Wild Kratts

Wild Kratts is an American-Canadian live action/flash-animated television series created by Chris and Martin Kratt. The Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Media Group produce the show, which is presented by PBS in the United States and by TVOKids in Canada. The show's aim is to educate children[2] about biology, zoology, and ecology, and teach kids small ways to make big impacts. It has ties to the Kratts' previous shows, Kratts' Creatures and Zoboomafoo, and contains numerous characters from the latter. Spanning over ten years, Wild Kratts is the longest running program made by the Kratt Brothers.

Wild Kratts
Title card
GenreEducational[1]
Created byMartin Kratt
Chris Kratt[1]
Written byEva Almos
Chris Kratt
Martin Kratt
Chris Roy
Directed byLuc Chamberland ("Polar Bears Don't Dance");
Eva Almos
Chris Kratt
Martin Kratt
(all others)
Presented byChris Kratt
Martin Kratt
Voices ofChris Kratt
Martin Kratt
Athena Karkanis
Heather Bambrick
Jonathan Malen
Zachary Bennett
Eva Almos
Cory Doran
Julie Lemieux
Theme music composerPure West
Opening theme"Gonna Go Wild Kratts" by Sterling Jarvis
Ending theme"Gonna Go Wild Kratts" (instrumental)
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes149 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)Chris Kratt
Martin Kratt
Vince Comisso
Steven Jarosz
Producer(s)Cheryl Knapp
Chris Kratt
Martin Kratt
Running time25 minutes
Production company(s)Kratt Brothers Company
9 Story Media Group
Distributor9 Story Distribution
Release
Original networkPBS Kids Go! (2011–2013)
PBS Kids (2013–present)
Picture format720p (HDTV)
Original releaseJanuary 3, 2011 (2011-01-03) –
present
Chronology
Preceded byBe the Creature
Related showsKratts' Creatures
Zoboomafoo
External links
Official Website
Production website

The show is broadcast in the United States and Africa (PBS Kids), Canada (TVO, Knowledge and Tele Quebec), Latin America, Brazil, Australia (9Go!), Spain, the United Kingdom (POP), Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands (Dutch-dubbed versions as Kratts in the Wild), Middle East, India and Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia in Serbian.[3] The show was even nominated for a Peabody Award and a Television Critics Association Award.

Plot

The basic plot of each Wild Kratts episode is to save an animal or animals under threat, be it by villains (Zach Varmitech, Gaston Gourmand, Donita Donata & Dabio, and Paisley Paver & Rex), general human influence, or confusion on a baby animal's part. Most episodes focus on villains, but some focus on a real-world problem, either directly (as seen in "Stuck On Sharks" where Gourmand captured a shark for making shark fin soup) or indirectly through allegory ("Build It Beaver" had the beaver's dam destroyed repeatedly as a result of deforestation). Additionally, some episodes aim to change the way a creature perceived as threatening is seen – such as bats and crocodiles.

The Kratt brothers are helped by Aviva Corcovado, a biomechanical engineer who invents "creature power suits" which are created to mimic abilities of animals and aid in defeating the villains. Koki is the mechanic and computer expert who deals with the running of the "Tortuga", their flying turtle ship, which is piloted by Jimmy Z, who also operates the teleporter to send new Creature Power discs to the Kratt brothers and helps Aviva with testing her inventions. Along the way, viewers learn about the animals and their lives as the Wild Kratts gang figure out ways to either right wrongs or to get out of the situations they are in.

Some of their adventures have put them in grave danger. In some cases, such as "Platypus Café", "Honey Seekers" and "Opossum in my Pocket" did the villain (Gaston Gourmand) intended to cause harm to one of the brothers. In other episodes, the villain had not thought it through (Zach in "Mystery of the Weird Looking Walrus"), or was not aware of the medical risks involved. They occasionally enlist the help of the Wild Kratts Kids, children who help the Wild Kratts from their home however they can, whether it is moving animals or helping rebuild habitats.

