Earthworm Jim | |
---|---|
Genre | Action/Adventure Science fiction comedy Slapstick |
Created by | Doug TenNapel |
Based on | Earthworm Jim by Doug TenNapel and Shiny Entertainment |
Developed by | Doug Langdale |
Voices of | Dan Castellaneta Jeff Bennett Charlie Adler Jim Cummings Edward Hibbert John Kassir Andrea Martin Kath Soucie |
Narrated by | Jeff Bennett |
Theme music composer | William Anderson |
Opening theme | "Earthworm Jim", performed by William Anderson, Jeff Bennett and Dan Castellaneta |
Ending theme | "Earthworm Jim" (instrumental) |
Composer | William Anderson / Patrick Griffin |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 23 |
Production | |
Executive producers | David Perry Doug TenNapel |
Producers | Kathi Castillo Roy Allen Smith |
Editor | Jay Bixsen |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Production companies | Universal Cartoon Studios [lower-alpha 1] Flextech Plc |
Original release | |
Network | The WB ( Kids' WB ) (United States) TCC (United Kingdom) |
Release | September 9, 1995 – December 13, 1996 |
Earthworm Jim is an American animated television series based on the video game series of the same name that aired on The WB's Kids' WB strand [1] [2] for two seasons from September 9, 1995, to December 13, 1996. A co-production between Universal Cartoon Studios and Flextech Plc and based on the video game series of the same name from Playmates and Shiny Entertainment [3] with characters created by Doug TenNapel, [4] the series follows the adventures of the titular character who battles the forces of evil using a robotic suit. [5]
Most episodes involve the series' numerous villains attempting to reclaim the super suit or conquer the universe. However, some episodes have Jim facing more mundane issues, which include returning his neighbor's eggbeater and finding a new power source after his suit's battery runs out. Also, the show breaks the fourth wall with characters often talking to the audience and the narrator.
Episodes begin with a cold opening of Earthworm Jim and Peter Puppy in some peril that has nothing to do with the main plot or the past episodes, with little statement of how they got into the mess. In between parts (generally before or after the commercial break), there is a short side-story, generally featuring one of the villains doing a more natural part of life, usually without any involvement from Jim. Both of these are changed in season 2, with the cold opens being more relevant to the plot and the side stories being dropped entirely. Most episodes end with a character being crushed by a cow, a homage to the original game's ending.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2023) |
Most of the main characters from the show originated from characters introduced in the video game series. Peter Puppy becomes Jim's sidekick and friend and Princess What's-Her-Name is featured as his love interest. Several antagonists from the games such as Evil the Cat, Psy-Crow, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head also appear in the series.
Additionally, some original characters were also created for the series, and were then in turn integrated into future games in the series. For example, Evil Jim, an evil doppelgänger of Jim created for the series, went on to be the main antagonist in Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy .
The voice director for the series was Ginny McSwain.
In 1995, TenNapel and Will Meugniot created a pitch animation video for WB, which showcased a different animation style and Jim not speaking (voice was done by TenNapel). On August 23rd of 2022, a YouTube user named gooberloll uploaded the pitch video. [6] However, while Meugniot left to supervise season 4 of X-Men, the Graz Entertainment produced first season of Street Fighter and consulting on G.I. Joe Extreme, someone at the network decided that Jim had to talk.
Two seasons of the series were produced, for a total of 23 episodes.
