Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero
| Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Comedy Adventure |
| Created by |
Jared Bush Sam Levine |
| Voices of |
Thomas Middleditch Adam DeVine Tania Gunadi Alfred Molina Larry Wilmore |
| Composer(s) | Ryan Shore |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time |
22 minutes (whole) 11 minutes (separate) |
| Production company(s) | Disney Television Animation |
| Distributor | Disney-ABC Domestic Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Disney XD |
| Original run | December 5, 2014 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero is an American animated series produced by Disney Television Animation for Disney XD. The series debuted on December 5, 2014 as a preview,[1] followed by the official premiere on February 13, 2015.[2] The series was ordered on October 16, 2013 for a scheduled fall 2014 premiere.[3]
The series' co-creator, Jared Bush, also wrote the upcoming Disney animated film Zootopia, which he is also co-directing.[4]
On April 22, 2015, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season.[5]
Plot
The series follows the adventures of Penn Zero, who unexpectedly inherits the job of his parents: being a Part-Time Hero, who must zap into various dimensions to take on the role of the hero in that world and save the day in their place. With the help of his friends, Boone, the Part-Time Wiseman, and Sashi, the Part-Time Sidekick, he must save the worlds from Rippen, a Part-Time Villain and Penn's art teacher, and his Part-Time Minion and principal of Penn's school, Larry.
Cast and characters
Main Characters
- Penn Zero (voiced by Thomas Middleditch): The main protagonist, a part-time hero and the son of two full-time heroes. Penn lives with his Aunt Rose and Uncle Chuck due to his parents being trapped in a dangerous dimension, and goes on part-time hero missions with his best friends Sashi and Boone. While Penn is the recognized leader of the group, he often asks advice from his parents by communicating with them through a device called a MUHU (Multi-Universe Hologram Uplink), and finds himself needing counsel from his friends as well.
- Boone Wiseman (voiced by Adam DeVine): Penn Zero's friend, and a part-time wise man. Boone often bewilders his friends with his unconventional methods and thought processes, and at times Penn finds him frustrating. While he is not the brightest, however, Boone's unorthodox style has proven effective in helping his friends complete missions. Boone was at one point a victim of severe aquaphobia, but later overcame it while visiting an ocean world. His parents, like Penn's, were part-time heroes.
- Sashi Kobayashi (voiced by Tania Gunadi): Penn Zero's friend, and a part-time sidekick. Sashi is the only girl on Penn's team, but despite that is fairly tomboyish and aggressive, with a violent attitude. The forms Sashi takes often provoke teasing from her teammates, but it doesn't stop her from proving how tough she is. Sashi is often a voice of reason and understanding despite her demeanor. Sashi wears glasses that the gang refer to as "the Specs," which can project holographic displays that inform the trio about their missions. Sashi's parents are unaware of her job as part-time sidekick to help save worlds. Instead, they think that she works at the local "Fish Stick on a Stick" restaurant-ironically, this is actually the headquarters of the part-time villains.
Villains
- Rippen (voiced by Alfred Molina): The main antagonist, and a part-time villain. Rippen is convinced of his own genius, but often finds himself dealing with the stupidity of his minion Larry. Rippen hates Penn and his friends and is fully aware who they really are, but is constantly thwarted by them in other worlds. Rippen's normal appearance includes pale skin and black hair. When not being a part-time villain, Rippen is the art teacher at Penn's high school. His great aspiration is to become a full-time villain, which requires that he successfully accomplish an evil scheme without being thwarted by Penn's team. In "Cereal Criminals" he claims to have a sister who was favored by their parents, which motivated him to become a villain; however, it is unknown if he was telling the truth as he "revealed" this during a monologue intended to delay Penn's team and prevent them from stopping another villain.
- Principal Larry (voiced by Larry Wilmore): Rippen's part-time minion, a glasses-wearing man who seems more idiotic, friendly and nice than evil, and who usually does more to annoy Rippen than to fight Penn and his teammates. He has the tendency to monologue, much to Rippen's chagrin, and his discussions often reinforce the fact that he's somewhat out of touch with reality. His only villainous virtue is that he is blindly loyal to Rippen, to the point that Rippen is willing at times to forgive his incompetence. Larry's glasses can project holographic displays with info on their missions, similar to Sashi's. When not being a part-time minion, Larry is the principal of Penn's high school.
- Phil (voiced by Sam Levine): Rippen and Larry's assistant who operates their portal in the Fish Stick on a Stick restaurant. He rarely speaks. Like Penn's portal operator Phyllis, he usually seems to be in a sour mood.
Other Characters
- Phyllis (voiced by Sam Levine): A grouchy, often irritable Slavic woman who maintains the Multi Universe Transprojector (MUT) used by Penn and his team to travel to other worlds and fight evil. The MUT is located in an abandoned movie theater called The Odyssey, which is right next door to the part-time villains' base in Fish Stick on a Stick.
- Vonnie Zero (voiced by Lea Thompson): Penn's mother, a full-time hero who is trapped in the "Most Dangerous World Imaginable", with her husband Brock. She loves her son dearly, and understands that he misses them. However, her loving motherly side is coupled with a warrior's aggression not unlike Sashi's, and she is quite capable of handling herself in a fight despite being an ordinary human.
