House of Anubis

House of Anubis is a jointly American/British/Belgian produced teen drama mystery television series based on the Belgian/Dutch television series Het Huis Anubis. The series was created by Hans Bourlon and Gert Verhulst and premiered on Nickelodeon on New Year's Day 2011 in the United States and on 25 February 2011 in the United Kingdom. The series is the first Nickelodeon series to be filmed overseas, the first soap opera created by Nickelodeon and the channel's first soap opera aimed at children and teenagers (sixth in Latin America).

The series follows a group of nine teenagers who live together in Anubis House (named after the Egyptian god Anubis), an early 20th century-era building that serves as a boarding house for an elite boarding school in the United Kingdom. Nina Martin (Nathalia Ramos), an American girl who had been living with her grandmother since the death of her parents, leaves the States to attend and move into the school; at the same time, another resident, popular student Joy Mercer (Klariza Clayton), suddenly disappears without warning and the school's strict caretaker, Victor Rodenmaar (Francis Magee), attempts to eliminate Joy's existence from the school.

Plot

Patricia Williamson (Jade Ramsey), Joy's (Klariza Clayton) best friend, is dismayed to discover Joy has left without a trace and accuses Nina Martin (Nathalia Ramos) of being involved with Joy's disappearance. Nina, Patricia's new roommate, takes Joy's place in the same dorm room that Joy stayed in with Patricia. Nina later meets a senior citizen named Sarah Frobisher-Smythe (Rita Davies), who had lived in the house several years earlier. Sarah's parents were archaeologists in Egypt who mysteriously died. Out of frustration and spite for Nina, Patricia forces Nina to spend a night in the attic of the house as a sort of initiation. She is scared at first, but realizes that she somehow has a connection to the house. A necklace, shaped as the Eye of Horus, was given to Nina by Sarah. The locket seems to have a connection to the house as well and it opens secret doors and such as if by magic. Coupled with this and her new-found sense of intuition, Nina makes numerous more trips to the attic.

Nina later discovers wax cylinders hidden in the attic revealing that the house has a secret history and holds a mystery that is unknown to anyone. She decides to investigate it, alongside her new friend Fabian Rutter (Brad Kavanagh) and new roommate Amber Millington (Ana Mulvoy Ten). They form a secret group called "Sibuna", or Anubis backwards. The group eventually expands to include Patricia Williamson (Jade Ramsey), who makes peace with Nina once they find out that the mystery of Joy's disappearance and the mystery of the house are somehow connected, and Alfie Lewis (Alex Sawyer), a prankster in the beginning of the series. The five teens team together to search for the treasure that is hidden within Anubis House and uncover the mystery behind the school as well as the disappearance of Joy. Soon, out of spite for and frustration from numerous sources, Jerome (Eugene Simon), Alfie's close friend and fellow prankster, falls out with Sibuna and joins the enemy, Rufus Zeno, who wants to use the house's treasure for evil purposes. Jerome eventually joins Sibuna after double-crossing Rufus, and he helps lure Rufus into a trap. Mara Jaffray (Tasie Dhanraj) and Mick Campbell (Bobby Lockwood), who have begun a relationship, deal with the everyday lives of a teenager while they have no knowledge of the mystery or Sibuna all throughout the first season.

