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Atomic Betty

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Atomic Betty
File:Atomicbettycast.jpg
From L to R: Sparky, Betty, and X-5
Created byTrevor Bentley
Mauro Casalese
Olaf Miller
Rob Davies
StarringTajja Isen
Rick Miller
Bruce Hunter
Len Carlson
Colin Fox
Patrick McKenna
Kristina Nicholl
Jayne Eastwood
Laurie Elliott
Catherine Disher
Adrian Truss
Country of originCanada/France
No. of episodes104 x 15 minutes or 52 x 30 minutes, plus 1 Christmas special (60 minutes)
Production
Running time15 or 30 minutes, depending on market and format.
Original release
NetworkSee Airing locales
ReleaseSeptember 2004 –
Present

Atomic Betty is a Canadian animated television series on Teletoon and Cartoon Network, produced by Atomic Cartoons & Breakthrough (Canada), and Tele Images Kids (France). It is about a little red-haired girl named Betty, who, although overwhelmed with housework given by her mother, is recruited by a galactic peace-keeping organization. As a Galactic Guardian named Atomic Betty, assisted by an alien named Sparky, and a robot named X-5, she confronts the evil overlord Maximus I.Q. Despite being rather unassuming on Earth, Atomic Betty is a superstar throughout the galaxy and even has her own fan club of loyal followers.

In each episode, a crisis occurs somewhere in the galaxy, while Betty enjoys some friendly activity with her friends. Invariably, her bracelet begins beeping, and she runs off alone to save the galaxy. Accompanied by her crew, Betty manages to defeat the villains before returning home.

There has also been a full-hour christmas special, titled Atomic Betty: The No-L 9.

This show is one of an increasing number of cartoons made using Macromedia Flash and has a distinct smoothness to the animation that separates it from traditional cel animation; ironically, despite that there is considerable artistic influence from classic cel animation such as old Hanna-Barbera cartoons like The Jetsons.

Characters

With the exception of the show's eponymous character and the particular story involved, most of the characters encountered in the series are exclusive to either of the two major settings in the show. The show is largely centred around Betty and her friends in segments taking place on Earth, while Betty and her crew are the major focus of the space setting.

Primary Characters

These characters appear in all or most episodes of the series.

File:Atomicbetty.jpg
Atomic Betty standing
  • Betty/Atomic Betty is the protagonist of the show, and is herself a very unusual 12-year-old girl in the sense that she is also a Galactic Guardian in the known Universe. She is awkward yet unique both in her qualities and in her social position, due to her disappearances. She is from Moose Jaw Heights (a fictional borough of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) and has eclectic interests, from skateboarding to writing her own songs, and also, learning to play both the guitar and keyboards (she and her friends have a band, which play infrequently). Betty has absent-minded parents, and a secret life as a Galactic Guardian, an enforcer of law and order across the galaxy. In school, she is unusually intelligent, unusually thoughtful, quirky, and a little bit of a nerd, but in outer space she is professional and always focused, though she is unusually confident of winning. In terms of her social identity, Betty has very tomboyish characteristics, because she always fights villains rather than do what girls normally do. Betty is one of the best at what she does, and commands considerable respect. While she seems to be famous throughout the galaxy, her home planet (Earth) is a closely guarded secret from all but a few within the galaxy's power structure. Betty wears a bracelet that allows Admiral DeGill to contact her at any time (it may also be the item she uses to transform as well) and is known to be a serious carnivore. Betty has a crush on Dylan. Her last name is currently unknown.
  • Sparky is the slightly hyperactive alien pilot of Atomic Betty's ship with an immense appetite (and a talent for using his four cow-like stomachs for storage). While a bit ditzy and accident-prone, he forms one third of a very reliable team.
  • Robot X-5 is the third member of Betty's crew. Although an antiquated robot by Galactic standards, X-5 remains walking database on everything important to a Galactic Guardian. He and Sparky have a contentious but occasionally respectful working relationship.
  • Admiral DeGill is a goldfish with a crew cut who is Commander in Chief of Galactic Guardian and Planet Protectors Batallion 147. He is Betty's commanding officer, who dispatches Betty on her various missions.
  • Noah Parker is Betty's best friend. Although Noah thinks of Betty as being somewhat flaky, he is secretly in love with her, yet is unable to express his feelings. He is unaware of Betty being a Galactic Guardian, and often thinks that Betty being frequently missing is due to coincidence.
  • Paloma is introduced in the second season as a new transfer student who quickly befriends Betty. However, this Latino girl hides a secret that is only revealed at the end of the second season.
  • Penelope Lang is Betty's rival, who thinks of herself as the most popular prima donna at her school. She often uses her popularity or wealth to undermine Betty's social standing, a plan that inevitably backfires. She is a filthy rich-and-spoiled rotten brat, and bears a close resemblance to Claire Brewster from the animated series Beetlejuice.
  • Maximus I.Q. is a bumbling supervillain, catlike in appearance and somewhat regal (or at least believes himself so) in bearing. Though bumbling, he represents enough of a danger that he is Betty's most frequent nemesis. He is obsessed with defeating Betty and discovering her home planet, and has come very close on several occasions (including once building a temporary base near Jupiter). Despite not knowing her origins, Maximus has created clones of Betty from hair samples taken in combat. Maximus' father is also a criminal, though more of a robber and thug than a supervillain.
  • Minimus P.U., P.U. for "portable underling", is Maximus' hapless, monkey-like, literally two-faced sidekick -- one face is reluctantly sycophantic, while the other is sarcastic and bitter at Maximus' constant disrespect.