- Brock Zero (voiced by Gary Cole): Penn's father, a full-time hero who is trapped in the "Most Dangerous World Imaginable" with his wife Vonnie. Brock is part fearless fighter, part loving father, with a tendency to bring up embarrassing things during holographic chats with his son and Penn's friends.
- Aunt Rose (voiced by Rosie Perez): Penn's aunt whom he is staying with while his parents are away. Aunt Rose appears to have little in common with her relatives, and Penn struggles somewhat with living under the same roof with her and her husband Chuck.
- Uncle Chuck (voiced by Lenny Venito): Penn's uncle, a balding man who-along with his wife Rose-is apparently uninvolved in the family hero business. The pair of them find other pursuits-such as dressing their pet chinchilla in sweaters and business suits-far more entertaining.
- Mr. and Mrs. Kobayashi (voiced by George Takei and Lauren Tom): Sashi's parents, who unlike Boone and Penn's parents were never Part-Time Heroes. They believe that Sashi works at "Fish Stick on a Stick."
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date[6] | U.S. viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "North Pole Down" | Adam Henry & Tom De Rosier | Story: Jared Bush & Sam Levine Teleplay: Jeff Poliquin | December 5, 2014 | N/A |
|
Penn doesn't want to celebrate Christmas because his parents won't be there. However, he is sent to the North Pole and has to be Santa Claus to save Christmas. Guest star: Henry Winkler as The Snowman | |||||
| 2a | "Chicken or Fish?" | Chuckles Austen | Jared Bush & Sam Levine | February 13, 2015 | 2.31[7] |
| Penn, Boone, and Sashi are zapped into an underwater world to save a society of fish people, but their mission gets complicated when Penn finds out that Boone is afraid of water. | |||||
| 2b | "The Old Old West" | Adam Henry | Jared Bush & Sam Levine | February 13, 2015 | 2.31[7] |
|
When Penn and his team are zapped into an old west cowboy world where the cowboys ride dinosaurs, the town sheriff joins them on their mission to prove he still has what it takes. Guest star: Beau Bridges as Sheriff Scaley Briggs | |||||
| 3a | "Babypocalypse" | Tom De Rosier | Kenny Byerly | February 14, 2015 | N/A |
|
Penn, Boone, and Sashi are zapped into a world of living stuffed animals to save the town's mayor from giant babies. Guest star: Diana Rigg as Mayor Pink Panda | |||||
| 3b | "That Purple Girl" | Chuckles Austen | Julia Miranda | February 14, 2015 | N/A |
|
Penn and Boone's friendship is put to the test when they both fall for a beautiful alien princess that they must escort though the jungle back to her tribe. Guest star: Elizabeth Henstridge as Princess | |||||
| 4a | "I'm Super" | Adam Henry | Jase Ricci | February 15, 2015 | 0.53[8] |
|
When Penn, Boone, and Sashi are zapped into a world where everyone has superpowers, Penn learns that you don't have to have superpowers to be a hero. Guest star: Adam West as Captain Super Captain | |||||
| 4b | "The Fast and the Floor Rugs" | Tom De Rosier | Jared Bush & Sam Levine | February 15, 2015 | 0.53[8] |
| After Penn and his team are zapped into a desert world filled with flying carpets, Penn begins to question Boone's abilities as the team's part time wise man. | |||||
| 5a | "Brainzburgerz" | Chuckles Austen | Story: Jared Bush & Sam Levine Teleplay: Jase Ricci | February 16, 2015 | 0.69[9] |
|
Exhausted from recent missions, Penn is relieved when he is zapped into a seemingly ordinary job as a food court employee, but it turns out that Penn and his team are in an alternate world where a zombie apocalypse is taking place. Guest star: Michael-Leon Wooley as General | |||||
| 5b | "Chuckle City" | Adam Henry | Story: Jared Bush & Sam Levine Teleplay: Kenny Byerly | February 16, 2015 | 0.69[9] |
|
When Penn, Boone, and Sashi are zapped into a clown world as clown cops, Sashi must tap into her silly side to save the mission. Guest star: Garry Marshall as Soda Jerk | |||||
| 6a | "Flurgle Burgle" | Tom De Rosier | Story: Jared Bush & Sam Levine Teleplay: Kenny Byerly | February 23, 2015 | 0.69[10] |
|
Penn becomes concerned that Sashi takes her role as sidekick too seriously, meanwhile he and his team are zapped into a new world as spaceship heroes to save a starship from destruction, but the mission is complicated when Sashi accidentally turns Penn into a weird space animal. Guest stars: George Takei as Sashi's Dad, Lauren Tom as Sashi's Mom | |||||
| 6b | "Temple of the Porcelain God" | Chuckles Austen | Kenny Byerly | February 23, 2015 | 0.69[10] |
| Phyllis has Penn and his team watch a play-back of their just-completed mission in which they were explorers in a race against time to return an idol to a temple while being chased by Rippen and a giant man-eating toilet. | |||||
| 7a | "Defending the Earth" | Adam Henry | Jeff Poliquin | March 16, 2015 | 0.47[11] |
|
When the team is zapped into an alternate world where Penn is president, Sashi is a general, and Boone is a Supreme Court justice, Boone finds himself on the most popular game show in the galaxy where he must plead his case and compete against Rippen in an outrageous contest that will determine the fate of the Earth. The mission gets complicated since Boone has a fear of public speaking. Guest stars: Chris Parnell as Blort Clooney, Bruce Vilanch as himself | |||||
