''Counterfeit Cat'' is an
animated television series
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
developed by
Aardman Animations, Cristina Fiumara, and Ben Marsaud. The series is produced by Wildseed Kids, Tricon Kids & Family, and Aardman Animations in association with
Teletoon
Cartoon Network (formerly Teletoon) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts animated series aimed at children and teenagers. It was launched on October 17 ...
, with the participation of
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
, and with animation provided by
Atomic Cartoons. The series follows the lives of a
Manx cat named Max and an alien named Gark as they live in an apartment alongside her animal friends, aliens, humans and many more zany adventures together.
The series first premiered on Disney XD in the United Kingdom on 12 May 2016.
In Canada, it premiered on 1 November 2016.
52 episodes were produced.
Premise
The series revolves around the adventures of Max (
Marc Wootton), a lazy, pampered and selfish, yellow
Manx cat, and his best friend Gark (Alex Kelly), a blue alien who disguised himself as a purple-knitted cat. He crashed his spaceship on Earth, landing in the laundry room of a klutzy yet kind old lady named Betty (
Kayvan Novak),who is Max's owner.
She believes that Max is a tiger, the bravest species on Earth, despite Max's
cowardice
Cowardice is a characteristic wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumb ...
. Max and Gark often find themselves in surreal and dangerous situations because to Gark's unstable, bizarre powers, which Max often uses to his own advantage without thinking of the consequences.
Episodes
Characters
Main
*Max (voiced by
Marc Wootton) is one of two main protagonists of the series. He is a yellow-colored pet
Manx cat who lives a cushy life in Betty's home. He often gets dragged along into dangerous and frightening adventures with Gark—adventures that he hates getting involved in. Despite taking advantage of Gark's powers it is shown several times throughout the series that he still cares for his best friend. His full name is Maximillian Fluffybottom III.
*Gark (voiced by Alex Kelly) is one of two main protagonists of the series. He is a blue tentacled
alien who disguises himself into a purple knitted cat. He has dangerous powers, and curiosity get him and Max into misadventures because he actually thinks Max is a tiger, the bravest species in the entire world.
*Betty (voiced by
Kayvan Novak) is a kindhearted but klutzy old lady who owns Max the cat and Gark the alien. In "Jackson 5", She is revealed that she had Jackson and Max (before Gark came to earth) when she was younger. She has a daughter named Jeanette and several deceased husbands as revealed in the episode, "Humanoid".
*Throckmorton (voiced by Kayvan Novak) is the
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
of Gark's ship, he is overprotective of Gark and acts like a father-figure to him, though when it comes to Max their attitudes clash.
Recurring
*Staring Dog is a
Maltese dog
Maltese dog refers both to an ancient variety of dwarf, white-coated dog breed from Italy and generally associated also with the island of Malta, and to a modern dog breed, breed of similar dogs in the toy group, genetically related to the B ...
with big eyes and greyish brown shaggy fur who rarely speaks, but he can stare at Max which makes him uncomfortable and frightened. He made his debut in "Bin Juice" in the form of a cameo.
*Ranceford (voiced by
Katherine Ryan) is a
Persian cat
The Persian cat, also known as the Persian Longhair, is a long-haired breed of cat characterised by a round face and short muzzle. The first documented ancestors of Persian cats might have been imported into Italy from Greater Khorasan, Khoras ...
whose eyes are odd-eyed and is the leader of The Sunshine Circle of Cats and denies Max membership. Max harbors a crush on her, but like the other animals, she prefers Gark over Max.
*The Kid (voiced by
Kyle Soller) is a brownish, teenage
flying squirrel
Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe (biology), tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family (biology), family Squirrel, Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight i ...
and troublemaker who lives in the park next to Betty's apartment and he has a sidekick named Nelson.
*The Squirrels (both voiced by Kyle Soller) are a trio of flying squirrels. They also live next to Betty's apartment.
*Nelson (voiced by Katherine Ryan) is a breeded, green-colored
pigeon
Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...
and is The Kid's sidekick.
*Cutter (voiced by Kayvan Novak) is a cyan
British Shorthair with yellow eyes, a purple hair, and his voice is freakishly campy. His name is revealed in "Cat Box of Fear".
*Anton (voiced by Kayvan Novak) is an olive green
pug with black hair and an angry look at his face. In his first appearance he is a bully to Max, but in later episodes isn't a threat.
*Trash Can Hat Cat (voiced by Kayvan Novak) is a stray cat with scruffy olive green fur and he wears a trash can hat. She believes in wild conspiracy theories and is homeless.
*Zaxos (voiced by Sandra Dickinson) is a bounty hunter from the race of Wart. She set out to capture Gark along with Chico. She later appeared in "Zaxos Returns" and claims to have changed her ways, but is actually out to steal Betty's cheeks.
*Chico (voiced by
Sandra Dickinson) is a young bounty hunter from the race of Wart disguised as a cute
chihuahua who wants to kidnap Gark because there is a bounty on his head for driving his ship too fast.
*The Cat Toy God (voiced by Kayvan Novak) is a pink cat-like alien. He is Max's nemesis and the ruler of an alternate dimension found underneath Betty's sofa.
*Jackson (voiced by Kayvan Novak) is a single-legged, torn-eared, one-eyed street cat, he was Betty's first pet, he also blames Max for his repeated deaths due to him being jealous of his sofa and tries to kill him but, like Anton, isn't a threat in later episodes. He usually keeps dying and coming back from the dead everytime he appears in an episode.
*Wilma (voiced by Kayvan Novak) is an old lady who owns Staring Dog and one of Betty's friends.
*Jeanette (voiced by Kayvan Novak) is Betty's daughter, she occasionally looks after Max and always brings costumes, something Max hates.