Recurring Characters

  • Betty's Father is a slightly absent-minded salesman, but he is a devoted father when he's around.
  • Betty's Mother is a stereotypical hairdresser, with a poufed blonde ponytail and tacky animal-print clothes. Where her father is absent-minded, her mother is simply oblivious, often paying excessive attention to her spoiled cat Purrsy, to whom she is devoted.
  • Betty's Granny, Beatrixo, is a lively older woman with a love of clog dancing and numerous other talents. She is a retired Galactic Guardian, a fact that Betty discovered when she found a signal bracelet identical to her own in her granny's attic. It is unknown whether Betty's father is in on the secret. Beatrixo found Jimmy on the episode 'No-L 9'.
  • Betty's Grandpa, Jimmy, was lost while trying to discover sounds on a distant planet, but was found on The No-L 9, a collection of singing planets in "Atomic Betty: The No-L 9" (christmas special). Jimmy is a scientist on the musictality of space rocks. In his sole appearance on the show Jimmy's voice was provided by William Shatner.
  • Sir Purrsefus, or Purrsy for short, is Betty's mother's spoiled, surly cat. Purrsy has accidentally accompanied Betty on one of her missions, but being a cat has not said anything about it. He tends to cause trouble, but the trouble often backfires on him.
  • Kyle is Betty's bratty cousin. He's self-centered, arrogant, and thinks that anything not to his liking is stupid. This usually means anything Betty or her friends like. He also has a talent for causing havoc that eventually gets him into trouble.
  • Dylan is the school heartthrob, as he is both attractive and athletic. He is the dream guy of every girl in school, but he is attracted to Betty because of her intelligence and interest in science.
  • Duncan Paine is Moose Jaw Heights Junior High's resident school bully, and likes Penelope. Duncan Paine bosses people around, like Penelope, though he is not really that descriptive on any show, but Bracelet Yourself.
  • Mr. Peterson is Betty's school principal. Tough but fair, he takes his interest in hockey to the point of obsession. His voice and style of dress are patterned after veteran Canadian hockey commentator Don Cherry.
  • Atomic Roger is another Galactic Guardian, apparently human, although clearly not from Earth, who is Betty's colleague and occasional rival. He is the twin brother to the villain Dodger.
  • Spindly Tam Kanushu was apparently Betty's martial arts trainer. He is an elderly alien martial arts expert.
  • Commandant McSlim is another commanding officer of Betty. He is the director for the Galactic Guardians Training Corps.
  • Zulia, Sparky's mother, is a sweet, perfect mother figure to anyone she comes across. She's thoughful, kind, and an incredible cook who will never let anyone leave her house hungry. She also has a firey temper and a vicious hit with kitchen utensils should anyone threaten her son.
  • B-1 is X-5's "uncle". He's an older model robot who was discarded on the planet Crushden when he became obsolete. Since then he's led a robot militia against anyone who tries to profit from the giant scrap pile at the cost of what little functionality the robots have.

