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The Wild Thornberrys

The Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, and Stephen Sustarsic for Nickelodeon. The series portrays an American family of wildlife documentary filmmakers known as the Thornberrys, which consist of the British nature documentary television host Nigel, his wife and camera operator Marianne, their 16-year-old daughter Debbie, their younger daughter Eliza, their adopted son Donnie, and a chimpanzee named Darwin. The series focuses in particular on Eliza, who has a magical ability to communicate with animals.[1] The Thornberry family travels to every continent and wildlife environment in the ComVee, a recreational vehicle equipped with safety mechanisms to handle any terrain or body of water, to document their journeys in detail, with typical episodes involving Eliza befriending an animal and subsequently finding herself in peril.

The Wild Thornberrys
Genre
Created by
Developed by
  • Mark Palmer
  • Jeff Astrof
  • Mike Sikowitz
Directed by
Voices of
ComposerDrew Neumann
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes91 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Arlene Klasky
  • Gábor Csupó
Producers
  • Christine Ferriter
  • Maureen Iser
  • Krist-Ann Pehrson
  • Sheila M. Anthony
Running time23 minutes
Production companies
DistributorMTV Networks
Release
Original networkNickelodeon
Picture formatNTSC
Original releaseSeptember 1, 1998 (1998-09-01) –
June 11, 2004 (2004-06-11)

Originally pitched by Klasky Csupo as an adult animated sitcom for Fox,[2] the series was then retooled as a family-friendly animated series for Nickelodeon and premiered on September 1, 1998, as the eleventh Nicktoon and the third overall produced by the studio following Rugrats and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.[3] It ran for 5 seasons containing 91 episodes in total, with the series finale airing on June 11, 2004.

The series' fourth season premiere, "The Origin of Donnie", is a television special focusing on Donnie Thornberry's life before he was adopted by the family. A feature film, The Wild Thornberrys Movie, in which Eliza embarks on a quest to save a cheetah cub from poachers, was theatrically released on December 20, 2002. Rugrats Go Wild, a crossover feature film with Nickelodeon's Rugrats, was released in theaters on June 13, 2003. Spin-off media include DVD releases and three video games.

Plot

"This is me Eliza Thornberry, part of your average family. I got a dad, a mom and a sister. There is Donnie; we found him and Darwin, he found us. Oh yeah, about our house. It moves, 'cause we travel all over the world. You see, my dad hosts this nature show, and my mom shoots it. Okay, so we're not that average. And between you and me, something amazing happened... and now I can talk to animals. It's really cool, but totally secret. And you know what? Life's never been the same."

- Eliza Thornberry's opening narration.

The series focuses around a nomadic family of documentary filmmakers known as the Thornberrys, famous for their televised wildlife studies, as they travel the world in the "Comvee", a large, amphibious, multifunctional overland motorhome which doubles as their base of operations. It primarily centers on the family's younger daughter Eliza, and her secret gift of being able to communicate with animals,[1] which was bestowed upon her after having rescued a shaman masquerading as a trapped warthog.

The gift enables her to talk to the Thornberrys' pet chimpanzee Darwin. Together, the pair frequently venture through the wilderness, befriending many species of wild animals along the way, and discern moral truths and lessons through either their experiences or a particular animal species's lifestyle; often this means simply assisting the creatures by which they become acquainted in their difficulties.

Characters

 
The Wild Thornberrys, left to right, Nigel (bottom left), Marianne (with camera), Eliza (with glasses), Darwin (the chimpanzee), Donnie (with brown hair), and Debbie (sitting down, bored)

Main

  • Elizabeth "Eliza" Thornberry (voiced by Lacey Chabert) is a 12-year-old girl[1] and the youngest daughter of the Thornberrys. She has long red-orange hair that is usually worn in pigtails, and occasionally a ponytail, round eyeglasses, four big teeth connected by two braces, and freckles. She is able to communicate with animals, especially her chimpanzee sidekick Darwin. She must keep this gift secret or she will lose her powers (as revealed in the episode "Gift of Gab"). This happens during the film when Eliza reluctantly tells two poachers her secret in order to save Debbie. Luckily, after saving a herd of elephants from the same poachers later in the film, she is given her powers back. Despite her good intentions, she sometimes interferes with nature which causes more problems.[4]
  • Sir Nigel Archibald Thornberry KBE (voiced by Tim Curry) is Eliza, Debbie, and Donnie's father and Marianne's husband. He is also the son of Radcliffe (also voiced by Curry) and Cordelia Thornberry (Lynn Redgrave), an aristocratic British couple. Born in the U.K. and having attended Harrow School near London, he travels around the world with his own family making wildlife documentaries. He is eccentric, enthusiastic, and cheerful even in the face of danger, and is also known for his exaggerated facial features and love of kippers which he offers frequently.
  • Marianne Thornberry née Hunter (voiced by Jodi Carlisle) is Eliza, Debbie, and Donnie's mother and Nigel's wife. She is the daughter of Frank (Mel Brooks) and Sophie Hunter (Betty White). She mentions that she attended the University of California, Berkeley and once competed in a rodeo as revealed in "Rebel Without a Trunk".
  • Donald "Donnie" Thornberry (voiced by Flea) is a feral boy adopted by the Thornberrys, who speaks mostly in gibberish and (as revealed in the 4-part TV film, "The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin of Donnie") was raised by an orangutan in Borneo after his parents, Michael and Lisa, who were old friends of the Thornberrys, were killed by poachers.[4] Donnie's age is 4, turning 5 in "The Origin of Donnie".[1]
  • Deborah "Debbie" Thornberry (voiced by Danielle Harris) is Eliza's older 16-year-old sister. After the events of the movie, she becomes the only family member to know about Eliza's power but is warned that she will be turned into a baboon if she ever tells anyone. Debbie dresses in 1990s clothing and has a long swept hairstyle. Unlike Eliza, Debbie doesn't like traveling and wants nothing more than to live in civilization and make friends with people her own age.
  • Darwin (voiced by Tom Kane) is the Thornberrys' pet chimpanzee and Eliza's best friend. He usually wears a tank top with horizontal blue and white stripes (used to be Debbie's lucky tank top) and blue shorts. He speaks with a distinct, upper-class British accent. Although he isn't too fond of Debbie, the two do share the same preference to living in civilization over the wilderness. He also acts as the voice of reason for Eliza whenever she tried to interfere in nature.
    • Kane also voices others.

