Nature Cat
| Nature Cat | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Children's fiction Animation |
| Created by |
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| Starring | |
| Country of origin |
United States Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 28 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Release | |
| Original network | PBS Kids |
| Original release | November 25, 2015 - present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Nature Cat is an educational American-Canadian children's animated television series. The series premiered on November 25, 2015 on PBS Kids after Wild Kratts: A Creature Christmas special. The series is aimed at children aged 3 to 8 years old,[1][2] following the adventures of four main characters: Nature Cat, Hal the Dog, Daisy the Bunny and Squeeks the Mouse. The series follows Fred, a house cat with dreams of exploring outside. Once his family leaves for the day, he transforms into Nature Cat, who cannot wait for backyard nature excursions. However, Fred has one problem: he has no instincts for nature.[1] Through the learning experiences of the characters, this series intends to encourage children to similarly engage with and develop understanding of nature, a motive which draws inspiration from the book Last Child in the Woods[2] which concerns the decreased exposure of nature to American children.
Cast
All of the cast members (with the exception of Kate Micucci) are currently the cast members of NBC's hit late-night sitcom, Saturday Night Live.
Characters
Nature Cat
Nature Cat, 'Fred' (voiced by Taran Killam[1]) - In the absence of his owners, Fred transforms into his alter-ego Nature Cat, narrating himself as such throughout the show. He is the main protagonist in leading a group of four other animals, frequently using the expressions "tally ho!" and "onwards and yonwards!" when initiating and continuing his adventures, lending to his optimistic and cheerful attitude in encouraging enthusiasm for the natural world. Taran Killam appraises Nature Cat as a positive character for children, describing his handling of adversity as “a great example of when you fall down you get back right up… and try it again[3]”. He will occasionally drop from his ‘Nature Cat’ persona where, much like a regular housecat, he can suddenly become nervous or frightened. This can include having to interact with water, lamenting “why does it always have to be water?”, but in these situations he ultimately ends up finding confidence to persist.
Hal
Hal the Dog (voiced by Bobby Moynihan[1]) - Characterised as being happy most of the time and is very loyal to his friends, most of all for Nature Cat who, who is always willing in partaking in his outdoor excursions and share discoveries even if he initially doesn’t understand them. Hal is generally absent minded, becoming a source of comic relief where he may respond to others with non-sequiturs or muddled reasoning thought out loud. He can also become blissfully unaware of when he is taken into or in a dangerous situation, such as becoming lost in a city. His capabilities as a playful dog is portrayed as him being a character that is uninhibited in approaching messy or unpleasant situations, such as digging the ground or smelling strong odours. This comes much to the benefit of others, where he is utilised in digging holes or locating in the environment by smell. He is sometimes accompanied by an inanimate chewing toy, “Mr. Chewinsky”, who he converses with when projecting his thoughts.
Squeeks
Squeeks the Mouse (voiced by Kate McKinnon[1]) - The smallest of the main four characters, Kate McKinnon describes her as “a sass… but sweet and so excited at the same time[4]”.
Daisy
Daisy the Bunny (voiced by Kate Micucci[1]) - She is often carrying a smartphone for use in providing supplementary information when investigating nature. Her role is to act as the voice of reason, but is nonetheless mostly co-operative as the rest when venturing with Nature Cat.