Recurring Villains

  • Iciclia is a character reminiscent of the Witch Queen from Disney's 1937 animated film version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; her trademark attacks are ice-based. She was once dependent on montegoberries to keep her youth and beauty, but she seems to have eliminated this dependency somehow.
  • Infantor is a foul-tempered infant (or perhaps an adult or adolescent trapped in an infant's body) who enjoys playing games with his enemies. He once sucked Betty and her crew into a portal leading them to a virtual reality game to fight for their lives according to his rules.
  • Nuclea is an energy-based being whose power (and size) increase as she consumes more energy. She continually uses new methods to secure large sources of energy to absorb.
  • The Chameleon is an alien that can change form into any person, animal or object. He was once Maximus's most trusted spy until being fired after an unexplained mishap. Since then, his efforts at evil have been intended to win back Maximus's favour.
  • Dr. Cerebral is a brain that wanted to control the universe. One time, he inserted a virus to every robot to the universe, and almost killed B-1 and X-5.
  • Pontifidora the Conquistadora is a big-game hunter turned bounty hunter. She was Admiral DeGill's fiancée before turning to a life of crime. DeGill then turned her in to the authorities and ran off with a showgirl from the planet Vega. She has never forgiven DeGill for either act, and is determined to have him stuffed and mounted on her wall.

Episode list

File:Atomic Betty Poster.jpg
Teletoon & Cartoon Network's Atomic Betty movie poster.
File:Atomic Betty Cast Poster.jpg
Teletoon & Cartoon Network's Atomic Betty series poster.

In North America, the show airs in a half-hour format comprising two cartoons. Many areas outside of North America use a 15-minute format of only one cartoon. There are 52 half-hour episodes over two seasons. The second season premiere and finale are both two-part, half-hour episodes.

Season one (2004 – 2005)

  1. Furball for the Sneeze / Attack of the Evil Baby
  2. The Doppelganger / Toxic Talent
  3. But the Cat Came Back / Lost in Spa
  4. Spindly Tam Kanushu / Science Fair
  5. Space Brains / Atomic Roger
  6. Maximus Displeasure / Cosmic Cake
  7. Bye-Bye X-5 / The Substitute
  8. The Good, The Bad, and the Sparky / Self Sabotage
  9. When Worlds Collide / The Ghost Ship of Aberdeffia (Halloween episode)
  10. Poached Egg / Battle of the Bots
  11. The Really Big Game / And the Winner is... (Father's Day episode)
  12. The Great Race / Martian Makeover
  13. Betty's Secret Admirer / Slime of the Century (Valentine's Day episode)
  14. Winter Carnival / Crass Menagerie
  15. Solar System Surfin' / Power of the Pharaoh
  16. The Trouble with Triplets / Spider Betty
  17. Power Arrangers / Dream Come True
  18. Betty vs. the Giant Killer Ants / Best (Mis)Laid Plans
  19. No Business Like Snow Business / Infantor Rules
  20. Galactic Pirates of the Corralean / The Revenge of Masticula
  21. The Incredible Shrinking Betty / Friends for Eternity
  22. Wizard of Orb / Max-Land
  23. Like Father, Like Scum / Planet Stinxx
  24. Big Top Betty / Dr. Cerebral and the Stupifactor Ray
  25. Jingle Brawls / Toy Historyia (Christmas episode)
  26. Franken Brain / Evil Idol

Season one (U.S. and International Markets)

The order and pairing of some episodes in season one differed between Canada and the rest of the world where the show was broadcast, including the United States. Below is the order and cartoon pairing as they were aired in these areas. Subsequent seasons were identical in both Canada and the United States.

