Comics published a bimonthly comic book series that lasted six issues from November 1987 to September 1988. The animated series was the first Hasbro property to be produced by Sunbow without the aid of Marvel Productions, and utilized Japanese studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha for overseas animation work.
Clea Strange is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Clea first appeared in the Doctor Strange feature in Strange Tales #126. She is a sorceress, the disciple, lover, and eventual wife of Doctor Stephen Strange, and his third successor as Sorcerer Supreme.
Ojamajo Doremi, alternatively titled Magical DoReMi in English, is a Japanese fantasy magical girl anime television series created by Toei Animation. It focuses on a group of elementary school girls, led by Doremi Harukaze, who become witch apprentices. The series aired in Japan on ABC, TV Asahi, and other ANN affiliates between February 1999 and January 2003, spanning four seasons and 201 episodes, and was followed by an original video animation series released between June and December 2004. An English-language version of the first season, produced by 4Kids Entertainment, aired in North America in 2005.
Sabrina: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the Archie Comics series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Produced by Savage Studios Ltd. and Hartbreak Films in association with DIC Productions, L.P., the series is an animated spin-off of the 1996–2003 live-action series Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Mombi is a fictional character in L. Frank Baum's classic children's series of Oz Books. She is the most significant antagonist in the second Oz book The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904), and is alluded to in other works. Mombi plays a very important role in the fictional history of Oz.
Tweeny Witches is a Japanese anime television and original video animation series. Produced by Studio 4°C, the series is directed by Yoshiharu Ashino and written by Shinji Obara. Inspired by Through the Looking-Glass, the story follows a young human girl who finds herself trapped in a magical world filled with witches, warlocks, and fairies. In 2003, it was announced at the Tokyo International Anime Fair that the anime Magical Girl Squad Arusu was going to be made. The series first aired between April 9, 2004, and March 4, 2005; in all, 40 episodes were made plus an OVA that contains 6 episodes which were released in 2007.
Cathy Weseluck is a Canadian actress and comedian who frequently works with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia and is known for her roles as Near in Death Note, Cybersix/Adrian Seidelman in Cybersix, and Spike in Discovery Family's My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
Winged monkeys are fictional characters that first appeared in the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by the American author L. Frank Baum. They are described as jungle monkeys with bird-like feathered wings. They are playful, intelligent, and speak English. They are initially under the control of the Wicked Witch of the West, but are later controlled by the protagonist, Dorothy Gale. They lift Dorothy and fly her to two distant locations.
Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, also known outside of North America as Starla & the Jewel Riders and sometimes spelled as the more traditionally Arthurian "Guinevere", is an American fantasy animated television series aimed at a pre-teen girl audience and produced by Bohbot Entertainment in association with Hong Ying Animation Company Limited. It was internationally syndicated by Bohbot on their syndicated Amazin' Adventures block, where it originally ran from 1995 to 1996, with two seasons and twenty-six episodes.
A magician, also known as an archmage, mage, magus, magic-user, spellcaster, enchanter/enchantress, sorcerer/sorceress, warlock, witch, or wizard, is someone who uses or practices magic derived from supernatural, occult, or arcane sources. Magicians enjoy a rich history in mythology, legends, fiction, and folklore, and are common figures in works of fantasy, such as fantasy literature and role-playing games.
Conan the Adventurer is an animated television series adaptation of Conan the Barbarian, the literary character created by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s. Produced by Jetlag Productions in association with Sunbow Productions, the series debuted on September 13, 1992, ran for 65 episodes and concluded on November 22, 1993. The series was developed by Christy Marx who served as the sole story editor. The series was produced in association with Graz Entertainment for the first 13-episode season; AB Productions and Jean Chalopin's Créativité et Développement for the remaining episodes. The series also spawned a small toyline in 1992 created by Hasbro. This first incarnation of Conan in cartoon form performed much better than its follow-up cartoon, Conan and the Young Warriors, which lasted only 13 episodes.
Troll Tales is a Danish-German animated series from 1999 based on the books of Henning Kure. It involves three young trolls called Snapper, Tumbler and Willy Wee.
Wizards vs Aliens is a British science fantasy television programme produced by BBC Cymru Wales and FremantleMedia Enterprises for CBBC and created by Russell T Davies and Phil Ford. The series focuses on the exploits of 16-year-old wizard Tom Clarke and his scientifically gifted best friend Benny Sherwood in their fight against the Nekross, a magic-consuming alien race who have arrived on Earth with the intention of hunting down wizards and feasting on their magical energies.
"Wizards Only, Fools" is the twenty-sixth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series Adventure Time. The episode was written and storyboarded by Jesse Moynihan and Thomas Wellmann, from a story by Adam Muto, Kent Osborne, Pendleton Ward, and Moynihan. It originally aired on Cartoon Network on July 1, 2013. The episode guest stars Duncan Trussell as Ron James and Maurice LaMarche as Grand Master Wizard.