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 13 | September 9, 1995 | February 24, 1996 | |
2 | 10 | September 7, 1996 | December 13, 1996 |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Sidekicked" | Doug Langdale | September 9, 1995 | |
After Peter inadvertently allows Professor Monkey-for-a-Head to escape after Jim is distracted fighting his monster form, Jim begins looking for a new sidekick, including A Shadow, Whoopee Cushion Man, Captain Cabbage, and Turns-His-Eyelids-Inside-Out Boy. Meanwhile, Psy-Crow has more than he can handle when he kidnaps Princess-What's-Her-Name on Queen Slug-for-a-Butt's behalf. | |||||
2 | 2 | "The Book of Doom" | Doug Langdale | September 16, 1995 | |
Due to a printing error, Jim's pop-up book contains the Mystic Secret of Ultimate Destruction, which Evil the Cat seeks to possess. | |||||
3 | 3 | "Assault and Battery" | Thomas Hart | September 23, 1995 | |
Jim and Peter journey to the home of the gods to get a new GODS Battery after Jim's suit begins running out of power. Meanwhile, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt threatens to destroy Terlawk if not given the suit by sundown. | |||||
4 | 4 | "Day of the Fish" | Doug Langdale | September 30, 1995 | |
Jim encounters Bob the Killer Goldfish after going to La Planeta de Aqua to get sugar for the Intergalactic Heroes League. | |||||
5 | 5 | "Conqueror Worm" | Doug Langdale | October 7, 1995 | |
A photocopier accident creates Evil Jim, an evil duplicate of Jim who frames Jim for his crimes. Subsequently, Jim willingly imprisons himself out of belief that he was truly responsible, befriending an inmate named Walter. | |||||
6 | 6 | "Upholstered Peril" | John Loy | October 14, 1995 | |
Professor Monkey-for-a-Head tries to conquer the world with cybernetic furniture that turns whoever sits on them into zombie-like couch potatoes after defeating Santa Claus and taking over the North Pole. | |||||
7 | 7 | "Sword of Righteousness" | Steve Roberts | October 21, 1995 | |
Jim finds an enchanted sword in a vending machine sandwich who begins training him in the ways of a true hero as Psy-Crow steals a powerful magic orb. | |||||
8 | 8 | "The Egg Beater" | Jim Peterson, John Behnke, Rob Humphrey | October 28, 1995 | |
Jim loses his neighbor Mrs. Bleverage's eggbeater and takes her on a journey to recover it, encountering Bob the Killer Goldfish, Evil the Cat, Professor Monkey-for-a-Head, Psy-Crow, and Queen Slug-for-a-Butt along the way. | |||||
9 | 9 | "Trout!" | Henry Gilroy | November 4, 1995 | |
After receiving a postcard, Jim and Peter go to find the legendary Giant Fur-Bearin' Trout. At the same time, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt is seeking the Trout to use his hair to power a weapon. | |||||
10 | 10 | "The Great Secret of the Universe" | Doug Langdale | November 11, 1995 | |
Evil the Cat steals Jim's snow globe, summoning Rosebud the Nameless Beast to destroy the universe by breaking its glass barrier. Rosebud launches Jim and Peter into deep space, where they meet a purple alien who becomes infatuated with Peter's monster form and helps them return to Earth. | |||||
11 | 11 | "Bring Me the Head of Earthworm Jim" | Doug Langdale | November 18, 1995 | |
Psy-Crow and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head reminisce about the time they captured Earthworm Jim by replacing his supersuit with a weak duplicate. | |||||
12 | 12 | "Queen What's-Her-Name" | Doug Langdale | November 25, 1995 | |
Princess What's-Her-Name finally overthrows her tyrannical sister Queen Slug-for-a-Butt. However, the Queen and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head have their own plans for her on the day of her coronation. | |||||
13 | 13 | "The Anti-Fish" | Doug Langdale | February 24, 1996 | |
Having to put their fight with Evil Jim on hold, Jim and Peter must join forces with Bob the Killer Goldfish to save the Great Worm Spirit from being consumed by its arch-enemy the Anti-Fish. |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | 1 | "The Origins of Peter Puppy" | Doug Langdale | September 7, 1996 | |
After Peter's transformations repeatedly botch Jim's heroics, Jim sets out to learn the source of them. However, when he ultimately cures Peter, he also reverts him to a normal dog, leaving him unable to help against Evil the Cat's newest scheme. | |||||
15 | 2 | "Opposites Attack!" | Doug Langdale | September 14, 1996 | |
Evil Jim attempts to create evil versions of Jim's friends with less than stellar results – especially when good clones of Professor Monkey-for-a-Head, Evil the Cat, and Queen Slug-for-a-Butt are created. | |||||
16 | 3 | "Darwin's Nightmare" | Doug Langdale | September 28, 1996 | |
Bob the Killer Goldfish discovers a way to hyper-evolve himself to higher lifeforms. | |||||
17 | 4 | "The Exile of Lucy" | Doug Langdale | October 5, 1996 | |
Psy-Crow and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head overthrow Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, but prove to be even worse rulers than her. When Jim and Peter are captured and every one of their allies is unavailable, Princess What's-Her-Name must work with her sister to reclaim Insectika. | |||||
18 | 5 | "Evil in Love" | Doug Langdale | October 26, 1996 | |
Evil the Cat falls in love and teams up with Malice the Dog. Malice uses her powers to trap Jim, Peter, and Princess What's-Her-Name in a nightmare realm where they end up contending with the Lord of Nightmares. | |||||
19 | 6 | "Hyper Psy-Crow" | Doug Langdale | November 2, 1996 | |
Psy-Crow overdoses on coffee and becomes hyper-powered. | |||||
