Foxbusters
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The Foxbusters was a British animation very loosely based on the Dick King Smith book The Fox Busters. It was made by Cosgrove Hall and consisted of two series of thirteen 11 minute episodes each, made between 1999 and 2000. The show was co-written by the animation partnership of David Freedman and Alan Gilbey, and directed by Jon Doyle.
The show is primarily set on Foxearth Farm, a fictional farm based in the English countryside which is dominated by a variety of animals, particularly the chickens. The main characters of the show were three chickens who have the unlikely ability to fly, Ransome, Sims and Jeffries. Each of the Foxbusters had a different personality, Ransome who was the best flyer, Sims the smartest and Jeffries as the comic relief. The Foxbusters have the ability to spit grit like machine guns, and drop hard-boiled eggs like they were bombs - and these are used to effect among other methods to keep the hungry pack of foxes in Foxearth Forest at bay.
The arguments and conversations between the chickens makes an effective comedy. The foxes' attempts to get the better of the chickens are often unsuccessful, but they add a lot of humour to the show just as much as the chickens do.
The show itself is laden with gags and action, to such quality which led to it receiving two major awards in 2000. One was a BAFTA for 'Best Animated Series' and the other was from the British Animation Awards for 'Best Children's Series'.
Despite its apparent success, the show didn't enjoy the same level of success as some of its competitors and ended in 2000 after just two series. In 2003 the first series was released in the UK on DVD. Oddly enough, the second series has currently not been released yet. If it eventually does get a release, whenever this will happen is anybody's guess. However, The Foxbusters still holds a small following.
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[edit] List of main characters
- Ransome - The best flyer of the Foxbusters, Ransome is cocky and arrogant (not to mention has the biggest fanbase on the farmyard)and is often seen arguing with her sister Sims. Voiced by Whoopi Goldberg.
- Sims - The oldest, thinnest and smartest of the three sisters, Sims organises the ways the Foxbusters co-ordinate their defences on the farmyard against the foxes. Voiced by Joanna Lumley.
- Jeffries - While not the best flyer and not the smartest chicken, Jeffries makes her mark in the Foxbusters as the comedian of the trio. She is more sympathetic with the foxes than her sisters are, but still defends the farm as effectively as the others. Voiced by Jane Horrocks.
- King Voracious - The leader of the foxes, Voracious is a large, cunning and charismatic fox who is a charming but somewhat unstable character. He sometimes appears to lose authority in the pack of foxes, but at the same time still leads them into constantly (and unsuccessfully) trying to get the better of the chickens. Voiced by Jimmy Hibbert.
- Attila - A young but ragged fox, who only has one eye (how he lost his eye is never explained), Attila is devious and cunning, but is also rather volatile, especially whenever his plans go wrong (as they often do).
- Evita - A young vixen who is Attila's sister and is frequently seen with him. She is likely to be the most sinister of all the main fox characters.
- Todd - Often seen with Attila and Evita, Todd is nothing like most of the other foxes. He isn't very smart and is often accident prone. He also doesn't seem to understand why the other foxes are trying to capture the chickens, but often is seen helping out in the foxes' plans, and often is the undoing of them.
- Rotter - A devious otter who is a recurring character in some of the episodes. Rotter believes he is a master egg thief, who has often plotted in turning the foxes and chickens against each other for his own benefit, but is often found out before he can fulfil his plans. He also has a romantic interest in a female otter, named Carlotta, who occasionally has even outsmarted him.
- Farmer Farmer - The constantly cheerful owner of Foxearth Farm, Farmer Farmer is totally oblivious to the fox problem in the nearby forest and the fact that three of his chickens can fly. He spends most of his time with his dog lazing about and eating picnics in the nearby fields, but is occasionally seen doing farmwork.
[edit] Complete list of episodes in Series 1
- Hen Night
- Where Ego's Dare
- Winging It
- Icky's Sticky Situation
- A Fete Worse Than Death
- Follow My Leader
- The Ring Cycle
- The Trojan Chicken
- Going Underground
- See The Dog, See The Dog Run
- The Long Walk Home
- Three Hens And A Baby
- Passing The Buck
[edit] Partial list of episodes in Series 2
- Ackluckalypse Now
- Big Trouble
- The Not So Great Escape
- Love Bites
- Peace
