Ned's Newt
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Ned's Newt was a cartoon frequently shown on Teletoon in the late '90's.
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[edit] Synopsis
The series begins with Ned finally scraping up enough money to buy a pet. But upon reaching the pet store, the only thing he can actually afford is a newt. Dubbing his new pet Newton (obviously after Issac Newton, a pun which is referenced in a later episode), Ned quickly tired of it, since Newton just lies on the rock in his bowl. Complaining to the pet store owner that his new pet just lies around, the owner gives Ned a can of 'Zippo for Newt', a pet food, but warns Ned not to give his pet too much. Ned feeds Newton a little, but Newton does nothing. Ned leaves the can beside Newton's bowl and goes to bed.
That night, Newton crawls from his bowl and gulps down several mouthfuls of Zippo. Thus, the 'too much' warning comes true: Newton grows 6 feet tall, can talk (voiced by Harland Williams), and has the amazing power to shapeshift. After Ned realizes this, he and Newton become the best of friends, but sadly, the effects of Zippo don't last forever. In fact, Newton often gets Ned into trouble, at which point the Zippo runs out and Newton shifts back to his smaller form, leaving Ned alone to bear the wrath of his elders.
The show dictates the misadventures of the two as Ned lives an everyday life- or at least, as everyday a life as he can with a 6-foot talking newt as his best friend. Ned frequently deals with his crush on his neighbor, Linda Bliss (who, to Ned, is so beautiful, any attempt to talk with her nearby results in gibberish <<quote>> habba-da-habba-da-habba-da ), his rivalry with snobbish Rusty McCay (who also likes Linda, and is talented in almost everything he does), and his general life.
[edit] Plot and themes
The show also makes a habit of creating outrageous plots out of mundane tasks and settings. For example, after a joyful weekend of playing, Ned exclaims he can't wait for the next one. Newton then comes up with the idea that, rather than wait for next weekend, they can build a time machine and travel back to Friday, and relive the weekend over. After they build the time machine out of a bunch of household objects (including a blender for a power generator), they accidentally travel back to the age of the dinosaurs, and in a classic example of humorous time travel, end up changing the future in a wide variety of ways. In another episode, the company that makes Zippo changes the food formula. This somehow not only causes Newton to transform, but to loose control of his powers.
Newton is almost always with Ned, using his powers to help Ned any way he can. Ned takes Newton with him everywhere (even to school on occasion), and has a clump of Zippo food in his shirt pocket, just in case he needs Newton. Newton's powers almost invariably make things worse, mostly due to the fact he has a poor understanding of society. Thus, when Ned explains to him that Newton has made a terrible mistake (such as giving 3 million dollars to some passersby for safekeeping is not a good idea), Netwon and Ned must work together to put things right. And although they usually succeed (although not always) in doing so, Newton invariably changes back to newt form just in time to avoid being seen, and Ned must face the consequences of Newton's actions alone. But, as is the way of the hero, things (often by chance) work out for the better, and Ned comes out on top.
A classic example of this involves Ned on a field trip. When he is given a sheet of questions to answer, and is told to have them all done by 3 o'clock, Newton transforms, and proceeds to tell Ned all he knows (which isn't actually much). But when 3 o'clock rolls around, he admits that he made everything up. When Ned tells Newton he needs the correct answers, Newton shifts back before he can help. At this point, Rusty walks by and snatches Ned's paper, giving him his own. Rusty tells Ned that he just copied his answers off the exhibits, but Ned, as a teacher's pet, has much better answers.
[edit] Episode List
- Mars Dilemma
- One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- Newton Falls in Love
- Can't See The Forest For The Tree Fort
- Broken Record
- Help Me, I'm Bald
- Home Alone With Frank
- New Improved Zippo
- Live and Let Dad
- Citizen Ned
- Climb Every Newton
- Voyage to The Bottom of The Dump
- Nightmare on Friendly Street
- Out With The Old, in With The Newt
- Regattadamerang
- The Tooth is Out There
- Summer Gone, Summer Not
- 312 Angry Women
- Rear Bus Window
- Jurassic Joyride
- Fantastic Neddage
- Nedding Bells Are Ringing
- Cyranewt De Bergerac
- Summer Rental
- Never Never Ned
- Xylophone Camp
- Carnival Knowledge
- Diary of a Nedman
- One Flu Over The Cuckoos' Nest
- Newt York, Newt York
- The Boy Who Newt Too Much
- If The Shoe Give You Fits
- Norman's Newt
- Abode to Ruin
- Take Your Picnic
- Back to The Futile
- Draw Your Own Concussion
- Lights, Camera, Newton
- Weekend at Bernice
- Frankenvine
- Take A Hike
- Love is a Many Salamandered Thing
- Toys Will Be Toys
- Sealed with a Newt
- Ned and Edna, and Ed 'n' Aden
- What Rock Through Yonder Window Breaks
- A Snitch in Time
- Happy Blood Alter Ring to You
- The Man Who Would be Flemking
- The Most Grating Show on Earth
- To Have and Have Newt
- What Big Rewrite Notes You Have
- The Lucky Penny
- Planes, Trains, and Newtmobiles
- Newton's Day Out
- Saving Lummox
- Show Me the Money
- Mall Good Things Come to an End
- Ned's Army
- Saturday Night Fervour
- Educating Reeger
- Remote Possibility
- Newt's Ned
- All's Well That Hens Well
- Et Tu, Newte?