20 | 7 | "Peanut of the Apes" | Doug Langdale | November 9, 1996 | |
Professor Monkey-for-a-Head tries to turn everyone on Earth into apes using cosmetic products, while Jim tries to introduce "viewer interactivity" on the show. | |||||
21 | 8 | "Lounge Day's Journey Into Night" | Thomas Hart | November 16, 1996 | |
Jim and Peter switch roles as hero and sidekick after the Intergalactic Heroes League deems the former unfit to be a hero, while Evil the Cat tries to destroy the universe by making two dime-store lounge singers sing a cursed song. | |||||
22 | 9 | "Wizard of Ooze" | Doug Langdale | November 22, 1996 | |
Queen Slug-for-a-Butt transports Jim and Peter to an alternate dimension akin to The Wizard of Oz where they meet the dimension's versions of Walter, the Grim Reaper, and the Hamsternator who want to obtain certain items. | |||||
23 | 10 | "For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls" | John Loy | December 13, 1996 [7] | |
During the holiday season, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt tries to brainwash Santa Claus. |
MCA/Universal Merchandising held consumer product rights for the series. [8]
A line of action figures based on the show was released by Playmates Toys. The series included several variants of Earthworm Jim, as well as Peter Puppy, Princess What's-Her-Name, Bob the Killer Goldfish, #4, Evil the Cat, Henchrat, Major Mucus and Psy-Crow. [9] A mountable "pocket rocket" was also available as well as a rare mail-in repainted figure of Earthworm Jim in a green suit. Premium DNA made a new line of action figures (Wave 1) set to ship this month. [10]
In the United States, the show was aired on Kids' WB on The WB Television Network from 1995 to 1996. [2] [11]
The show premiered in the United Kingdom on co-production partner Flextech's TCC network around the same time. The show was promoted with a country-wide roadshow campaign held at shopping centres. [12] Following this, the show later made its free TV debut on Channel 4. [13] In the 2000s, the show reran on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons TV.
In Ireland, the show was aired on RTÉ Two from 12 September 1996 to 1997. [14] In Canada, the show was aired on YTV. In Mexico, the show was aired on TV Azteca. In Germany, the show was aired on RTL. In the Netherlands, the show was aired on Kindernet. In Poland, the show was aired on RTL 7. In Spain, the series was dubbed in different languages apart from Castilian Spanish, like the Basque language.
Four VHS volumes were released by MCA/Universal Home Video in September 1996, each containing two episodes.
The complete series was intended to receive a U.S. DVD release from Visual Entertainment (under license from NBCUniversal) on July 10, 2012 , but was delayed right before release to late October. [15] [16] The set includes all 23 episodes on 3 discs, and is currently available on Amazon.com. [17]
Digitally, the complete series was formerly available on Tubi, but has since been removed. [18]
Name | Release Date | Episodes | Region | Additional Information |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vol. 1: Bring Me the Head of Earthworm Jim / Sword of Righteousness | April 9, 1996 | 2 | VHS | Includes animation featurette. |
Vol. 2: Conqueror Worm / Day of the Fish | April 9, 1996 | 2 | VHS | Includes animation featurette. |
Vol. 3: Assault & Battery / Trout! | April 9, 1996 | 2 | VHS | Includes animation featurette. |
Vol. 4: The Book of Doom / The Egg Beater | April 9, 1996 | 2 | VHS | Includes animation featurette. |
Earthworm Jim: The Complete Series | June 1, 2011 | 23 | 4 | Includes no bonus features. |
Earthworm Jim: Complete Series | November 2012 | 23 | 1 | Includes no bonus features. |
CIC Video released three VHS volumes of the series in the 1990s in the United Kingdom, each containing two episodes. These are now out of print and considered rare.
On June 1, 2011, Via Vision Entertainment, under license from Universal, released the complete series as a 5-disc set in Australia and New Zealand. [19]
Aspects of the show, such as newly created characters, or art style, were later implemented in future video games Earthworm Jim 3D and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy . Two Earthworm Jim comic book series, in the US and UK, were also created to tie into the animated series. [20]
On November 18, 2021, it was reported that a new animated television series titled Earthworm Jim: Beyond the Groovy is in development. [21] A year later, it was announced that Paris animation studio Circus Studios joined Passion Pictures as a partner on the show. [22] One of the writers on the show, Brent Friedman, said on X (formerly Twitter) that the project is on hold. [23]
Douglas Richard TenNapel is an American animator, writer, cartoonist, video game designer, and comic book artist whose work has encompassed animated television, video games, and comic books. He is best known for creating Earthworm Jim, a character that spawned a video game series, animated series, and a toy line. He is also the creator of the animated television series Catscratch (2005–2007), which aired on Nickelodeon, and was itself a loose adaptation of TenNapel's comic book limited series Gear.
Earthworm Jim is a 1994 run and gun platform game developed by Shiny Entertainment, featuring an earthworm named Jim, who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The game was released for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, before being subsequently ported to a number of other video game consoles.
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