Scary Animals

VHS cover

Scary Animals is the third episode of the second season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry scaring himself and his friends with horror films and learning about the animals we find frightening. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 29th April 1997.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Scary Animals.

Henry and his friends, a dog, rabbit and macaw, are all hiding behind the sofa to keep away from a spider after they have been scared by watching too many horror movies. The narrator finds out Henry is scared of both spiders and the animals that live in the dark, and tries to explain that neither are really that dangerous. When the narrator gets scared by a moray eel, Henry makes fun of him until spiders appear again and frighten him back behind the sofa. The narrator thinks that Henry may have arachnophobia.

#### First cartoon

* Elephant is out walking and encounters Mouse, who scares him; when Elephant tries to frighten Mouse back, Mouse roars at Elephant and makes him faint.

Henry and his friends have gone out on a boat to try and relax. The narrator asks Henry if he is scared of the old stories of sea monsters, but when Henry says he doesn’t believe those stories a real sea serpent appears and chases them. While some sea animals such as the octopus look scary, people made them into monsters simply because they didn’t know enough about them. The narrator explains that while stories of giant sea creatures are mostly myth, there are giant squid living in the abyss. Jellyfish are one of the more dangerous sea creatures, but are only a threat if you swim with them. They then look at the manatee which, while not scary, did inspire many stories about mermaids.

#### Second cartoon

* Elephant takes advice from Spider on how to scare Mouse but when lowered down on a string, Mouse grabs Elephant by the trunk and catapults him away.

Henry and his friends have wrecked their boat and try to seek refuge in a cave. When Henry discovers the cave is full of vampire bats, he runs away. Henry thinks all sorts of monsters hide in caves but some animals such as swiftlets use the cave precisely because it is such a safe place to hide. The narrator then reminds Henry about his special report, which is about how scary sharks are. Henry talks about how basking sharks swallow ships and, when the ships starting defending themselves, they turned to eating whole islands. The narrator says that this is one of Henry’s worst reports so far. While most sharks are formidable hunters, the basking shark is a harmless plankton feeder.

#### Third cartoon

* Skunk tries to help Elephant scare Mouse by releasing his spray. Mouse puts on a gas mask and walks away and when Elephant smells Skunk’s spray he faints.

Henry puts on a costume and vampire fangs and frightens the narrator, before going on to try and scare a frilled lizard, while frightens him back. He then tries to scare a poison-dart frog, but faints in fear when told that a single touch could kill. Both poison-dart frogs and redback spiders have bright colours on their bodies to warn other animals not to attack them. The owl butterfly also scares potential attackers by having huge eyespots on its wings.

#### Fourth cartoon

* Bat helps Elephant scare Mouse by hanging from the ceiling. When Mouse narrowly avoids getting squashed by Elephant when he falls down, he faints and Elephant celebrates.

Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards. The bronze medal goes to the vampire bat and the silver medal to the giant tarantula. But the Golden Gecko Award is given to the army ant. While not scary on their own, in large numbers they can eat any small animal that can’t escape. While Henry claims they can eat people and buildings, the narrator says this is not true – the stories of army ants killing people are fiction. Henry is relaxed again, so the narrator spooks him by turning out the lights. Henry is frightened by an owl and then his reflection, but when Henry’s reflection moves by itself and starts speaking evilly, it scares the narrator. The narrator now admits he is scared of the dark, because he cannot see what is living there and assumes the worst. But while most animals cannot help being scary, being scared can be good for us. Fear makes our bodies produce adrenaline that helps us to run faster. Henry tries to scare the narrator by dressing up as a ghost but gets frightened back. The narrator then says that animals only try to be scary to warn others to leave them alone and not because they get a kick out of scaring people. The narrator reminds Henry to check under his bed, where a large number of arachnids have just hidden. The narrator concludes that Henry will never get over his fear of amazing scary animals.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Domestic dog, *Canis familiaris*
* European rabbit, *Oryctolagus cuniculus*
* Blue-and-yellow macaw, *Ara ararauna*
* Orb-weaving spider, *Araneidae*
* Mexican redknee tarantula, *Brachypelma hamorii*
* Chilean rose tarantula, *Grammostola rosea*
* Indian ornamental tarantula, *Poecilotheria regalis*
* Frilled lizard, *Chlamydosaurus kingii*
* Green-and-black poison-dart frog, *Dendrobates auratus*
* Barn owl, *Tyto alba*
* Giant vinegaroon, *Mastigoproctus giganteus*
* Solifugid, *Solifugae*
* Imperial scorpion, *Pandinus imperator*

