The Wild Thornberrys


The Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, and Stephen Sustarsic produced by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon. The series portrays the zany hijinks of a family of nomadic wildlife documentary filmmakers known as the Thornberrys, which consist of the nature documentary television host Nigel, his wife and camera operator Marianne, their 16-year-old daughter Debbie, their younger daughter Eliza, their adopted son Donnie, and a chimpanzee named Darwin. The series focuses in particular on Eliza, who has a magical ability to communicate with animals. The Thornberry family travels to every continent and wildlife environment in the ComVee, a recreational vehicle equipped with safety mechanisms to handle any terrain or body of water, to document their journeys in detail, with typical episodes involving Eliza befriending an animal and subsequently finding herself in peril.
Originally pitched by Klasky Csupo as an adult animated sitcom for Fox, the series was then retooled as a family-friendly animated series for Nickelodeon and premiered on September 1, 1998, as the eleventh Nicktoon and the third overall produced by the studio following Rugrats and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. It ran for 5 seasons containing 91 episodes in total, with the series finale airing on June 11, 2004.
The series' fourth season premiere, "The Origin of Donnie", is a television special focusing on Donnie Thornberry's life before he was adopted by the family. A feature film, The Wild Thornberrys Movie, in which Eliza embarks on a quest to save a cheetah cub from poachers, was theatrically released on December 20, 2002. Rugrats Go Wild, a crossover feature film with Rugrats, was released in theaters on June 13, 2003. Spin-off media include DVD releases and three video games.

Plot

The series focuses on a family of documentary filmmakers known as the Thornberrys, famous for their televised wildlife studies, as they travel the world in the "Comvee", a large, amphibious, multifunctional overland motorhome which doubles as their base of operations. It primarily centers on the family's younger daughter Eliza, and her secret gift of being able to communicate with animals, which was bestowed upon her after having freed a shaman masquerading as a trapped warthog.
The gift enables her to talk to the Thornberrys' pet chimpanzee Darwin. Together, the pair frequently venture through the wilderness, befriending many species of wild animals along the way, and discern moral truths and lessons through either their experiences or a particular animal species's lifestyle; often this means simply assisting the creatures by which they become acquainted in their difficulties.

Characters

Main

  • ' is a 12-year-old girl and the youngest daughter of the Thornberrys. She has long red-orange hair that is usually worn in pigtails, and occasionally a ponytail, round eyeglasses, four big teeth connected by two braces, and freckles. She is able to communicate with animals, especially her chimpanzee sidekick Darwin. She must keep this gift secret or she will lose her powers. This happens in The Wild Thornberrys Movie when Eliza reluctantly tells two poachers her secret in order to save Debbie. However, after saving a herd of elephants from the same poachers later in the film, she is given her powers back. Despite her good intentions, she sometimes interferes with nature which causes more problems.
  • ' is Eliza, Debbie, and Donnie's father and Marianne's husband. He is also the son of Radcliffe and Cordelia Thornberry, an aristocratic British couple. Born in the U.K. and having attended Harrow School near London, he travels around the world with his own family making wildlife documentaries. He is eccentric, enthusiastic, and cheerful even in the face of danger, and is also known for his exaggerated facial features and love of kippers, which he offers frequently.
  • ' is Eliza, Debbie, and Donnie's American mother and Nigel's wife. She is the daughter of Frank and Sophie Hunter. She is the director and camerawoman of the Thornberry documentaries, even willing to put herself in danger to capture a shot. She mentions that she attended the University of California, Berkeley as revealed in "Rebel Without a Trunk".
  • ' is a feral boy adopted by the Thornberrys, who speaks mostly in gibberish and was raised by an orangutan in Borneo after his parents, Michael and Lisa, who were old friends of the Thornberrys, were killed by poachers. Debbie is usually left taking care of Donnie and she is constantly trying to keep him in control. Donnie's age is 4, turning 5 in "The Origin of Donnie".
  • ' is Eliza's sister, a popular teenage valley girl who is 16 and nags her family, especially Eliza, during her adventures. After the events of the movie, she becomes the only family member to know about Eliza's power but is warned that she will be turned into a baboon if she ever tells anyone. Debbie dresses in 1990s clothing and has a long swept hairstyle. Unlike Eliza, Debbie does not like traveling and wants nothing more than to live in civilization and make friends with people her own age.
  • ' is the Thornberrys' pet chimpanzee and Eliza's best friend. He usually wears a tank top with horizontal blue and white stripes and blue shorts. He speaks with a distinct, upper-class British accent. Although he is not too fond of Debbie, the two do share the same preference to living in civilization over the wilderness. He also acts as the voice of reason for Eliza whenever she tries to interfere in nature.
  • * Kane also voices others.

