Dark Oracle
Dark Oracle is a Canadian-produced TV series that premiered in 2004 on the popular Canadian channel YTV. It was created by Jana Sinyor (former writer for Degrassi: the Next Generation and creator of Being Erica), and co-developed by Heather Conkie. In 2005, Dark Oracle won the International Emmy for Best Children's and youth program.
| Dark Oracle | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jana Sinyor |
| Starring | Paula Brancati Alex House Jonathan Malen Danielle Miller Mark Ellis Kristopher Turner |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Cookie Jar Entertainment[lower-alpha 1] Shaftesbury Films |
| Distributor | Cookie Jar Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | YTV |
| Picture format | 480i (4:3 SDTV) |
| Original release | October 2, 2004 – June 1, 2006 |
Overview
Dark Oracle follows the adventures of teenage twins Cally and Lance Stone who discover a comic book that gives them clues about the future of their lives. As they are suddenly thrust into a comic book world of danger, fear and uncertainty, the twins learn that Dark Oracle has a hidden agenda that threatens their very existence. In a unique blend of live action and comic book style animation, the two confront their animated alter egos, Violet and Blaze, who possess the uncanny ability to manipulate their future. With events in the comic book world influencing ones in their own world, Cally and Lance struggle to stay one step ahead of their dark counterparts, or face a very unpleasant fate. The stakes become higher still, with Violet and Blaze trying to escape into the real world to wreak further havoc.
Dark Oracle starred Paula Brancati and Alex House as Cally and Lance Stone, along with Jonathan Malen as Dizzy, Lance and Cally's long-time childhood friend and Danielle Miller as Sage, who sparks Lance's interest.
"One of the things that drew us to Dark Oracle, is that it applies a strong high concept, of a comic book coming to life, to the lives of ordinary high school kids. Visually it is going to look amazing, and it is a terrific arena for great dramatic stories as Lance and Cally have to figure out how to deal with the predictions of the comic," explained Suzanne French, producer at Shaftesbury Films.
Dark Oracle's second season took a different turn from the first season, with the comic book characters intervening directly with the main cast. Dizzy and Sage learned about the comic and are going to have their own experiences with it.
Characters
Lance Stone – Alex House
Lance, Cally's twin brother, prefers video games and comics to real people. Unlike his sister, he is very shy and tends to keep to himself. When he finds himself drawn into the comic world and meets Sage, this self-proclaimed oddball starts to come out of his shell. In the comic book he is the figure Blaze.
Cally Stone – Paula Brancati
Cally Stone, twin sister of Lance, pretty and prides herself on being level-headed. She's also the last person who would believe in a comic book that could warp you into new worlds. When she finds herself surrounded by the supernatural, she's faced with believing that anything can happen. In the comic book she is the figure Violet.
Dizzy – Jonathan Malen
Dizzy is Lance's best friend, and like Lance he shares a passion for gaming and comics. It's no question that high school poses challenges for Dizzy, especially with his crush on Cally. But with a little time he is able to shake his geek persona and become not-quite-cool... but almost. After a while Lance and Cally decide to tell him about the comic book.
Sage LaPierre – Danielle Miller
Sage works at Gamers Cave Comic Book Store and becomes Lance's girlfriend. She doesn't notice the supernatural events around her, although at one point she and Dizzy are told by Lance and Cally all about the comic book. She and Lance break up in many episodes due to the comic's influence. Vern has often tried to get her from Lance, but never succeeds.
Doyle – Mark Ellis
Doyle is the owner of Gamers Cave Comic Book Store. He spends a great deal of time in the back of his store, which also doubles as a meeting place for the secretive club of Necromancers. Lance and Cally have a suspicion that he is somehow connected to the strange comic book.
Omen – Kristopher Turner
Omen was turned into a frog by Doyle so he could keep his magic under control. In the first episode of the series, Omen sees Lance and overhears his comment on "how you can learn a lot from a comic". Omen then uses the remainder of his magic to transform a previous comic into Dark Oracle.
When Lance was invited to Doyle's gaming group, Omen escapes from his cage, hiding in Cally's backpack. Omen is unknowingly taken to the Stone household. Cally names him Nemo, getting the name from the comic. He doesn't regain his human form until Lance gives Nemo a kiss (taken from the story of the frog prince) and Omen's curse is lifted.
Cally later meets Omen at school, asking to borrow a pencil, and is instantly smitten. The two befriend one another and work together on a school project. This was all part of Omen's plan to take Cally hostage and lure Doyle into the school. Omen is thwarted once Lance kisses him on the cheek, thus turning him into a frog again.
Omen returns in the last episode, when Cally and Lance lift his curse once more, in order to get rid of Violet and Blaze. He makes an attempt, but fails. He tries to get revenge on Doyle once more at a Masquerade ball, but is confronted by the Stone siblings. They chase him throughout the ball until Omen is alone in a room with nothing but a mirror. He hears the voices of Blaze and Violet and is pulled into the mirror. At the end of the season finale, Violet and Blaze sneer at Omen saying, "Welcome back, Omen".