Episodes
Main article: List of Wild Kratts episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
140January 3, 2011 (2011-01-03)October 25, 2012 (2012-10-25)
226October 15, 2012 (2012-10-15)January 31, 2014 (2014-01-31)
326April 7, 2014 (2014-04-07)July 22, 2015 (2015-07-22)
426July 29, 2015 (2015-07-29)April 14, 2017 (2017-04-14)
518July 24, 2017 (2017-07-24)January 23, 2019 (2019-01-23)
623April 15, 2019 (2019-04-15)TBA

Cast

Main
  • Martin Kratt (voiced by himself) – Martin (wearing blue) likes to give names to animals he finds, allowing the audience to bond with the animal. Martin is more the jokester of the two Kratt brothers. He is also often rushing and impulsive, unlike his younger brother Chris. Plus, he is an exceptionally good artist. Martin is slightly disorganized, emotional, and excited, but also knows when to be serious. Despite being disorganized, Martin is prepared for any situation. In contrast to his brother Chris' climbing skills, Martin is a more experienced swimmer. His Creature Power suit color is blue. At times, Martin seems to know more about animals than Chris does, as shown in "Red Panda Rescue" and "Fire Salamander". He also likes to get into the mind of the animal at various times, saying such things as "Be the walrus!" He has a childish heart, due to his fun and humorous nature. He also seemed to have become more technical throughout the show since he created an almost perfect Creature Power disc in "The Erminator".
  • Chris Kratt (voiced by himself) – Chris (wearing green) is the exact opposite of his brother and the more methodical brother of the two. Unlike Martin, he likes to take his time testing animals' DNA to understand the animals better and save them from the villains. Chris is organized, intellectual, and calm, but can be narrow-minded, as seen in "A Huge Orange Problem" when he insisted that orangutans were incapable of thinking on human levels. His Creature Power Suit color is green. He is an experienced climber, although in one episode, he falls from a tree and temporarily develops acrophobia.
  • Aviva Corcovado (voiced by Athena Karkanis) – An engineer and inventor, and the leader of the Tortuga gang. She designs all of the inventions the Kratts use, which are usually inspired by nature. She is kind and she can be confident of her abilities and her opinions. Once she has made up her mind, it takes appealing to her emotions and overwhelming evidence to change it. She is also competitive, rivaling Zach in invention contests, the Kratts, and even nature itself, most notably in "Cheetah Racer", where she bet that she could invent a land vehicle faster than a cheetah. Her Creature Power Suit color is purple, as shown in episodes like "Birds of a Feather", "Groundhog Wake Up Call", "The Amazing Creature Race", and "Praying Mantis".
  • Koki (voiced by Heather Bambrick) – A mechanic and computer expert, Koki works on the computer database of the Tortuga HQ, researches animals for the brothers, and often uses the computer to track the villains via satellite. She manages the communications system of the Tortuga, keeping in touch with Chris and Martin throughout their missions. She sometimes receives signals from other people who want to communicate with the Wild Kratts, and intercepts signals sent by the villains. She is not afraid to speak her mind and tell the truth as she sees it. Her Creature Power Suit color is gold, as shown in episodes like "When Fish Fly", "A Creature Christmas", and "The Amazing Creature Race"; the color was mentioned in the season 6 episode "Wolf Hawks", where she was called Gold Hawk.
  • Jimmy Z (voiced by Jonathan Malen) – The pilot of the Tortuga HQ, who operates the ship's teleporter, and uses his game controller to teleport items and Creature Power Disks to the Kratts. He sometimes helps Aviva with inventions by handing her the items she needs as she works, which often has hilarious results when he helps her test the prototype. He does not have a Creature Power Suit, but his Creature Pod and scuba gear are both orange.