Recurring

  • Kip O'Donnell (voiced by Keith Szarabajka) is a poacher and The Thornberrys’ sworn enemy who poaches and kidnaps animals from above it, with his partner Neil Biederman (voiced by Michael Jeter & replaced by Jerry Sroka). Whenever they aren't poaching animals, they are conducting schemes to make easy money. They would eventually be apprehended by the authorities after causing an oil spill while attempting to steal oil from an oil tanker in the episode "You Otter Know."
  • Tyler Tucker (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is Eliza and Debbie's cousin. He is Marianne and Nigel's nephew through Marianne's sister Nancy Tucker née Hunter. He is a year older than Eliza but acts more immaturely than Eliza does. He doesn't really understand the dangers of living in the wild. He's a know-it-all but generally has a good head on his shoulders, and he cares about his cousins Debbie, Eliza, and Donnie. His parents are Dennis (voiced by Martin Mull) and Nancy Tucker (voiced by Mary Kay Place).
  • Shane G. (voiced by Christopher Masterson) is a pop superstar who travels with the Thornberry Family for five episodes while they are filming in Alaska. The Foundation orders Nigel and Marianne to take him with the family to promote Wildlife preservation among young people and Shane's fans. Both Eliza and Debbie gain a crush on the him, however Debbie loses interest when Shane shows to have more similarities with Eliza than herself.
  • Santusa (voiced by Tia Texada) is a supremely annoying llama whom Eliza befriended in the Andes.
  • Bim (voiced by Greg Ellis) is a Koala who has a British accent and befriended by Eliza, Darwin, & Donnie.
  • Shango (voiced by Bradley Pierce) is an African Elephant who Eliza first met.
  • Phaedra (voiced by Jane Wiedlin) is a female African Elephant who appears in the episode, "Forget Me Not", and who Eliza and Darwin were riding at the beginning of The Wild Thornberrys Movie.
  • Zita (voiced by Andrea Thompson) is an African Elephant who was Rebecca's daughter and the mother of Shango, from the episode, Forget Me Not.
  • Mali (voiced by Christina Pickles) is an African Elephant who was Zita's aunt and Phadera's daughter, when Eliza helps her.
  • Juka (voiced by Marquise Wilson) is the leader of the Maasai legend between his wise Grandfather Makai (voiced by Courtney B. Vance & replaced by Steve Harris)
  • Ben (voiced by David Gallagher) is a friend of Eliza's that Debbie teases her for having a crush on.
  • Franz Fensterkopt (voiced by Bronson Pinchot)
  • Dr. Jomo (voiced by Brock Peters) is a police officer who is a friend of Nigel Thornberry.
  • Sri Mayasandra (voiced by Alan Henry Brown) is a scientist who had found Donnie in the TV special.
  • Baru (voiced by Cara DeLizia) is a young Proboscis monkey who helps Eliza get back to her family, and his father, Baduk (voiced by Dwight Schultz).
  • Lugan (voiced by Maureen Quinn), who was in the TV special.
  • Saiful (voiced by Pamela Adlon), which was in the TV special. and Adlon voiced Tano, a Cheetah Cub who Eliza tries to help find and who she, Darwin and Donnie help try to find his mother in the episode, "Cheetahs Never Prosper".
  • Shi Shou (voiced by Dionne Quan) is a baby panda, and Mei-Mei (voiced by Bai Ling), a mother panda.
  • Conal (voiced by Michael Gough) is a golden eagle, and his wife Brianag (voiced by Laraine Newman).

Guest stars

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotSeptember 1, 1998 (1998-09-01)
120September 1, 1998 (1998-09-01)April 1, 1999 (1999-04-01)
237August 16, 1999 (1999-08-16)March 27, 2000 (2000-03-27)
320September 12, 2000 (2000-09-12)May 14, 2001 (2001-05-14)
46August 18, 2001 (2001-08-18)June 1, 2002 (2002-06-01)
58February 3, 2003 (2003-02-03)June 11, 2004 (2004-06-11)
FilmsDecember 20, 2002 (2002-12-20)June 13, 2003 (2003-06-13)

Production

The Wild Thornberrys was produced by Klasky Csupo. It was initially pitched as an adult animated sitcom under the name, Nigel Thornberry's Animal World, and was to be co-produced by Fox Animation for Fox, but it was ultimately rejected.[2] It was then picked up by Nickelodeon under its own animation studio and was retooled as a family-oriented series with Nigel's youngest daughter Eliza (originally named Alex) being promoted to the main protagonist role. According to Eryk Casemiro, SVP of Creative Affairs at Klasky-Csupo Productions at the time of the series production, she was originally designed to look "quite frankly, very ugly" in order to contradict the stereotype that all young heroines are beautiful. However, her design was later retooled to look "cuter" at the request of Nickelodeon.[5] It premiered on September 1, 1998, and was the first Nicktoon to exclusively use 22-minute stories (episodes of other Nicktoons usually featured two 10 – 11-minute stories, using 22-minute stories only on occasion).

