Angela Anaconda is a comedy animated children's TV series created byJoanna Ferrone andSue Rose[6] that originally aired from October 4, 1999 until December 10, 2001. 65 episodes were produced.[7]
The show focuses on the adventures of an eight-year-old girl named Angela Anaconda in the fictional American town of Tapwater Springs. Other characters include Angela's three best friends and several antagonists. The primary antagonist is Nanette Manoir.
Angela Anaconda (voiced bySue Rose)[6] is atomboyish, imaginative,freckle-faced eight-year-old girl who rejects the femininity commonly associated with other girls her age.[8] She resides in the town of Tapwater Springs with her parents Bill and Gen, two dim-witted, teenaged fraternal twin brothers Mark and Derek, her younger sister Lulu along three best friends, Johnny Abatti, Gina Lash and Gordy Rhinehart. In every episode of the series, Angela will engage in at least one daydream sequence. The majority of these feature her rivals Nanette Manoir and Mrs. Brinks, as Angela seeks vengeance on them in unrealistic ways. Angela often imagines unusual things happening to her enemies, especially Nanette, including getting tossed into the air during an ice-sporting routine and falling through the ice, or getting turned into aflashcard, among other things.
Johnny Abatti (voiced byAl Mukadam)[9] is a pleasant but dimItalian-American boy. His parents are never seen in the show and he appears to be under the care of his grandmother Carmella and uncle Nicky, the latter of whom often pressures Johnny intomanhood (particularly in the episode "Johnny Learns to Swing"). Regarded as an attractive student, Johnny takes honour in his vintagepompadour hairstyle. Nanette Manoir harbours a crush on him and tries to flirt with him frequently, referring to him as "John" and inviting him to Manoir's exclusive events. He normally brings Angela, Gina and Gordy along against their will. Despite this preferential treatment, Johnny remains utterly ignorant about Nanette's affections. Although he never admits it, Johnny may have strong feelings for Angela, as he becomes resentful of any rival for her affections. On Valentine's Day, Johnny sends Angela all of flowers but forgets to sign the attached card, accidentally giving the credit for his gift to Angela's imaginary boyfriend Bob. Due to disgust, Johnny likes to pick his nose and shoot spit balls.
Gina Lash (voiced byBryn McAuley)[9] is the smartest child in her grade. Possessing encyclopedic knowledge, an impressive vocabulary and a voracious appetite, Gina routinely dispenses reason and insight to her friends. However, she will always participate in whatever scheme they are partaking. Gina shares many interests with her friends, but her thirst for knowledge has led her to pursue a variety of other hobbies; she owns amicroscope and other scientificparaphernalia. Gina is best known for her appetite, which rivals that of any adult. She is always hungry and can even go down with Nanette Manoir if she is corrupted with her gourmet chef's cooking. Gina's favourite foods include Abatti's pizza, cinnamon swirls, jiggly fruit (similar as Jell-O) and Tastee Swirl ice cream. Gina idolizes the mascot for Tastee Swirl, a man with a dollop ice cream head who dispenses frozen treats from his truck to the local children. She also idolizes the maker of her favourite dessert snack, Tiny Dottie, as a professional food entrepreneur she wants to be like. Gina lives with her mother, who is single (until she begins dating Gordy's father Coach Rhinehart). Her father is never seen nor mentioned on the show, implying that her mother is divorced or widowed. Gina also owns a petturtle named Sheldon who liked to eat carrots. In the episode ("Hooray for Chanukah"), it is revealed that Gina isJewish and uses her great-grandmother's menorah every year.