Antagonists
  • Zachary "Zach" Varmitech (voiced by Zachary Bennett) – A robotics inventor who grew up alongside the Kratts and met Aviva at summer camp. He tries to develop robots and inventions by controlling creatures' minds and then use them as workers or by selling the mind-controlled animals as products, and in certain cases, for his own benefit. He uses a jet while travelling long distances, and usually rides on the shoulders of a Zachbot otherwise. He is scared of the dark, as seen in "Platypus Cafe", and does not like it when other villains tell his Zachbots what to do.
  • Donita Donata (voiced by Eva Almos) – A fashionista who travels using a pink jet and/or boat, and is never without the best comforts life can afford. Her main purpose is her clothing line, Donita Donata's Live Jewelry of Nature. She uses a pose beam to put animals in suspended animation and sell them as jewelry or clothing, and has also created robotic mannequins which go out and catch animals for her. Donita is used as a representation of real world fashion designers who use animal products in the manufacture their clothing.
  • Dabio (voiced by Cory Doran) – Donita's muscular yet childike henchman, who tries to help Donita design her fashions, but usually fails to satisfy her. Though usually shown to be unintelligent, Dabio is able to remember facts about animals more correctly than Donita, but in Mystery of the Mini Monkey Models, he could not say the animal names correctly.
  • Chef Gaston Gourmand (voiced by Zachary Bennett) – A traveling chef with a Southern accent. He prefers to cook and serve rare and/or endangered animals, which caused him to lose his chef's license. He usually travels in a camper that features a fold-out restaurant, but has also been seen using a jet and/or boat with a fold-out outdoor restaurant and kitchen.
  • Paisley Paver (voiced by Julie Lemieux) – A businesswoman and the CEO of Paver Industries, who believes that turning natural landscapes into factories and parking lots will create a better world for future generations. She is depicted as determined, impatient, orderly, and bossy, but still respects her intern, Rex. Paisley is representation of the real world problem of construction companies building over natural habitats.
  • Rex (voiced by Cory Doran) – Paisley's intern, who assists her in her plots against the Wild Kratts. Though usually enthusiastic, he is still evil, as he loves to operate Paisley's technology and flatten land for her building sites.

Background and production

Wild Kratts is the latest of the Kratt Brothers' hit television series, preceded by Kratts' Creatures (1996), Zoboomafoo (1999-2001), and Be the Creature (2003-2004). The series combines animation and live action, featuring a donut sequence that asks "What If?", that sets up the cartoon segment and introduces the focus animal (or focus trait/behavior if more than one animal is the focus); the principal cartoon show; and a concluding live-action segment that sums up the cartoon.

Each episode is written by either Chris or Martin Kratt themselves (who also serve as Executive Producers), Eva Almos (who also voices Donita Donata), or Chris Roy. It is filmed in Canada, the United States, and in several countries around the world. PBS dedicated nearly $500,000 to developing the series.[4]

Wild Kratts makes use of comedic devices such as slapstick comedy, as per their previous kids' shows (Kratt's Creatures and Zoboomafoo). The show debuted on January 3, 2011[5] on most PBS stations, and has currently been signed for a 6th season with both PBS and TVOntario. The series currently has 158 episodes, 146 of which have aired so far in the United States.

International rights were signed by 9 Story in September 2010, with North American rights being held by Kratt Brothers Company.[6]

PBS Kids often releases episodes out of order. For example, the episode "Polar Bears Don't Dance", which is supposed to be the pilot episode (but airs as the seventh episode on PBS stations), features an art style different from the rest of the series, and was also omitted from the first DVD release. Additionally, it is directed by Luc Chamberland, who did not direct any subsequent episodes. Chamberland worked on animated films such as Space Jam, Quest for Camelot and Joseph: King of Dreams. Foreign countries seem to get future episodes before the United States and Canadian watchers. For example, the episode "Caracal-Minton" was shown in South America before being aired in English.

On October 15, 2012, in the United States and Canada, Season 2 began with four episodes. This is the first season to begin with a view of the Earth before the Kratt brothers are shown introducing the audience. This season focused on the Western Hemisphere, including the Central American Costa Rica, coral reef, temperate woodlands, and the Sonoran Desert.

On October 25, 2012, the Season 1 finale of the show was shown on PBS, along with all other unaired episodes in the following week.

On January 21, 2013, a special aired which combined two Season 2 episodes called "Speaking Dolphinese" and "Blowfish Blowout". These episodes later aired separately, with "Speaking Dolphinese" airing on February 5, 2013, and "Blowfish Blowout" airing on February 7, 2013, on most stations. The Season 2 finale, "Groundhog Wake-Up Call", was aired on January 31, 2014.