The series was designed to have a focus on parents, after focus groups run by Klasky and Csupo uncovered that children were talking about the real struggles of the parent-child relationship; this was opposed to Nickelodeon's view of only featuring kids in children's programming.[6] It was also designed with the potential of being used in science curriculums. To accomplish this, the production crew hired a specialist who did research on different regions of the world, different cultures, and different species of animals, all of which were provided to the writers to help them develop ideas for episodes.[5]

Broadcast

The show aired in reruns on "Nick on CBS" for two years from September 14, 2002, to March 6, 2004. The show aired on Nicktoonsters in the United Kingdom.

Home media

Nickelodeon released all five seasons on DVD in Region 1 via Amazon.com through its CreateSpace Manufacture-on-demand program in 2010. Season 1 was released on June 24, 2010,[7] and Seasons 2 through 5 were released on December 1, 2010.[8]

CreateSpace Releases Release Date Discs Episodes
Season 1 June 24, 2010 4 20
Season 2, Volume 1 December 1, 2010 5 13
Season 2, Volume 2 December 1, 2010 5 24
Season 3, Volume 1 December 1, 2010 3 N/A
Season 3, Volume 2 December 1, 2010 3 N/A
Season 3, Volume 3 December 1, 2010 3 N/A
Season 4 December 1, 2010 2 6
Season 5 December 1, 2010 2 8

On February 16, 2011, Shout! Factory announced that it had acquired the rights to release the series on home media and would be releasing Season 1 on DVD on May 17, 2011.[9] Season 1 was released on May 17, 2011, followed by Season 2, Part 1 on November 8, 2011.[10] Season 2, Part 2 was released on April 24, 2012.[11] Season 2, Part 3 was released on January 15, 2013, as a Shout Select title.[12] Season 3 was released on June 11, 2013, as a Shout Select title.[13] Season 4 and Season 5 were released in a box set on September 10, 2013, as a Shout Select title.[14]

On December 1, 2015, Shout! Factory released The Wild Thornberrys: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[15]

In Australia, all 5 seasons have been released via Beyond Home Entertainment. A 13-disc set titled The Wild Thornberrys: The Essential Episodes was released on June 3, 2015.

DVD Name Episodes Release Date
Region 1 Region 4
Season 1 20 May 17, 2011 April 3, 2013
Season 2, Part 1
Season 2, Part 2
Season 2, Part 3♦
13
8
16
November 8, 2011
April 24, 2012
January 15, 2013
April 3, 2013 (complete)
Season 3♦ 20 June 11, 2013 December 4, 2013
Seasons 4 & 5♦ 14 September 10, 2013 April 2, 2014
The Essential Episodes 75 N/A June 3, 2015
The Complete Series 91 December 1, 2015 N/A

♦ – Shout! Factory select title, sold exclusively through Shout's online store. (refers to region 1 releases)

Films

The franchise was extended through three movies (one television film and two theatrical films), which were released toward the end of the series' run:

Video games

A video game based on the television series titled The Wild Thornberrys: Animal Adventures was released only for PlayStation on November 8, 2000.[18] During this time, another game was released, The Wild Thornberrys: Rambler on PC and Game Boy Color on August 7, 2000, and November 2000 respectively. The Wild Thornberrys Chimp Chase was released only for the Game Boy Advance on October 1, 2001.[19] Characters from the series also appear in the Nickelodeon crossover games Nicktoons Racing, Nickelodeon Party Blast, Nicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (where Nigel is voicced by Jim Meskimen), and Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis.[20]

Reception

Box office performance

Film Release date Box office gross Box office ranking Budget Ref.
North America Other territories Worldwide All time
North America opening weekend
All time
North America
The Wild Thornberrys Movie December 20, 2002 $40,108,697 $20,586,040 $60,694,737 2,867 2,049 $25,000,000 [21]
Rugrats Go Wild June 13, 2003 $39,402,572 $16,002,494 $55,405,066 1,774 2,081 $25,000,000 [22]
Total $79,511,269 $36,588,534 $116,099,803 $50,000,000
List indicator(s)
  • A dark grey cell indicates the information is not available for the film.

Critical response

Common Sense Media gave the series a rating of 5 stars, praising it for its ability to encourage young viewers to be empathetic toward animals, to want to find out about other cultures and ways of life, and to understand the vastness and diversity of the world.[23] Knight Ridder called the series "sympathetic".[24] The Native Voice complimented the series on its commitment to fun, adventure, detail, accuracy, and honesty.[25]

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
The Wild Thornberrys Movie 80% (88 reviews)[26] 69 (25 reviews)[27] A[28]
Rugrats Go Wild 40% (84 reviews)[29] 38 (27 reviews)[30] A−[28]