Gordy Rhinehart (voiced byEdward Glen)[9] is a kind, sensitive and artistic boy withasthma who prefers pressing flowers, housework and writing poetry instead of "dangerous" activities such as tag or hide-and-seek. He has a likeness of ballet and nature, and embraces all things pretty and lovely. He is best known for his manyallergies. Gordy is of German blood. He is the total opposite of his beefy and macho ex-Army soldier father Coach Rhinehart. Despite being so different from each other, their father/son relationship is very strong and they show authentic love and concern for one another. The coach enjoys the strawberrysoufflés, hand-embroidered towels and pillowcases Gordy makes in his free time. Gordy liked all animals and is the proud owner of an immaculately groomed dog named Fabio. He is an expert on pet care and worries about the welfare of any animal entrusted to Angela. Gordy spent almost an entire episode ("Gordy in a Plastic Bubble") wearing rubber gloves and a face mask, refusing to leave his house, after looking at an eyelash under a microscope. Gordy has a huge crush on Gina Lash.
Nanette Manoir (voiced by Ruby Smith-Merovitz)[9] is Angela's primary arch-nemesis and is theteacher's pet who speaks with a snobbish faux-Frenchaccent. Her hair isgolden blonde and styled into extra-length Victorian-styleringlets in emulation of her mother's look. Nanette's adoring parents fail to see how rotten their daughter truly is at school, as she is spoiled and never punished for things which she does wrong. She is proud of her looks, constantly bouncing her curled hair. Nanette's interests are a luxurious variety of activities such asbaton twirling,ballet, painting, gymnastics andice skating. She uses her family's wealth and high status as a way of asserting her superiority over her classmates, especially Angela. Due to her French name and heritage, Nanette believes that she can always understand and speak French. She adds misapplied French phrases to most of her conversations, explaining their meanings incorrectly; for example, she believes "liaison" (a close bond or connection) is French for "lesson", "crème brûlée" (singed cream) is French for "prove it", and "pomme de terre" (potato) is French for "apple polisher".
Mrs. Ephigenia Brinks (voiced by Richard Binsley)[9] is a middle-aged woman and a dedicated third grade teacher with a rather masculine voice. She wears a greybeehive wig, which hides her short ginger hair and dresses in a long-skirtedschoolmarm dress. She is easily manipulated and plays favourites, her decisions always favoring Nanette. Mrs. Brinks dislikes Angela and is very strict and hard-boiled with her. Mrs. Brinks likes to believe that she is sophisticated and succumbs easily to flattery. She considers Angela a bizarre, troublemaking, wayward girl and constantly punishes her. She and her husband Connie are rumoured to be weekendnudists. Angela and her gang often peer into the Brinks' backyard from Angela'streehouse to find out if this rumour is true, though the show only shows Angela and her friends' reactions to what they see. In "Brinks of No Return", Mr. Brinks reveals that he and Mrs. Brinks used to have a very loving relationship before Nanette came into her life. In the episode "Earhart's Heirloom" Mrs. Brinks claims to have thecompass of the late aviatorAmelia Earhart and promises to show it to the class if they behave for a month, only for them to discover that the compass is fake. Brinks has anartificial hip which prevents her from dancing.
Astronaut Bob (voiced byRobert Smith) is the local hero of Tapwater Springs whom Angela and her friends glorified. As his name suggests, he was anastronaut presumably during the height of theSpace Race who got to walk on theMoon. He currently spends his time as a volunteer for the town's spacemuseum, and lending his likeness to boxes of thecereal (Astro Nutties) as well as other products and possessions.
Candy May (voiced byLinda Kash) is an incredibly dim kid who appears to cut her own hair and wears a shirt with aunicorn decal on it. She has long red hair in a ribbon. She hesitates a lot, draws her words out, and often confuses herself. She is banned near sharp objects and liked playing withglitter and paste. She may be older than the other kids and is unsurprisingly the tallest child in the classroom, but this is due to being held back a year due to her low intelligence. Her presence is marked by a slow instrumental version of "Pop Goes the Weasel".
