Creepy Crawly Animals

VHS cover

Creepy Crawly Animals is the ninth episode of the third season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry seeking to slay a dragon and learning about invertebrates on his journey. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 9th June 1998.

While referred to as Creepy Crawly Animals on the VHS, the title card spells it as Creepy-Crawly Animals.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Creepy Crawly Animals.

The narrator finds Henry in a forest, trying to put up a tent. Henry completes the tent, but has all the poles left over. Henry talks to the narrator in a Ye Olde accent, referring to himself as brave Sir Henry and saying he is hunting for a rare dragon called Scarius giganticus. At first, Henry thinks that talking about the dragon is making his skin crawl, but it is actually a vinegaroon climbing up his back. The narrator tells brave Sir Henry that he was frightened by an invertebrate, a creature with no internal framework – just like Henry’s tent. The narrator asks Henry to name some invertebrates, more informally known as creepy crawlies. He correctly guesses spiders, nudibranchs and beetles, but snakes and bats are not, even though Henry finds them creepy.

#### First cartoon

* Octopus is running a security scanner for an invertebrate-only event. Dung Beetle, Mosquito and Bee all get through without issue but a giant Bee sets off an alarm. Octopus grabs the Bee and shakes it, only for it to fall apart and reveal that it was a costume for three Lizards who were trying to sneak in.

Henry travels through the forest and reaches a river, but rather than using a nearby bridge he decides to find his own across. Each time he falls into the water, until he finally decides to just take the bridge. The narrator shows Henry some creepy crawlies that are masters at water-walking, including pond-skaters, water measurers and springtails. Then the narrator shows Henry a montage video of all the ways that creepy crawlies move around.

#### Second cartoon

* Tiger plays the guitar on a bandstand to a group of invertebrates, but they do not enjoy his playing. Instead, they start to play their own instruments – Mosquito plays the horn, Spider strums a web like a harp, Crab uses his claws like maracas and Dung Beetle plays his dung ball like a bongo. Tiger dejectedly leaves the bandstand.

In the forest, Henry finds his tent has been damaged. The narrator tells him it is the work of moths, while Henry thinks it is done by the dragon. The narrator tells Henry about invertebrate pests, that not only include moths but stinging creepy crawlies such as hornets, spiders and scorpions and also blood-suckers such as mosquitoes. The fishing spider is another invertebrate that eats larger animals, and is shown catching a fish. Just like the spider, the housefly also has bad table manners and vomits digestive juices over its prey before sucking it back up. But the invertebrate with the worst table manners fight be the jewel wasp, which paralyses a cockroach, buries it in a nest and lays an egg on it. When the egg hatches, the wasp grub then eats the cockroach alive.

#### Third cartoon

* Caveman is about to go to sleep when he hears Mosquito buzzing around. He tries to squash Mosquito with his club, but Mosquito turns off the light. Caveman rushes to where he thinks Mosquito is and runs off the edge of the cliff just outside the cave entrance.

The narrator now reminds Henry of his news report. His report is about how an alien invasion was discovered in the local park, which has frightened the local animal residents. The aliens are described as having invertebrate features such as huge jaws, bug eyes and antennae, and have invaded Earth in search of ham sandwiches. When Henry asks whether he got the report right or wrong, the narrator tells Henry to ‘take a guess’. The narrator and Henry look at some invertebrates with strange appearances and features, such as multiple eyes, eyespots on the wings and the tsetse fly’s expanding head, which it uses to break out of its pupal case. Henry still thinks the insects are aliens and that the narrator is also one of them, which irritates the narrator. Back in the forest, Henry is being kept awake at night by nocturnal bugs attracted to the light in his tent. As well as insects, there are creatures that hunt them, including the bolas spider. Another night flier, the vampire bat, is shown infested with blood-sucking lice. Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards. The bronze medal goes to the springtail and the silver medal to the fishing spider. But the Golden Gecko Award is given to the beetles, which are introduced like The Beatles, referencing them as the most successful band in the insect charts and with nearly half a million hit species to their name. While the award is for all the beetles, the main species focused on are the tiger beetles, which are the fastest running of the beetle species.

#### Fourth cartoon

* Dung Beetle is playing a soccer match against three Lizards, with a Rabbit as the referee. One of the Lizards kicks the ball high into the air and Dung Beetle easily runs past all the Lizards to easily score a goal.

