Brandy & Mr. Whiskers

Brandy & Mr. Whiskers is an American animated television series about a pampered pooch and a hyperactive rabbit that get stuck in the Amazon Rainforest together. The show originally aired from August 21, 2004 to August 25, 2006. It was televised in the United States by Disney Channel, it premiered on ABC Kids, and also aired on Toon Disney, whilst in the United Kingdom, the show is broadcast on the Disney Channel at 3:00am CST on weekdays.
==Premise==
The first season of Brandy & Mr. Whiskers began in 2003 and ended in 2004. Production for the second season began in 2005 and ended in 2006. Season 2 would be the last season, and the episodes aired from February to August 2006.
===Season One===
Brandy and Mr. Whiskers start getting acquainted as they begin their new lives in the Amazon Rainforest. They build a tree house to live in, using debris that fell out the plane's cargo compartment. A big part of the series is Brandy's desperation to getting back to her home in Palm Beach, Florida. In the meantime, both she and Mr. Whiskers work together and build an unlikely but genuine friendship despite having a lot of differences, adapt by exploring the environment, and making friends with the native animals. Brandy makes attempts to get the jungle to become a civilized society by introducing elements such as fashion, hygiene, and shiny rocks, their type of currency. Mr. Whiskers prefers to mix things up by using the powers of invention and imagination to occupy his time, but it usually causes havoc in the jungle and affects his popularity.
===Season Two===
As Brandy and Mr. Whiskers get more settled in the jungle, a lot of changes are put in order. They redecorate the tree house by giving the interior a more "homey environment", which includes flowery wallpaper, tasteful décor and an indoor bathroom (this was after Mr. Whiskers' new "dream house" was destroyed). The native animals also become more anthropomorphic as they have now established a new market economy in the Amazon. Brandy and Mr. Whiskers discover the mall in the first episode of season 2, "Get a Job". They develop clothing, consumer products, restaurants, theme parks, TV commercials, a boy band called "Sugartoad" and a shopping mall. The adaptation has also lowered Brandy's desire to getting back home as she resigns herself to life in the Amazon.
==Characters==
===Main characters===
*Brandy Harrington (of the Florida Harringtons) (voiced by Kaley Cuoco): Brandy is a classy, anthropomorphic mixed breed dog that was owned by a wealthy person. While on her way to a spa for the first time in an aircraft's cargo room, a mishap with Mr. Whiskers (a rabbit she came across inside) caused the two of them to fall straight into the Amazon Rainforest. But after she callously traded Whiskers to Gaspar for a map back home, she realized that she cares for him deep down and rescued him. Brandy prefers to make the most out of any situation and she attempts to improve her own standing by mistreating and abusing the kindness of her friends, though she does care for her friends very much.
:Brandy and Whiskers have a friends relationship. They often get into fights. However, she is always on the lookout for escape opportunities. She is prone to act like a drama queen, and can be more annoying than Whiskers at times because of her spoiled upbringing. Brandy thinks she is a spaniel with a pedigree, but in the episode "Pedigree, Schmedigree", it is revealed that she is an unspecified mutt from a dog pound. She has blonde colored and straight dog ears (similar to pigtails), darker blonde skin and blue eyes. She usually wears a pink short-sleeved shirt, red jeans and purple platform sandals. She sometimes wears a pink and black polka dot bikini. She also sometimes wears a red swimsuit. She also wears what appears to be a collar on her neck. She also acts mean to Whiskers, but deep down she cares about him.
*Mr. Whiskers (voiced by Charlie Adler): Mr. Whiskers is a white lop-eared rabbit who hasn't had very many friends during his lifetime. On an initial observance of Mr. Whiskers, many viewers would perceive him as a silly, sloppy, smelly, gross, hyperactive, dimwit and an most annoying pest. After further observance of him, many would notice that he is actually intelligent with a fairly large vocabulary, which is exhibited at special moments. He is also very loving and caring, but he can be clumsy and clueless at times although he can be arrogant and naughty. He often acts selfish, short-tempered and cranky.