| 7b | "Number One, Number Two" | Tom De Rosier | Paiman Kalayeh | March 16, 2015 | 0.47[11] |
| While in a medieval world, Rippen holds tryouts to replace Larry as his number two, and Penn goes undercover as Rippen’s new minion to find a village’s stolen gold. | |||||
| 8a | "3 Big Problems" | Chuckles Austen | Kevin Hylton & Mike Winn | March 23, 2015 | 0.39[12] |
|
The team zaps into a world where they are enormous monsters and must convince the human President of a nearby island nation that the monsters mean them no harm. Guest star: Maria Bamford as The President | |||||
| 8b | "Cereal Criminals" | Adam Henry | Kenny Byerly | March 23, 2015 | 0.39[12] |
|
In a world where everyone is a cereal mascot and cereal is grown on farms, Penn seeks the help of an imprisoned Rippen to catch The Milk Man, a villain threatening to flood all the cereal crops with milk, turning them soggy. Guest star: Paul Reubens as The Milk Man | |||||
| 9a | "I'm Still Super"[13] | Tom De Rosier | Jase Ricci | April 6, 2015[14] | N/A |
|
Penn, Boone, and Sashi are zapped back to the super hero world to help Captain Super Captain defeat his twin brother Professor Evil Professor. Guest star: Adam West as Captain Super Captain & Professor Evil Professor | |||||
| 9b | "Balls!"[13] | Chuckles Austen | Jeff Poliquin | April 6, 2015[14] | N/A |
|
Concerned about his abilities as a leader, Penn and his team are zapped into a world where they are sports balls to teach the other balls to defend themselves from their enemies. Guest stars: Kari Wahlgren as Bowling Ball, Brian Posehn as Beach Ball Grandpappy | |||||
| 10a | "The Princess Most Fair"[13] | Tom De Rosier | Jase Ricci | April 27, 2015[15] | N/A |
|
The team zaps into a musical fairy tale universe where everyone sings when they speak. Penn is a princess, Sashi is a knight, and Boone is a fairy godmother. During their mission, their true feelings come out in song. Guest star: Rena Strober as Queen | |||||
| 10b | "Hail Larry"[13] | Adam Henry | Paiman Kalayeh | April 27, 2015[15] | N/A |
| Larry becomes an acting part-time villain as he substitutes for the ailing Rippen. | |||||
References
- ↑ Truitt, Brian (November 21, 2014). "First look: 'Penn Zero' premieres with holiday special". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 12, 2015). "Simulcast Premiere of 'Penn Zero: Part Time Hero' Set for February 13 on Disney XD and Disney Channel". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
- ↑ Bibel, Sara (October 16, 2013). "Disney XD Orders Animated Comedy Adventure Series 'Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero'". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ Concept Art, Synopsis". Stitch Kingdom. March 4, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
- ↑ [Disney Orders Second Season of "Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero" "Disney Orders Second Season of "Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero""]. Toon Zone. April 22, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
- ↑ "Shows A-Z — penn zero: part time hero on disney xd". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bibel, Sara (February 17, 2015). "Friday Cable Ratings: 'Gold Rush' Wins Night, 'Alaskan Bush People', NBA Celebrity All-Stars Game,'Bad Hair Day', 'Bring It' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Pucci, Douglas (February 18, 2015). "Sunday Final Nationals: ‘SNL 40′ is Top-Rated NBC Primetime Entertainment Special in Ten Years". TV Media Insights. Cross Mediaworks. Retrieved February 19, 2015. Note: The rating is in the comments section.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Pucci, Douglas (February 18, 2015). "Monday Final Nationals: ‘The Bachelor’ Lifts ABC to Victory". TV Media Insights. Cross Mediaworks. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Pucci, Douglas (February 24, 2015). "Sunday Final Nationals: The Oscars on ABC Hits Six-Year Low". TV Media Insights. Cross Mediaworks. Retrieved February 25, 2015. Note: The rating's in the comments section.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Pucci, Douglas (March 17, 2015). "Monday Final Nationals: ABC’s ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Down Year-to-Year but Still Tops Among Total Viewers". TV Media Insights. Cross Mediaworks. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Pucci, Douglas (March 25, 2015). "Monday Final Nationals: ABC, NBC Share Leadership". TV Media Insights. Retrieved March 25, 2015. Note: Pertinent information found in comments.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Penn Zero: Part Time Hero — Episode Guide". Zap2it. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "I'm Still Super!; Balls!". Zap2it. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "The Princess Most Fair; Hail Larry". Zap2it. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
External links
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