User:Solaris2019/Intertidal City
| Intertidal City | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Jason Park |
| Developed by | |
| Creative director(s) |
|
| Voices of | |
| Narrated by | Frank Welker |
| Theme music composer |
|
| Opening theme |
"Intertidal City Theme Song" (performed by the Intertidal Band) |
| Ending theme |
"Intertidal City Love Theme" (performed by the Intertidal Band) |
| Composer(s) | Mark Satchel |
| Country of origin | Kingdom of Sierra |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 13 |
| No. of episodes | 277 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jason Park |
| Producer(s) | Helen Baker |
| Running time |
|
| Production company(s) | |
| Release | |
| Original network | RBS Kids |
| Picture format | |
| Audio format |
|
| Original release | May 1, 1999 – present |
Intertidal City is a Sierran animated educational comedy series created by marine biology professor and producer Jason Park for RBS Kids. It is centered around the titular underwater city and its residents, from all corners of life. Originally meant to teach moral lessons and marine biology, Intertidal City became more famous for its surreal humor, which has evolved as the show progressed. One of RBS's longest running and most popular series, its high popularity has made it a media franchise.
Intertidal City started life as an children's book, which failed to find a publisher, but earned the notice of RBS executives. Park was signed on to produce an animated pilot based on the book, which was completed in July of 1997. The show premiered in 1999 as an educational show, meant to teach children lessons about good behavior and wildlife, however, Intertidal City quickly developed a quirky sense of humor which helped gain it an audience with older viewers. Many of the show's jokes have become internet memes.
Animation is provided by TMS West.
Premise
Setting
The main setting of the series is the fictional underwater city of Intertidal City, located beneath Eschscholtz Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Its inhabitants are mainly multicolored fish and marine animals of various species who live in ship funnel buildings. The main mode of transport are boat mobiles, a hybrid of boats and cars. Recurring locations within Intertidal City include Conch Street and Coral Avenue, two competing restaurants, Tide Pool Pizza and Current Cravings, Intertidal High School, which includes a sunken lighthouse on its grounds, the Treedome, an oxygenated glass enclosure where land mammals live; the Sandy Shoals Hotel, Pod Theatre, Seagrass Meadows; and Brine Beach.
Characters
The show features an ensemble cast, with no one character claiming to be the main protagonist. Various characters are involved with various aspects of the show. Living on Concho Street are Ian, Robert, and Edward. Ian Anchovy is a brown anchovy who serves as the protagonist for stories centered around Tide Pool Pizza and Intertidal High School. Robert Starr is a pink starfish who lives across the street from Ian's family; he works at Current Cravings in a part time capacity. Edward is an arrogant, ill tempered octopus who works as a cashier when he's not being an actor. On Coral Avenue lives Pearl White, a teenage sperm whale, Gene Krustaceo, a crab restaurateur who's known for his stinginess, and Randy Langosta, a lobster bodybuilder, fitness coach, and lifeguard. Other notable characters include Jessie Acorn, a squirrel from Brazoria, the Deep Sea Mob, a rather blatant, if heavily sanitized, crime family analogue, and more.
Production
Background
Jason Parker first became fascinated with the ocean as a child, and often watched Jacques Cousteau documentaries. Jason was also interested in creative writing, and has admitted to writing fanfiction about his favorite cartoons. When entering college, Parker would pursue both passions, majoring in Marine Biology and minoring in Creative Writing. After graduating in 1984, he joined the Ocean Institute, an organization in Dana Point, dedicated to educating the public about marine science and maritime history. While there, he began to write a book about anthropomorphic sea life, titled Intertidal Story. Many of the book's character would evolve into Intertidal City characters. Parker tried to get it professionally published, to no avail.
Conception
In 1995, Jason Parker was meeting with KRBS-TV to produce a show for the station, though was ultimately rejected. However, he left behind a copy of the Intertidal Story manuscript, which was then read by Helen Baker, who then called up Parker, asking if he was interested in producing a pilot for the show. Jason Parker hadn't considered an animated show before; but felt like it had potential to be nationally distributed. He then began to develop the manuscript into a productions bible. Parker wanted the show to teach children about marine life and how to behave.