Cast and characters

Main characters

• Nathalia Ramos as Nina Martin, The Novice  – Nina is the primary protagonist of the series. Nina's parents died during a car accident when she was very young and is raised by her grandmother with whom she is still close. She is an American teenager who enrolls at the boarding school and is assigned to board at Anubis House. As leader of Sibuna, she promises that she has nothing to do with Joy's disappearance, but not everyone in the house believes her, including Patricia Williamson. Eventually though, even Patricia, the harshest to Nina when she first enrolls, agrees to help Nina, and Patricia joins Sibuna once she realizes that the mystery of Joy's disappearance and the house's mystery are interrelated. In Sibuna, she is involved in all of the clues and puzzles. She has feelings for Fabian though she does not admit this until the very end. Fabian thinks she might be the actual Chosen One instead of Joy, who Victor thought was the Chosen One, due to her being the only one able to use Sarah's necklace, her almost always correct intuitions, and the "messages" she gets from the house. Nina, however, is upset by this idea and asks Fabian to not say that again. In the finale, Nina is confirmed to be the Chosen One as Joy could not figure out how to re-assemble the Cup of Ankh. She has exactly the same birthday as Joy, only she was born on 7 July at 7:00 A.M. meaning she was born on the true seventh hour, while Joy was born at 7:00 P.M. For some reason, Sarah Frobisher Smythe, or "Emily" as some people call her, knows Nina's name without Nina mentioning it to her; this might be due to the fact that Sarah identifies Nina as the Chosen One almost as soon as she met the latter. In the Sibuna Fire of Sacrifice, she throws in her lucky mascot. She is one of the seven acolytes that would have been sacrificed in order for the Society of Ankh to gain immortality. At the end of the finale, Nina is revealed to be the Chosen One, descended from the bloodline of Amneris. She successfully reassembles the Cup of Ankh. She and Fabian share their first kiss at a prom that Mara and Amber organize for the end of term; Nina and Fabian are chosen Prom Queen and King by Amber. She is based on Nienke Martens, altough she also seems to have some elements from Noa van Rijn like being descended from the bloodline of Amneris, from Het Huis Anubis.
• Brad Kavanagh as Fabian Rutter, Geek Chic  – Fabian is a secondary protagonist of the series. He is one of the eight students of the House of Anubis. He is the shy one of the group and believes in doing the right thing. Fabian was the only one to trust Nina from the beginning, and also became her closest friend. If anyone could solve the mystery of House of Anubis, it might just be Fabian. In the Sibuna Fire of Sacrifice (which is the official ceremony to being added into the Sibuna club) he throws in his autographed copy of "The Solar System Is Your friend", something that is very hard for him. After forming Sibuna, he quickly became a leader in the club and was involved, along with Nina, in solving almost all of the clues and puzzles. He is the first to guess that Nina is the actual "Chosen One" and not Joy. It is implied that Joy Mercer has feelings for him and he was close with her; however, it is shown that he is interested in Nina by the end of the season. However, he is so shy that rather than ask her to prom in front of everyone he asks Patricia who she is going with, thus starting the rumor that he likes her. (He asks Nina to prom later in the season finale.) He is one of the seven acolytes that would have been sacrificed in order for the Society of Ankh to gain immortality. At the end of the season finale, he and Nina kiss after being chosen prom king and queen by Amber. He is based on Fabian Ruitenburg from Het Huis Anubis.
• Jade Ramsey as Patricia Williamson, Goth Pixie  – Paticia is one of the eight students living in Anubis House. It is revealed early on in the series that Joy and her are extremely close; therefore, she is understandably beyond distraught when she discovers Joy's disappearance. In the beginning of the series, she does not trust Nina and is extremely harsh towards her because she thinks that Nina is involved with Joy's disappearance, even though Nina repeatedly says that she is not. Patricia is extremely determined to find out the truth about what happened to Joy, and nothing stops her in her path to achieve her goal. After becoming roommates with Mara, the two become close friends and tried to solve the mystery of Joy's disappearance. Eventually though, she realizes that the mystery of Joy's disappearance and the house's mystery are interconnected and she joins Sibuna (leaving Mara behind) in order to solve both mysteries; after joining Sibuna, she and Nina become close friends. Once she joins, Patricia proves to be an overwhelming asset to Sibuna through facilitating in solving several clues and mysteries. However, when Nina hears an untrue rumor that Fabian likes Patrica, Nina becomes a little jealous. Patricia is one of the seven acolytes that would have died in order for the Society of Ankh to become immortal. She is based on Patricia Soeters from Het Huis Anubis.
• Ana Mulvoy Ten as Amber Millington, The Dumb Blonde  – Amber is the third protagonist of the series. She is one of the eight students of Anubis House. Watch out roomies, the "dumb blonde" may be the one who can solve it all. She created Sibuna, named it, and organized the sacrifice ritual to fully initiate rituals. Though she is the "dumb blonde" of the series, it is revealed that when she actually tries and thinks, she is quite intelligent, as seen by her "research" in Mr. Sweet's science classes. At the beginning of the series, she and Mick are in a relationship. However, this eventually dissolves after she becomes jealous of the amount of time that Mick spends with Mara studying. Eventually, her jealousy boils over to the point where she physically attacks Mara and exchanges rooms with Patricia - Mara became Patricia's roommate and Nina hers. After becoming roommates, Amber and Nina develop a close bond and they become involved in the mystery. While all this is happening, she remains jealous of Mick and Mara's relationship until around three-quarters of the way into the first season. In the end, she discovers that Mick and her are truly not meant to be together and she begins becoming close to Alfie, especially since he is now a member of Sibuna. In the Sibuna Fire of Sacrifice, she throws in a picture of herself. Amber is very ditsy, but can be clever when she wants to. She is one of the seven acolytes that would have died in order for the Society of Ankh to become immortal. In the finale, she and Alfie go to the prom together. She is based on Amber Rosenbergh from Het Huis Anubis.
