Skunk Fu! (original) (raw)
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Animated television series
| Skunk Fu! | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | ComedyActionFantasy |
| Created by | Aidan Harte |
| Voices of | Jules de JonghPaul TylakTony AcworthPatricia RodriguezRod GoodallPaul McLoone |
| Country of origin | IrelandUnited Kingdom |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (52 segments) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Paul Cummins Tom van Wavaren Paul Young |
| Producer | Jordan Gaucher |
| Running time | 24 minutes (2 12–minute segments) |
| Production companies | International Rheingold ProductionsCartoon SaloonTelegaelHoek, Line & ThinkerCake Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One/CBBC (United Kingdom)TG4/RTÉ One (Ireland) |
| Release | 15 September 2007 (2007-09-15) –22 March 2008 (2008-03-22) |
Skunk Fu! is an animated action adventure fantasy comedy television series featuring the fables and adventures of anthropomorphic animals protecting their Valley using martial arts. The show chronicles the adventures of young Skunk, training with his Kung Fu master, Panda, with the support of Rabbit, Fox, Turtle, and others, who directly, or inadvertently, also help Skunk grow.[1] The show won the IFTA award for "Best Animation".[2] In addition to an English soundtrack, Irish-language,[3] French-language, Japanese-language, and Dutch-language soundtracks were initially produced.
Skunk and the other Valley animals led by Panda thwart Dragon's efforts to overtake their Valley with Baboon and the Ninja Monkeys from their lair in the Mountains. Historically Dragon and Panda were friends, but since Dragon was punished by Heaven for his arrogance, he perceives the Valley residents as the reason for his downfall and seeks to destroy them. Panda sees Skunk as crucial to saving the Valley and endeavors to teach Skunk who often tries to circumvent laborious Kung Fu training, only to learn the value of the initial lesson from the consequences of his actions with Skunk ultimately saving the day, usually by himself or with the help of his friends.
- Skunk (voiced by Jules de Jongh) is a 10-year-old black and white striped skunk and is the main protagonist of the series. He is the youngest of the Valley dwellers and wants to be a Kung Fu master, but he has to learn his Kung Fu moves with Panda first.
- Master Panda (voiced by Paul Tylak) is a giant panda who is the very wise 80-year-old leader of the Valley and Skunk's master.
- Rabbit (voiced by Paul Tylak) is an intelligent hare, who invents gadgets to protect the Valley from threats. His twin brother, Bunny, went into hiding for stealing a golden skateboard.
- Fox (voiced by Patricia Rodriguez) is a red fox who is an effective, graceful fighter and Skunk's best friend.
- Pig (voiced by Tony Acworth) a dimwitted wild boar.
- Ox and Bird (both voiced by Tony Acworth) are a duo. Bird is an oxpecker and Ox is a large blue water buffalo.
- Dr. Turtle (voiced by Tony Acworth) is a tortoise with a purple shell.
- Ms. Duck (voiced by Jules de Jongh) is a wise old blue duck chef.
- Tiger (voiced by Rod Goodall) is a cowardly friend of Panda's.
- Frog (voiced by Tony Acworth) is a silly amphibian who likes to jump.
- Snake (voiced by Paul Tylak) is a purplish-blue Australian-accented king cobra who enjoys inflicting pain.
- Killer Bees (both voiced by Tony Acworth) are a full nest of bees who tend to be extremely short-tempered and will attack anyone who angers them, regardless of whether they are friends or not.
- Crane (voiced by Jules de Jongh) is a tall, white demoiselle crane who is the general town gossip.
- Mantis (voiced by Tony Acworth) is a green Chinese mantis who is the Valley's lookout bug. When he speaks, he makes brief pauses every few words. He seems to be a masochist constantly looking to put himself in harm's way in hopes of a tragic outcome. He even expresses disappointment when a battle is going favorably. Despite his desire to see himself harmed, he is noted to put up an honest fight. Though much to his delight, he often just ends up being squashed and left aside.
- Mr. Fish (voiced by Tony Acworth) is a large black and white fish who is the underwater head honcho and has feelings for Ms. Duck.
- Blinky is a glowing firefly who was Skunk's friend and his pet in the past, though the fireflies view it as Skunk being his pet.
- Dragon (voiced by Rod Goodall) is a large black Chinese dragon and is the main antagonist of the series.
- Baboon (voiced by Paul McLoone) is a white Hamadryas baboon and is the secondary antagonist of the series. With his army of Ninja Monkeys by his side, he'll stop at nothing to find ways of destroying the Valley.
- Ninja Monkeys (both voiced by Tony Acworth) are Baboon's minions.
Production and broadcast
[edit]
Skunk Fu! was produced by Cartoon Saloon and premiered on 28 May 2007 on ABC Australia.[4] The series was broadcast in Ireland and the United Kingdom on 9 July 2007 on CBBC.[4] Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah performed the theme song.
The series was shown on ABC Rollercoaster in Australia and BBC and S4C in the UK (under the Welsh title, Drewgi). TG4 broadcast Skunk Fu! in Irish.[5] The series made its debut in the United States on the Kids' WB! block on The CW on 15 September 2007,[6] and then premiered a year later on Cartoon Network in 2008. The series also aired on YTV in Canada and ANN in Japan.
A feature film based on the series was planned, but was quietly cancelled.[7]
In region one from 23 November 2008 to 12 May 2009, NCircle Entertainment have released only three DVD volumes for the series, totaling eighteen segment-episodes.
| Title | Episode count | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | ||
| The Art of Rivalry | 6 | 23 November 2008 |
| Contained "The Art of Rivalry", "The Art of Tunneling", "The Art of Turtle Watching", "The Art of Being a Pebble", "The Art of Influence" and "The Art of Strategy". | ||
| The Art of Monkey Launching | 6 | 23 December 2008 |
| Contained "The Art of Monkey Launching", "The Art of Revenge", "The Art of Patience", "The Art of Initiation", "The Art of Art" and "The Art of Sneaking". | ||
| The Art of Kung Fruit | 6 | 12 May 2009 |
| Contained "The Art of Kung Fruit", "The Art of Responsibility", "The Art of Stealing", "The Art of Dim Sum Fu", "The Art of Wushu" and "The Art of the Tea Ceremony". |
- ^ Cartoon Saloon Archived 1 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Winners of the 5th annual Irish File & Television Awards". IFTA. 28 March 2008.
- ^ "The Smell of Success: 'Skunk Fu!' Conquers the World". Animation World Network.
- ^ a b "Fu.. what a scorcher. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com.
- ^ Cartoon Saloon Stuff » Blog Archive » Skunk Fu! Blasts Off on the BBC in July! Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Kids' WB! Announces Fall 2007 Lineup". cbr.com. 28 August 2007. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ Ali Jaafar (16 May 2008). "Irish films on the rise". Variety Magazine.