Ovide and the Gang
La Bande à Ovide, a.k.a. Ovide and the Gang, is a 1980s animated TV show produced by the Canadian animation studio CinéGroupe (who also produced Mega Babies, Sharky and George and The Little Flying Bears) in association with Belgium's Odec Kid Cartoons.[1] It ran on Télévision de Radio Canada starting October 17, 1987,[2] to 1989 and also goes by the names "Ovide Video" and "Ovide's Video Show"; the series gained popularity in the United Kingdom when it was broadcast on the Children's BBC service in 1988 and 1989 in a Friday afternoon slot before switching to Channel 4.
| Ovide and the Gang | |
|---|---|
 L-R: Groaner, Saphron, Ovide and Polo | |
| Genre | Cartoon series |
| Directed by | Raymond Burlet Jean Sarault |
| Voices of | Thor Bishopric Terrence Scammell Dean Hagopian A.J. Henderson |
| Theme music composer | Carlos Leresche |
| Country of origin | Canada Belgium |
| Original language | French |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Jacques Pettigrew Jacques Vercruyssen Violette Vercruyssen |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Production companies | CinéGroupe Odec Kid Cartoons |
| Release | |
| Original release | October 17, 1987 – January 7, 1989 |
The characters were created and designed by Bernard Godi in cooperation with Belgian comics artist and animator Nic Broca, who had previously designed the Snorks for SEPP. The show premiered in the United Kingdom on January 17, 1990.
Synopsis
The show stars a blue platypus named Ovide who lives on a non-descript South Seas island, where he has adventures with his friends and thwarts Cy and Bobo, the show's villains.
Main characters
- Ovide – The main character of the show. A duck-billed platypus, he is the unofficial leader of the group, and is smart, responsible and kind hearted. Ovide is voiced by Thor Bishopric.
- Saphron – Saphron is Ovide's cousin, and also a platypus. He is a good cook and gardener. Saphron is voiced by Terrence Scammell.
- Polo – A feisty red lizard who always carries around a broom. The island's janitor and the "tough guy" of the group, and he's always trying and failing to catch Woody, a destructive woodworm. Polo is voiced by Terrence Scammell.
- Groaner – A white toucan, and one of Ovide's friends. His name comes from the fact that he's always telling weak jokes which make people groan. Groaner is voiced by Dean Hagopian.
- Doe, Rae & Mi – Protagonist koalas, always on twigs or the couch. Their names come from the first three solfège syllables, and they visually represent the three wise monkeys: Doe wears headphones hearing music (Hear no Evil), Rae wears sunglasses (See no Evil), and Mi almost always covers his mouth, and sometimes hiccups (Speak no Evil).
- Matilda – A female kangaroo. Not originally from the island, she mistook the others for cannibals and hid from them, but then warmed up to them. She is skilled with herbal remedies and with the boomerang. She is first seen in episode 18.
- Cy Sly – The primary antagonist of the show. He is a vain, scheming, megalomaniacal python. He is jealous of Ovide and wishes to overthrow him and gain control of the island. Cy is voiced by A.J. Henderson.
- Bobo – Cy's bumbling, Keel-billed toucan minion and only friend. Refers to Cy as "Boss". Despite his association with Cy, he has a good heart and wishes Ovide and his friends no ill-will. Bobo is also let off the hook a lot, unlike Cy who always suffers the consequences. Bobo is voiced by Terrence Scammell.
- Woody – A mischievous woodworm who tunnels around the island. He is known to alter the state of bowling games and gnaw holes into the base of Ovide's home. He is in constant conflict with Polo.
- Alvin – A blue three-toed sloth who lives in the forest of the island. His role in the cartoon is (more often than not) very minor and the only word he can pronounce is "Aye".
- Newscaster Lady – A pink-haired platypus whose name has not been revealed. She is the constantly-occurring face on television and the information she provides is beneficial to Ovide (and even Cy at times).
