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Amazing Animals (sometimes marketed as Henry's Amazing Animals for home video) is an educational children's animated TV show series nature program produced by Dorling Kindersley Vision and Partridge Films in association with the Disney Channel.[1] It was originally broadcast on the service in 1996. It also aired on Family Channel in Canada. It is also available on VHS.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2024) |
| Amazing Animals | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Henry's Amazing Animals |
| Starring | Eric Meyers, Tom Clarke-Hill |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | April 16, 1996 – July 6, 1999 |
The show centers on the interactions of Henry the Lizard, a green CGI anthropomorphic lizard with purple spots, and an unseen narrator. Each episode centers on a theme relating to the episode's subject matter, such as Henry traveling through prehistory in a time machine in an episode about prehistoric animals. Henry is usually faced with some kind of predicament or work, always relating to the episode's theme, which he resolves by the end of the episode, often learning a lesson of some sort in the process.
Each episode is made up of sections in which Henry is featured, video sequences of animals narrated by the off-screen narrator with replies by Henry, and cartoons featuring recurring unnamed cartoon animals. There are also two recurring segments: "Henry's Report" and "The Golden Gecko Awards". Early episodes depicted Henry's Report as a school report, though later episodes changed it to a news report. In either case, the report is comical and almost always wildly inaccurate. The correct information is given by The Narrator after the report.
In Henry's Amazing Golden Gecko Awards, Henry picks three animals relating to the subject of the episode and presents them with awards. Unlike the report, the Golden Gecko Awards are typically more genuine. Henry does most of the narration and often gets annoyed at the Narrator for interrupting him. Henry's Report occurred in every episode; the only episode that did not have the Golden Gecko Awards was "Underground Animals", probably because of timing issues.
- Henry (voiced by Eric Meyers) is the show's main protagonist. He is a small green lizard with purple spots and yellow eyes. Henry is portrayed as being enthusiastic, albeit foolish and immature. He is generally depicted as ignorant of the episode's subject matter and typically fails in the endeavours he attempts to undertake. Sometimes, he can prove himself to be quite smart, he is also an inventor. He often identifies lizards seen in the video sequences as his cousins(example Monty the Monitor Lizard). His favorite food is pizza.
- The Narrator (voiced by Tony Clarke-Hill in the US version and Nigel Greaves in the UK version) is Henry's co-star, but he is never seen and almost never named. He is depicted as being wise and knowledgeable. In addition to teaching Henry about animals and correcting his special reports, the Narrator acts as a comedic foil to Henry: the show's "straight man", who cuts Henry down for his immaturity and lack of knowledge with some combination of a mature seriousness and a dry sarcasm.
- Crab Tuesday: Henry met Crab Tuesday (vocal effects provided by Fred Newman) during a visit to the seashore, and the crab has been Henry's best friend and assistant ever since. Henry names him Tuesday after Robinson Crusoe's "man Friday". Henry can often tell what Tuesday is saying, although he has no voice at all and communicates by snapping his claws. However, in Amazing Animal Hunters, he is heard mumbling "I don't know" to Henry. Crab Tuesday vocal effects was provided by Fred Newman.
Season 1 (1996)
| Episode Number | Title | Title Card Animal | Date first aired | Plotline | Golden Gecko Award Winners |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tropical Birds | Scarlet macaw | April 16, 1996 | Henry lands in a tropical rainforest and learns about tropical birds – including, but not limited to, parrots. |
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| 2 | Animal Disguises | Chameleon | April 23, 1996 | Henry learns about camouflaged animals after looking for his own disguise. |
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| 3 | Nighttime Animals | Springhare | April 30, 1996 | After a long day with cousin Rex, Henry can't get to sleep, and learns about animals which stay up during the night. |
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| 4 | Animal Appetites | King penguin | May 7, 1996 | Henry opens a café for animals, but learns that different animals eat different things. | |
| 5 | Animal Survivors | Wolf | May 14, 1996 | After avoiding the dangerous animals on the desert island he is on, Henry learns about strategies that help animals to survive. |
