''Almost Naked Animals'' is a Canadian
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
produced by
9 Story Entertainment
9 Story Media Group Inc. (formerly known as 9 Story Entertainment) is a Canadian children's media production company and international distributor founded by Vincent "Vince" Commisso, Steve Jarosz, and Blake Tohana on September 1, 2002, and head ...
for
YTV. The series was created by
Noah Z. Jones, who is also the creator of the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
animated series ''
Fish Hooks
''Fish Hooks'' is an American animated television series created by Noah Z. Jones for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The show ran for three seasons from September 3, 2010 to April 4, 2014, airing a total of 59 episodes.
Plot
The series revolves ...
''. It was based upon an art website that Jones created in 2005. The series premiered on January 7, 2011 on YTV and ended on May 22, 2013.
Premise
The cartoon is set inside a tropical
resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...
called the Banana Cabana. All of the cabana's staff members and residents are
funny animal
Talking animals are a common element in mythology and folk tales, children's literature, and modern comic books and animated cartoons. Fictional talking animals often are anthropomorphic, possessing human-like qualities (such as bipedal walkin ...
s who have shaved off their fur and wear only
underclothes
Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled ...
. An
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.
Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
named Howie is the manager and leader of the cabana. Each episode follows Howie and his "misfit" crew having unusual adventures in the Banana Cabana.
Episodes
Characters
Main
* Howie (voiced by
Robert Tinkler
Robert Tinkler is a Canadian voice actor who provides voices for a number of cartoons and anime shows. He voiced Max in '' The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police'', Delete in the children's animated series ''Cyberchase'', Pelswick Eggert ...
) is a pale-yellow
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
and manager of the Banana Cabana. He is hyperactive, very dim witted and impulsive, he's almost always cheerful. He is also completely oblivious to his sister's evil nature.
* Octo (voiced by Howard Jerome) is an overly cautious blue
octopus
An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight- limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttle ...
and the desk clerk. He is Howie's best friend.
* Bunny (voiced by
Emilie-Claire Barlow
Emilie-Claire Barlow (born 6 June 1976) is a Canadian singer, arranger, record producer, and voice actress. She has released several albums on her label, Empress Music Group, and has voiced characters for animated television series. She performs ...
) is a sometimes short-tempered yellow
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
and activity planner with a sugary personality (subject to mood swings).
* Duck (voiced by
David Berni
David Berni is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian and writer.
Life and career
David Berni is an actor who currently voices the character Frank on Go, Dog. Go!, Bernie on Ollie's Pack and Bird Bud on '' The Snoopy Show''. He is also known for ...
) is a tan-colored
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
who does every random job and tries anything to get it done. It was revealed in "The Sun Howie Always Wanted", and "Mini Howies" that his full name is Archibald William Nightindale Duck III. As a running gag Duck often appears during a problem with a funny
non sequitur.
* Piggy "Willberforce" Pig (voiced by
Seán Cullen
Seán Cullen (born August 29, 1965) is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for combining improvisation with mimicry and music. He is known for providing voices of characters in shows like ''Best Ed'', ''Seven Little Monsters,'' a ...
) is a pale pink-colored
pig
The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...
who is a
ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...
-trained master chef with a
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
accent. He speaks broken English.
* Narwhal (voiced by
Seán Cullen
Seán Cullen (born August 29, 1965) is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for combining improvisation with mimicry and music. He is known for providing voices of characters in shows like ''Best Ed'', ''Seven Little Monsters,'' a ...
) is a self centered, periwinkle-colored
narwhal
The narwhal, also known as a narwhale (''Monodon monoceros''), is a medium-sized toothed whale that possesses a large "tusk" from a protruding canine tooth. It lives year-round in the Arctic waters around Greenland, Canada and Russia. It is o ...
that loves to sing (he is the lounge performer).
* Sloth (voiced by
Linda Kash
Linda Kash (born 17 January 1961) is a Canadian actress.
Career
An alumna of Second City, she played Trudy Weissman in the 1998 Jean Smart sitcom '' Style & Substance''. She has also played various roles in popular television series, such as ' ...
) is a peach-colored
sloth
Sloths are a group of Neotropical xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of movement, tree sloths spend most of their li ...
and the
bellhop
A bellhop (North America), or hotel porter (carrier), porter (international), is a hotel employee who helps patrons with their luggage while check-in, checking in or out. Bellhops often wear a uniform (see bell-boy hat), like certain other Page (a ...
of the Banana Cabana. She has a crush on Howie. She also does everything slowly. She moves around using her
luggage cart
Baggage carts, luggage carts, luggage trolleys or trolleys are small vehicles pushed by travelers ( human-powered) to carry individual luggage, mostly suitcases. There are two major sizes: One for big luggage and one for small luggage. Carts h ...
.
Villains
* Poodle (voiced by
Alyson Court
Alyson Stephanie Court (born November 9, 1973) is a Canadian actress. Beginning her career as a child actress, her first role was on the series ''Mr. Dressup'' (1984–1994) and she made her film debut in '' Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bi ...
