Animal Partners

VHS cover

Animal Partners is the tenth episode of the fourth season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry discovering all about animals which share symbiotic relationships in nature. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 15th June 1999.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Animal Partners.

Henry finds himself talking to himself in the Wild West - though this is out of necessity, as in the desert there is nobody else to talk to. The narrator suggests Henry find a partner, which leads to Henry singing a song.

"A cowboy needs a partner like a spider needs a fly, but I ain't got nobody, I'm so lonesome I could cry..."

His performance proves unimpressive, as the narrator retorts; "Now I know why you don't have a partner."

Suddenly, Henry hears a whinnying sound, which Henry worries may be a 'bandito' - 'kinda like an enchillada, but no cheese.' He then returns to his pot of beans, to find a mule eating them, to his annoyance. But the narrator notices that, with Henry having expressed a need for a partner, this mule would make the perfect companion. Henry lightens up to the idea, noting that "we both love beans, after all!" This then leads to the introductory segment detailing symbiotic relations within nature.

#### First cartoon

* After the introductory segment about symbotic relationships, A cartoon begins, featuring Gorilla and a female Gorilla character on an ice rink. They skate on the ice together, and eventually the male Gorilla throws the Female Gorilla up. She quickly lands - making a hole in the ice. She is then seen looking annoyed on the ice, with a green Fish sitting on her head. She proceeds to slap the Fish in the male Gorilla's face, before throwing it back into the hole. The two gorillas then skate in opposite directions.

Following this, the second Henry segment begins - Henry telling his newfound mule companion how lucky he is to find a 'real cowboy' like Henry, one who can spit, likes cows, and has a 'yahoo hat'. [Because when you're a cowboy, you always go - 'yahoo!'] Henry jumps, accidentally tossing his hat, which lands onto a cactus. Henry begins to stand-off the cactus - 'looks like one prickly customer!' He walks up to the cactus, noticing a wanted sign stuck to it, detailing how 'real rootin' tootin' deputies needed to clean up this town: BYOH.' After some confusion, the narrator suggests that 'BYOH' perhaps means 'Bring Your Own Horse'. Henry sees this as an opportunity for himself and his new partner - but first he has to get back his 'yahoo hat'. He stands on the mule's back, and tries to reach - but gets stuck himself on the cactus. After this, a segment of especially monogomous animals, including albatross and gibbons, begins.

#### Second cartoon

* After the animal segment, a cartoon begins with Rooster and Hen on a green sofa. They gaze into each other's eyes, and share a kiss. The red bird proceeds to eat out of a box of chocolates, when Rooster notices a picture of their wedding. He recalls a memory where his wife had a slice of cake, but was unwilling to share, leading to a fight, and another photograph where the wife appears to be slapping him in the face. He then looks towards his wife's box of chocolates - but she is, once again, unwilling to share. Much like previous events, he tries to insist on sharing, but she declines - leading to another scuffle.

The third Henry segment begins - where the Narrator asks Henry how his horse-riding lessons are coming along. Henry notes that 'he's started to get the hang of it', referring to the mule. The Narrator insists that he thought that Henry was supposed to be taking lessons, but Henry insists that he was 'saddle-sore before [he] could walk!' After some struggling, Henry climbs onto the mule's saddle, but cannot get the animal to move. After some tries, the Narrator notes, 'I think the word is - *Giddy Up!*' this makes the mule move, but Henry has trouble staying in saddle. During which, he notes that he was only ever a natural 'faller-offer'. The narrator insists that Henry needs practice - to which Henry says that he is practicing, whilst showing various obscure angles whilst he is riding the mule. He eventually falls off, and runs after the mule - before a segment begins detailing how other animals get onto others.

#### Third cartoon

* After the third animal segment, a cartoon begins - where Tiger is seen driving a car. He drives at a fast speed - only to run out of fuel. Unable to repair, he leaves the car to rest. He then tries to look for another means of transport - Tortoise arrives, who is promptly declined. Porcupine then arrives, and is offering - but is declined too. Eventually, what looks like a horse arrives, and the pleased Tiger proceeds to jump on its back - only to receive an unpleasant surprise - the 'horse' was actually Porcupine and Tortoise in costume.

