Jungle Junction

Jungle Junction is a CGI interactive computer-animated children's television series created by Trevor Ricketts. In the United States, it was originally part of the Playhouse Disney daily block intended for preschoolers. On 14 February 2011, it was moved to the Disney Junior block, serving as Playhouse Disney's replacement. A second season of 27 episodes was ordered by Disney, and premiered on 2 April 2011.[1] A total of 47 episodes were produced.[2] The show focuses on a group of animalistic vehicles and their adventures.

Jungle Junction
GenreAdventure
Educational
Comedy
Preschool
Music
Created byTrevor Ricketts
Written byLaura Beaumont
Paul Larson
Directed byMorgan Francis
Voices ofBilly West
Janet James
Keith Wickham
Jess Harnell
Laraine Newman
Dee Bradley Baker
Jimmy Hibbert
Amanda Symonds
Ron Orbach
Opening theme"Deep inside the Jungle" written and performed by Peter Lurye
Ending theme"Deep inside the Jungle" (Instrumental)
ComposerMark Blackledge
Country of originUnited States
United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes47 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Erica Darby
  • George Evelyn
Production locationsPenzance, Cornwall
EditorMark Edwards
Production companySpider Eye Productions
Release
Original networkDisney Channel (Playhouse Disney block) (2009–11)
Disney Junior (2011–12)
Original releaseOctober 5, 2009 (2009-10-05) 
October 26, 2012 (2012-10-26)

It aired on Disney Junior in the United States and in the Netherlands, as well as in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and in most of Asia. It was produced in the UK by animation company Spider Eye Productions.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotMarch 31, 2008 (2008-03-31)
120October 5, 2009 (2009-10-05)February 14, 2011 (2011-02-14)
227April 4, 2011 (2011-04-04)October 26, 2012 (2012-10-26)

Christmas special

A Christmas special called "The Night Before Zipsmas" aired 5 December 2009 showing the wheelers getting ready for Christmas and trying to get to read the book "The Night Before Zipsmas". The other Christmas special was called "A Gift for Zooter" and aired the same day. It shows Ellyvan trying to find a gift for Zooter.

Characters

Main

  • Zooter (voiced by Janet James) is the series' protagonist. She is a pink pig whose name is a compound of "zoom" or "zip" and "scooter". Zooter speaks with a British accent and is the jungle messenger. She also says the title in every episode.
  • Ellyvan (voiced by Billy West) is a blue elephant van, who carries the deliveries around the jungle. He is the biggest animal in the jungle and Zooter's best friend. His name is a compound word, albeit fictitious. He is able to suck improbable quantities of liquids up his trunk and spray them distances of up to half a mile or more. He speaks with an American accent.
  • Bungo (voiced by Keith Wickham) is a yellow bunny with brown ears, who loves to make signs and put them all over the jungle. He is very good at Geography, and knows the jungle better than anyone. He is also the only wheeler that is good at jumping, being able to leap many times his own height into the air. Bungo, despite officially being a bunny, has a long, raccoon-like tail with brown stripes as well. During the credits at the end of every episode in Season 1, he zooms up with signs and asks the viewers for help finding the right sign. Like Zooter, he speaks with a British accent. His catchphrase is "Oh, carrot sticks!"