) is a pink-colored
poodle
, nickname =
, stock =
, country = Germany or France (see history)
, height =
, maleheight =
, femaleheight =
, weight =
, maleweight =
, femaleweight =
, coat ...
. Howie's evil older sister who owns a rival hotel called the Chateau Chattoo. She always tries to ruin Howie's fun and tries to take over Howie's
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
.
* Batty (voiced by
Julie Lemieux
Julie Lemieux (born December 4, 1962) is a Canadian voice actress.
Career
Lemieux has provided the voice for characters such as Sammy Tsukino in '' Sailor Moon'', young Darien Shields in '' Sailor Moon R: The Movie'', and Peruru in '' Sailor Moo ...
) is a purple-colored
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
who is Poodle's evil minion. In "Oh Brother, Who Art Thou?", Batty reveals to Howie that he is his long-lost cousin.
Recurring
* Dirk Danger (voiced by
Christian Potenza
Christian Potenza (born December 23, 1972) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for voicing Jude Lizowski on ''6teen'' and Chris McLean in the ''Total Drama'' franchise.
Career
He has been on television since 1997, when he first ...
) A
flying squirrel
Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they ar ...
who has a career (more or less) as a stuntman. He is Howie's role model.
* Radiation Rooster is the Radioactive Microwave Sales Rooster. His limbs fall off and he is very dumb.
* Captain Fizzy is a Pirate Turtle the owner of the soft drink "Captain Fizzy's Fuzzy Orange Soda" and "Sugar" which is 99% sugar. He is a turtle. He started a few contests like the limited edition blue and green can contest and the Fuzzy Orange Happy Land contest. He has a floating factory which is a large boat.
* Hippo (voiced by Jamie Watson) is a bluish gray-colored
hippopotamus
The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...
in his superhero attire.
Production
The series was produced by
9 Story Entertainment
9 Story Media Group Inc. (formerly known as 9 Story Entertainment) is a Canadian children's media production company and international distributor founded by Vincent "Vince" Commisso, Steve Jarosz, and Blake Tohana on September 1, 2002, and head ...
who produced it for
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
and
YTV. Noah Z. Jones is the creator of the series, while Brad Ferguson is the director.
Executive producers includes Vince Commisso, Steve Jarosz, and Noah Z. Jones. Other staff for the series includes Tanya Green as supervising producer,
Tristan Homer
Tristan Homer is a Canadian television producer and podcaster.
He was most recently the co-executive producer on the Netflix animated series My Little Pony: Make Your Mark.
He has also served as creative producer on the animated children's tele ...
as producer and Mark Satterthwaite as creative producer.
Development for the series started as early as 2006.
On October 16, 2009, Aaron H. Bynum, news editor of Animation Insider, announced that the series entered production.
Vince Commisso, president and CEO of 9 Story Entertainment was pleasantly surprised and charmed for the production of ''Almost Naked Animals'' and said: "We are very excited to be commencing production on Almost Naked Animals,". "We spent a great deal of time in development, ensuring the characters, the pacing and the tone of the show was precise. It is extremely gratifying to see our work come to fruition and the end result is this high-quality, curiously funny animated property."
Home media
Episodes of ''Almost Naked Animals'' are available for digital download through the iTunes Music Store, which are split into two volumes. Roadshow Home Entertainment released a 95-minute Region 4 DVD of the show on December 1, 2011. In 2012 NCircle Entertainment has released episodes on DVD for Canada and the US. In the UK Abbey Home Media released episodes on DVD.
Reception
Critical response
In June 2011, ''Almost Naked Animals'' was picked as one of
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...
's top children's shows to watch in the US.
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. rated the show 3 stars out of 5, with the review stating that "The show's writing is smart enough that adults will get some laughs right alongside their kids". Despite this however, the series mostly received negative reviews.
Ratings
During the week of November 20, 2011, the show has been receiving high ratings on CITV in the UK and has been the most watched after school children's program amongst kids aged 4–9.
Awards and nominations
Other media
Toys and merchandising
The Licensing Shop has signed products in the US market for ''Almost Naked Animals''. Freeze has secured rights for t-shirts, fashion tops and hoodies in all sizes while ABG Accessories will be making cold weather accessories, spring and summer headwear and rainwear including umbrellas and slickers for the show.
In 2012 Cafepress agreed to make Almost Naked Animals plushies, water bottles, t-shirts, and more merchandise is being made.
Online game
In January 2012 it was announced that 9 Story and Game Pill were creating an Almost Naked Animals online game entitled "Cabana Craze." The game was released on September 25, 2012 and can be found at CabanaCraze.com.
References
External links
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*
*
{{Former YTV original series
2010s Canadian animated television series
2010s Canadian workplace comedy television series
2011 Canadian television series debuts
2013 Canadian television series endings
Canadian children's animated comedy television series
Canadian flash animated television series
English-language television shows
YTV (Canadian TV channel) original programming
Surreal comedy television series
Television series by 9 Story Media Group
Television series by Corus Entertainment
Television series created by Noah Z. Jones
Animated television series about dogs
Television shows filmed in Toronto
Animated television series about animals