Henry then has to do his news report on blood-suckers. He notes side-stories of 'Jellycumb Jellyfish' playing 'Vegas', and lizards visiting Mars - and liking it. He then announces the top story - how vampire cows were taking over unsuspecting farms. By day, such cows act in a normal manner, but by night they grow capes, slick-backed hairstyles, and fangs. They tend to pretend to be bats [but with udders], flying through the night sky in search of prey, leaving trails of scared rabbits in their wake. The problem may spread to other parts of the world - with supposed sitings of 'werewolf lambs', 'mummy geese', and a 'fifty-foot turkey'. Henry then suggests, in retaliation, to 'shut the barn door', 'wear garlic-flavoured pyjamas', and 'beware of bats saying - moo'. After the narrator's critique, a segment about parasites - ticks - begins.

After this, the fourth Henry segment begins, and Henry is thirsty. In search of a snack-bar, the Narrator informs him that this is cowboy town, and if he's thirsty he should look for a saloon. To which Henry retorts, 'I hear the local watering hole can be pretty rough. But that's okay - cause I'm even rougher!' After entering, the doors send him flying in. He lands behind the serving counter in a rough manner. He then asks for two root beers - one for him and his partner - 'in a dirty glass'. A drink cup is then sent sliding across the counter, but Henry fails to grab it - and it falls, hitting a rabbit. The Narrator urges Henry to be careful, and not to annoy anyone. Henry then asks the mule to sit down - the mule does so accordingly on a chair. The chair breaks under the mule's weight, to Henry's annoyance. The mule shakes his head when Henry remarks - 'hope you can pay for that!' Henry then states, 'now you've done it you big mule, we'll get thrown out of here for -' promptly enough, Henry sees the Bouncer arrive to the scene [the Bouncer is not seen on-screen at any point; other than their ambiguous shadow], and promptly kick Henry out. Henry remarks, 'maybe I'd be better off working alone!' After this, an animal segment about sparring rival animals begins.

The Golden Gecko Awards begin, and Henry gives out his Golden Gecko Award for all-time best Animal Helper. The bronze medal goes to the red kangaroo, the silver medal to the albatross, and the Golden Gecko is awarded to the honey badger, alongside the animals that help it find honey. [The goshawk and honeyguide] Afterwards, we see that Henry has perched himself high on a roof. Henry notes, 'the poster said - 'cowboy trials at high noon'. This is as high as you can get in this town, and I'm the only cowboy up here'. The camera zooms out to reveal he is on top of a clock tower. The Narrator explains that 'High Noon' means 12 o'clock - leading to Henry ask, 'what time is it?' It then turns - '*twelve o'clock!'* The loud ringing of the bell causes Henry to fall - his fall is, however, broken only by his mule. The Narrator tells Henry that he knew their partnership would improve, it was merely a matter of 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine'. A segment then begins on animals which share mutually beneficial relationships - including impalas and baboons.

#### Fourth cartoon

* After the last animal segment of the episode, the fourth and final cartoon begins - an irritated Bear is scratching his back, on his skin, a hungry Flea is planning to feast on his blood. Bear then rubs his back on a tree, down a pile of dirt, and using his hand once again - all to no avail. He then notices Chameleon nearby, and explains his problem. Chameleon is understanding, and offers to work himelf as a back-scratcher. Flea becomes visibly dazed and hurt. He then leaps off Bear's skin - only to be eaten by Chameleon. A satisfied Bear and Chameleon proceed to shake hands.