Supporting
*Flargle (voiced by Sandra Dickinson) is a purple three-eyed bunny-like alien. She posts on a blog about how bad of a planet Earth is, which causes Gark to be mad. He teamed up with Chico and Zaxos in the episode, "Gark's Got Talent". Flargle makes his debut in "Mere Mortals".
*Chameleon (voiced by
Kerry Shale
Kerry Shale (born 4 June 1952) is a Canadian actor based in London, England. His BBC Radio 4 comedy-drama ''The Kubrick Test'' was broadcast in 2020. He is the co-host of ''Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan'', a podcast about Bob Dylan
...
) is a green
chameleon
Chameleons or chamaeleons (Family (biology), family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this Family (biology), family are best known for ...
who can turned into a super villain by Gark in "The Gark Night Rises". Chameleon paired up with Anton and Staring Dog in the episode, "Gark's Got Talent".
*Jibbo (voiced by Alexa Kahn) is a green and yellow mixed alien who, as well, one of the saviors of Baa-Boo-Raa. She is introduced in the second part of "Gone Gark".
*Baa-Boo-Raa (voiced by
Reginald D. Hunter
Reginald Darnell Hunter (born March 26, 1969) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian based in the United Kingdom.
Early life
Reginald Darnell Hunter was born on March 26, 1969, in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, the youngest of nine.Ma ...
) is an alien
Sensei
The term "先生", read in Chinese, in Japanese, in Korean, and in Vietnamese, is an honorific used in the Sinosphere. In Japanese, the term literally means "person born before another" or "one who comes before". It is generally used ...
who chose Gark to rescue the universe by joining the saviors for trainings. He is introduced in "Gone Gark".
*Jock (voiced by Kayvan Novak) is an alien who is made of a yummy
meat
Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...
that came from Planet Meathead. He is also one of the saviors. He makes his debut in the second part of "Gone Gark".
Production
Development
On 3 December 2010
Aardman Animations originally started the development for the show for
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
. The series is Aardman's first series to use
traditional animation
Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawing, drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation of the 20th century, until there wa ...
. The development was in co-production with Wildseed Studios to complete the development for the project together while
Atomic Cartoons was hired to serve animation production and Tricon Films & Television committed to distribute the series until
Sonar Entertainment had taken over its distribution.
The designs for the show were provided by Antoine Birot and Raphael Chabassol based on original designs by Nick Edwards. The series is directed by Ben Marsaud and produced by Sarah Mattingley. The first season consisted of 52 episodes at ten minutes each and coincided with 11 two-minute shorts.
[Wildseed Studio]
Counterfeit Cat
Ben Marsaud (who is the director of the series) was a former storyboard artist of seasons 1–3 and 6 of ''
The Amazing World of Gumball
''The Amazing World of Gumball'' (also known simply as ''Gumball'' or by its abbreviation ''TAWOG''; retitled ''The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball'' beginning with its The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, seventh season) is an animated si ...
'' and is the current director of
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
's original animated sitcom, ''
F is for Family''. Miles Bullough (who is the executive producer of the series) is also an executive producer on the animated shows, ''
Shaun the Sheep'', ''
Timmy Time'', ''
Chop Socky Chooks'' and the ''
Wallace & Gromit'' short film, ''
A Matter of Loaf and Death
''Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death'' is a 2008 British stop-motion animated short film produced by Aardman Animations. Directed by Nick Park and written by Park and Bob Baker, it is the fifth installment in the '' Wallace & Gromit'' ...
'' for Aardman.
Animation
The animation services for the series is handled by
Atomic Cartoons. The animation company also been known for
Atomic Betty,
Captain Flamingo and as well currently as the sixth and seventh seasons of
Max & Ruby and
Angry Birds Toons
''Angry Birds Toons'' is a short-form animated television series based on Rovio's '' Angry Birds'' franchise. The series follows the adventures of the birds as they guard their eggs against the pigs, who want to steal them for their king to e ...
. The animation is made on
Adobe Animate.
Broadcast
In the United Kingdom, the series debuted on Disney XD on 12 May 2016.
[Wildseed Studio]
Counterfeit Cat Launching on Disney XD
It later aired on
Pop, debuting on 1 October 2018. In Canada, it premiered on
Teletoon
Cartoon Network (formerly Teletoon) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts animated series aimed at children and teenagers. It was launched on October 17 ...
on 1 November 2016.
In the United States, the first episode aired on
Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
as a sneak preview on 31 May 2016,
[Twitte]
Twitter post regarding preview airdate
/ref> before officially premiering on 20 June 2016.[Animation World Networ]
'Counterfeit Cat' Bounds into the U.S. on Disney XD
/ref>
In Latin America, it began airing on Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
and Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
on 10 June 2017. In Germany, it began airing on Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
on 17 October 2016.
As of May 2017, Sonar Entertainment has acquired the global rights to distribute the series, replacing its former owner, Tricon Films & Television.
Reception
Accolades
References
External links
*
*
Official website
at Teletoon.com
{{Former Disney XD original series
2010s British animated comedy television series
2010s British children's television series
2010s British comic science fiction television series
2016 British television series debuts
2017 British television series endings
2010s Canadian animated comedy television series
2010s Canadian children's television series
2010s Canadian comic science fiction television series
2016 Canadian television series debuts
2017 Canadian television series endings
Animated television series about cats
Animated television series about extraterrestrial life
British children's animated adventure television series
British children's animated comic science fiction television series
British flash animated television series
Canadian children's animated adventure television series
Canadian children's animated comic science fiction television series
Canadian flash animated television series
Disney XD original programming
British English-language television shows
Teletoon original programming
Television series by Halcyon Studios
Television series by Aardman Animations
Children's television series about talking animals