• Bobby Lockwood as Mick Campbell, The Athlete  – Mick is one of the eight students of the House of Anubis. It is revealed that his father is extremely authoritative and wishes his son to become a doctor like him; however, Mick is not all that great at science because his true strength lies in athletics. Mara eventually convinces Mick's dad to allow him to pursue his dreams - athletics. Amber and he are in a relationship at the beginning of the series; however, this relationship ends when the two have issues finding things in common. Mick and Mara then begin a relationship after Mara helps him with his training and homework assignments. Mick and Mara break-up because Mick cheated in the school election by telling Robby to let Mara win. Amber's jealousy almost ruins their new relationship; however, Amber eventually finds feelings for Alfie so Mara's and Mick's relationship survives for the most part. Mick is extremely athletic, and not very intelligent, but likable and attractive all the same. Him and Mara get back together right before the prom. Throughout the first season, he is completely oblivious to the mystery of the house and of Joy's disappearance. He is based on Mick Zeelenberg from Het Huis Anubis.
• Tasie Dhanraj as Mara Jaffray, Biology Babe  – Mara is one of the eight students of the House of Anubis. Mara is intelligent, beautiful, sensible, predictable, and determined. It is revealed early on that she likes Mick. When she asks Patricia advice about Mick, the former tells her that the two have as little in common as did Mick and Amber; however, Mara becomes angry at Patricia, her closest friend in the house at the time, and ignores her. She and Amber have a slight rivalry since they both have history with Mick, which escalates into a real feud when they run for class representative (which Mara wins). But soon enough, Amber is over it and she's ready to move on. After the elections are over, it is implied that Amber and Mara have smoothed over their difference because they seem to be on the path to becoming friends again; this might have been facilitated by the fact that Amber seems to be developing feelings for Alfie. Despite her relationship with Mick, it is revealed that she has another admirer in Anubis House - Jerome; about halfway through the first season, Jerome asks her out but she turns him down due to not having solved "the whole Mick equation." Throughout the first season, she and Mick have no idea whatsoever about the mystery of Joy's disappearance and the house's mystery. She is based on Mara Sabri from Het Huis Anubis.
• Eugene Simon as Jerome Clarke, The Prankster  – Jerome is one of the eight students of the House of Anubis. Jerome likes to stir up trouble and is always up to something. He is best friends with Alfie, and they are constantly coming up with schemes to cause trouble grief to others for their amusement. It is revealed that his parents have left him at boarding school since he was five years old; that fact facilitated his becoming extremely dark, mysterious, and a prankster. It is revealed that he has strong feelings for Mara; however, he never directly tries to break her and Mick up. When things do not go his way (such as Alfie abandoning him for Sibuna and Mara turning him down to a date), Jerome starts to work for Rufus (not knowing that Rufus is an "enemy"); he gets himself into a little more than he bargained for when he does, though. Near the end of the series, the real reason he joined up with Rufus is revealed when he asks to join the Sibuna club - he only wanted to be accepted and he was sad that even Alfie had abandoned him. Jerome and Mara became friends after Mara found Jerome's weak spot about his parents which even Alfie did not know about. Jerome falls for Mara who rather blindly falls for Mick and does not see how much Jerome really likes her. He joins Sibuna in House of Hush and, just like Patricia, he proves himself to be an overwhelming asset to the club eventually leading Rufus into a trap. He is one of the seven acolytes that would have died in order for the Society of Ankh to become immortal. He is based on Jeroen Cornelissen from Het Huis Anubis.
• Alex Sawyer as Alfred "Alfie" Lewis, The Joker  – Alfie is one of the eight students boarding at Anubis House. Alfie is a good guy and really into adventure. He has a crush on Amber, and they seem to be in a relationship at the very end of the first season. Eventually, Alfie becomes a member of Sibuna when he finds a puzzle piece that Fabian misplaces. Once he joins Sibuna, Alfie abandons Jerome. Alfie has seen "things" in the cellar that nobody else in Sibuna has. In the Sibuna Fire of Sacrifice, he throws in his favorite Jester hat. He is one of the seven acolytes that would have died in order for the Society of Ankh to become immortal. In the finale, he and Amber go to the prom together. After Rufus drinks the elixir, Alfie almost dies but does not after everyone realized Fabian threw away the real elixir. He is based on Appie Tayibi from Het Huis Anubis.
• Klariza Clayton as Joy Mercer, The Missing One  – In the beginning of the series, Joy was kidnapped under mysterious circumstances. It is later revealed that Victor thought her to be the "Chosen One" who could put the Cup of Ankh together, and that is why he kidnapped her. Joy has the same exact birthday as Nina, except she was born on 7 July at 7:00 P.M. while Nina was born 7 July at 7:00 A.M; since she was not born on the true seventh hour of the day, 7:00 A.M., it is proven that she is not the actual "Chosen One". It is revealed that she likes Fabian and this might lead to a classic love triangle situation later in the series. She is one of the seven acolytes that would have died in order for the society of Ankh to become immortal. She is based on Joyce van Bodegraven from Het Huis Anubis.