:When he first met Brandy, he was on his way to a zoo in Paraguay where he was going to be sold for 39 cents, though he soon made a mistake that caused the two of them to fall into the Amazon Rainforest (when Brandy told him turn to on the light switch, he accidentally opened the Emergency Escape Hatch). While Brandy often is embarrassed by his antics, Whiskers does his best to help out Brandy and he does cherish his friendship with her, though she doesn't always feel the same way. Brandy doesn't hate Whiskers but just gets annoyed by him. Brandy and Whiskers are like best friends but she gets irritated by his annoying and never-going-away kind of attitude. Mr. Whiskers' other best friend is Ed, a river otter whom he often spends his time with. He is often seen in an orange jumpsuit. Some characters such as Brandy just call him "Whiskers".
===Recurring characters===
*Lola Boa (voiced by Alanna Ubach): Lola Boa is, as her name suggests, a pink and purple-striped boa constrictor and often the voice of reason amongst Brandy's friends. She speaks with a heavy Spanish accent. While she often has great ideas, sometimes Brandy believes her ideas aren't too bright and Brandy secretly believes Lola is gross because she swallows rodents whole while they're still alive. However, Lola remains Brandy's best friend and she's usually there to help her out when the going gets tough, though Brandy's cruel nature is sometimes too harsh for her to even tolerate. A running gag with Lola is the fact that as a snake, she has no arms or legs. The others constantly make remarks about her lack of limbs, not seeming to notice until she acknowledges her "disability". In the episode "You've Got Snail", Lola's profession seems to be as a nurse.
*Cheryl and Meryl (both voiced by Sherri Shepherd): Cheryl and Meryl are cute, twin toucan sisters that have a grudge against one another and are Brandy's closest girl friends next to Lola. While they care for one another, they often compete and bicker over petty matters, though they do agree with each other in certain rare circumstances. Cheryl and Meryl's fights often lead to catastrophes that divert the paths of the plans concocted by Mr. Whiskers and Brandy. They speak in an African-American hip-hop style, though they are presumed to be from the local area.
*Ed (voiced by Tom Kenny): Ed is a giant otter who is Mr. Whiskers' best friend. Ed is sympathetic and kind, but dim-witted. He and Mr. Whiskers usually come up with friendly plans, but sometimes Ed is the one who does the thinking. Despite the fact that most of their plans cause havoc, he remains loyal to his friend.
*Gaspar Le'Gecko (voiced by André Sogliuzzo): Gaspar Le'Gecko is the self-appointed dictator/entrepreneur/musical director of the Amazon Rainforest who often serves as the antagonist of the series. However, the only reason he is the leader is because no one else bothered to take the position. He speaks with a French accent, though he is assumed to be from the local area. He has a strong desire to eat Mr. Whiskers and he often tries to make schemes in order to gain an opportunity to do such. Gaspar is one of the few individuals in the Rainforest who has the ability to help Brandy get back home to civilization, though after Brandy betrayed him by going back on his deal in the first episode, he hasn't since offered to help her out again. Gaspar is often seen with his simian henchmen. Gaspar also likes using others (mostly Brandy and/or Whiskers) to get what he wants. However, Gaspar has shown a softer side of somewhat friendship to Brandy and Whiskers when it suits his best interests. He also displays a more sensitive side that he usually keeps to himself, such as liking ballet and little dolls. He is somewhat in love with Brandy. In the episode "What Price Dignity?! (Cheap!)" Gaspar tells Brandy that his mother is coming to visit and says that he will give her this beautiful dress if she pretends to be his girlfriend while his mother is there. However it turns out that Gaspar's mother is a fraud and Brandy finds out the "date" wasn't real at all.
*Margo (voiced by Jennifer Hale): Margo is a stick bug who is rivals with Brandy in the social chain of the Amazon Rainforest. When Brandy first arrived in the Amazon, Margo helped her out by giving her some inside information on where the popular people hang out since she believes Brandy shouldn't hang out with Mr. Whiskers. Despite the fact that Margo hangs out with Brandy in some instances, she isn't afraid of belittling her in order to improve her own social standing. On rare occasions, Margo can be nice and caring, against her normal snobbish, vain self.
*The Monkeys: Gaspar's minions. They are not are very smart and do not understand what they are commanded.
*Lester: A huge monkey who is the bully of the rainforest and usually likes to beat up Mr. Whiskers. He is usually seen as Gaspar's bodyguard.
*Whiskers' Brain (voiced by Tom Kenny): He wears a bowler hat, speaks with a Yiddish accent and constantly leaves his owner's head. He is more like a running gag but has come up numerous times.
