George Shrinks

George Shrinks
Created by	William Joyce
Written by	Ken Cuperus Dave Dias Hugh Duffy Richard Elliott Ben Joseph
Voices of	Bryn McAuley Robbi Jay Thuet Paul O'Sullivan Kathleen Laskey Tracey Moore
Composer(s)	Roberto Occhipinti
Country of origin	Canada China
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	40
Production
Running time	30 mins.
Production company(s)	Nelvana Jade Animation [1]
Release
Original network	PBS (United States) CBC/TVOKids (Canada)
Original release	September 30, 2000 (2000-09-30) – February 23, 2002 (2002-02-23) (as Bookworm Bunch) January 6, 2003 (2003-01-06) - September 10, 2004 (2004-09-10)

George Shrinks is a Canadian–Chinese animated television series. It is based on the children's book by William Joyce, produced in China by Jade Animation and in Canada by Nelvana, in association with Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It tells the story of a ten-year-old boy named George who, one night dreams that he is three inches tall, only to wake up and discover that it is true. The show details his adventures with his friends and family going through his adventures on his mini machines that George and his musical father have created.

The series started on September 30, 2000 on PBS Kids as part of PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch. The Bookworm Bunch disbanded in 2004, but George Shrinks was given an individual PBS debut on January 6, 2003, along with The Berenstain Bears and Maurice Sendak's Seven Little Monsters.

Content

George's tiny size turns mundane activities, such as working around the house or playing outside, into dramatic adventures. His primary mode of transportation is his Zooper Car, a multi-purpose miniature vehicle he built with his father that can do things like transform into a submarine or a helicopter. George often has interesting encounters with animals who, although they do not talk, seem to be able to communicate with George throughout the series. On one occasion, he encountered a robotic alien that was his own size, and helped it get back home.

The show affects a retro-1950s look, with simple animation and colours. Primarily jazz is used for background music, reflecting both his father's occupation as a musician who tinkers with inventing new musical instruments and his mother's style as an avant-garde artist. However, statements made in the characters' dialogue imply that events take place in the present, or the year that the showing episode was produced and filmed.

The theme song, composed by Roberto Occhipinti, in a jumping blues style, is sung by Canadian musician Colin James.

Characters

• George Shrinks — George, age ten, is the main character of the series. George wakes up from a dream to discover he is small;^[2] his golden plated baby shoes were extremely tiny seen in "Round Up The Usual Insects". Because of his small stature, George has had to invent his own adaptive devices, most notably the Zooper car (a small vehicle which George built with his father, and which can be automatically transformed into an airplane, a helicopter, or a submarine). Another invention is a system of pneumatic tubes, which George also uses for transportation. He is voiced by Tracey Moore.
• Harold "Junior "Shrinks Jr. — George's baby brother, who often accompanies George in his adventures around the house. Junior is George's "sidekick" and "gofer", doing the tasks that are too difficult for George because of the latter's stature. However, his playfulness and his size sometimes leads to accidents, though Junior's sincere "Sowwy, George," always gets his brother to forgive him. He is voiced by Robbi Jay Thuet.
• Becky Lopez — George's best friend who lives next door. She and George go on many exploits and adventures. Becky is also the captain for a Little League ice hockey team called the Storks, whose terribly bad goal-scoring drought was the focus of one of the later episodes. She is voiced by Bryn McAuley.
• "Mom" Perdita Shrinks — Mom is a freelance artist by trade who builds, sculpts and welds with a very abstract style. She is a member of the town's art committee, and is into organic foods. Mom is also very supportive of the projects that the family and kids work on, and she enjoys helping out in the community. She also used to be a Radio City Rockette which George reveals his dad told him in "If It Ain't Broke" episode. She is voiced by Kathleen Laskey.
• "Dad" Harold Shrinks — Dad is a musician in a jazz band, and he is constantly building and trying out new instruments (most of which resemble oversized and distorted tubas and saxophones) in the search for the "perfect sound". Dad is a bit eccentric, but still loves his family and is a good father. He is voiced by Paul O'Sullivan.