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| 6 | Animal Senses | Siamese cat | May 21, 1996 | After knocking over some sense blocks, Henry learns about how animals explore the world around them using their senses. |
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| 7 | Animal Weapons | Goat | May 28, 1996 | Guarding his toy castle from an attack, Henry learns about animals that can fight other animals using body weapons. |
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| 8 | Animal Builders | Beaver | June 4, 1996 | Henry is building a house, to learn that he is not the only animal that builds a home. |
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| 9 | Armored Animals | Tortoise | June 11, 1996 | Henry learns that there are different animals with protective armor. | |
| 10 | Mini Beasts | Tarantula | June 18, 1996 | Henry learns that there are many very small animals that inhabit the wild. |
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| 11 | Animal Babies | Kitten, Puppy, Duckling | June 25, 1996 | An egg belonging to Henry's cousin hatches in its pram, and Henry has to babysit it. He gets advice from how animals babysit their young. |
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| 12 | Poisonous Animals | Gila monster | July 2, 1996 | Thinking of eating the contents of a nearby cauldron, the narrator warns Henry that the contents may be poisonous, and he shouldn't eat them. He also learns about animals which can be poisonous to protect themselves. |
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| 13 | Animal Journeys | Camel | July 9, 1996 | Globetrotting (literally walking across the surface of a globe), Henry learns that animals also move long distances too. |
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Season 2 (1997)
| Episode Number | Title | Title Card Animal | Date first aired | Plotline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Birds of Prey | Black vulture | April 15, 1997 | |
| 15 | Desert Animals | Dromedary camel | April 22, 1997 | |
| 16 | Scary Animals | Tarantula | April 29, 1997 | |
| 17 | Animal Records | Tortoise, rabbit | May 6, 1997 | |
| 18 | Animal Colors | Golden pheasant | May 13, 1997 | |
| 19 | Animal Mothers | Lioness | May 20, 1997 | Henry learns to appreciate his mother. |
| 20 | Animal Pets | Puli | May 27, 1997 | |
| 21 | Seashore Animals | Pelican | June 3, 1997 | |
| 22 | Animal Families | Ducks | June 10, 1997 | |
| 23 | Endangered Animals | Bengal tiger | June 17, 1997 | |
| 24 | An Animal Year | Red squirrel | June 24, 1997 | |
| 25 | Prehistoric Animals | Crocodile | July 7, 1997 | |
| 26 | Monkeys and Apes | Mandrill | June 8, 1997 |
Season 3 (1998)
| Episode Number | Title | Title Card Animal | Date first aired | Plotline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Animal Hunters | Golden eagle | April 14, 1998 | |
| 28 | Animal Talk | Dog | April 21, 1998 | |
| 29 | Slimy Animals | Apple snail | April 28, 1998 | |
| 30 | Rainforest Animals | Scarlet macaw | May 5, 1998 | |
| 31 | Animal Acrobats | Chimpanzee, Sea lion, Wallaby | May 12, 1998 | |
| 32 | Underwater Animals | Fish | May 19, 1998 | |
| 33 | Animal Neighbors | Rabbit | May 26, 1998 | |
| 34 | Giant Animals | Great Dane | June 2, 1998 | |
| 35 | Creepy Crawly Animals | Grasshopper | June 9, 1998 | |
| 36 | Farm Animals | Cow, Sheep | June 16, 1998 | |
| 37 | Animal Changes | Lion cub, Lioness | June 23, 1998 | |
| 38 | Extinct Animals | Footprints | June 30, 1998 | |
| 39 | Animal Eggs | Egg | July 7, 1998 |
Season 4 (1999)
| Episode Number | Title | Title Card Animal | Date first aired | Plotline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Animals Around the World | Red kangaroo, Monarch butterfly, Chimpanzee, Fish | April 13, 1999 | |
| 41 | Polar Animals | Siberian Husky | April 20, 1999 | |
| 42 | Clever Animals | American crow | April 27, 1999 | |
| 43 | Underground Animals | Rabbit | May 4, 1999 | Note: The only episode to not feature the Golden Gecko Awards. |
| 44 | Animal Helpers | Collie | May 11, 1999 | |
| 45 | Woodland Animals | Squirrel | May 18, 1999 | |
| 46 | Mountain Animals | St. Bernard | May 25, 1999 | |
| 47 | Backyard Animals | Mockingbird | June 1, 1999 | |
| 48 | Tiny Animals | Mice | June 8, 1999 | |
| 49 | Animal Partners | Mule | June 15, 1999 | |
| 50 | Scaly Animals | Crocodile, Fish | June 22, 1999 | Note: The only episode where Henry reads the title and the Narrator does the report. |
| 51 | River Animals | Beaver, Neon tetra | June 29, 1999 | |
| 52 | Animal Flight | Ladybug | July 6, 1999 |
Some merchandise was also released during the activity of the series. An educational computer game was also released with the television show.[2][3] A board game known as The Really Amazing Animal Game was also sold but was shortly discontinued.
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