*Harold: A guinea pig who is shown in the second season as the pet of Mr. Whiskers.
*Mr. Sloth: A sloth who often appears and almost never speaks.
*Gabriella (voiced by Kath Soucie): She is Gaspar's girlfriend. She is often seen accompanied by Margo and the Lemur. Gabriella is an upscale basilisk lizard who takes care of her appearance and fashion. She's an enemy of Brandy.
*The Lemur: She is a lemur that is always with Margo and Gabriella. The three always tease Brandy, but always get their comeuppance.
===Minor characters===
*Melvin: Appeared in "Time For Waffles". A Marsh deer. Brandy got the idea she could only get his attention by whitening her teeth (another of Gaspar's plots). In reality, he did like her but only started talking to her when she started talking to him; though her smiling creeped him out. He confessed this when they were being chased by a jaguar and his son. Their pursuers were tracking them by their bright teeth. Melvin is seen with a girlfriend in "Brandy's Best-Ever Boyfriend".
*The Vic: A jungle snake who appeared in "Skin of Eeeeeeeevil!!!", "Any Club that Would Have Me as a Member" and "Pop Goes the Jungle". He was the target of Lola Boa's infatuation in "The Skin of Eeeeeeeevil!!!". In his second appearance, the Vic was the head of the jock-like Carnivore Club that Whiskers wanted to join. Unlike most of the other predators seen that chased after Brandy and Whiskers, the Vic and his two friends (a panther and a jaguar) were not foiled but rather left hungry, feeling dejected that they were out-smarted by a plant eater. In "Pop Goes the jungle he is seen eating himself to stop hearing Brandy's horrible singing voice.
*Wolfie Lobito: Appeared in "Wolfie: Prince of The Jungle". Wolfgang Louise "Wolfie" Lobito is a wolf who was raised by a monkey who was raised by a panther who was raised by a coconut tree. Whiskers eventually turned him into a gentleman, but by then he was helpless to do anything as he watched Brandy fall off a cliff and into the water. Brandy instantly had a crush on him after he saved her from a similar predicament before. She's seen him around before but never really had a chance to speak to him because she was too shy too. She was friends with him as well before but she had forgotten his name because they hadn't seen each other in a few years. She wanted to date him and kept saying that she was going to make him "the best boyfriend ever" but she never really went out with him. Wolfie's ill-mannered and impolite attitude got to Brandy so she started teaching him how to be a mannered wolf. Wolfie didn't really like this so Brandy let him choose if he wanted to continue taking lessons from her or just go off on his own. Wolfie quickly took to this idea. Wolfie did appear again in "Brandy's Best-Ever Boyfriend" with a girlfriend quite similar to himself.
*Mama Croc: Appeared in "The Babysitter's Flub" where Brandy and Mr. Whiskers had to babysit her 9 eggs, or else she would eat them. You can tell that she has that "bossy school teacher" attitude and is really sometimes ticked-off and happy at the same time. She never appeared in any other episodes, except in some episodes, you can see a crocodile with lipstick and eyelashes just like Mama Crock, except she can stand on her hind legs (If you consider her the same person). You'll have to look closely, because she blends in with the rest of the jungle animals.
*Tito the Samba Monkey: A monkey who teaches samba lessons and appeared in the episode "Rain Delay". In the episode Brandy fights against bad weather to reach Tito before Margo; eventually she learns Tito cancelled the lessons due to his sick mother.
*Mr. Cantarious: Appeared in "You've Got Snail". Voiced by Wayne Knight. A jungle snail who was discovered to be the underside neighbor of Brandy and Whiskers when Whiskers's ball rolled into his house and smacked into him. When Cantarious refused to give Whiskers's ball back, Brandy and Whiskers did acts of revenge to him, including filling his yard with candy wrappers and having a loud party at night. However, Cantarious got back each time by sliming them with his snail slime, usually somehow orally. (The running gag was Brandy, Whiskers, and anyone else who suffered his wrath running to a river, washing their mouths as they go "Gross, gross, gross!") However, they eventually made peace... but only for a short time when Whiskers offered to lend him salt.
*Isabelle (voiced by Jennifer Hale): Isabelle is a giant lizard who appeared in "Cyranosaurus Rex." Whiskers had a crush on her and did all sorts of weird things to impress her like acting gangsta. She has a very short temper and lives with her parents. Isabelle didn't like him back and ate him. Whiskers found a new crush inside her stomach and moved on after she threw them up.
