Scaly Animals

VHS cover

Scaly Animals is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry campaigning to improve the image of scaly animals, after he is upset by their portrayal as villains. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 22nd June 1999.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Scaly Animals.

As the narrator introduces the show, Henry interrupts and says this is his show. Henry begins by talking about a dream he had. In the dream, he has feathers but then loses them when he sneezes, which results in the birds laughing at him. He then goes to look for his morning paper, but it gets thrown in his face. He looks in the newspaper, which is running disparaging articles about scaly animals. Henry is angry with the anti-scale rhetoric and turns on the television, only to be greeted with a documentary where a monitor lizard is described as a typically vicious, scaly hooligan. Henry gets even more angry, and the narrator suggests he sing.

Henry then sings the song 'A Lizard Needs Scales'.

Henry decides to organise an International Scale Day to get the message out, but this goes wrong when the speakers on his truck fall on top of him. The narrator talks about how scales are excellent protection, used by lizards, fishes such as arapaima and even a single scaly mammal, the pangolin. Henry and the narrator then do a National Scale Day TV special, where Henry tries to interview an iguana and bearded dragon. He then tries to talk to a frilled lizard, but it raises its frill and frightens him so much the show is taken off-air. The narrator points out that some scaly animals are simply made for fighting. Desert tortoises are shown fighting, using their shells as protection. Another scaly animal that blackens the family name is the scale-biter cichlid, which mimics other cichlids to get close and bite off their scales. The narrator reminds Henry of his news report. Just before he can start the report on lizards, the narrator says Henry is not the most impartial reporter and asks to do it himself. Henry agrees, and the narrator talks about lizards have won several medals in the lazy-lympics. He says that lizards are battery-operated but forget to change their own batteries, so always order pizza rather than cook anything. At the end of the report, Henry says he thinks that the narrator made the whole thing up. The narrator points out that Henry makes up all his reports, and Henry concedes that this is true. Henry says that the narrator was wrong about lizards though. Henry says lizards are not lazy, but rely on external temperatures to keep active. Once they have warmed up, lizards like a Namibian chameleon can be very active. The narrator tells Henry that lizards really are amazing.

#### First cartoon

* Chameleon changes colour to match the background of a brick wall, make himself look like he is driving a car and then blend in with a picket fence. As he moves past the picket fence, he suddenly falls down through the slats on a drain cover.

Henry has abandoned his TV special and instead doing door-to-door greetings. While going between houses Henry finds that some animals, such as eagles and leopards, will eat reptiles. A roadrunner is then shown – it is a predator of reptiles, but meets its match in the form of a venomous rattlesnake.

#### Second cartoon

* Tyrannosaurus goes to a restaurant, where Frog serves him a bowl of soup. While Tyrannosaurus eats, Crocodile leaps from the bowl of soup, grabs Tyrannosaurus by the snout and drags him in. Tyrannosaurus is then spat out and sits covered with soup. Frog returns and kicks Tyrannosaurus out of the restaurant. Crocodile then rises out of the soup bowl and waggles his eyebrows.

Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards. The bronze medal goes to the scale-biter cichlid and the silver medal to the chameleon, with its technicolour scales. The Golden Gecko Award is given to the crocodile, because the ancient Egyptians paid homage to them and treated them as gods, with Henry saying that the ancient Egyptians definitely knew how to treat scaly animals right.

#### Third cartoon

* Rattlesnake is selling balloons. First Squirrel takes one and then two of the Chicks take the final two when Hen asks for them. Rather than disappoint the last Chick, Rattlesnake sheds his skin and inflates it like a balloon. The happy third Chick floats up on his snakeskin balloon.