Accolades

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1999 Casting Society of America Artios Award for Best Casting for Animated Voiceover Barbara Wright Nominated
Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Voice Over in a Feature or TV - Best Young Actress Sabrina Wiener Nominated
2000 Casting Society of America Artios Award for Best Casting for Animated Voiceover - Television Barbara Wright Nominated
Environmental Media Award for Children's Animated The Wild Thornberrys episode "You Otter Know" Won
Genesis Award for Television - Children's Programming - Animated The Wild Thornberrys episode "Hunting by Numbers" Won
YoungStar Award for Best Young Voice Over Talent Lacey Chabert Nominated
2001 Burbank International Children's Film Festival Award for Best Tele-Feature Animation Joseph Scott, Dean Criswell, and Ron Noble for "The Origin Of Donnie" Won
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program The Wild Thornberrys Nominated
Environmental Media Award for Children's Animated Category The Wild Thornberrys episode "Happy Campers" Nominated
Genesis Award for Television - Children's Programming - Animated The Wild Thornberrys for multiple episodes Won
Genesis Award for Television - Children's Programming - Animated The Wild Thornberrys episode "Forget Me Not" Won
2002 Environmental Media Award for Children's Animated Category[31] The Wild Thornberrys episode "The Trouble With Darwin" Won
2003 Casting Society of America Artios Award for Best Casting for Animated Voice Over, Television Barbara Wright Nominated
2004 NAMIC Vision Award in Children's Category The Wild Thornberrys Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b c d Graeber, Laurel (July 30, 2000). "She Can Talk to the Animals (Don't Tell)". The New York Times. from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Nigel Thornberry's Animal World ( Wild Thornberrys Pilot)". December 12, 1994.
  3. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 905–906. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  4. ^ a b Neverbot. "Big Shiny Robot - Saturday Morning Cartoon! 'The Wild Thornberrys'". www.bigshinyrobot.com. from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  5. ^ a b @NickAnimation (March 19, 2018). ""We wanted to have a little girl that was not the most perfect princess, we wanted to push her braces, her freckles, her glasses, and we thought that was lovely." -Arlene Klasky on Eliza from The Wild Thornberrys #WomensHistoryMonth with art uncovered from #NickArchives!" (Tweet). Retrieved October 27, 2022 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ . January 1, 1999. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Lambert, David (July 6, 2010). . TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  8. ^ Lambert, David (December 3, 2010). . TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  9. ^ Lambert, David (February 16, 2001). . TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  10. ^ The Wild Thornberrys: Season Two, Part One (November 8, 2011). "The Wild Thornberrys: Season Two, Part One: Lacey Chabert, Tim Curry, Jodi Carlisle, Danielle Harris, Tom Kane, Flea, Cathy Malkasian: Movies & TV". Amazon. from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  11. ^ . TVShowsOnDVD.com. May 25, 2007. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  12. ^ . TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  13. ^ . Shout!Factory. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  14. ^ . Shout!Factory. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2013.
  15. ^ Lambert, David (September 15, 2015). . TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  16. ^ "Eminem builds on Oscar buzz". BBC News. February 14, 2003. from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  17. ^ Thomas, Kevin (June 13, 2003). "Rugrats go 'Wild' in search of adventure". Los Angeles Times. from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  18. ^ "Wild Thornberry's Animal Adventure". playstation.com. from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  19. ^ . Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway. October 1, 2001. Archived from the original on December 16, 2001. Retrieved June 14, 2019 – via Yahoo.com.
  20. ^ "Every Character Confirmed For Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl". ScreenRant. July 13, 2021. from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  21. ^ "The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  22. ^ "Rugrats Go Wild (2003) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  23. ^ "The Wild Thornberrys - TV Review". from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  24. ^ . July 9, 2001. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  25. ^ . January 9, 2003. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  26. ^ "The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  27. ^ "The Wild Thornberrys Movie". Metacritic. from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  28. ^ a b
  29. ^ "Rugrats Go Wild (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  30. ^ "Rugrats Go Wild". Metacritic. from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  31. ^ . highbeam.com. November 7, 2002. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017.

External links

  • The Wild Thornberrys at IMDb
  • Markstein, Donald D. "The Wild Thornberrys". Toonopedia.