Recurring

  • Taxicrab (voiced by Jess Harnell) is a red crab that loves to dance and makes the greatest smoothies in the jungle. His name derives from a taxi cab, and he is the only wheeler that is able to drive sideways (possibly because of the "sideways walk", attributed to crabs). Despite the fact that Toadhog is often impatient, Taxicrab tolerates him the most. He speaks with a Jamaican accent.
  • Carla (voiced by Laraine Newman) is an orange koala who owns a grocery shop. She appears in Season 1, but rarely does in Season 2.
  • Crocker (voiced by Keith Wickham) is a green crocodile, and a fire chief with a lisp who wears a yellow helmet with a red flashing light on top. He has some skill at gardening and knows how to make compost. His name comes from the phrase which is slang in the United Kingdom, used to describe many second hand cars.
  • Hippobus (voiced by Amanda Symonds) is a yellow hippopotamus and school bus, who usually carries The Beetlebugs to school. Her name derives from a Hippie Bus – usually a redecorated Volkswagen Bus. Like Taxicrab, she speaks with a Jamaican accent.
  • The Beetlebugs are the junior wheelers. Their name and shape derives from a Volkswagen Beetle – cars that were nicknamed bugs. Their speech is mostly synchronized. There are five of them - a blue one, a red one, a green one, a yellow one and an orange one.
  • Lance (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is a purple rhinoceros and an ambulance. His name is both a contraction of ambulance, and likely a reference to a weapon used by lancers who attacked with it at a full charge – much like a rhino attacks things by charging at them.
  • Bobby (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert) is a toucan and a police chief. His character may be derived from a Bubble car – he even has the same three-wheeled chassis. His name is derived from the British slang word for police officers. He is the only Wheeler that can fly.
  • Dozer (voiced by Keith Wickham) is a bull and a construction worker. His name and shape derive from a bulldozer, being a pun. His talent is digging and repairing roads with his dozer blade.
  • Miss Jolly (voiced by Amanda Symonds) is a zebra and a school teacher. She is one of the oldest and wisest of the Wheelers. She is also the only one to wear glasses.
  • Toadhog (voiced by Ron Orbach) is a grumpy green toad who likes worms and Fifi flies. He has a long, sticky tongue that can shoot out a long way to grab things. His name derives from the term "roadhog" – an inconsiderate or selfish motorist. He seems to be responsible for Jungle Junction's power supply – his water wheel powers the generator for all of the lights (including the traffic lights, in "Hiccup Power"), and he has a supplementary generator that is used to power the Zipsmas lights. He loses his patience with almost everyone except Taxicrab, mostly because Taxicrab is the most tolerant of him.

Side

  • Bingo is a sign who is Bungo's pretend friend.
  • Diamond (voiced by Kerry Shale) is Bobby's cousin.
  • Elkabungo (voiced by Keith Wickam) is a superhero. He is an alternative version of Bungo. Elkabungo is a super bunny.
  • Ellysanta (voiced by Keith Wickham) is blue.
  • Ellyvan's mum and dad are red and green. They first met at the "The Strip Tree" everything after this is unknown since soon after Ellyvan was born they both left to get milk
  • Emmavan (voiced by Emily Blunt) is a purple elephant who is the younger sister of Ellyvan.
  • Evelyn (voiced by Teresa Gallagher) is a pink elephant who is Ellyvan's girlfriend and the new wheeler in the jungle.
  • Flagogo (voiced by Maria Darlin) is a pink flamingo.
  • Hippie Bus (voiced by Keith Wickham) is Hippobus's older brother. He is a blue hippopotamus.
  • The Hyena Triplets are Three Hyena Cars who are Troublemakers in Jungle Junction. They like to laugh at things that are Not Funny, (Example, Thomas telling Henry his cars aren't present). They are voiced by Rebecca Shoicet, Kuchi Brasso, and Kerry Shale.
  • Kellyvan (voiced by Josh DiMaggio) is Ellyvan's daredevil friend and a flying orange elephant. He likes Ellyvan and Zooter and all the characters in Daredevil Ellyvan.
  • Kris Kringle (voiced by Michael Caine) is a man who delivers presents.
  • Orangy
  • Prickly is a green cactus.
  • Princess Sofia Pink Bird
  • Pumpkin is a new 6th Beetlebug in Jungle Junction.
  • Rosie is a purple beetlebug.

Broadcast

The series aired in the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Portugal, Latin America, Spain, Sri Lanka, Canada, Poland, Netherlands, Japan, Turkey and Russia.

References

  1. "Disney Channel Orders Second Season of 'Jungle Junction'". Disnology. 31 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  2. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 158. ISBN 9781476672939.
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