Animal Journeys

VHS cover

Animal Journeys is the thirteenth and final episode of the first season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry travelling the globe on his holidays, and seeing how and why different animals travel. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 9th July 1996.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Animal Journeys.

The narrator meets Henry while he is walking over the surface of a giant globe. The narrator says that animals also make great journeys to find food or to breed. Henry dodges Parrot and falls off the globe – the narrator tells him to be careful. Henry responds by saying he wants to live a little and have fun. The narrator says that animals don’t travel for leisure and have important reasons for travelling. These include green turtles travelling to breed and elephants, sandgrouse and wildebeest all making journeys to find water.

#### First cartoon

* Elephant is walking in what looks like high winds but it is actually the Lizards playing a prank with a fan. One Lizard falls from laughing so much, disconnects the fan and causes Elephant to crash through a tree.

Henry tries to work out what luggage to take with him, but the narrator says that animals don’t carry luggage with them as they often travel through areas with dangerous predators. The migrating wildebeest are shown evading hunting cheetahs, while a python lies in wait for bats to pass it while they journey out of their cave. The cactus mouse protects itself from rattlesnakes by only travelling through the sharp spines of cacti.

#### Second cartoon

* Gorilla is eating nuts when Squirrel tries to steal them. He climbs a tree when discovered, while Gorilla tries to catch Squirrel. Gorilla brings out a set of extending stairs but Parrot comes and presses the lever which turns it into an escalator.

Henry is in his little boat, paddling it with his hands and humming to himself. He passes the Great Pyramids, Antarctica and the Statue of Liberty. When the narrator asks Henry if he knows where he is, Henry realises he is lost. Henry decides to stop and eat, but is frightened away by a nearby caiman. Other animals move in search of food, such as the wildebeest. They in turn provide food for hungry crocodiles. In Southeast Asia, elephants don’t need to travel far to find food while gibbons have to move to find new fruiting trees. Arowana fish only have to make a short journey to find food, which they grab off overhanging branches. Penguins make long journeys from the sea up to their nests to feed their young.

#### Third cartoon

* Tiger gets in a running race with Rhinoceros. After Bat starts the race Tiger sprints into the lead – Rhinoceros overtakes when he catches a ride with Mole and his scooter.

Henry is now reminded to do his Special Report, which is supposed to be about mudskippers. Henry tells a story about how mudskippers are fish that hop around on land because they are only comfortable on a ship. Unfortunately, they build their ships from mud. As soon as their boats leave shore, they dissolve in the water. The narrator says that mudskippers are fish that hop around on land, but they stay on land to look for food and hold water in their gills. To move around, they use their powerful pectoral fins.

#### Fourth cartoon

* Tiger is still chasing Rhinoceros and Mole. Rhinoceros hits the finishing line and is knocked out and the exhausted Tiger crashes into the prone body of Rhinoceros – Mole rides away with the first-place trophy.

Henry is still being hunted by the caiman and, seeing Mole ride past on his scooter, decides that he needs a mode of transportation. He looks at bicycles, cars, planes, sailboats, trains, a skateboard and finally settles on a hot air balloon. The narrator says that some animals go on long journeys called migrations – Henry decides he wants to do one too. He sets out in his balloon. The narrator shows Henry some animals that make epic migrations including the wildebeest as well as humpback whales, albatrosses and salmon.

#### Fifth cartoon

* Fish is trying and failing to jump a waterfall; he creates a slingshot out of two reeds and fires himself out of the water but does not manage to cross the waterfall.