### Stock footage

* Opalescent squid, *Doryteuthis opalescens*
* Cave crab, *Typhlopseudothelphusa sp*.
* Domestic cat, *Felis catus*
* Hammerhead bat, *Hypsignathus monstrosus*
* Domestic goat, *Capra hircus*
* Indian cobra, *Naja naja*
* Strawberry poison-dart frog, *Oophaga pumilio*
* Redback spider, *Latrodectus hasselti*
* California moray eel, *Gymnothorax mordax*
* Common vampire bat, *Desmodus rotundus*
* Leopard, *Panthera pardus*
* Brown hyena, *Parahyaena brunnea*
* Blue shark, *Prionace glauca*
* Trinidad olive tarantula, *Neoholothele incei*
* Indian ornamental tarantula, *Poecilotheria regalis*
* North Pacific giant octopus, *Enteroctopus dofleini*
* Octopus, *Octopoda*
* Compass jellyfish, *Chrysaora hysoscella*
* West Indian manatee, *Trichechus manatus*
* Horseshoe bat, *Rhinolophus sp*.
* Malaysian cave centipede, *Thereuopoda longicornis*
* Cave cricket, *Rhaphidophoridae*
* Edible-nest swiftlet, *Aerodramus fuciphagus*
* Swellshark, *Cephaloscyllium ventriosum*
* Scalloped hammerhead, *Sphyrna lewini*
* Pacific angelshark, *Squatina californica*
* Basking shark, *Cetorhinus maximus*
* Red-backed poison-dart frog, *Ranitomeya reticulata*
* Giant owl butterfly, *Caligo memnon*
* Margay, *Leopardus wiedii*
* Army ant, *Eciton burchellii*
* White-nosed coati, *Nasua narica*
* Great curassow, *Crax rubra*
* Tailless whip-scorpion, *Amblypygi*
* Bullet ant, *Paraponera clavata*
* Brown long-eared bat, *Plecotus auritus*
* African spotted eagle owl, *Bubo africanus*
* Spotted hyena, *Crocuta crocuta*

## Credits

* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Writer - Alastair Swinnerton
* Script Editor - Jennifer Lupinacci
* Music - David Poore
* Director - Anne Neale
* Graphic Designer - Kate Beldon
* Graphic Design Assistant - Emma Rigney
* Researcher - Matt Brennan
* Production Co-ordinator - Esta Porter
* Post-Production Co-ordinator - Liz Lewin
* Production Secretary - Vivienne Mackay
* Production Team - Steve Cronick, Pauline Davis, Sam Evans, Derrick Gayle and Dominic Weston
* Camera - Sean O'Driscoll and Andy Shillabeer
* 3-D Animation - Ricochet 4 and Daniel Pearson
* Computer Animation Director - Henry Lutman
* Cell Animation - A for Animation
* Cell Animation Director - Mark Taylor
* Sound Editor - Paul Fisher
* Dubbing Mixer - Andrew Wilson
* Editors
	+ Offline - Graham MacFarlane
	+ Graphics - Sue Land
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles
* Producer - Rob Harvey

## Home media releases

The VHS for Scary Animals released on 10th November 1997. The VHS cover shows Henry hiding behind his hands, and is accompanied by a wolf, a kingsnake and, in some versions, a tarantula.

The spine of the VHS has the same tarantula photograph as is on some versions of the cover (in the cases where the cover doesn’t have a tarantula, it simply has a DK Vision logo in its place), while the back cover has no animal photograph.

The blurb on the back cover of the VHS reads:

**Why are spiders more scared of you than you are of them? How does a small animal scare off a giant predator?**

*“AAAH, DIDN’T I SCARE YOU?”*

Henry just can’t seem to frighten anyone – he’s too cute! But he soon picks up spooky tips from some SCARY ANIMALS, from the vicious vampire bat to the leggy millipede.

Alternative Scary Animals VHS cover

**Cartoon Characters**: \* Eagles • Tyrannosaurus • Rattlesnake • Tiger • Squirrel • Lizards • Elephant • Bat • Fish • Camel • Gorilla • Caveman • Mole • Bear • Stickman • Chicks • Hen • Rooster • Owl • Chameleon • Tortoise • Crocodile • Frog and Toad •
• Parrot • Porcupine • Mouse • Whale • Rhinoceros • Beavers • Snail • Rabbit • Dog • Skunk • Spider • Octopus • Vulture • Woodpecker • Flea • Dung Beetle • Butterfly • Gibbon • Fly • Mosquito • Bee • Beetles • Crab • Pigeon • Carnivorous Plant • Lamb

**Voice Actors**: Eric Meyers • Tom Clarke-Hill
**Season One**: Tropical Birds • Animal Disguises • Nighttime Animals • Animal Appetites • Animal Survivors • Animal Senses • Animal Weapons • Animal Builders • Armoured Animals • Mini-Beasts • Animal Babies • Poisonous Animals • Animal Journeys
**Season Two**: Birds of Prey • Desert Animals (Amazing Animals) • **Scary Animals** • Animal Records • Animal Colors • Animal Mothers • Animal Pets • Seashore Animals • Animal Families • Endangered Animals • An Animal Year • Prehistoric Animals • Monkeys and Apes
**Season Three**: Animal Hunters • Animal Talk • Slimy Animals • Rainforest Animals • Animal Acrobats • Underwater Animals • Animal Neighbors • Giant Animals - Creepy Crawly Animals • Farm Animals (Amazing Animals) • Animal Changes • Extinct Animals • Animal Eggs
**Season Four**: Around the World • Polar Animals • Clever Animals • Underground Animals • Animal Helpers • Woodland Animals (Amazing Animals) • Mountain Animals • Backyard Animals • Tiny Animals • Animal Partners • Scaly Animals • River Animals • Animal Flight