Carmella "Nonna" Abatti (voiced by Linda Kash) is Johnny's grandmother and chief proprietor of Abatti's Pizza. A talented cook and nurturer, Nonna is very hospitable to Johnny and his friends. She is also not afraid to speak her mind about things, particularly her son Nicky's lifestyle choices or Gina Lash's appetite. Additionally, Nonna is highly superstitious, most notably regarding "Chi Mallochio" (or, the evil eye), as evidenced when Nicky starts enjoying the success at the expense of Sabatto's, the town's rival pizzeria. In her younger years, she was good friends with Angela's grandmother, Louisa "Lou" Anaconda.
Coach Rhinehart (voiced by Robert Smith) is Gordy's hypermasculine father as well as a huge sports enthusiast, ex-Army officer, football coach, Nature Survival Counselor, and PE teacher of Tapwater Springs Elementary School. He speaks with a stereotypical coach/drill sergeant voice and is normally shown dressed in a bright orangetracksuit. Like Gina's mother, Coach Rhinehart's spouse is not shown implying he is either a widower, divorced, or living apart from his wife. He is the second of the Tapwater teachers to show anger at Nanette Manoir. In spite of being severely competitive and obsessed with physical activity of any kind, he is accepting of his son's personality and artistic interests, encouraging him to be himself, and not projecting his image of manhood onto him. His first name has never been revealed canonically.
Conrad "Connie" Brinks (voiced by Richard Binsley) is the henpecked husband of Ephegenia Brinks. In contrast to his wife, Conrad is skinny, soft-spoken, and even tempered. He is very loving and patient especially towards his wife, and dismisses her shouting with a resigned"yes dear". He secretly resents the relationship Nanette has with Mrs. Brinks, referring to her on one occasion as "little Naninski Buttinski". Conrad works for the town'spublic-access television station where he has pull enough to host a program forham radio enthusiasts like himself, and once coached an ice-skating class for the town's children. In his younger years, Conrad was an avidbowler and supposedly the dreamiest boy in all of Tapwater Springs. He even used to go out with Johnny and Angela's grandmothers before meeting Mrs. Brinks. Like his wife, Conrad also is rumoured to engage in weekend nudism.
Howell (voiced by Robert Smith)and Bunny Manoir (voiced byJulie Lemieux) are the equally rich and vapid parents of Angela's primary arch-nemesis Nanette Manoir. Though Nanette claims she is fully French, Howell speaks with a strongMassachusetts accent, a la U.S. presidentJFK, while Bunny has aSouthern accent. Howell works as a proprietor of a construction firm. Bunny spends her days presumably as a lady of leisure. Both are very overindulgent of their daughter, and most of the time they fail to notice let alone punish Nanette's rotten demeanour. Much like their daughter, Howell and Bunny have little concern for Bill and Gen (Angela's parents) as people.
January Cole (voiced by Olivia Garratt)andKarlene Trainor (voiced byAnnick Obonsawin)[9] are Nanette's servants who follow her around wherever she goes. Donningbouffant hairdos,preppy clothing, and beauty marks, they are very concerned with their appearance and look to Nanette for fashion guidance (mainly aboutfacials andmakeup). Despite their rigid devotion to Nanette, they are volatile.
Jimmy Jamal (voiced by Kevin Duhaney) is an athletic Black boy in Angela's class. He is often seen playing a handheldvideo game (similar to Nintendo) and talking about his Turbo Trainers, which make him run very fast. He is the son of the mayor of Tapwater Springs.
Josephine Praline (voiced byCara Pifko) is a devoutCatholic who acts as a moral counselor for her classmates. She is loving and forgiving, but stern when she sees prejudice. Josephine often refers to others as "my child". She set up aconfessional in the girls' laundry, where her friends come to talk to her about their stresses and worries. She is well liked by her classmates, but Mrs. Brinks cares very little about her. Josephine advises Angela to learn to love her enemies and see the good in Nanette instead of disliking her, but is surprised when she cannot find any good qualities herself. Josephine comes from a large religious family of at least 19 siblings.
