Summary
Brats of the Lost Nebula is a Canadian science fiction puppet computer-animated television series for kids. The series follows five orphaned children from different war-torn planets. As they search for their surviving family members, they must also band together to fight an evil invading force known as "The Shock".
| Brats of the Lost Nebula | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Dan Clark |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production companies | The Jim Henson Company Decode Entertainment Wandering Monkey Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | The WB (U.S.) YTV (Canada) |
| Release | October 10, 1998 – January 20, 1999 |
The series was created by Dan Clark, who was also an executive producer along with Brian Henson and Margaret Loesch. The puppet characters mixed both traditional hand puppetry and animatronics. These puppets were built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The computer graphics were created by C.O.R.E. Digital Effects.
In the United States, the series aired on The WB during the Kids' WB block in October 1998, being one of the only two live-action shows (the other being The Nightmare Room) that were ever aired on that channel. It was removed from the channel after airing its third episode.[1] The remaining episodes were shown on Canada's YTV channel.
The Brats edit
The Brats, sometimes referred to as orphans, each have a different set of skills in addition to their otherworldly uniqueness. After the escape of Zadam and Triply from the Shock attack on their home world, the five kids meet on a living planetoid to start their rebellion against The Shock and find their lost parents.
- Zadam (voiced by Kirby Morrow) – The 14-year-old leader of the Brats and Triply's older brother. He is from the planet Shirud.
- Triply (voiced by Annick Obonsawin) – Zadam's 10-year-old little sister. She is also from Shirud and is one of the most feared warriors in the Universe.
- Duncan (voiced by Glenn Cross) – A heavy, musclebound male with tinkering skills. He is from the planet Yarlon He is extraordinarilly strong but good natured intelligent but bull like muscle bound creatures.
- Ryle (voiced by Evan Sabba) – A horned, blue-skinned male who is fiercely competitive. He is from the planet Tranoid. He is also quicktempered and tough, he is obsessed with Sports, He vibes with Zadam as the Leader of the group.
- Lavana (voiced by Deborah Odell) – A winged elf with mystic abilities. She is from the planet Loza. She is a gothic girl who comes from a race of exotic elfin creatures magic users a thinker of and lover of life. Lavana loses her wings four episodes into the series.
They are aided in their quest by a long-eared animal named Splook, who has a missile-laden suit of armor, and by SMARTS, the smartest computer in the universe. The Brats themselves ride into battle on modified space cruisers.
Episodes edit
| No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "What Mom Said" | Steve Wright | Dan Clark | October 10, 1998 |
| 2 | "Total Bratification" | Otto Hanus | Lane Raichert | October 18, 1998 |
| 3 | "Brain Dead" | David Warry Smith | John Derevlany | October 25, 1998 |
| 4 | "A Lozian Necessity" | David Warry Smith | Michael Mayhew | November 1, 1998 |
| 5 | "Heart Hunters" | Steve Wright | Rick Drew | December 2, 1998 |
| 6 | "Punk Chip" | David Warry Smith | Scott Peters | November 12, 1998 |
| 7 | "The Runaways" | David Straiton | Teleplay by : John Derevalny and Michael Mayhew Story by : John Derevalny | November 18, 1998 |
| 8 | "Mutant Freak" | Ross Clyde | Lane Raichert | November 25, 1998 |
| 9 | "Blite For a Day" | Steve Wright | Michael Mayhew | December 9, 1998 |
| 10 | "The Acceptors" | Gail Harvey | John Derevlany | December 30, 1998 |
| 11 | "Faith" | Steve Wright | Michael Mayhew | January 6, 1999 |
| 12 | "Mom & Dad" | David Straiton | George Melrod | January 13, 1999 |
| 13 | "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" | Steve Wright | Dan Clark | January 20, 1999 |
Cast edit
Puppeteers edit
- Bill Barretta –
- Matt Ficner – Mallosha, Zadam [2]
- John E. Kennedy –
- Trish Leeper –
- Sue Morrison –
- Ian Petrella –
- James Rankin –
- Gordon Robertson –
- Fred Stinson –
- Jeff Sweeney –
- Jean-Guy White –
- Mak Wilson –
Voices edit
- Glenn Cross – Duncan
- Kirby Morrow – Zadam
- Annick Obonsawin – Triply
- Deborah Odell – Lavana
- Evan Sabba – Ryle
- James Rankin – High Commander Vigar
- Rob Smith – Blight
Broadcast edit
In the United States, the series premiered on the Kids' WB block on October 10, 1998. It was removed from the schedule after airing its third episode on October 24.[1] At the time, a publicist from the WB network said, "We're trying to figure out what works best in our lineup and when. The show has not been cancelled. It should eventually return, we just don't know when and where."[1] In Canada, all thirteen episodes aired on YTV from November 1998 onward. The last episode debuted January 20, 1999.[3]
In April 2020, hundreds of hours of Jim Henson Company productions were released on Roku, including Brats of the Lost Nebula.[4]
Unproduced follow-ups edit
In early 1999, a Playback article reported that "another thirteen [episodes] are on the way,"[5] but these new episodes were never produced. In September 2002, Kidscreen mentioned that the Dan Clark Company was "currently working on a Brats of the Lost Nebula direct-to-video title with Henson."[6]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Muppet Central News - "Brats" removed from Kid's WB".
- ^ Ficner, Matt. "Media: Puppet Related Works". Matt Ficner Productions. Archived from the original on 6 February 2005. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ "Wednesday". Fort McMurray Today. Fort McMurray AB: Bowes Publishing Limited. 15 January 1999. p. Scene 36. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
22 Brats of The Lost Nebula (G) "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" Vigar makes a surprise visit to the Planetoid and confronts the Brats. 545310
- ^ "Hundreds of Hours of Jim Henson Content Hits Roku". 23 April 2020.
- ^ "On set with Brats of the Lost Nebula".
- ^ "Idea incubation…the Dan Clark way".
External links edit
- Brats of the Lost Nebula: Series Creator Dan Clark on YouTube
- Brats of the Lost Nebula at IMDb
- Brats of the Lost Nebula at Muppet Wiki
