Post by theyoshistate on Apr 26, 2023 3:23:54 GMT
Animal Forest was an animated TV series based on Nintendo's Animal Forest board game and co-produced by Film Roman and Viacom that aired from November 13, 1993 to July 29, 1995 on ABC's Saturday morning block. It was notably the first Western Animal Forest spin-off, predating the franchise's retooling as the far more successful and known Animal Crossing video game series in 2001. It centered on the adventures of Freddie, a human boy living in the village of Forestville, which was otherwise inhabited by animals. The series premiered two months behind schedule, was met with poor ratings and preemptions by some affiliates, and only 16 of the 20 produced episodes of Animal Forest aired (albeit not in production order other than the pilot episode) before the show was abruptly cancelled following Disney's acquisition of ABC and its subsequent movement to clear space on the Saturday morning block (which ultimately led to One Saturday Morning two years later). As of 2021, all episodes have been found.
Unearthing
A few episodes of Animal Forest were released on VHS by Paramount Home Video in 1995-96, and the first 16 episodes were reran on Nickelodeon on sporadic occasions between 1996 and 2000. Surprisingly the four unaired episodes were never included in Nickelodeon's reruns or received VHS releases. In 2018, writer and co-producer Mark Evanier confirmed that VHS master copies of every episode, including the four unaired episodes, are currently being stored in a building on Paramount's backlot in Los Angeles, California, and that some of the voice actors and crew members also had master copies.
On January 4, 2021, an unknown person found a box at a Goodwill in Champaign, Illinois that actually contained master copies of all 20 episodes of Animal Forest, including the unaired episodes. It is presumed that those copies are among the master copies that Mark Evanier confirmed to exist. After that person purchased a VHS-to-digital converter, the unaired episodes were uploaded to MEGA.
On March 15, 2022, it was announced that Animal Forest would be added to Paramount+, Paramount's streaming service, on April 6, 2022. When Animal Forest was added to Paramount+ on April 6, 2022, the unaired episodes were included.
On March 15, 2022, it was announced that Animal Forest would be added to Paramount+, Paramount's streaming service, on April 6, 2022. When Animal Forest was added to Paramount+ on April 6, 2022, the unaired episodes were included.
Unaired Episodes
Production # | Episode Title | Synopsis | Status
4 | Halloween Night is Jack’s Night | It’s that spooky day of the year, and as night falls, Jack, the self-proclaimed Czar of Halloween, appears. | Found
9 | The New Game / Short Profile: Re-Tail | Forestville’s citizens have their attention attracted by a new video game. / This Short Profile looks at a day at Re-Tail, a flea market operated by Reese and Cyrus. | Found
17 | Sabertooth Tiger / Short Profile: Police Station | Shaki discovers sabertooth tiger fossils, sending Forestville on a big frenzy. / A short profile of the Forestville police force, which consists of Copper and Booker. | Found
19 | Marshal’s Marshmallow Factory / Short Profile: Crazy Redd's | Marshal bribes Isabelle into opening a marshmallow factory and the end result pollutes Forestville. / A day at Crazy Redd's, the black market goods store owned by Redd the fox. | Found
9 | The New Game / Short Profile: Re-Tail | Forestville’s citizens have their attention attracted by a new video game. / This Short Profile looks at a day at Re-Tail, a flea market operated by Reese and Cyrus. | Found
17 | Sabertooth Tiger / Short Profile: Police Station | Shaki discovers sabertooth tiger fossils, sending Forestville on a big frenzy. / A short profile of the Forestville police force, which consists of Copper and Booker. | Found
19 | Marshal’s Marshmallow Factory / Short Profile: Crazy Redd's | Marshal bribes Isabelle into opening a marshmallow factory and the end result pollutes Forestville. / A day at Crazy Redd's, the black market goods store owned by Redd the fox. | Found