wild, thornberrys, this, article, about, series, 2002, film, movie, american, animated, television, series, created, arlene, klasky, gábor, csupó, steve, pepoon, david, silverman, stephen, sustarsic, nickelodeon, series, portrays, american, family, wildlife, d. This article is about the series For the 2002 film see The Wild Thornberrys Movie The Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky Gabor Csupo Steve Pepoon David Silverman and Stephen Sustarsic for Nickelodeon The series portrays an American family of wildlife documentary filmmakers known as the Thornberrys which consist of the British nature documentary television host Nigel his wife and camera operator Marianne their 16 year old daughter Debbie their younger daughter Eliza their adopted son Donnie and a chimpanzee named Darwin The series focuses in particular on Eliza who has a magical ability to communicate with animals 1 The Thornberry family travels to every continent and wildlife environment in the ComVee a recreational vehicle equipped with safety mechanisms to handle any terrain or body of water to document their journeys in detail with typical episodes involving Eliza befriending an animal and subsequently finding herself in peril The Wild ThornberrysGenreAdventure Nature Geography FantasyCreated byArlene Klasky Gabor Csupo Steve Pepoon David Silverman Stephen SustarsicDeveloped byMark Palmer Jeff Astrof Mike SikowitzDirected byPeter Avanzino Anthony Bell Becky Bristow Sylvia Keulen Cathy Malkasian Jeff McGrath Carol Millican Steve Ressel Mark RisleyVoices ofLacey Chabert Tom Kane Danielle Harris Jodi Carlisle Tim Curry FleaComposerDrew NeumannCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons5No of episodes91 list of episodes ProductionExecutive producersArlene Klasky Gabor CsupoProducersChristine Ferriter Maureen Iser Krist Ann Pehrson Sheila M AnthonyRunning time23 minutesProduction companiesKlasky Csupo Nickelodeon Animation StudioDistributorMTV NetworksReleaseOriginal networkNickelodeonPicture formatNTSCOriginal releaseSeptember 1 1998 1998 09 01 June 11 2004 2004 06 11 Originally pitched by Klasky Csupo as an adult animated sitcom for Fox 2 the series was then retooled as a family friendly animated series for Nickelodeon and premiered on September 1 1998 as the eleventh Nicktoon and the third overall produced by the studio following Rugrats and Aaahh Real Monsters 3 It ran for 5 seasons containing 91 episodes in total with the series finale airing on June 11 2004 The series fourth season premiere The Origin of Donnie is a television special focusing on Donnie Thornberry s life before he was adopted by the family A feature film The Wild Thornberrys Movie in which Eliza embarks on a quest to save a cheetah cub from poachers was theatrically released on December 20 2002 Rugrats Go Wild a crossover feature film with Nickelodeon s Rugrats was released in theaters on June 13 2003 Spin off media include DVD releases and three video games Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 2 1 Main 2 2 Recurring 2 3 Guest stars 3 Episodes 4 Production 5 Broadcast 6 Home media 7 Films 8 Video games 9 Reception 9 1 Box office performance 9 2 Critical response 9 3 Accolades 10 References 11 External linksPlot Edit This is me Eliza Thornberry part of your average family I got a dad a mom and a sister There is Donnie we found him and Darwin he found us Oh yeah about our house It moves cause we travel all over the world You see my dad hosts this nature show and my mom shoots it Okay so we re not that average And between you and me something amazing happened and now I can talk to animals It s really cool but totally secret And you know what Life s never been the same Eliza Thornberry s opening narration The series focuses around a nomadic family of documentary filmmakers known as the Thornberrys famous for their televised wildlife studies as they travel the world in the Comvee a large amphibious multifunctional overland motorhome which doubles as their base of operations It primarily centers on the family s younger daughter Eliza and her secret gift of being able to communicate with animals 1 which was bestowed upon her after having rescued a shaman masquerading as a trapped warthog The gift enables her to talk to the Thornberrys pet chimpanzee Darwin Together the pair frequently venture through the wilderness befriending many species of wild animals along the way and discern moral truths and lessons through either their experiences or a particular animal species s lifestyle often this means simply assisting the creatures by which they become acquainted in their difficulties Characters Edit The Wild Thornberrys left to right Nigel bottom left Marianne with camera Eliza with glasses Darwin the chimpanzee Donnie with brown hair and Debbie sitting down bored Main Edit Elizabeth Eliza Thornberry voiced by Lacey Chabert is a 12 year old girl 1 and the youngest daughter of the Thornberrys She has long red orange hair that is usually worn in pigtails and occasionally a ponytail round eyeglasses four big teeth connected by two braces and freckles She is able to communicate with animals especially her chimpanzee sidekick Darwin She must keep this gift secret or she will lose her powers as revealed in the episode Gift of Gab This happens during the film when Eliza reluctantly tells two poachers her secret in order to save Debbie Luckily after saving a herd of elephants from the same poachers later in the film she is given her powers back Despite her good intentions she sometimes interferes with nature which causes more problems 4 Sir Nigel Archibald Thornberry KBE voiced by Tim Curry is Eliza Debbie and Donnie s father and Marianne s husband He is also the son of Radcliffe also voiced by Curry and Cordelia Thornberry Lynn Redgrave an aristocratic British couple Born in the U K and having attended Harrow School near London he travels around the world with his own family making wildlife documentaries He is eccentric enthusiastic and cheerful even in the face of danger and is also known for his exaggerated facial features and love of kippers which he offers frequently Marianne Thornberry nee Hunter voiced by Jodi Carlisle is Eliza Debbie and Donnie s mother and Nigel s wife She is the daughter of Frank Mel Brooks and Sophie Hunter Betty White She mentions that she attended the University of California Berkeley and once competed in a rodeo as revealed in Rebel Without a Trunk Donald Donnie Thornberry voiced by Flea is a feral boy adopted by the Thornberrys who speaks mostly in gibberish and as revealed in the 4 part TV film The Wild Thornberrys The Origin of Donnie was raised by an orangutan in Borneo after his parents Michael and Lisa who were old friends of the Thornberrys were killed by poachers 4 Donnie s age is 4 turning 5 in The Origin of Donnie 1 Deborah Debbie Thornberry voiced by Danielle Harris is Eliza