Other characters
- Kenan Thompson as Ronald[1]
Episodes
Season 1
| No. for series | No. overall | Title | Original airdate [5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Heartthrob Hamster/Astronuts" | November 25, 2015 |
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Heartthrob Hamster - Nature Cat and the rest are tasked to pet-sit their neighbor’s hamster, ‘Sir Galahad’. In the wishes of Squeeks infatuation with him, Galahad insists to briefly come out the cage. Galahad escapes after the cage lid is removed. Nature Cat leads in tracing the hamster, observing signs animals leave behind. Astronuts - Nature Cat wishes to be the first cat to walk on the moon, piquing the interest of the rest. Nature Cat, Hal and Squeeks unsuccessfully tries elastically eject themselves into the sky, Daisy designs a rocket ship. They follow her plan, learning the complications and requirements involved in space travel. | |||
| 2 | 2 | "Muck Amok/Follow Those Footprints" | November 27, 2015 |
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Muck Amok - Squeeks’ cousin and other residents located in the marsh are at risk of or are suffering flooding to their homes. Nature Cat and the rest investigate and eventually resolve the situation by learning how the dynamics of water contribute to the marsh, and how the presence of rubbish obstructs it. Follow Those Footprints - On Nature Art Day, Nature Cat unveils a sculpture of himself constructed from his head, finding that the head is gone. Footprints are found on the ground surrounding the sculpture. They first begin to distinguish them from their own, analysing the footprints by size and shape to find the culprit. | |||
| 3 | 3 | "Breezy Rider/Swamp Thing" | November 30, 2015 |
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Breezy Rider - Nature Cat and the rest are flying kites in the park. A strong gust pulls Squeeks and her kite into a tree, remote by water. To reach her, Daisy designs a sail raft which she and the others build. They learn to navigate water, while Squeeks becomes increasingly in danger. Swamp Thing - Daisy learns of the legend of ‘The Swamp Thing’, a monstrous creature which exists in the swamp who is iconic for its sounds, smell and appearance. They venture into the swamp, in spite of Nature Cat’s trepidation which he contains throughout, finding the supposed creature is mistakable for natural phenomena. | |||
| 4 | 4 | "The Treasure of Bad Dog Bart/Pet Sounds" | December 7, 2015 |
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The Treasure of Bad Dog Bart - Hal uncovers a treasure map, understood to be attributed to the legend of ‘Bad Dog Bart’, who stole the neighbourhood dogs’ toys and buried it elsewhere. They read and follow the map, learning to reference objects of geography, cardinal directions and size of relative distances against symbols on the map. Pet Sounds - Nature Cat and his friends are preparing to perform in the band competition ‘Battle of The Pet Bands’, but their instruments become waterlogged by falling into the ocean. They still insist in competing in determination to rival ‘DJ Ronald’, they look for items in the environment to construct musical instruments. | |||
| 5 | 5 | "Cave Conundrum/Daisy's Colossal Fossil" | December 14, 2015 |
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Cave Conundrum - Hal loses his flying disc, of considerable sentimental value, named ‘Harold’. It is seen to follow the path of a stream which leads into a cave. Nature Cat and the rest explore the cave, learning of the safety, the geological history, rock formations, and creatures which live in the cave. Daisy’s Colossal Fossil - While adding to her flower patch, Daisy unearths a mysterious item. With the help of the rest, they fully dig it out and learn it is a fossilised bone. Daisy fantasises of the bone’s origin, exploring prehistoric life, she and the rest preparing a salad for a mammoth she meets. | |||
| 6 | 6 | "There's Gold in Them Thar Hills/Nature Cat and Mr. Hide" | December 28, 2015 |
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There's Gold in Them That Hills - When Squeeks finds a small piece of gold in the stream, she inadvertently loses it. To cheer her up, Nature Cat and his friends adventure back to the stream to do all they can to try and find another piece for Squeeks. Nature Cat and Mr. Hide - Nature Cat is hoping to beat Ronald at the Neighborhood Hide and Seek Championship: Cat Edition'. His chances include what a lot animals use in the wild: camouflage. | |||
| 7 | 7 | "Where Have All the Butterflies Gone?!/For The Birdies!" | January 11, 2016 |
