Beached Az

Beached Az
Genre Comedy
Created by Jarod Green, Nick Boshier, Anthony MacFarlane
Voices of Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier, Jarod Green, India Patten, Archie Greig-Lawson, Bravo Child
Theme music composer Jarod Green
Country of origin Australia/New Zealand
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 21
Production
Executive producer(s) The Handsomity Institute
Running time 1-2 mins
Broadcast
Original channel ABC2
Picture format 16:9 576i
Original run 10 September 2009 – 11 August 2010
External links
Website

Beached Az is an animated cartoon series broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It is shown on both ABC1 and ABC2.

Concept

Beached Az follows the struggle of a whale beached on a New Zealand beach to get back into the ocean. During his time on the beach, the whale encounters a variety of sea life who discuss their various problems and ambitions. Each episode uniquely lacks any formal narrative arc, and the series is more a collection of comedic conversations highlighting social differences.

History

Beached Az is a continuation of the characters developed in the short film entitled "Beached Whale" which was created in April 2008. The short film was animated/directed by Jarod Green and written/directed by Anthony MacFarlane and Nick Boshier.[1]

Appearing primarily on YouTube, the film gained widespread popularity in Australia and New Zealand through social media channels. In 2009, the same creators came together to write, direct and animate ten more episodes for ABC Television under the banner of their newly founded company The Handsomity Institute.

Writing for the series took place at Seal Rocks on the NSW coast whilst final recording took place in June at the ABC studios in Ultimo.

On 13 September 2009 the series debuted online one week before broadcast on ABC2. On 3 June 2010, season 2 premiered.

On 4 November 2010 Beached Az was launched into DVD format available nationally.

DVD release

The complete "Beached Az" collection was released nationally on 4 November 2010. The DVD includes all 21 episodes from season one and two of the cartoon plus exclusive never before seen footage from the creators.[2]

The DVD also includes pilot episodes of the 'failed Scottish children's TV show' "Breakfast with Bergerk".

Episodes

Season 1: 2009[3]

# Title Director(s) Writer(s) Original Airdate
1"The Seagull"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierAnthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier10 September 2009
The first of the episodes, originally created as a standalone animation, follows the story of a blue whale that wakes up on a New Zealand beach. After a seagull approaches the whale, they have a conversation about chips, a play on the difference between the Australian and the New Zealand pronunciations of the word "chips", which includes the fact that the whale can't chew. The seagull then wanders off to find a bucket or a hose to help the whale because he is "beached as".
2"The Snail"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier17 September 2009
Awoken by something tickling him, the whale meets an overly excited and constantly amazed snail who is leaving the sea in fear of salt.
3"The Baby Whale"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier24 September 2009
The seagull and the whale are confused when a baby whale intentionally swims ashore to avoid getting his skin wrinkly.
4"The Squid"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier1 October 2009
The seagull finds a bucket for the whale but discovers a squid, who inhabits it and appears extremely relaxed about being bait.
5"The Stingray"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier8 October 2009
The whale tries to convince a really sad (or possibly dead) stingray to talk about his emotions by singing a song with the seagull.
6"The Duck"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier15 October 2009
A duck takes some ducklings for an excursion but ends up in the trap of a fire breathing dragon.
7"The Turtle"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier22 October 2009
The whale comes across a turtle who is in a hurry to bury her eggs before disaster strikes.
8"The Bluebottle"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier29 October 2009
The whale and the seagull think a bluebottle is deaf when it refuses to chat with them.
9"The Starfish"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier5 November 2009
The whale and the seagull mistake a disabled starfish for a tasty snack.
10"The Crab"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier12 November 2009
The whale is amazed by the size of the crab's giant claw, which turns out to be a sensitive topic.
11"The Rope"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier19 November 2009
The characters come up with a plan to get the whale "de-beached".

Season 2: 2010[3]

# Title Director(s) Writer(s) Original Airdate
12"The Koala Bears"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier3 June 2010
The whale meets several koalas. Although koalas are not bears, only they can call themselves bears. They also find the quote "I'm Beached As!" funny.
13"The Pelican"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier10 June 2010
A pelican, who loves drama and painting, meets the whale.
14"The Goats"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier24 June 2010
A pair of misguided goats discuss the medical implications of being "beached az".
15"The Walrus"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier1 July 2010
A thumbless walrus turns to his best mate, a coconut, to finally get the whale off the beach.
16"The Barnacles"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier8 July 2010
A community of seafaring barnacles take drastic action after realising they are not made for life on the beach.
17"The Dragon"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier14 July 2010
The Duck and the Whale try to rebuild the deteriorating relationship of the Crab and his girlfriend
18"The Sea Slug"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier21 July 2010
A nudity-embracing Sea Slug teaches an embarrassed Whale and Sea Snail how to manage their self-consciousness.
19"The Clams"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier28 July 2010
Two blind Clams with an identity crisis (and plenty of rhythm) are spooked by anything that talks to them.
20"The Hermit Crab"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier4 August 2010
A thrifty Hermit Crab discovers a unique home opportunity with amazing ocean views.
21"The Tide"Jarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick BoshierJarod Green, Anthony MacFarlane, Nick Boshier11 August 2010
Is this it? The tide is coming in, but can the Whale be convinced to stay Beached Az by his friends?

References

  1. ↑ Asher, Josephone (22 October 2010). "Beached Az trio make whale of a business out of mocking Kiwis". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Beached Az - The Complete Az Collection". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Beached Az Cartoon Series:". Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 9 November 2014.

External links