- New Year's Ned
- When in Drought
- Tis Follicle to be Wise
- Trouble Indemnity
- Crop in the Name of Love
- Go Nest Young Man
- The Show Must Go Off
- Ned and Edna, and Ed 'n Aden
- A Mother Day, A Mother Dollar
- Lummox of the Baskervilles
- Nedapalooza
- Last Fraction Hero Go Fetch
- The Friendly Triangle
- Motley Cruise
[edit] Credits
[edit] Season 1
- Created by Michael Burgess.
- Executive Producers: Clive A. Smith, Patrick Loubert, Michael Hirsch, Andy Knight, Andrew Nicholls, Darrell Vickers, Peter Volkle
- Produced by: Vince Commisso
- Directed by: Rick Marshall
- Line Producers: Hasmi Giakoumis, Randi Yaffa
- Coordinating Producer: Jocelyn Hamilton
- Supervising Producers: Stephen Hodgins, Patricia R. Burns
- Assistant Directors: Steve Whitehouse, Paul Riley
- Associate Producer: Neil Court
- Production Manager: Ruta Cube
- Production Supervisor: Steve Chadwick
- Story Editors: Hugh Duffy, Peter Sauder, John Pellatt, Alan Daniels
- Unit Manager: Kokila Jeffrey
- Unit Director: Jacqueline Whitworth
- Voice Director: Ron Rubin
- Casting: Karen Goora
- Coordinators: Michael A. Dalton (production), Alan Parker (storyboard), Jordan Oliwa (design), Shelley Morrow (layout), Erik Strobel (script)
- Designers: Peter Giliberti, Todd Kauffman, Christopher D. Williams, Leif Norheim, Scott Bennett, Blayne Burnside, Joe Gosselin, Pedram Goshtasbpour
- Key Animators: Robert Walton, Pat Rowsome, Trevor Davies, Gavin Boyle, Gary Paul Terry, Milton Knight, Jordan Reichek, Gerry Fournier, David Boudreau, Carey Yost, Jan Tillcock, Fred Crippen, Arron Crippen, Stephen Lee
- Posers: Lynn Reist, Michael Higgins, Evan Purcell
- Design Supervisor: Steve Daye
- Color Stylist: Jo-Anne Merrill
- Storyboard Artists: Frank Lintzen, John Flagg, Andrew Tan, Vince Natali, Bob Smith, Neil Hunter, Drew Edwards, Art Mawhinney, John Yee, Andrea Robbins, Len Glasser, Vincent Waller
- Storyboard Cleanup Supervisor: Dave Quensnelle
- Paint Supervisor: Mary Bertoia
- Background Artist: Ryan Lewis
- Layout Artists: Paul Bouchard, Gord McBride, Greg Brown, Rebecca Dart, Eric Henze, Frank Ramierz, Kevin Klis, Niall Johnston, Alan Knappett, Brad Graham, Dennis Gonzales, Scott Glynn
- Layout Supervisor: Lyndon Ruddy
- Timing Directors: Greg Gibbons, Mike Doherty, Ron Migliore, Charles E. Bastien, Laurent S. Copeland, Sandra C. Yeaman, Romeo Lopez, Michael Kaweski, Tony Tarantini
- Color Models: Louis Scarborough, Kellie Jobson, Chris Wallace, Sebastian Grunstra
- Production Designers: Mark Thornton, Butch Hartman, Patrick Moran, Dennis Chasse
- Production Asssistant: Stephen Lategan
- Video Technician: James Jacobs
- Music by: Jack Procher, Daniel Fernandez
- Supervising Sound Editor: Steve Cole
- Picture Editors: Richard Bond, Karen Saunders
- Supervising Pre-Production Editor: Darrell MacDonald
- Supervising Breakdown Editor: Rick Dubiel
- Technicians: Mike Reid, Brad Zoern
- Additional Production Facilities: Wang Film Production Co. Ltd, The Filmhouse Group, Hanho Heung Up Co. Ltd
- Negative Cutting Services: Catherine Rankin Productions
- Laboratories: Medallion Pea Film & Video, Calibre Digital Pictures, H.R.H. Animation Network Club