Mark and Derek Anaconda (both voiced byRobert Tinkler) are Angela's fraternal older twin brothers. Though physically and intellectually similar, Mark has blonde hair while Derek has brown hair. Moreover, Derek's voice is higher than Mark's. Both of the brothers are the secondary antagonists of the show, constantly bullying and downgrading Angela and her friends. Though dull-witted, eachroast their sister at every turn;high-fiving andhead-butting each other when one makes a particularly "witty" remark. They refer to nearly everyone as "dude" (regardless of thegender and/orsocial status of the individual in question) and tend to judge how good something is in life by acknowledging when things "rock"/"rule". Despite their irresponsibility and lack of interpersonal skills, Mark and Derek have held jobs at the town's golfcountry club ascaddies and at a fast-food eatery when they fail to pay for their meal. Both enjoy contact sports and are on the town's football team, much to Coach Rhinehart's consternation. Their presence is marked by aheavy metal riff vaguely similar to the common 'Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah' chant, traditionally sung by children to mock others.
Nicholas "Uncle Nicky" Abatti (voiced byRon Rubin) is Johnny's swingingbachelor uncle and co-owner of Abatti's Pizza. While generally good-natured towards his nephew as well as Angela, Gina and Gordy, Uncle Nicky is also childish, and obsessed with fast women, speedy cars,gambling anddisco. His clothes usually consist of sunglasses, gold chains andleisure suits. As a child, he was known as a troublemaker in Mrs. Brinks' class; earning the nickname "Fancy Pants" and leaving his legacy in the form of an eternalspitball. Uncle Nicky is more often than not guarded by two unnamed babes (a blonde on his left and a redhead on his right) wherever he goes, a testament to him being a ladies man. Despite this, he has been known to publicly express interest in Gina's mother, Elizabeth Lash.
William "Bill" (voiced byDiego Matamoros) andGeneva "Gen" Anaconda (voiced byAllegra Fulton) are the parents of Mark, Derek, Angela and Lulu Anaconda. Though Bill enjoysinventing, none of his inventions have really taken off (save for the Food Rejuvenator 3000, whose potential success hesabotaged in the end out of fear that success would spoil his family). To make ends meet, he works as a salesman sellingceramic dancing pigs and expandable foam in a can. Geneva is a struggling artist who gets by on commissions and teaching positions at the community college. In spite of being busy with their respective jobs and financial situation, both are caring and provide all of their children with love and support.
Created by Joanna Ferrone andSue Rose, the show first started as a small series of shorts onNickelodeon's animated sketch series,KaBlam![9] Toronto, ON-based Decode Entertainment (now known as "WildBrain") and now-defunctC.O.R.E. Toons developedAngela Anaconda into a long-form series in 1999.[10]
A immersive interactive online companion project for Angela Anaconda was developed by producer Dan Fill and the team at Decode Entertainment. Angela Anaconda Online went on to be nominated for a BAFTA[15]
Although the series has not had a completeDVD release, the first 20 episodes were distributed across four volumes in Australia, where the program is broadcast onNickelodeon andABC Kids.[17][18]
In France, anAngela Anaconda channel is available onPluto TV.[19]
Angela Anaconda received high ratings and mixed reviews from critics. Barb Stuewe ofThe Ledger noted that while "the humor doesn't always come off," the show "is sometimes quite funny."[21] Evan Levine of theRome News-Tribune was critical of the show's look and feel, stating that "the series' unique, cut-out style of animation seems trendy for its own sake."[22] Scott Moore ofThe Washington Post calledAngela Anaconda "more imaginative than anything ever seen in art class."[23] Co-creator Sue Rose noted in an interview withThe New York Times that despite having a primarily female cast, the show had become popular with both sexes. She writes, "the most frequent feedback we get is from parents of boys ... they say: 'My boys watch it and they love it. I never thought they would.' These are not just girls' shows, they're kids shows."[24][failed verification]
The Sydney Morning Herald gave it the award for best children's show of 2001, calling it a "cute and sassy animation".[25]
^Crump, William D. (2019).Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 11.ISBN9781476672939.
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