But Omen makes another appearance in the premiere of season 2. He is being chased by Violet and Blaze in the comic book. They ask him how he entered the other world, proving that Omen himself may have come from the comic. Eventually, Omen makes a deal with Violet and Blaze. Vern summons Omen and releases him from the binds of the Comic Book. When Vern plays a trick on Lance, Omen uses a spell to switch Lance and Blaze into the real world. Omen then decides to help Cally. However, Blaze reveals that Omen made a deal with him, and Cally leaves Omen.
After a plan to rescue Lance fails, Omen reveals his true feelings to Cally. Doyle, Vern and Omen work on a Power of Three spell to summon and kill the Puppet Master (the opposite of Doyle). Once Lance is freed, the Puppet Master attempts to use an erasure spell on Cally. Omen sacrifices his own life for Cally and disappears. Whether he returns to the comic or dies is unknown. There is a possibility he could be alive as someone says "Cally" in a very raspy voice through the mirror after Cally gives her final goodbye to the mirror. Whether this is Omen's voice or not is unknown.
Annie – Barbara Mamabolo
Annie is Cally's best friend. She and Cally fight very often since the appearance of the comic. When they fight, Annie hangs out with Kathleen until they make up again. Annie will support Cally in almost everything. She has yet to learn about the comic book. She doesn't appear in season 2.
Vern – David Rendall
Vern is a fellow goth classmate of Lance and Cally. He is neither a friend, nor a true enemy. He always hangs around Simone who might have feelings for him and tries to learn of the powers Omen and Doyle possess. Sometimes he causes trouble for the twins and other times he comes to their aid. Vern saved Lance's life when he was pushed into the mirror by Vern who meant it to be a harmless prank. The outcome was Lance's evil alter-ego taking over Lance's identity, but Vern helped Cally and her friends dispel him from Lance's body.
Emmett – Nathan Stephenson
Emmett starts liking Cally, but because of the comic (and Omen) their relationship ends.
Episodes
Season 1 (2004–05)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dark Oracle" | Ron Murphy | Heather Conkie & Jana Sinyor | October 2, 2004 |
| 2 | "Masquerade" | Ron Murphy | Heather Conkie & Jana Sinyor | October 9, 2004 |
| 3 | "Meeting of the Quarter Moon" | Ron Murphy | Heather Conkie & Jana Sinyor | October 16, 2004 |
| 4 | "Paintball Wizard" | Ron Murphy | Jana Sinyor | October 23, 2004 |
| 5 | "Fashion Queen" | Craig Pryce | Heather Conkie & Jana Sinyor | November 6, 2004 |
| 6 | "Scavengers" | Ron Murphy | Tony Elliott | November 13, 2004 |
| 7 | "Crush" | Craig Pryce | Nicole Demerse | November 20, 2004 |
| 8 | "Recruitment" | Craig Pryce | Heather Conkie | November 27, 2004 |
| 9 | "Idolized" | Craig Pryce | Heather Conkie | January 15, 2005 |
| 10 | "Ticking Clock" | Ron Murphy | Jana Sinyor | January 29, 2005 |
| 11 | "Trapped" | Ron Murphy | Jana Sinyor | February 5, 2005 |
| 12 | "Marionette" | Ron Murphy | Heather Conkie | February 12, 2005 |
| 13 | "Full Circle" | Ron Murphy | Heather Conkie & Jana Sinyor | February 26, 2005 |
Season 2 (2006)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | "Boiler Room" | Phil Earnshaw | Heather Conkie & Jana Sinyor | March 9, 2006 |
| 15 | "It Happened at the Dance" | Phil Earnshaw | Heather Conkie & Jana Sinyor | March 16, 2006 |
| 16 | "Through a Glass Darkly" | Phil Earnshaw | Jana Sinyor | March 23, 2006 |
| 17 | "The Game" | Benjamin Weinstein | R.B. Carney | March 30, 2006 |
| 18 | "House Party" | Benjamin Weinstein | Skander Halim | April 6, 2006 |
| 19 | "The Stalker" | Benjamin Weinstein | Jana Sinyor | April 13, 2006 |
| 20 | "The Familiar" | Paul Fox | Tony Elliott | April 20, 2006 |
| 21 | "Boot Camp" | Paul Fox | Nicole Demerse | April 27, 2006 |
| 22 | "The Trouble with Babysitting" | Paul Fox | Heather Conkie | May 4, 2006 |
| 23 | "Ghosts from the Past" | Paul Fox | Skander Halim | May 11, 2006 |
| 24 | "Life Interrupted" | Ron Murphy | Heather Conkie | May 18, 2006 |
| 25 | "Trail Blaze" | Ron Murphy | Jana Sinyor | May 25, 2006 |
| 26 | "Redemption" | Ron Murphy | Heather Conkie | June 1, 2006 |
Syndication
Reruns began airing on Fearnet in August 2012, in their weekend "Funhouse" block.
In Italy, the series aired on DeA Kids and later on Super!.
In Europe, the series aired on Jetix (excluding Italy).
In Jamaica, the series aired on CVM Television.
In Singapore, the series aired on Okto.
Home release
Mill Creek Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 on August 17, 2010.[1]
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2011-01-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Produced under the Coliseum brand name (a former Cookie Jar Entertainment label for shows not aimed at their main demographic of pre-school audiences at the time)
External links
- Dark Oracle at Cookie Jar Entertainment
- , TV.com listing for Dark Oracle
- , Dark Oracle clip
- Dark Oracle on IMDb