On the week of August 19 to August 23, 2013, Reptile Week came which aired 4 new reptile-themed episodes, including "Gila Monster Under my House", "Roadrunner", "Tortuga Tune Up" and "Rattlesnake Crystal".

On April 7, 2014, in the United States and Canada, Season 3 began with 5 episodes. This is the second season to begin with a view of the Earth before the Kratt brothers are shown introducing the audience. This focuses on habitats of the Western Hemisphere, such as the jungle and forest habitats of Madagascar, beach and coastal habitats of the Caribbean, prairie or Great Plains habitat of the central United States, ocean habitats of the Caribbean, and the cypress swamp habitat of Florida. On July 7, 2014, "Back in Creature Time" aired. On April 20, 2015, a "Spring Special" aired with episodes such as "Chameleons on Target" and "Lemur Stink Fight". The "Summer Safari" started July 1, 2015, with a rerun of "Back in Creature Time", as well as some Madagascar episodes like "Aye, Aye", "Lemur Legs" and other Madagascar episodes, including the episodes of "Fossa Palooza" and "Mini Madagascar" that marked the end of Season 3.

Season 4 premiered on July 29, 2015 in the USA with the release of the first two episodes, "The Last Largest Lobster" and "Stars of the Tides". Habitats featured in this season included Chinese bamboo forests, the Amazon rainforest, the Arctic, and the rocky intertidal zone of the Atlantic Ocean. On November 25, 2015, a holiday special known as "Wild Kratts: A Creature Christmas" was released in the USA. On November 23, 2016, the special "Creatures of the Deep Sea" was released in the USA.

From January 16–20, 2017 new episodes of Season 4 began to air, including "Liturgusa krattorum", "Snowy Owl Invasion" and "Eel-Ectric". "Liturgusa Krattorum" was a special episode dedicated to an event in 2014/15 in which Dr. Gavin Svenson discovered an animal by the episode's same name, naming it after Chris and Martin Kratt, for their excellent work on Wild Kratts, as well as their other shows including Be the Creature and Zoboomafoo.

Season 4 concluded in the USA when the remaining 5 episodes ("Archerfish School", "This Orca Likes Sharks", "Baby Tooth and Kid Musky", "Cheetah Adopted" and "Muskox Mania") aired from April 10-14, 2017.

Season 5 premiered on July 24, 2017 in the USA with the release of the two-part special "Wild Kratts Alaska: Hero's Journey", as well as the episodes "Mystery of the North Pole Penguins?" and "Temple of Tigers". This season focuses primarily on habitats such as Europe's Black Forest, and Antarctica, as well as the Indian jungles. Also, a Halloween special, entitled "Wild Kratts Halloween: Creepy Creatures", was released in the USA on October 22, 2018. Season 5 concluded in the USA on January 23, 2019 with the release of the episode "Hercules - The Giant Beetle".

In 2019, Season 6 was announced and piloted with "Mystery of the Flamingo's Pink." The show is currently in the 6th season, in its 9th year. The other episodes in season 6 were about ocelots, white tailed deer, harris hawks, hammerhead sharks, leaf cutter ants, tamarins and marmosets, stingrays, and a movie special about the Amazon rainforest called Amazin Amazon Adventure. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Season 6 episodes have 2 film crews for the live-action segments, with Chris and Martin in distant locations (one brother in the wild and the other inside a building-like The Vanishing Stingray). Season 6 focuses on the Sonoran Desert, The Amazon Rainforest, the Caribbean Sea and Africa.

Broadcast

Wild Kratts airs on PBS Kids in the United States and Africa. In Canada it is shown on TV Ontario in Ontario, Knowledge Network in British Columbia, and Télé-Québec/Le Skwat in Quebec. In Australia it is shown on GO! (now 9Go!). Season 1 and 2 are available on Netflix Singapore. In the United Kingdom it is shown on POP.