The final Henry segment begins, where Henry is singing a song similar to that sung at the beginning of the episode - 'A cowboy needs a partner like a treasure needs a chest, I've got the bestest partner in the whole wild west ...' Henry then clarifies to the Narrator that he got the cowboy job after all - and he is now aware what was meant by 'cowboys wanted to clean up this town', as he throws a littered tin can into a wastebucket on the mule's side. [literally, to clean up the town] He then tells 'Beany' that the load is now ready for the dump. The Narrator is happy that the mule now has a name, but is confused as to why 'Beany' was chosen. Henry explains, 'cause we love the same food'. He then sings another song, 'A cowboy needs a partner like fishies need a drink, we love to eat our beans all day and that's why we both-' before Henry can sing the last word, presumably rhyming with 'drink', Beany whinnies. The episode ends on a scene of him riding Beany at susnet - his dark silhouette juxtaposed against the radiant Sun. The Narrator closes off, 'And so, Henry the Lizard, fastest street-sweeper in the West, rode his trusty partner Beany off into the sunset. Proving that you'll never be a lonesome cowboy, as long as you've got - an *Amazing Animal Partner* by your side.' The credits theme, as opposed to the usual, plays a calm banjo rendition of the typical Henry leitmotif.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Mule, *Equus ferus caballus x Equus asinus africanus* \*
* Domestic Turkey, *Meleagris gallopavo*
* House Mouse, *Mus musculus*
* Domestic Rabbit, *Oryctolagus cuniculus*

\* Despite being referred to as a mule in the programme itself, a photograph of the same individual in an online stock image library refers to this animal as a hinny - this is simply a hybrid between a male horse and female donkey, while the mule is a hybrid of the opposite sexes.

### Stock footage

* Fischer's Lovebird, *Agapornis fischeri*
* Abyssinian Black-and-White Coloubus, *Colobus guereza*
* Waved Albatross, *Phoebastria irrorata*
* Cheetah, *Aiconyx jubatus*
* Lappet-faced Vulture, *Torgos tracheliotos*
* Fiddler crab, Ocypodidae
* Masai Giraffe, *Giraffa [cameleopardis] tippelskirchi*
* Red-billed Oxpecker, *Buphagus erythrorynchus*
* Chub, *Squalius cephalus*
* Decorator Crab, Majoidea
* Lar gibbon, *Hylobates lar*
* Shrimp goby, Gobiidae
* Pistol shrimp, Alpheidae
* Hummingbird, Trochilidae
* Flower mite, *Rhinoseius*
* Sea gooseberry, *Pleurobrachia pileus*
* Namaqua chameleon, *Chamaeleo namaquensis*
* Tiger, *Panthera tigris*
* Tick, Ixodida
* Thomson’s gazelle, *Eudorcas thomsonii*
* Western cattle egret, *Bubulcus ibis*
* African buffalo, *Syncerus caffer*
* Yellow-footed rock wallaby, *Petrogale xanthopus*
* Red kangaroo, *Osphranter rufus*
* European common adder, *Vipera berus*
* Wapiti, *Cervus canadensis*
* American mink, *Neogale vison*
* Siamese fighting fish, *Betta splendens*
* Ruff, *Calidris pugnax*
* Harlequin beetle, *Acrocinus longimanus*
* Honey badger, *Mellivora capensis*
* Pale chanting-goshawk, *Melierax canorus*
* Western honeybee, *Apis mellifera*
* Lesser honeyguide, *Indicator minor*
* Impala, *Aepyceros melampus*
* Yellow baboon, *Papio cynocephalus*
* Olive baboon, *Papio anubis*
* Cape bushbuck, *Tragelaphus sylvaticus*
* Common warthog, *Phacochoerus africanus*
* Leopard, *Panthera pardus*
* Treehopper, Membracidae
* Carpenter ant, *Camponotus sp*.

## Credits

* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Writer - Paul Dawson
* Script Editor - Rob Harvey
* Music - David Poore
* 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
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles

## Home media releases

The VHS for Amazing Animal Partners was released on Xst X 199X. The cover shows Henry in his 'yahoo hat' with his mouth open. He is accompanied by a pair of black-browed albatross, an impala, an olive baboon, and a domestic horse.

The spine of the VHS has two princess parrots, while the back cover features a pair of sparring kangaroos, possibly grey kangaroos.

The blurb on the back cover of the VHS reads:

**How did the blind shrip see? Why do egrets eat bloodsuckers?**

Join Henry the Lizard as he explores extraordinary wildlife, crazy characters, and unexpected animal surprises.

**"I'VE GOT THE BESTEST PARTNER!"**

Henry's rides out to the Wild Wild West to get the low-down on AMAZING ANIMAL PARTNERS, from the swoony[??] alliance of the albatross to the honeybadger's buddy system.

**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