s older 16 year old sister After the events of the movie she becomes the only family member to know about Eliza s power but is warned that she will be turned into a baboon if she ever tells anyone Debbie dresses in 1990s clothing and has a long swept hairstyle Unlike Eliza Debbie doesn t like traveling and wants nothing more than to live in civilization and make friends with people her own age Darwin voiced by Tom Kane is the Thornberrys pet chimpanzee and Eliza s best friend He usually wears a tank top with horizontal blue and white stripes used to be Debbie s lucky tank top and blue shorts He speaks with a distinct upper class British accent Although he isn t too fond of Debbie the two do share the same preference to living in civilization over the wilderness He also acts as the voice of reason for Eliza whenever she tried to interfere in nature Kane also voices others Recurring Edit Kip O Donnell voiced by Keith Szarabajka is a poacher and The Thornberrys sworn enemy who poaches and kidnaps animals from above it with his partner Neil Biederman voiced by Michael Jeter amp replaced by Jerry Sroka Whenever they aren t poaching animals they are conducting schemes to make easy money They would eventually be apprehended by the authorities after causing an oil spill while attempting to steal oil from an oil tanker in the episode You Otter Know Tyler Tucker voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas is Eliza and Debbie s cousin He is Marianne and Nigel s nephew through Marianne s sister Nancy Tucker nee Hunter He is a year older than Eliza but acts more immaturely than Eliza does He doesn t really understand the dangers of living in the wild He s a know it all but generally has a good head on his shoulders and he cares about his cousins Debbie Eliza and Donnie His parents are Dennis voiced by Martin Mull and Nancy Tucker voiced by Mary Kay Place Shane G voiced by Christopher Masterson is a pop superstar who travels with the Thornberry Family for five episodes while they are filming in Alaska The Foundation orders Nigel and Marianne to take him with the family to promote Wildlife preservation among young people and Shane s fans Both Eliza and Debbie gain a crush on the him however Debbie loses interest when Shane shows to have more similarities with Eliza than herself Santusa voiced by Tia Texada is a supremely annoying llama whom Eliza befriended in the Andes Bim voiced by Greg Ellis is a Koala who has a British accent and befriended by Eliza Darwin amp Donnie Shango voiced by Bradley Pierce is an African Elephant who Eliza first met Phaedra voiced by Jane Wiedlin is a female African Elephant who appears in the episode Forget Me Not and who Eliza and Darwin were riding at the beginning of The Wild Thornberrys Movie Zita voiced by Andrea Thompson is an African Elephant who was Rebecca s daughter and the mother of Shango from the episode Forget Me Not Mali voiced by Christina Pickles is an African Elephant who was Zita s aunt and Phadera s daughter when Eliza helps her Juka voiced by Marquise Wilson is the leader of the Maasai legend between his wise Grandfather Makai voiced by Courtney B Vance amp replaced by Steve Harris Ben voiced by David Gallagher is a friend of Eliza s that Debbie teases her for having a crush on Franz Fensterkopt voiced by Bronson Pinchot Dr Jomo voiced by Brock Peters is a police officer who is a friend of Nigel Thornberry Sri Mayasandra voiced by Alan Henry Brown is a scientist who had found Donnie in the TV special Baru voiced by Cara DeLizia is a young Proboscis monkey who helps Eliza get back to her family and his father Baduk voiced by Dwight Schultz Lugan voiced by Maureen Quinn who was in the TV special Saiful voiced by Pamela Adlon which was in the TV special and Adlon voiced Tano a Cheetah Cub who Eliza tries to help find and who she Darwin and Donnie help try to find his mother in the episode Cheetahs Never Prosper Shi Shou voiced by Dionne Quan is a baby panda and Mei Mei voiced by Bai Ling a mother panda Conal voiced by Michael Gough is a golden eagle and his wife Brianag voiced by Laraine Newman Guest stars Edit Arthur Burghardt as Big Buffalo an African buffalo from the episode The Kung and I and a Rhino from the Pilot episode Eartha Kitt and Sheryl Lee Ralph as the Lionesses in the episode Flood Warning Bill Cobbs as the Chief in the episode Dinner with Darwin Phil LaMarr Jackie Harris and Paul Greenberg are Tuku Pippo Barno the three mysterious prankster marmosets LaMarr also voices the Steamboat Captain in the episode Matadi or Bust David Huddleston as a sea tortoise in the episode Gold Fever David Eccles as a hippo in the episode Matadi or Bust Georg Stanford Brown as Kito the leader jaguar from the episode Temple of Eliza Marabina Jaimes as Raamba a jaguar who Eliza helped out of the pit in the episode Temple of Eliza Jeffrey Lincon and Sabrina Wiener as the jaguar cubs in the episode Temple of Eliza Erik Von Detten as an adolescent jaguar in the episode Temple of Eliza Jeff Bennett as an officer in the episode Vacant Lot Jess Harnell as a tortoise and a marsh deer in the episode Vacant Lot Rosslynn Taylor Jordan as a tapir in the episode Vacant Lot Candi Milo as Emily a female wombat from the episode Chew if by Sea Milo also voices a capybara a parrot a civet cat a mousedeer and others Jeremy Sisto as the Radio announcer and the D J Jessi Corti as the two crocodiles in the episode Only Child Susanna Voltaire Russi Taylor Melissa Fahn are Anna Igna and Katrina in On the Right Track William H Macy as Skoot a male reindeer who Eliza raced with in On the Right Track Bill Fagerbakke as Dank a black reindeer who appeared in On the Right Track Tom Kenny as Joey a baby Kangaroo who Eliza babysits in Pal Joey Gregg Berger and S Scott Bullock are Lemke and Snaga the Tasmanian devils in the episode Pal Joey Berger also voices a lion and a warthog in the episode Flood Warning A water buffalo and a doctor in the episode The Dragon and the Professor Bullock also voices a python and a forest hog Cree Summer as Rosie a teenage Asian elephant in Rebel Without a Trunk Danny Cooksey as Wanuug a polar bear who appeared in Polar Opposites David Ogden Stiers as Karroo an Aye aye from Luck Be an Aye aye Ron Fassler Anne Lambton amp Jimmie Wood are Tak a little rat Sheeba the eye patch wearing cat amp Bone the three legged dog who helped Eliza find the Bangaboo in The Great Bangaboo Marion Ross as Rebecca an elephant whom Eliza saved in Forget Me Not She was originally saved by Nigel from poachers many years ago At the end of the episode the elephant dies of natural causes which makes Eliza cry after she passes away and her daughter Zita takes over the herd Robert Morse as Jake a male tortoise who Eliza helped in Two s Company Phyllis Diller as Samantha a female tortoise who Eliza helped in Two s Company Kelly McGillis amp Peter Onorati are