    Recurring

  • Kip O'Donnell is a poacher and The Thornberrys’ sworn enemy who poaches and kidnaps animals with his partner Neil Biederman. Whenever they are not poaching animals, they are conducting schemes to make easy money. They would eventually be apprehended by the authorities after causing an oil spill while attempting to steal oil from an oil tanker in the episode "You Otter Know". Kip always refers to Eliza as "The Thornberry Girl".
  • Tyler Tucker is Eliza and Debbie's cousin. He is Marianne and Nigel's nephew through Marianne's sister Nancy Tucker née Hunter. He is a year older than Eliza but acts more immaturely than Eliza does. He doesn't really understand the dangers of living in the wild. He's a know-it-all but generally has a good head on his shoulders, and he cares about his cousins Debbie, Eliza, and Donnie. His parents are Dennis and Nancy Tucker.
  • Shane G. is a pop superstar who travels with the Thornberry Family for five episodes while they are filming in Alaska. The Foundation orders Nigel and Marianne to take him with the family to promote Wildlife preservation among young people and Shane's fans. Both Eliza and Debbie gain a crush on him, however Debbie loses interest when Shane shows to have more similarities with Eliza than herself.
  • Santusa is a llama whom Eliza befriended in the Andes.
  • Shango is an African elephant who Eliza first met.
  • Phaedra is a female African elephant who appears in the episode, "Forget Me Not", and who Eliza and Darwin were riding at the beginning of The Wild Thornberrys Movie.
  • Zita is an African elephant who was Rebecca's daughter and the mother of Shango, from the episode, Forget Me Not.
  • Mali is an African elephant who was Zita's aunt and Phadera's daughter, when Eliza helps her.
  • Juka is the leader of the Maasai legend between his wise Grandfather Makai
  • Ben is a friend of Eliza's that Debbie teases her for having a crush on.
  • Franz Fensterkopt is a documentary filmmaker who serves as a friendly rival to Nigel Thornberry.
  • Dr. Jomo is a police officer who is a friend of Nigel Thornberry.
  • Sri Mayasandra is a scientist who had found Donnie in the TV special.
  • Baru is a young proboscis monkey who helps Eliza get back to her family, and his father, Baduk.
  • Lugan is a baby orangutan who was in the TV special.
  • Saiful, which was in the TV special. Adlon also voiced Tano, a Cheetah Cub who Eliza tries to help find and who she, Darwin and Donnie help try to find his mother in the episode, "Cheetahs Never Prosper".
  • Shi Shou is a baby panda, and Mei-Mei, a mother panda.
  • Conal is a golden eagle, and his wife Brianag.

    Guest stars

  • Jodi Benson as the Mother Cheetah in the episode "Cheetahs Never Prosper"
  • Arthur Burghardt as Big Buffalo, an African buffalo from the episode "The Kung and I" and a rhinoceros from the Pilot episode.
  • Eartha Kitt and Sheryl Lee Ralph as the Lionesses in the episode "Flood Warning".
  • Bill Cobbs as the Chief in the episode "Dinner with Darwin".
  • Phil LaMarr, Jackie Harris and Paul Greenberg are Tuku, Pippo, Barno, the three mysterious prankster marmosets.
  • Phil LaMarr also voices the Steamboat Captain in the episode "Matadi or Bust".
  • David Huddleston as a sea tortoise in the episode "Gold Fever".
  • David Eccles as a hippopotamus in the episode "Matadi or Bust".
  • Georg Stanford Brown as Kito, the leader jaguar from the episode "Temple of Eliza".
  • Estelle Harris as Iguana/Turtle from the episode "Eliza-cology".
  • Marabina Jaimes as Raamba, a jaguar who Eliza helped out of the pit in the episode "Temple of Eliza".
  • Jeffrey Lincon and Sabrina Wiener as the jaguar cubs in the episode "Temple of Eliza".
  • Erik Von Detten as an adolescent jaguar in the episode "Temple of Eliza".
  • Jeff Bennett as an officer in the episode "Vacant Lot".
  • Jess Harnell as a tortoise and a marsh deer in the episode "Vacant Lot".
  • Rosslynn Taylor Jordan as a tapir in the episode "Vacant Lot".
  • Candi Milo as Emily, a female wombat from the episode, "Chew if by Sea".
  • * Milo also voices a capybara, a parrot, a civet cat, a mousedeer, and others.
  • Jesse Corti as two crocodilians in the episode "Only Child".
  • Andrea Martin as Mother Condor from the episode "Flight of the Donnie".
  • Susanna Voltaire, Russi Taylor, Melissa Fahn are Anna, Igna, and Katrina in "On the Right Track".
  • William H. Macy as Skoot, a male reindeer who Eliza raced with in "On the Right Track".
  • Bill Fagerbakke as Dank, a black reindeer who appeared in "On the Right Track".
  • Tom Kenny as Joey, a baby Eastern grey kangaroo who Eliza babysits in "Pal Joey".
  • Gregg Berger and S. Scott Bullock are Lemke and Snaga, the Tasmanian devils in the episode "Pal Joey".
  • * Berger also voices a lion and a warthog in the episode "Flood Warning". A water buffalo and a doctor in the episode "The Dragon and the Professor".
  • * Bullock also voices an African rock python and a forest hog
  • Cree Summer as Rosie, a "teenage" Asian elephant in "Rebel Without a Trunk".
  • Danny Cooksey as Wanuug, a polar bear who appeared in "Polar Opposites".
  • David Ogden Stiers as Karroo, an Aye-aye from "Luck Be an Aye-aye".
  • Ron Fassler, Anne Lambton, and Jimmie Wood are Tak a little rat, Sheeba the eye patch-wearing cat, and Bone the three-legged dog who helped Eliza find the Bangaboo in "The Great Bangaboo".
  • Marion Ross as Rebecca, an African elephant whom Eliza saved in "Forget Me Not". She was originally saved by Nigel from poachers many years ago. At the end of the episode, the elephant dies of natural causes which makes Eliza cry after she passes away and her daughter Zita takes over the herd.
  • Robert Morse as Jake, a male tortoise who Eliza helped in "Two's Company".
  • Phyllis Diller as Samantha, a female tortoise who Eliza helped in "Two's Company".
  • Kelly McGillis and Peter Onorati are Winema and Pava, the leader Gray Wolves that appeared in the episode, "Pack of Thornberrys".
  • Chris Demetral as Mato, a Gray Wolf who appeared in the episode, "Pack of Thornberrys".
  • Bill Brochtrup as Collin, a Common dolphin who Eliza swam with in the episode, "Hello, Dolphin!".
  • Jane Goodall as Herself, appears in the episode, "The Trouble with Darwin".