DVD releases

Creature Adventures – April 5, 2011

  1. "Mom of a Croc"
  2. "Whale of a Squid"
  3. "Aardvark Town"
  4. "Flight of the Draco"
  5. "Mystery of the Squirmy Wormy"
  6. "Platypus Café"
  7. "Build It Beaver"
  8. "Voyage of the Butterflier XT"
  9. "Honey Seekers"
  10. "Bass Class"

Predator Power – March 20, 2012

  1. "Stuck on Sharks"
  2. "Mimic"
  3. "Little Howler"
  4. "Raptor Roundup"

Jungle Animals – July 10, 2012 Distributor:Paramount Pictures

  1. "Walk on the Wetside"
  2. "A Huge Orange Problem"
  3. "Birds of a Feather"
  4. "Googly-Eye: The Night Guru"

Lost at Sea – January 22, 2013 Distributor: Warner Bros.

  1. "Speaking Dolphinese"
  2. "Blowfish Blowout"

Rainforest Rescue – April 9, 2013

  1. "Rainforest Stew"
  2. "Shadow: The Black Jaguar"

Bugging Out – February 25, 2014

  1. "Secrets of the Spider's Web"
  2. "Attack of the Tree-Eating Aliens"

Tiny Trouble – June 10, 2014

  1. "Termites vs. Tongues"
  2. "Bugs or Monkeys?"

Shark-Tastic! – April 14, 2015

  1. "Octopus Wildkratticus"
  2. "Tortuga Tune Up"
  3. "Speaking Dolphinese"
  4. "Stuck on Sharks"

Super Sprinters – June 23, 2015

  1. "Falcon City"
  2. "Cheetah Racer"

Australian Adventures – January 6, 2016

  1. "Koala Balloon"
  2. "Kickin' It With the 'Roos"
  3. "Platypus Café"

Wild Animal Babies – May 3, 2016

  1. "Elephant in the Room"
  2. "Bad Hair Day"
  3. "Zig-Zagged"
  4. "Let the Rhinos Roll!"

Wild Reptiles – August 23, 2016

  1. "The Gecko Effect"
  2. "Crocogator Contest"
  3. "Rattlesnake Crystal"
  4. "Chameleons on Target"

A Creature Christmas – October 4, 2016

Panda-Monium – April 2017

  1. "Panda Power-Up"
  2. "Red Panda Rescue"
  3. "Colors of China"
  4. "Snowy Owl Invasion"

Wild Winter Creatures – October 10, 2017

  1. "Polar Bears Don't Dance"
  2. "Mystery of the Weird Looking Walrus"
  3. "Journey to the Subnivean Zone"
  4. "Musk Ox Mania"

Other media

A Wild Kratts magazine appeared in Wal-Mart in October 2017. It had animals from when this show started in 2011 to about until 2017. It was in display until October 14, 2017.

In 2016, Whole Foods Market introduced a line of products including crackers, vitamins, and soap[7] carrying the WILD KRATTS branding.

Two theatrical live shows based on the animated series premiered at an unknown time at a large stage. The first stage show featured the Kratt Brothers leaping out of the animation and interacting with the audience, and later using their Creature Power Suits to rescue the miniaturizer from Zach Varmitech. A theatrical sequel to that live show in 2019 titled Wild Kratts Live 2.0: Activate Creature Power! premiered at a live stage. The live stage performance had featured the live-action Kratt Brothers shrinking down and exploring, only to later rescue their Creature Power disks from Zach.[8]

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References
  1. Cutler, Jacqueline (January 6, 2011). "Cartoon 'Kratts' educational, amusing". The Journal Gazette. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  2. "Wild Kratts: About the Show". PBS Parents. PBS. Archived from the original on 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2012-04-05.
  3. "Second Season Of Animated Children's Series Wild Kratts Launches At MIPCOM". The Business of Film. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  4. Bynum, Aaron H. (February 15, 2010). "9 Story Goes To Work On "Wild Kratts" Animation". Animation Insider. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
  5. "Wild Kratts Airs On PBS Kids!". 9 Story Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2011-01-16. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  6. Brzoznowski, Kristin (September 29, 2010). "9 Story Signs Co-Development Deal, New International Sales". Retrieved 2013-03-29.
  7. "Meet the Wild Kratts! (And Check out the Wild Kratts Collection for Back-to-School ... )". Archived from the original on 2018-06-24. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  8. Moore, Antoinette (January 16, 2020). "Power your imagination with 'Wild Kratts Live 2.0'". Longview News-Journal. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
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