Episodes

Production and development

Production began in August 2009, but in March 2010 Studio 100 announced that the series was sold to Nickelodeon in the United States.^[6] The series was filmed in the summer of 2010 in Liverpool and was first broadcast in the United States on 1 January 2011.^[7]

The series is the first original series produced for the flagship U.S. Nickelodeon channel to be produced outside of North America, and is Nickelodeon's first original drama series since the 2000-2002 series Caitlin's Way. The series is structured in a different manner from other live-action television series in that each episode consists of two eleven-minute segments, a format commonly used in half-hour animated series (although the events of each subsequent segment pick up from the events of the previous segment); and the series' episodes are formatted to be broadcast in the five-day-a-week format that is typically common with soap operas.^[8]

On 10 March 2011, Nickelodeon confirmed that they will make a new season of House of Anubis at its annual Upfront presentation to advertisers and media.^[9] On 29 June, Entertainment Weekly reported that Nickelodeon had confirmed a second season of House of Anubis and that production would begin on 21 July 2011. A total of 45 half-hour episodes (90, 15-minute episodes) were to be made to air in 2012. All cast members were confirmed to be returning via their respective twitters.

Reception

Critical Reception

The series received mainly mixed reviews with Youth Television News review commended Nickeldoeon's attempt at a drama series, saying "a good story always outdoes a repetitive sitcom."^[10]

Audience Reception

The hour-long series premiere on 1 January 2011 was watched by an average of 2.9 million viewers for the first two episodes in the series. The series scored a 4.0 share (846,000 viewers) among teens 11-17, a 4.4 share (952,000 viewers) among kids 11-15 and a 3.5 share (1.2 million) among kids 11-18, ranking #1 amongst all broadcast and basic cable programs in its timeslot in all pre-teen and teen demographics.^[11]

International distribution

The series is the international version of the Dutch series Het Huis Anubis, made by Studio 100 and thus will be broadcast on the international channels of Nickelodeon around the world.

The show has premiered in the following nations/regions:

Awards and Nominations

References

External links

• Official website
• House of Anubis at the Internet Movie Database
• House of Anubis at TV.com