Role of television in Ovide
Television plays an important role in this series. In every episode, Ovide and his friends are watching a programme; Ovide carries a brown briefcase which contains a portable TV set; and there's a wandering TV on the island that approaches the characters at crucial moments and provides information important to the plot. Every time Cy sees the TV, he apparently becomes entranced by it.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Case of the Disappearing Hens" | October 17, 1987 |
| 2 | "Cy and the Solo Sailor" | October 24, 1987 |
| 3 | "The Ghostly Galleon" | October 31, 1987 |
| 4 | "The Prophet" | November 7, 1987 |
| 5 | "The Creature of the Cave" | November 14, 1987 |
| 6 | "The Treasure of the Endzones" | November 21, 1987 |
| 7 | "The Island Games" | November 28, 1987 |
| 8 | "Cy the Sorcerer" | December 5, 1987 |
| 9 | "Spellbound" | December 12, 1987 |
| 10 | "Great Slave Cake" | December 19, 1987 |
| 11 | "Hunter!" | December 26, 1987 |
| 12 | "Boom Boom Beefcake" | January 2, 1988 |
| 13 | "A Jocular Genie Named Jack" | January 9, 1988 |
| 14 | "Run for Your Lives!" | January 16, 1988 |
| 15 | "Platypus Dam" | January 23, 1988 |
| 16 | "Hi-Tech Treasure" | January 30, 1988 |
| 17 | "Rex on the Rampage" | February 6, 1988 |
| 18 | "The Australian Amazon" | February 13, 1988 |
| 19 | "A Joke in Poor Taste" | February 20, 1988 |
| 20 | "Cy, the Prince of Darkness" | February 27, 1988 |
| 21 | "The Siren's Song" | March 5, 1988 |
| 22 | "Just for Laughs" | March 12, 1988 |
| 23 | "The Invincible Strength Potion" | March 19, 1988 |
| 24 | "The Big Chill" | March 26, 1988 |
| 25 | "The Island Rally" | April 2, 1988 |
| 26 | "The Crimson Tide" | April 9, 1988 |
| 27 | "Kimmy Chameleon" | April 16, 1988 |
| 28 | "Ole" | April 23, 1988 |
| 29 | "The Secret of the Crypt" | April 30, 1988 |
| 30 | "Sudden Guests" | May 7, 1988 |
| 31 | "All You Need Is Love" | May 14, 1988 |
| 32 | "The Long-Life Battery Blues" | May 21, 1988 |
| 33 | "When Friends Fall Out" | May 28, 1988 |
| 34 | "The Great Chef" | June 4, 1988 |
| 35 | "A Tail of a Crypt" | June 11, 1988 |
| 36 | "If Only ..." | June 18, 1988 |
| 37 | "Cy Lays an Egg" | June 25, 1988 |
| 38 | "Backward to Victory" | July 2, 1988 |
| 39 | "A Small Problem" | July 9, 1988 |
| 40 | "Stuck, Stranded and Swamped" | July 16, 1988 |
| 41 | "The Curse of Doctor Voodoo" | July 23, 1988 |
| 42 | "Black Gold" | July 30, 1988 |
| 43 | "Spirit, Are You There?" | August 6, 1988 |
| 44 | "Winner Take All" | August 13, 1988 |
| 45 | "The Nectar of Happines" | August 20, 1988 |
| 46 | "A Peculiar Plague" | August 27, 1988 |
| 47 | "Video Villain" | September 3, 1988 |
| 48 | "His Own Worst Enemy" | September 10, 1988 |
| 49 | "Vanishing Act" | September 17, 1988 |
| 50 | "The Cold War" | September 24, 1988 |
| 51 | "Shark!" | October 1, 1988 |
| 52 | "Karate Chaos" | October 8, 1988 |
| 53 | "Buried Treasure" | October 15, 1988 |
| 54 | "The Chicken Charmer" | October 22, 1988 |
| 55 | "Bringing Up Baby" | October 29, 1988 |
| 56 | "Bouncing Bath-Tub" | November 5, 1988 |
| 57 | "Sergeant Bobo" | November 12, 1988 |
| 58 | "Friday the 13th" | November 19, 1988 |
| 59 | "The Zone Phone Company" | November 26, 1988 |
| 60 | "The Trying Time" | December 3, 1988 |
| 61 | "The Virus" | December 10, 1988 |
| 62 | "Second Childhood" | December 17, 1988 |
| 63 | "The Great Wall" | December 24, 1988 |
| 64 | "The Island of the Green Rock" | December 31, 1988 |
| 65 | "Unnamed 65th Episode" | January 7, 1989 |
A number of these episodes were released on VHS by Celebrity Home Entertainment for the "Just for Kids" series, hosted by Noel C. Bloom Jr. during the late 1980s and (assumingly) early 1990s.[3]
References
- CinéGroupe Filmography
- "La Bande à Ovide: vers un premier studio d'animation au Québec?". La Presse. Montreal. 2 October 1987. p. D4.
- "Ovide and the Gang subtitles". Retrieved 2012-04-17.