  1. Atomic Roger / Toxic Trouble
  2. But the Cat Came Back / Lost in Spa
  3. Spindly Tam Kanushu / Science Fair
  4. Furball for the Sneeze / Maximus Displeasure
  5. The Doppelganger / Cosmic Cake
  6. Attack of the Evil Baby / Space Brains
  7. When Worlds Collide / The Ghost Ship of Aberdeffia (Halloween episode)
  8. The Great Race / Poached Egg
  9. The Really Big Game / The Substitute
  10. Self Sabotage / Crass Menagerie
  11. The Good, The Bad, and the Sparky / Bye-Bye X-5
  12. Battle of the Bots / Martian Makeover
  13. Betty's Secret Admirer / Slime of the Century (Valentine's Day episode)
  14. Solar System Surfin' / Winter Carnival
  15. Power of the Pharaoh / And the Winner is... (Father's Day episode)
  16. The Trouble with Triplets / Spider Betty
  17. Power Arrangers / Dream Come True
  18. Betty vs. the Giant Killer Ants / Best (Mis)Laid Plans
  19. No Business Like Snow Business / Infantor Rules
  20. Galactic Pirates of the Corralean / The Revenge of Masticula
  21. The Incredible Shrinking Betty / Friends for Eternity
  22. Wizard of Orb / Max-Land
  23. Like Father, Like Scum / Planet Stinxx
  24. Big Top Betty / Dr. Cerebral and the Stupifactor Ray
  25. Jingle Brawls / Toy Historyia (Christmas episode)
  26. Franken Brain / Evil Idol

Season two (2005 – 2006)

  1. Bracelet Yourself, parts 1 & 2
  2. The New Neighbor / Pre-Teen Queen of Outer Space
  3. Auntie Matter / Oy, Robot
  4. Werewolves On Zeebot / Return Of the Pharaoh
  5. Pop Goes the Maxx / Sleeping Like a Baby
  6. Ferried Treasure / The X-Rays
  7. By Virtuoso of Insanity / SWITCHMO-tized
  8. Captain Sparky / Earth to Roger
  9. Hi-Jinxed / Robo-Betty
  10. Take 2 Evils and Call Me in the Morning / The Scribe
  11. Mad Maximus / The Cheerleaders of Doom
  12. Reeking Havoc / Practically Joking
  13. The Great Sub-TRAIN-ean Robbery / The Minion
  14. Eternal Elixir / Bee Movie
  15. Evil Juniors / As the Worm Turns
  16. Extreme Makeover / Once Bitten, Twice Slimed
  17. The Collector / Night of the DeGilla Monster
  18. Big Bad Plant From Outer Space / Nuclea Infected
  19. The Brat Pack Attack / A Fungus Amongus
  20. The Gazundheit Factor / Good Kitty
  21. Strange Case of Minimus-Hyde / The Market
  22. Galactic Guardians No More! / Scribe 2: The Re-Scribing
  23. No-Hit Wonders / License DeGill
  24. Case of the Missing Kanushu / Devolution City
  25. Amulet of Shangri-La-De-Da / Best Dressed Villain
  26. Takes One to Know One, parts 1 & 2

Christmas special

  • Atomic Betty: The No-L 9 (2005, 60 minutes)

Credits

Voice Cast

Crew

Directed by:

Writing credits (in alphabetical order):

Produced by:

Film Editing by:

Production Management:

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director:

Sound Department:

Special Effects by:

Visual Effects by:

Other crew:

Airing locales

North America
Europe
Asia Pacific
Central America, South America, Caribbean Sea & Mexico

Trivia

Wikiquote has quotations related to Atomic Betty.
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