Henry is riding in the hot air balloon and all seems to be well, but a gull lands on the basket and pecks open the balloon. Henry now understands that animals travel because they have to rather than just getting away from it all. The narrator shows Henry some animals that journey in their own unique ways, such as sidewinders, cattle egrets, sea urchins, Mormon crickets, garter snakes and proboscis monkeys. Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards. The bronze medal goes to the flying gecko and the silver to the camel. The Golden Gecko Award is given to the wildebeest that have been followed throughout the episode. Henry looks back over the episode, saying how the whole animal world is on some sort of journey and how lucky he is to only have to make a short journey to bed. The narrator tells Henry to sleep well.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Dromedary camel, *Camelus dromedarius*
* European rabbit, *Oryctolagus cuniculus*
* Monarch butterfly, *Danaus plexippus*
* Black-headed gull, *Chroicocephalus ridibundus*
* Spectacled caiman, *Caiman crocodilus*
* Rock dove, *Columba livia*
* Bibron’s thick-toed gecko, *Chondrodactylus bibronii*

### Stock footage

* Green sea turtle, *Chelonia mydas*
* Plains zebra, *Equus quagga*
* Blue wildebeest, *Connochaetes taurinus*
* Masai giraffe, *Giraffa tippelskirchi*
* African bush elephant, *Loxodonta africana*
* Lion, *Panthera leo*
* Namaqua sandgrouse, *Pterocles namaqua*
* Grey-backed sparrow-lark, *Eremopterix verticalis*
* Cheetah, *Acinonyx jubatus*
* Little bent-wing bat, *Miniopterus australis*
* Spotted python, *Antaresia maculosa*
* Cactus mouse, *Peromyscus eremicus*
* Rattlesnake, *Crotalus sp*.
* Nile crocodile, *Crocodylus niloticus*
* Asian elephant, *Elephas maximus*
* Lar gibbon, *Hylobates lar*
* Fishing spider, *Dolometes sp*.
* Silver arowana, *Osteoglossum bicirrhosum*
* Magellanic penguin, *Spheniscus magellanicus*
* Kelp gull, *Larus dominicanus*
* Mudskipper, Oxudercidae
* Humpback whale, *Megaptera novaeangliae*
* Wandering albatross, *Diomedea exulans*
* Black-browed albatross, *Thalassarche melanophris*
* Atlantic salmon, *Salmo salar*
* Cackling goose, *Branta hutchinsii*
* Secretary bird, *Sagittarius serpentarius*
* Peringuey’s adder, *Bitis peringueyi*
* Western cattle egret, *Bubulcus ibis*
* Sea urchin, Echinoidea
* Mormon cricket, *Anabrus simplex*
* Red-sided garter snake, *Thamnophis sirtalis*
* Proboscis monkey, *Nasalis larvatus*

## Credits

* Writer - Roger Stennett
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Music - David Poore
* Director - Anne Neale
* Graphic Designer - Kate Beldon
* Assistant Producer - Sean O'Driscoll
* Production Secretary - Cristina Hughes
* Production Team - Dominic Weston, Karen Steele, Susan Hubble and Tessa Nelson
* Camera - Jonathan Noad and Mike Kamei
* Animation - Varga Studio Ltd
	+ Animation Director - Igor Lazin
	+ Animation Co-Ordinator - Krisztina Varga
* 3-D Animation - Ricochet 4 and Henry Lutman
* Titles Post-Production - Sue Land
* Sound Editor - James Pursey
* Dubbing Mixer - Graham Wild
* Editors
	+ Offline - Colette Hodges
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles
* Special thanks to:
	+ Doug Zwick
	+ Nancy Kemp
* Producer - Rob Harvey

## Errors and corrections

The flying gecko awarded a bronze medal in the Golden Gecko Awards is actually depicted by a Bibron’s thick-toed gecko.

## Videos

   A televised trailer for the episode for the Disney Channel has also been uploaded online.

## Home media releases

The VHS for Animal Journeys released on 16th December 1996. The cover shows Henry walking across the globe, and he is accompanied by a harbour porpoise, a formation of flying Canada geese and a red-eared slider.

The spine of the VHS has a photograph of a black-headed gull, while the back cover of the VHS has a photograph of an Atlantic mudskipper.

The blurb on the back cover of the VHS reads:

**Which fish travels overland? Why do salmon swim ‘backwards’ up rivers?**

Henry takes a trip to visit camels, wildebeests and whales as they make some AMAZING ANIMAL JOURNEYS for food, a new home or even a holiday.

**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