Henry has decided to hold a Scale Day concert, and has got together all the equipment required. When he calls for the volunteers, the narrator points out that none showed up. Henry decides to set the entire thing up by himself, which amazes the narrator. Henry says he also arranged some of his scaly friends to drop them a line – they include Tokay the gecko, who is stuck at home and climbing the walls, Draco the flying lizard who is gliding to the concert on flaps of skin and Iggy Iguana who is swimming there to show off his spiky scales. The narrator is impressed with Henry’s scaly friends.

Henry closes out the episode by singing ‘Ask Henry’ with the narrator and several of the cartoon characters as backing singers.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Green-cheeked parakeet, *Pyrrhura molinae*
* Domestic cat, *Felis catus*
* Domestic dog, *Canis familiaris*
* European rabbit, *Oryctolagus cuniculus*
* Green iguana, *Iguana iguana*
* Central bearded dragon, *Pogona vitticeps*
* Frilled lizard, *Chlamydosaurus kingii*
* Tawny eagle, *Aquila rapax*
* Leopard, *Panthera pardus*
* Domestic goat, *Capra hircus*
* Springhare, *Pedetes sp*.
* King penguin, *Aptenodytes patagonicus*
* Clown triggerfish, *Balistoides conspicillum*
* Mandrill, *Mandrillus sphinx*
* California sea lion, *Zalophus californianus*
* Mallard, *Anas platyrhynchos*
* Laggar falcon, *Falco jugger*
* Monarch butterfly, *Danaus plexippus*
* Tanimbar corella, *Cacatua goffiniana*
* Moluccan cockatoo, *Cacatua moluccensis*
* Atlantic salmon, *Salmo salar*

### Stock footage

* Nile monitor, *Varanus niloticus*
* Seba’s short-tailed fruit bat, *Carollia perspicillata*
* Sugar glider, *Petaurus breviceps*
* Namaqua chameleon, *Chamaeleo namaquensis*
* Northern caiman lizard, *Dracaena guianensis*
* Western diamondback rattlesnake, *Crotalus atrox*
* Mountain gorilla, *Gorilla beringei beringei*
* Jackson’s chameleon, *Trioceros jacksonii*
* Cichlid, Cichlidae
* Green iguana, *Iguana iguana*
* Desert tortoise, *Gopherus agassizii*
* Nile crocodile, *Crocodylus niloticus*
* Arapaima, *Arapaima gigas*
* Ground pangolin, *Smutsia temminckii*
* Scale-biter cichlid, *Plecodus straeleni*
* Marine iguana, *Amblyrhynchus cristatus*
* Galapagos giant tortoise, *Chelonoidis niger*
* Galapagos hawk, *Buteo galapagoensis*
* White darkling beetle, *Cauricara eburnea*
* Greater roadrunner, *Geococcyx californianus*
* Sidewinder rattlesnake, *Crotalus cerastes*
* Marabou stork, *Leptoptilos crumenifer*
* Tokay gecko, *Gekko gecko*
* Common flying lizard, *Draco volans*

## Credits

* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Writer - Paul Dawson
* Script Editor - Rob Harvey
* Music - David Poore
	+ A Lizard Needs Scales - Composed and performed by Eric Meyers
	+ Ask Henry - Composed by Tom Clarke-Hill, performed by Eric Meyers and Tom Clarke-Hill
* Studio Art Director - Anne Neale
* Camera - Graham MacFarlane
* Graphic Designer Director - Kate Finding
* Graphic Design Assistant - Chris Wreford
* Production Co-ordinator - Janelle Backes
* Production Secretary - Mandy Vaughan
* Computer Animation - Ricochet 4, Henry Lutman (director), Daniel Pearson and Matt McKinney
* Cel Animation - A for Animation, Mark Taylor (director)
* Sound Post-Production - Films @ 59
* Editors
	+ Offline - David Warner
	+ Graphics - Sue Land and Tony Almond
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles

## Home media releases

The VHS for Scaly Animals released on Xst X 199X. The cover shows Henry wearing his top hat and singing. He is accompanied by an ocellated lizard, a frilled lizard and a milk snake.

**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