Winema and Pava the leader Gray Wolves that appeared in the episode Pack of Thornberrys Chris Demetral as Mato a Gray Wolf who appeared in the episode Pack of Thornberrys Bill Brochtrup as Collin a Common dolphin who Eliza swam with in the episode Hello Dolphin Jane Goodall as Herself appears in the episode The Trouble with Darwin Episodes EditMain article List of The Wild Thornberrys episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast airedPilotSeptember 1 1998 1998 09 01 120September 1 1998 1998 09 01 April 1 1999 1999 04 01 237August 16 1999 1999 08 16 March 27 2000 2000 03 27 320September 12 2000 2000 09 12 May 14 2001 2001 05 14 46August 18 2001 2001 08 18 June 1 2002 2002 06 01 58February 3 2003 2003 02 03 June 11 2004 2004 06 11 FilmsDecember 20 2002 2002 12 20 June 13 2003 2003 06 13 Production EditThe Wild Thornberrys was produced by Klasky Csupo It was initially pitched as an adult animated sitcom under the name Nigel Thornberry s Animal World and was to be co produced by Fox Animation for Fox but it was ultimately rejected 2 It was then picked up by Nickelodeon under its own animation studio and was retooled as a family oriented series with Nigel s youngest daughter Eliza originally named Alex being promoted to the main protagonist role According to Eryk Casemiro SVP of Creative Affairs at Klasky Csupo Productions at the time of the series production she was originally designed to look quite frankly very ugly in order to contradict the stereotype that all young heroines are beautiful However her design was later retooled to look cuter at the request of Nickelodeon 5 It premiered on September 1 1998 and was the first Nicktoon to exclusively use 22 minute stories episodes of other Nicktoons usually featured two 10 11 minute stories using 22 minute stories only on occasion The series was designed to have a focus on parents after focus groups run by Klasky and Csupo uncovered that children were talking about the real struggles of the parent child relationship this was opposed to Nickelodeon s view of only featuring kids in children s programming 6 It was also designed with the potential of being used in science curriculums To accomplish this the production crew hired a specialist who did research on different regions of the world different cultures and different species of animals all of which were provided to the writers to help them develop ideas for episodes 5 Broadcast EditThe show aired in reruns on Nick on CBS for two years from September 14 2002 to March 6 2004 The show aired on Nicktoonsters in the United Kingdom Home media EditNickelodeon released all five seasons on DVD in Region 1 via Amazon com through its CreateSpace Manufacture on demand program in 2010 Season 1 was released on June 24 2010 7 and Seasons 2 through 5 were released on December 1 2010 8 CreateSpace Releases Release Date Discs EpisodesSeason 1 June 24 2010 4 20Season 2 Volume 1 December 1 2010 5 13Season 2 Volume 2 December 1 2010 5 24Season 3 Volume 1 December 1 2010 3 N ASeason 3 Volume 2 December 1 2010 3 N ASeason 3 Volume 3 December 1 2010 3 N ASeason 4 December 1 2010 2 6Season 5 December 1 2010 2 8On February 16 2011 Shout Factory announced that it had acquired the rights to release the series on home media and would be releasing Season 1 on DVD on May 17 2011 9 Season 1 was released on May 17 2011 followed by Season 2 Part 1 on November 8 2011 10 Season 2 Part 2 was released on April 24 2012 11 Season 2 Part 3 was released on January 15 2013 as a Shout Select title 12 Season 3 was released on June 11 2013 as a Shout Select title 13 Season 4 and Season 5 were released in a box set on September 10 2013 as a Shout Select title 14 On December 1 2015 Shout Factory released The Wild Thornberrys The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 15 In Australia all 5 seasons have been released via Beyond Home Entertainment A 13 disc set titled The Wild Thornberrys The Essential Episodes was released on June 3 2015 DVD Name Episodes Release DateRegion 1 Region 4Season 1 20 May 17 2011 April 3 2013Season 2 Part 1Season 2 Part 2Season 2 Part 3 13816 November 8 2011April 24 2012January 15 2013 April 3 2013 complete Season 3 20 June 11 2013 December 4 2013Seasons 4 amp 5 14 September 10 2013 April 2 2014The Essential Episodes 75 N A June 3 2015The Complete Series 91 December 1 2015 N A Shout Factory select title sold exclusively through Shout s online store refers to region 1 releases Films EditThe franchise was extended through three movies one television film and two theatrical films which were released toward the end of the series run The Origin of Donnie 2001 This television film prequel discovers Donnie s life before he was found by the Thornberrys The Wild Thornberrys Movie 2002 This theatrical film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song 16 Rugrats Go Wild 2003 This theatrical film was also the final Rugrats film and a crossover between Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys 17 Video games EditA video game based on the television series titled The Wild Thornberrys Animal Adventures was released only for PlayStation on November 8 2000 18 During this time another game was released The Wild Thornberrys Rambler on PC and Game Boy Color on August 7 2000 and November 2000 respectively The Wild Thornberrys Chimp Chase was released only for the Game Boy Advance on October 1 2001 19 Characters from the series also appear in the Nickelodeon crossover games Nicktoons Racing Nickelodeon Party Blast Nicktoons Freeze Frame Frenzy Nickelodeon All Star Brawl where Nigel is voicced by Jim Meskimen and Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis 20 Reception EditBox office performance Edit Film Release date Box office gross Box office ranking Budget Ref North America Other territories Worldwide All timeNorth America opening weekend All timeNorth AmericaThe Wild Thornberrys Movie December 20 2002 40 108 697 20 586 040 60 694 737 2 867 2 049 25 000 000 21 Rugrats Go Wild June 13 2003 39 402 572 16 002 494 55 405 066 1 774 2 081 25 000 000 22 Total 79 511 269 36 588 534 116 099 803 50 000 000List indicator s A dark grey cell indicates the information is not available for the film Critical response Edit Further information on the reception of each theatrical film The Wild Thornberrys Movie Reception and Rugrats Go Wild Reception Common Sense Media gave the series a rating of 5 stars praising it for its ability to encourage young viewers to be empathetic toward animals to want to find out about other cultures and ways of life and to understand the vastness and diversity of the world 23 Knight Ridder called the series sympathetic 24 The Native Voice complimented the series on its commitment to fun adventure detail accuracy and honesty 25 Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScoreThe Wild Thornberrys Movie 80 88 reviews 26 69 25 reviews 27 