Other, minor, and one-time characters

• Aunt Eunice — Aunt Eunice is George and Junior's aunt (but whom the entire family calls "aunt"), who sometimes serves as their babysitter. The first time she watched the boys, she was very patronizing toward George, treating him as though his size were a handicap and "assisting" him at every turn. However, Aunt Eunice's ways are changed when George fixes her prized plant, a Bonsai tree named "Maurice", which has seemingly been damaged beyond repair. In "Return To Sender", she expresses complete confidence in that George will handle himself just fine when he was mailed to various locations across the planet, and that he can mail his way back home safely. She has travelled around the world; as such, she knows a great deal about different places as well as people. Voiced by Catherine Gallant.
• Sparkle Tangerine — A bright orange stray cat that roams George's neighbourhood, also the main antagonist. She often tries to eat George or anyone his size.
• Russell Copeland — Russell is a kindhearted senior who used to live in George's house as a boy. He had lost his treasured possession, a spaceship toy called "Spaceboy Bob", in the pond outside the house when he was a child, and George would later retrieve and return the toy to him, almost 80 years after the loss. He is also a retired veterinarian. He is voiced by Sean McCann.
• Ellen — Ellen is a kindhearted girl next door with a Chinese nationality. Despite only appearing in three episodes, Ellen plays a major role in two of them. Ellen is a fan of old horror movies and enjoys playing harmless practical jokes. She has an older brother, Matt, who is the owner of an anole lizard named Ting-Ting (which, as Ellen describes, is Chinese for "Gracefully Graceful"). She is left-handed and a member of the Storks, Becky's hockey team, as a forward on the left wing.
• Timmy and Jimmy Fortevoce — Timmy and Jimmy are identical twins, members of Becky's hockey team—Jimmy plays centre and Timmy plays defence. Despite appearing in just two episodes, they still play an important role as supporting members of the cast.
• Hilda and Henry — Hilda and Henry are two blond-haired, glasses wearing fraternal twins. They say almost everything in unison and only appear in two episodes. They enjoy playing tricks on one another, such as during a scary movies night at the Shrinks' residence. They are somewhat competitive, but are good friends with George and Becky.
• Helga — Helga is the goaltender for the Storks, a Little League Hockey Team that is the focus of the episode "Coach Shrinks". This episode is her only appearance, in which she plays a major role. She usually wears glasses, except on the ice because the lenses fog up.
• Lizzy — Lizzy is the right-wing forward for the Storks, Becky's little League Hockey Team. She's skilled at turning on the spot because of her previous experience figure skating; she joined a hockey team because she felt figure skating was lonely and wanted to join a team.
• The Cadwells — Seen only in the episode "Speed Shrinks", they are two twins similar to Hilda and Henry, but they are somewhat villainous. They build a craft similar to the SR-71 Blackbird and use its special features to sabotage and unfairly halt the other racers in order to win.
• Skyler — George and Junior's cousin once removed.

Series overview

Episodes

Bookworm Bunch Season 1 (2000–2001)

• If It Ain't Broke (September 30, 2000)
• Can We Keep Him? (October 7, 2000)
• Close Encounters of the Bird Kind (October 14, 2000)
• Ants in the Pantry (October 21, 2000)
• Round Up the Usual Insects (October 28, 2000)
• From Bad to Worse (November 4, 2000)
• Sunken Treasures (November 11, 2000)
• Snowman's Land (November 18, 2000)
• Space Invader (November 25, 2000)
• Down the Drain (February 3, 2001)
• A Day at the Beach (February 10, 2001)
• King Kongo (February 17, 2001)
• Space Invaders (February 24, 2001)

Bookworm Bunch Season 2 (2001–2002)

• Ghost of Shrinks Manor (November 3, 2001)
• Journey to the Center of the Garden (November 10, 2001)
• Return to Sender (November 17, 2001)
• Dogsitting Miss Daisy (November 24, 2001)
• George-Lo-Phone (December 15, 2001)
• Sunken Treasures (January 5, 2002)
• Down On The Bayou (January 12, 2002)
• Tankful of Trouble (January 19, 2002)
• Speed Shrinks (February 16, 2002)
• Hound of the Bathervilles (February 23, 2002)

Season 1 (2003–2004)

References

External links

• George Shrinks Episode Guide at Big Cartoon DataBase
• George Shrinks at the Internet Movie Database
• Retrojunk: George Shrinks