Get Blake!
Get Blake! is a French animated television series created by Antoine Guilbaud and produced by Marathon Media and Zodiak Kids, with the participation of Nickelodeon, Gulli and CNC. It centers on the adventures of Blake, a future space ranger, and his best friend Mitch, as they try to escape from the Squaliens, who are Jerome, Maxus, and Leonard. The show aired on both Gulli and Nickelodeon in France.
According to Marathon Media, the show was its first "broad comedy series" following "years of doing light-hearted action such as Totally Spies! or Martin Mystery." 26 episodes were produced.
Plot
The series tracks the exploits of Blake Myers, an adventurous young teenage boy passionate about fantasy films and new technology. He is destined to one day protect humanity from alien squirrels called "Squaliens". Three highly trained Squaliens commanded by the Squalien General, Leonard, Maxus and Jerome, however, are sent back in time to catch Blake and prevent him from fulfilling this destiny by all means, who fights against them with the assistance of his best friend Mitch.Characters
- Blake Myers — Blake is a 13-year-old boy who dreams to become a space ranger and is a fan of extreme sports. He is skilled at parkour, which helps in escaping the Squaliens. He has a strong lack of sympathy for the self-centered and conceited Leonard and often uses questionable methods to defeat him, which does not please the latter at all.
- Mitch de la Cruz — Blake's Mexican American best friend who cherishes nothing more than their friendship and gets a little jealous whenever Blake's attention is diverted to someone else. Mitch is a genius — but he sometimes struggles to stay focused. He loves inventing gadgets to help his best friend fight the Squaliens. If the Squaliens want to catch Blake, they'll have to face Mitch first!
- Maxus — The bossiest, shortest and sometimes-greediest of the Squalien trio, Jerome's older brother and the General's nephew. At first glance, Maxus may seem like a fool, but if you scratch past the surface, you'll find a true technological genius. The General refers to him as the "team leader", even though it's actually Leonard; Maxus also seems to have tried and claim Leonard's title as leader several times.
- Jerome — The jovial, carefree, absent-minded, polite and helpful dimwit of the Squalien trio who is Maxus' younger brother and the General's nephew. Jerome does his best not to offend anyone. He often falls in love with inanimate objects, and is mocked for being too kind or for his somewhat silly attitude. But beneath his easygoing exterior, Jerome is actually very intelligent: he is the one who has the most knowledge about humans. He is also the only one who seems to have an interest in Earth's flora and fauna, often bringing plants and insects back to the Squalien base to study them and, possibly, use them against Blake by genetically modifying them. The General calls him the "heart"; indeed, Jerome is often the buffer between Leonard and Maxus. When he makes long speeches, his voice changes slightly.
- Leonard — The jaded genius and self-appointed leader of the Squalien trio with only one goal in mind: to capture Blake Myers. He is always the one who invents the gadgets necessary for their missions. Leonard sees himself as a great evil genius; solitary and ingenious, he would surely have already caught Blake a long time ago if he were not accompanied by the two worst teammates imaginable: Maxus and Jerome, the General's idiotic and clumsy nephews. Leonard is determined to catch Blake before he becomes a space ranger at all costs. Leonard gradually turns out to be an expert in prestidigitation, and so at the end of the series, he does not accompany the General and his nephews who thought they had taken him once they're sent back into space, instead managing to escape and stay on Earth to capture Blake all by himself as he follows the boy home, ending the show on a cliffhanger.
- Squalien General — The Squaliens' commander who sent Leonard, Jerome and Maxus from the future to apprehend Blake. Although Leonard is the ace of the team, as Maxus and Jerome's uncle, he mostly takes their side and doubts Leonard, calling him the "weak link" of the three. He always finds his nephews Maxus and Jerome the best because Leonard is not part of his family, and when they come up with a plan, he chooses his nephews' instead of the old method that Leonard loves: his trusty burlap sack. When Leonard goes alone, or does something that, most of the time, he should do as a team, the General comes to criticize what he does, and he always blames Leonard when the mission fails. He calls himself the team's "strongman".
- Zorka — The resident Russian contractor, Roy's guardian, and Blake's neighbor. He always comes to help him when he's in need. He is the only character in the series who mentions his racial origins.
- Skye Gunderson — Blake's neighbor, as well as his love interest. She is strong, compassionate, a bit of a tomboy, and a budding photographer. She also volunteers as a dental nurse helping her father.
- Roy Cronk — The obnoxiously cranky neighbor whose nerves Blake and Mitch often get on, and Zorka's friend. He takes great pleasure in criticizing those around him, and usually gets around in a wheelchair, which he calls Miss Daisy, only occasionally walking.
- Dale Myers — Blake's father, and co-owner of the family travel business, "Let's Travel!".
- Darla Myers — Blake's mother, and co-owner of "Let's Travel!".
- Rodrigo de la Cruz — Mitch's father who is also a skilled inventor.
- Carmen de la Cruz — Mitch's mother who organizes the town's block parties.
- Dr. Björn Gunderson — Skye's father of Swedish descent, who is the resident dentist and, like her, has gap teeth. He enjoys fixing other people's teeth and hates candy. This doesn't stop him from distributing candy to children in order to keep his business afloat.
- Isabelle Gunderson — Skye's mother.
- Sunshine Gunderson — Skye's baby sister.
- Fast Eddy — Zorka's pet miniature bull terrier that keeps protecting his lawn.
- Wanda — A weasel, a space ranger, and Leonard's ex-girlfriend. Originally neutral, she joined the fight against the Squaliens after Leonard chose to join the squirrel army to fulfill his ambitions, abandoning her days before their wedding. Much later, she joins Blake and fights Leonard because he cheated during the traditional rope fight. Lithe and agile like a weasel, she trains Blake to help him become an effective space ranger. She finds potential in Blake's skills.
Production
The series was first announced in 2012 as being titled Blake and the Aliens, with Reid Harrison and Eric Gosselet originally attached to write and direct respectively, and was described as having a "board-driven" approach similar to SpongeBob SquarePants. In 2014, it was retitled as Get Blake! with Daniel Klein taking over as director.The series' animation was provided by Malaysian animation studio Inspidea.