*Dr. Phyllis (voiced by Hallie Todd): A manatee who is a physician that helps people with their problems, especially Brandy and Whiskers's problems. She recommends Brandy to be like Mr. Whiskers, and Mr. Whiskers to be like Brandy, which by the way, ticked off Brandy. After Brandy turns the tables on Whiskers into going back to his normal self, they promised to Dr. Phyllis to never say THE blaming word ever again. Dr. Phyllis' name was based on a parody of Dr. Phil. She appeared in "Freaky Tuesday", based on the movie "Freaky Friday".
*Gina (voiced by Jennifer Hale): Gina is an orange Coati that Whiskers fell in love with. She first appeared in "Cyranosaurus Rex." She is not seen again in later episodes, and it is unclear if she and Whiskers are still dating.
*Tiffany Turlington: (Voiced by Amy Davidson) Appeared in "One of a kind" She is very similar to appearance to Brandy and shares many interests with her. She has the same dog ears as Brandy's, but brown colored and curved. She has tan skin, green eyes, and wears a blue shirt with black pants. Tiffany claimed to be very rich and has claimed to visit many different places. Brandy, feeling the need to prove she's good friend material, lied to Tiffany about the places she'd been too when she really hadn't. While Brandy has a musical leash, she has one with a tracker bug. She also claims to be from Texas. She dislikes Mr. Whiskers.
*"Poncho"- Only appeared in the episode "Mini Whiskers". He is a baby boar who appeared out of a bush (while Whiskers thought was some sort of beast). Brandy and Whiskers take Poncho in, much to Whiskers complaining. At first, Brandy tries to find Poncho's parents. After failing to do so, she goes back to the tree house. Later in the episode, Brandy teaches Whiskers about responsibility, and how others follow you as an example. Poncho is seen following what ever Whiskers does. Later, Poncho's parents find him, and take him home.
*Sandy Carington: Appeared in "Sandy & Mr. Frisky". A fashionable dog who looks just like Brandy, but with orange wavy ears, a mellow yellow shirt, blue cardigan, a darker blue skirt, and blue sandals. Sandy fell into the rainforest with Mr. Frisky the same way Brandy and Mr. Whiskers fell into the rainforest. She doesn't blame Mr. Frisky for confusing the hatch for a light switch, whereas Brandy thinks of Mr. Whiskers as a peabrain for confusing the two. Sandy is a nicer, more caring version of Brandy. Not only is she kinder, but better at everything than Brandy. Even Brandy's friends and all the other locals like Sandy and Mr. Frisky more making their polar opposites jealous. Brandy and Mr. Whiskers try to sabotage Sandy and Mr. Frisky's party and when that doesn't work, they accidentally fling them out of the jungle. Ironically, they are both rescued and given a TV show, making them celebrities.
==Trivia==
*This was the fifth original animated series to be created for Disney Channel; following The Proud Family, Kim Possible, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, & Dave the Barbarian.
*Despite the fact that this show had received positive reviews, DVD/Blu-Ray release of this series is very unlikely; however, most if not all the episodes can still be watchable on various video sharing websites, like Dailymotion and YouTube. Incidentally, this show is also unavailable on Disney+, despite confirmation that it will be.
**It should also be noted that this show has a somewhat less devoted fanbase.
*This show won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation (2005).
==Theme song==
The main theme song was performed by Lou Bega, who also performed the song Mambo No. 5.
Composers and lyricist for the song were Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn, and Tim Heintz. It also got nominated for "Outstanding Original Song", but lost to the TV show "Crown Heights".
==GBA video release==
The episode "To the Moon, Whiskers" is found available in Disney Channel Collection Volume 2 for Game Boy Advance Video with Kim Possible and Lilo & Stitch.
da:Brandy og Hr. Vimse
es:Brandy & Mr. Whiskers
pl:Brenda i pan Whiskers
pt-br:As Aventuras de Brandy e Sr. Bigodes
ro:Brandy și Dl. Mustăcilă
Category:Disney shows
Category:Disney Channel shows
Category:Brandy & Mr. Whiskers
Category:Animated series
Category:2000s television series
Category:Emmy Award winning shows
Category:TV-G rated shows
Category:ABC Kids
Category:Disney XD
Category:Disney XD shows