Ned's Newt

Ned's Newt
Created by	Andy Knight, Mike Burgess
Developed by	Andrew Nicholls Darrell Vickers
Written by	(5 or more episodes) Andrew Nicholls Darrell Vickers Darwin Vickers John Pellatt Kenn Scott Georgia Pritchett
Starring	Harland Williams as Newton (seasons 1–2 and season 3, episodes 1–9) Ron Pardo as Newton (season 3, episodes 10–13) Tracey Moore as Ned Flemkin Carolyn Scott as Sharon "Mom" Flemkin Peter Keleghan as Eric "Dad" Flemkin Tracy Ryan as Linda Bliss Colin O'Meara as Doogle / Mr. Bliss Jim Milington as The Usual Guy / Pet Shop Owner
Country of origin	Canada Germany
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	39 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Nelvana
Running time	approximately 0:22 (per episode)
Production company(s)	Nelvana TMO-Loonland Studio B Productions (Season 2 only)
Release
Original network	YTV Fox Kids (1995) Cartoon Network (1994)
Original release	June 5, 1994 – December 31, 1997

Ned's Newt is a Canadian/German animated series produced by Nelvana and TMO-Loonland. The program aired on Teletoon from 1994 to 1997 and its also aired in Canada. In the United States, the program aired on Fox Kids and Cartoon Network. Teletoon Retro aired reruns of all 39 half-hour episodes on May 1, 2007.

Synopsis

The series begins with Ned finally scraping up enough money to buy a pet. However, upon reaching the pet store, the only thing he can actually afford is a newt. Dubbing his new pet "Newton", Ned quickly tires of it, since Newton just lies on the rock in his bowl. Complaining to the pet store owner that his new pet is not very active, the owner gives Ned a can of "Zippo for Newt" pet food, but warns Ned not to give his pet too much. Ned feeds Newton a little, but Newton does nothing. Ned leaves the can beside Newton's bowl and goes to bed.

That night, Newton crawls from his bowl and gulps down several mouthfuls of Zippo. Thus, the "too much" warning comes true: Newton grows 6 feet tall, can talk (voiced by Harland Williams), and has the power to shapeshift. After Ned realizes this, he and Newton become the best of friends, but unfortunately the effects of Zippo do not last forever. In fact, Newton often gets Ned into trouble, at which point the Zippo wears off and Newton shifts back to his smaller form, leaving Ned alone to bear the wrath of his elders.

The series recounts the misadventures of Ned attempting to live a normal life while trying to keep Newton from being discovered. Recurring plots involve Ned and Newton working to fix situations which Newton has helped go awry, Ned's hopeless crush on his neighbor, Linda Bliss (who reduces Ned to speaking in gibberish) and his rivalry with snob bish Rusty McCabe for Linda's affections.

Selected credits

• Created by: Michael Burgess, Andy Knight
• Executive Producers:
  • Clive A. Smith
  • Patrick Loubert
  • Michael Hirsch
  • Andy Knight
  • Andrew Nicholls
  • Darrell Vickers
  • Peter Völkle
• Produced by: Vince Commisso
• Directed by: Rick Marshall
• Voice Director: Debra Toffan
• Casting: Karen Goora
• Art Director: Mike Ksunyoska
• Music by: John Tucker
• Produced with the Canada Film = Tax Credit

Home Video

Each VHS tape had two pairs of episodes. The first three VHS tapes with two pairs of episodes each were released on 1/1/1996. Three more volumes were released in 1998. The first three were duplicated in either EP/SLP, LP, or SP, while the last three were duplicated in the SP mode.

Parodies

• Ned's Newt/Thomas
• Ned's Newt/TUGS
• Ned's Newt/SpongeBob Squarepants
• Ned's Newt/Adventure Time
• Ned's Newt/Barney
• Ned's Newt/Sesame Street

Critical response

Mainstream reviews of Ned's Newt were mixed to mostly positive. Author and cartoonist Edward Gorey was a strong fan of the show, identifying Ned's Newt as the "greatest" animated show in a 1998 Newsday interview.

External links

• Ned's Newt at the Internet Movie Database
• Ned's Newt at TV.com