Henry has cornered the dragon in its lair and drops a wooden portcullis to trap it. However, the trap is soon destroyed by termites eating through it. Suddenly, the dragon starts to emerge from the cave, with glowing red eyes and huge wings. Henry starts to panic, only for the dragon to reveal itself as a small dragonfly. The narrator reminds Henry that, while not an invincible dragon, dragonflies are in their own way just as invincible as dragons. Dragonflies first appeared in the time before the dinosaurs and were similar to how they are today, although some had a wingspan as big as that of a chicken. Henry and the narrator think of all the things that dragonflies have seen come and go. But insects are a force of nature too, with an estimated 200 million creepy crawlies for every person on Earth. Some, such as locusts and leaf-cutting ants, can be pests but we also need insects to pollinate plants. Back in the forest, Henry is preparing to return home. The dragonfly buzzes around Henry as he packs his trunk and knocks him inside. While the narrator reminds Henry that he cannot escape from invertebrates, Henry is still comforted that there are no real dragons around.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Malaysian jungle nymph, *Heteropteryx dilatata*
* European roe deer, *Capreolus capreolus*
* Orb-weaving spider, Araneidae
* Giant vinegaroon, *Mastigoproctus giganteus*
* Indian ornamental tarantula, *Poecilotheria regalis*
* Chilean rose tarantula, *Grammostola rosea*
* Derby’s flower beetle, *Dicronorrhina derbyana*
* Leaf-cutting ant, *Atta cephalotes*
* Sun beetle, *Pachnoda marginata*
* Great green bush cricket, *Tettigonia viridissima*
* Domestic dog, *Canis familiaris*
* Mallard, *Anas platyrhynchos*
* Eurasian red squirrel, *Sciurus vulgaris*
* Giant mantis, *Hierodula sp*.
* Striped love beetle, *Eudicella gralli*

### Stock footage

* Baboon tarantula, *Pelinobius muticus*
* Giant nudibranch, *Dendronotus iris*
* Spear mantis shrimp, *Lysiosquillina maculata*
* Rosy wolf snail, *Euglandina rosea*
* Western diamondback rattlesnake, *Crotalus atrox*
* Lesser long-nosed bat, *Leptonycteris yerbabuenae*
* Common vampire bat, *Desmodus rotundus*
* Scarab beetle, Scarabaeidae
* Hercules beetle, *Dynastes hercules*
* Land crab, Eubrachyura
* Leaf-cutting ant, *Atta cephalotes*
* Monarch butterfly, *Danaus plexippus*
* Common pond-skater, *Gerris lacustris*
* Whirligig beetle, *Gyrinus substriatus*
* Water measurer, *Hydrometra stagnorum*
* Springtail, Collembola
* African giant millipede, *Archispirostreptus gigas*
* Arizona blonde tarantula, *Aphonopelma chalcodes*
* Fog-basking beetle, *Onymacris unguicularis*
* Tubifex worm, *Tubifex tubifex*
* African giant ground cricket, *Acanthoplus discoidalis*
* Common shiny woodlouse, *Oniscus asellus*
* White lady spider, *Leucorchestris arenicola*
* Cockchafer beetle, *Melolontha melolontha*
* Longhorn beetle, Cerambycidae
* Grasshopper, Caelifera
* Peacock spider, *Maratus sp*.
* Blue weevil, *Leptostethus sp*.
* Fen raft spider, *Dolomedes plantarius*
* Three-spined stickleback, *Gasterosteus aculeatus*
* Common housefly, *Musca domestica*
* Jewel wasp, *Ampulex compressa*
* American cockroach, *Periplaneta americana*
* Nile crocodile, *Crocodylus niloticus*
* Koala, *Phascolarctos cinereus*
* Common backswimmer, *Notonecta glauca*
* Green tiger beetle, *Cicindela campestris*
* Praying mantis, Mantodea
* Peanut-headed lanternfly, *Fulgora laternaria*
* Tsetse fly, *Glossina sp*.
* Barn owl, *Tyto alba*
* Brown rat, *Rattus norvegicus*
* Magnificent bolas spider, *Ordgarius magnificus*
* Bat louse, Phthiraptera
* African rainbow shield bug, *Calidea dregii*
* Horned tortoise beetle, *Omocerus casta*
* Two-spot ladybird, *Adalia bipunctata*
* Seven-spot ladybird, *Coccinella septempunctata*
* Violet dropwing dragonfly, *Trithemis annulata*
* Common darter dragonfly, *Sympetrum striolatum*
* Migratory locust, *Locusta migratoria*

## Credits

* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Writers - Alastair Swinnerton and Louise Anstey
* Script Editor - Rob Harvey
* Music - David Poore
* Studio Director - Anne Neale
* Graphic Designer Director - Kate Finding
* Graphic Design Assistant - Chris Wreford
* Researcher - Jan Ronca
* Production Co-ordinator - Janelle Backes
* Production Secretary - Mandy Vaughan
* Camera - Michael Hutchinson
* Computer Animation - Ricochet 4, Henry Lutman (director), Daniel Pearson and Matt McKinney
* Cel Animation - A for Animation, Mark Taylor (director)
* Sound Editor - Ian Brown
* Dubbing Mixer - Andrew Wilson
* Editors
	+ Offline - David Warner
	+ Graphics - Sue Land
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles

## Home media releases

The VHS for Amazing Creepy Crawly Animals was released on 15th September 1999. The cover shows Henry wearing his knight’s helmet, and he is accompanied by a group of wood ants, the CGI dragonfly from the episode, a European mantis eating a fly, a horsefly and the caterpillar of a common crow butterfly.

The spine of the VHS has photographs of another three wood ants.

**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