A 28 Rugrats Go Wild 40 84 reviews 29 38 27 reviews 30 A 28 Accolades Edit Year Nominee work Award Result1999 Casting Society of America Artios Award for Best Casting for Animated Voiceover Barbara Wright NominatedYoung Artist Award for Best Performance in a Voice Over in a Feature or TV Best Young Actress Sabrina Wiener Nominated2000 Casting Society of America Artios Award for Best Casting for Animated Voiceover Television Barbara Wright NominatedEnvironmental Media Award for Children s Animated The Wild Thornberrys episode You Otter Know WonGenesis Award for Television Children s Programming Animated The Wild Thornberrys episode Hunting by Numbers WonYoungStar Award for Best Young Voice Over Talent Lacey Chabert Nominated2001 Burbank International Children s Film Festival Award for Best Tele Feature Animation Joseph Scott Dean Criswell and Ron Noble for The Origin Of Donnie WonDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children s Animated Program The Wild Thornberrys NominatedEnvironmental Media Award for Children s Animated Category The Wild Thornberrys episode Happy Campers NominatedGenesis Award for Television Children s Programming Animated The Wild Thornberrys for multiple episodes WonGenesis Award for Television Children s Programming Animated The Wild Thornberrys episode Forget Me Not Won2002 Environmental Media Award for Children s Animated Category 31 The Wild Thornberrys episode The Trouble With Darwin Won2003 Casting Society of America Artios Award for Best Casting for Animated Voice Over Television Barbara Wright Nominated2004 NAMIC Vision Award in Children s Category The Wild Thornberrys NominatedReferences Edit a b c d Graeber Laurel July 30 2000 She Can Talk to the Animals Don t Tell The New York Times Archived from the original on October 5 2013 Retrieved October 1 2013 a b Nigel Thornberry s Animal World Wild Thornberrys Pilot December 12 1994 Erickson Hal 2005 Television Cartoon Shows An Illustrated Encyclopedia 1949 Through 2003 2nd ed McFarland amp Co pp 905 906 ISBN 978 1476665993 a b Neverbot Big Shiny Robot Saturday Morning Cartoon The Wild Thornberrys www bigshinyrobot com Archived from the original on October 9 2017 Retrieved July 3 2017 a b NickAnimation March 19 2018 We wanted to have a little girl that was not the most perfect princess we wanted to push her braces her freckles her glasses and we thought that was lovely Arlene Klasky on Eliza from The Wild Thornberrys WomensHistoryMonth with art uncovered from NickArchives Tweet Retrieved October 27 2022 via Twitter Parents apparent Cartoons return mom dad to mix January 1 1999 Archived from the original on February 15 2017 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Lambert David July 6 2010 The Wild Thornberrys 4 DVD Season 1 Set Released by Nickelodeon through Amazon CreateSpace TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on October 4 2013 Retrieved October 1 2013 Lambert David December 3 2010 The Wild Thornberrys Amazon CreateSpace Releases 7 DVD Sets with All Remaining Seasons TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on October 4 2013 Retrieved October 1 2013 Lambert David February 16 2001 The Wild Thornberrys General Retail Release of Season 1 from Nickelodeon and Shout Factory UPDATE New Lower Price and a Pre Order Link TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on October 4 2013 Retrieved October 1 2013 The Wild Thornberrys Season Two Part One November 8 2011 The Wild Thornberrys Season Two Part One Lacey Chabert Tim Curry Jodi Carlisle Danielle Harris Tom Kane Flea Cathy Malkasian Movies amp TV Amazon Archived from the original on June 27 2022 Retrieved November 8 2012 The Wild Thornberrys DVD news Announcement for The Wild Thornberrys Season 2 Part 2 TVShowsOnDVD com May 25 2007 Archived from the original on July 31 2013 Retrieved November 8 2012 The Wild Thornberrys DVD news Announcement for The Wild Thornberrys Season 2 Part 3 TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on December 2 2013 Retrieved November 24 2013 The Wild Thornberrys Season 3 Shout Factory Archived from the original on May 10 2013 Retrieved November 24 2013 The Wild Thornberrys The Final Seasons 4 amp 5 Shout Factory Archived from the original on October 14 2013 Retrieved November 24 2013 Lambert David September 15 2015 The Wild Thornberrys A Wide 15 DVD Release in the USA for The Complete Series TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on September 17 2015 Retrieved September 16 2015 Eminem builds on Oscar buzz BBC News February 14 2003 Archived from the original on October 5 2013 Retrieved October 1 2013 Thomas Kevin June 13 2003 Rugrats go Wild in search of adventure Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on October 26 2012 Retrieved October 1 2013 Wild Thornberry s Animal Adventure playstation com Archived from the original on July 11 2019 Retrieved June 11 2019 THQ Ships The Wild Thornberrys Chimp Chase for Game Boy Advance Business Wire Berkshire Hathaway October 1 2001 Archived from the original on December 16 2001 Retrieved June 14 2019 via Yahoo com Every Character Confirmed For Nickelodeon All Star Brawl ScreenRant July 13 2021 Archived from the original on October 5 2021 Retrieved September 17 2021 The Wild Thornberrys Movie 2002 Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo Archived from the original on June 21 2018 Retrieved May 26 2016 Rugrats Go Wild 2003 Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo Archived from the original on May 21 2018 Retrieved May 26 2016 The Wild Thornberrys TV Review Archived from the original on February 15 2017 Retrieved February 15 2017 At 10 Years Old the Rugrats Are All Growed Up Knight Ridder Tribune News Service July 9 2001 Archived from the original on February 15 2017 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help The Wild Thornberrys January 9 2003 Archived from the original on February 15 2017 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help The Wild Thornberrys Movie 2002 Rotten Tomatoes Archived from the original on April 28 2016 Retrieved September 24 2011 The Wild Thornberrys Movie Metacritic Archived from the original on April 24 2016 Retrieved August 23 2013 a b https www cinemascore com publicsearch index title Rugrats Go Wild 2003 Rotten Tomatoes Archived from the original on April 15 2016 Retrieved August 23 2013 Rugrats Go Wild Metacritic Archived from the original on April 11 2016 Retrieved August 23 2013 Small Screen The Buzz on Television highbeam com November 7 2002 Archived from the original on February 15 2017 Retrieved July 3 2017 External links EditThe Wild Thornberrys at IMDb Markstein Donald D The Wild Thornberrys Toonopedia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Wild Thornberrys amp oldid 1137334211, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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