Animal Records

VHS cover

Animal Records is the fourth episode of the second season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry trying to break a record and learning about animals that unwittingly break records themselves. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 6th May 1997.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Animal Records.

Henry is looking at a row of award cups and asks what they are for – the narrator says they are for all the animal record holders, and Henry says he wants one. Henry tries jumping by bouncing off a trampoline, but ends of smashing through the record holders’ podium and knocking over the awards. The narrator points out that animal record holders don’t try to break records and do so while trying to survive. Some examples of animal record holders are shown, including largest deer – the moose, slowest fish – the seahorse, biggest reptile – the saltwater crocodile, most venomous snake – the inland taipan, fastest wingbeat – the hummingbird, and furthest glide – the flying squirrel.

#### First cartoon

* The Lizards are running a high jump event for Rabbit, Frog and Toad. Rabbit does a strong jump and then Frog indicates the bar should be taken higher. He then spikes Toad in the bottom with a pin. Toad jumps up in pain and clears the bar, winning the event.

Henry gets into a running race with a cheetah, a hare and a wallaby, but is quickly left behind as soon as the race begins. Henry says he needs to get training, but the narrator points out that probably wouldn’t help against these animals. Hares can run at great speed to escape from predators. Ducks are also very fast when flying, and can fly faster than a cheetah can run. The only animal that can outdo them is the peregrine falcon in a dive. The narrator also shows Henry some animals that are very strong for their size, including the leaf-cutting ant and Hercules beetle. Henry is now reminded to do his Special Report, which is about sloths. Henry says that sloths work for the jungle police, moving slowly to creep up on suspects and growing fungus in their fur as camouflage. The narrator corrects Henry’s report – there is no real reason why sloths are slow. Sloths are the slowest of the mammals, but they are so well-adapted to life in the trees that they have no need to be fast.

#### Second cartoon

* Rabbit and Tortoise are having a running race. Rabbit takes a quick lead but Tortoise suddenly catches him up, a cloud of dust around his feet. Rabbit picks up Tortoise and finds he is being carried by three Dung Beetles. Rabbit drops Tortoise and leaves him spinning on the ground.

Henry has given up on athletic records and tries to make the biggest animal-built structure. He builds a large card tower which the narrator finds impressive, but equally will need a lot more work to beat the efforts of creatures like ants. While Henry is bragging about his building skills, he knocks the card tower over. The narrator shows off some more successful animal builders such as ospreys, termites, beavers and coral reefs.

#### Third cartoon

* Gorilla, Elephant and Mouse are having a weight-lifting contest. After Elephant and Gorilla laugh at Mouse’s attempt, Mouse frightens Elephant who jumps into Gorilla’s arms. The combined weight makes them smash through the floor and Mouse wins the award. However, Mouse’s weight that was flicked into the air by the breaking floorboards comes down and also knocks Mouse through the floor.

Henry now tries to set a record for eating the most baked beans in a minute, but cheats by using a straw instead of a toothpick. The narrator says he does not understand why anyone would want to set an eating record anyway, as record-breaking animal appetites are simply what an animal needs to survive. Large animals such as whales and elephants need to eat a lot each day to keep their weight constant, caterpillars are able to eat over 56,000 times their own body weight in a couple of months and anacondas eat enormous meals that they swallow whole.

#### Fourth cartoon

* Elephant, Tyrannosaurus and Rooster are holding a shouting contest with the Lizards as judges. Elephant gets three eights for his effort, Tyrannosaurus gets three nines and Rooster, using a megaphone, brings the roof down on everyone. When he pops up from the wreckage he is met by an angry Elephant and Tyrannosaurus.