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Where Have All the Butterflies Gone?! - Daisy starts a playdate with her butterfly friends, but there is a risk because there are no flowers around for the butterflies to feed on. Soon enough, Nature Cat and his pals decide to build a new butterfly garden so that the butterflies don't fly off. For The Birdies! - Nature Cat in his admiration for them becomes inspired to help birds. He learns that the oncoming winter season poses difficulty for birds to feed. Nature Cat and his friends set out to build bird feeders to give the birds a much needed food boost for the incoming season. | |||
| 8 | 8 | "Stream and Shout/Hal's Day Off" | January 18, 2016 [6] |
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Hal's Day Off - After unintentionally boarding a car which drove off, Nature Cat, Squeeks and Daisy goes to find Hal, who's becomes lost in the city. During the search they come across street animals and learn of their feeding behaviour and how the cohabit the urban human environment before finding Hal. Stream and Shout - Nature Cat investigates where streams begin. | |||
| 9 | 9 | "Tally Ho! A Rainbow/Travelin' Seeds" | January 18, 2016 [6] |
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Tally Ho! A Rainbow - Nature Cat and the rest searches for a rainbow, in efforts to do, Nature Cat sets out to prove the brief glimpses of a rainbow he saw to the rest, realising and learning of the conditions that cause a rainbow. Travelin' Seeds - Daisy questions the origin of a flower in her garden, having not planted a seed for it. The rest observe that seeds can travel from remote locations through natural processes, seeking the origin of flower's seeds. Along the way they further observe the processes of how seeds travel from other flora. | |||
| 10 | 10 | "Ant's Revolution/Tide Pool Tough" | January 19, 2016 |
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Ant's Revolution - Squeeks has a picnic suddenly goes awry when ants steal Squeeks' cheesecake. Nature Cat and his friends try to get the dessert back, but they're out of luck as they watch the ants bring the cheesecake down into their anthole. Tide Pool Tough - Nature Cat wants to join his friends surfing in the ocean, but he is scared of the water. After getting some help from the tide pool creatures, he becomes tide pool tough and joins his friends surfing. | |||
| 11 | 11 | "Hooray, It's Arbor Day/Goodnight, Gracie" | January 20, 2016 |
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Hooray,It's Arbor Day - Nature Cat and Squeeks help a family of Opossums find a new home after their tree falls during a windstorm. Good Night Gracie - Nature Cat and company helps Gracie the Toad find a perfect place to hibernate for the winter. | |||
| 12 | 12 | "Love You, Michael Bluejáy/Ze Worm Whisperer" | January 21, 2016 |
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Love You, Micheal Bluejáy – Nature Cat and the rest hear that the singer ‘Michael Bluejáy’ is to appear at a concert. In the excitement of them all, they organise themselves to trail down a hiking path in order to reach the concert, becoming lost and learning how to handle such situations when hiking. Ze Worm Whisper – Daisy is working on her garden patch. She attributes the poor quality soil to the absence of worms. Hal transforms into ‘Ze Worm Whisperer’, and introduces worms to the garden. Nature Cat is initially averse to handling worms, but by learning of their importance he eventually befriends them. | |||
| 13 | 13 | "Happy Halentine's Day!/The Groundhog Way" | February 2, 2016 |
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Happy Halentines Day – Hal intends to buy gifts for his friends and mother, but is despaired to find he forgot to buy anything and that Valentine’s Day involves waste harmful to nature. Before Hal gives up, Nature Cat and the rest suggest that instead he makes handmade gifts made from elements of nature. The Groundhog Way – Hal anticipates snow for his birthday. It is Groundhog Day where the neighbourhood animals consult the groundhog whether spring is to come early, but the groundhog’s reclusive and uncertain. Nature Cat, challenged against Ronald, attempts predicting weather by discerning certain myths from truths in what can predict the future climate. | |||
| 14 | 14 | "A Jump to Remember/Star Gazers" | February 18, 2016 |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "New PBS Kids Series Nature Cat Will Premiere November 25, 2015". Public Broadcasting Service. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015.
- 1 2 "PBS KIDS on Twitter (@PBSKIDS)". Twitter.
- ↑ "NATURE CAT Taran Killam Interview". YouTube. PBS KIDS.
- ↑ "NATURE CAT Interview with Kate McKinnon". YouTube. PBS Kids.
- ↑ "Episode guide for Nature Cat". IMDB. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- 1 2 "NATURE CAT One-Hour Special". YouTube. Retrieved 1 February 2016.