Henry is in the hospital, sleeping and dressed in scrubs. When the narrator asks if Henry hurt himself trying to break a record, Henry responds by saying he has been waiting for an elephant baby to be born. While elephants have one of the longest gestation periods, smaller animals such as mice, aphids, bacteria and quelea are able to have huge numbers of babies. People also have a large population, but they cannot beat the bugs. Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards. The bronze and silver medals, for the leopard and raccoon respectively, are joke awards. When the narrator tells Henry to be serious, he awards the Golden Gecko Award to the cheetah, the fastest land animal. Henry tries racing again, and seemingly wins – the narrator points out that Henry was racing a tortoise and a snail. Henry is upset that he is never going to win a record, but the narrator points out that Henry already holds a record as the most amazing lizard in the world. Henry receives his award cup, and breathes on it. The misting on the cup covers the screen as the credits begin to roll.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Cheetah, *Acinonyx jubatus*
* Domestic dog, *Canis familiaris*
* Leopard tortoise, *Stigmochelys pardalis*
* White’s tree frog, *Litoria caerulea*
* Red-necked wallaby, *Notamacropus rufogriseus*
* European rabbit, *Oryctolagus cuniculus*
* Leaf-cutting ant, *Atta cephalotes*
* African bush elephant, *Loxodonta africana*
* House mouse, *Mus musculus*
* Asian elephant, *Elephas maximus*
* East African giant land snail, *Lissachatina fulica*

### Stock footage

* African bush elephant, *Loxodonta africana*
* Red-billed quelea, *Quelea quelea*
* Moose, *Alces alces*
* Seahorse, *Hippocampus sp*.
* Saltwater crocodile, *Crocodylus porosus*
* Inland taipan, *Oxyuranus microlepidotus*
* Giant amphisbaena, *Amphisbaena alba*
* Red kangaroo, *Osphranter rufus*
* Broad-billed hummingbird, *Cynanthus latirostris*
* Northern flying squirrel, *Glaucomys sabrinus*
* Cheetah, *Acinonyx jubatus*
* Mallard, *Anas platyrhynchos*
* Peregrine falcon, *Falco peregrinus*
* Leaf-cutting ant, *Atta cephalotes*
* Hercules beetle, *Dynastes hercules*
* Brown-throated three-toed sloth, *Bradypus variegatus*
* Jaguarundi, *Herpailurus yagouaroundi*
* Crested oropendola, *Psarocolius decumanus*
* Collared peccary, *Dicotyles tajacu*
* Osprey, *Pandion haliaetus*
* African mound-building termite, *Macrotermes sp*.
* American beaver, *Castor canadensis*
* Sea goldie, *Pseudanthias squamipinnis*
* Blue whale, *Balaenoptera musculus*
* Blue wildebeest, *Connochaetes taurinus*
* Monarch butterfly, *Danaus plexippus*
* Yellow anaconda, *Eunectes notaeus*
* Spectacled caiman, *Caiman crocodilus*
* Green anaconda, *Eunectes murinus*
* Collared lemming, *Dicrostonyx groenlandicus*
* Greenfly aphid, *Myzus persicae*
* Leopard, *Panthera pardus*
* Northern raccoon, *Procyon lotor*
* Thomson’s gazelle, *Eudorcas thomsonii*
* Grant’s gazelle, *Nanger granti*

## 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
* Production Co-ordinator - Esta Porter
* Post-Production Co-ordinator - Liz Lewin
* Production Secretary - Vivienne Mackay
* Production Team - Steve Cronick, Pauline Davis, Sam Evans and Dominic Weston
* Camera - 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 and Vince Pipe
	+ Graphics - Sue Land
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles

## Home media releases

The VHS for Animal Records released on 22nd December 1997. The cover shows Henry wearing a medal and smiling with his arms raised, and he is accompanied by an African elephant, a grey kangaroo, a cheetah and a common ostrich. An alternative front cover has a more stylised version of Henry, moves around the kangaroo, cheetah and ostrich and changes the elephant photograph.

The spine of the VHS has a photograph of a giraffe or, alternatively, a common ostrich.

The blurb on the back cover of the VHS reads:

Which animal has the worst breath in the world? Which is the fastest bug around?

**“READY… SET… GO!”**

Henry’s off – on a mad dash to find the fastest, biggest, hungriest and cutest ANIMAL RECORD holders, from the giant flying squirrel to the slow, slow sloth. But who will win the funniest lizard prize?

Alternative Animal Records 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