American Dragon: Jake Long
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| American Dragon: Jake Long | |
|---|---|
| Image:Adjllogo.jpg </small> | |
| Genre | Animated television series Children's television series |
| Running time | approx. 22 minutes (per episode) |
| Creator(s) | Jeff Goode |
| Starring | Dante Basco Keone Young John DiMaggio Amy Bruckner Miss Kittie Charlie Finn Mae Whitman Jeff Bennett Lauren Tom |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Original channel | Disney Channel |
| Original run | January 21, 2005–Present |
| No. of episodes | 52+ |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
American Dragon: Jake Long is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation.
Contents |
[edit] Premise
Jake is a descendant of a long line of shape-changing dragons, and it is his duty to protect the community of magical creatures secretly living among the masses in New York. He lives with his parents, Johnathan and Susan, and his seven-year-old sister, Haley. His grandfather and sister are also dragons, the dragon powers having skipped his mother's generation. His Caucasian father is unaware of his family being dragons.
Throughout the series Jake is taught how to use his innate magical powers by his grandfather and a 600-year-old Shar Pei named Fu Dog. Jake needs these powers to protect the other magical creatures of the city from various malevolent beings most notably the villainous Huntsclan led by the Huntsman. His best friends are Trixie and Spud, with whom he skateboards; he is infatuated with Rose, another schoolmate. The stories are driven by Jake's search for balance between his life as a schoolboy and his secret life as a powerful magical guardian.
[edit] Production
American Dragon: Jake Long was created by Jeff Goode, who also created the hit MTV series Undressed. The Walt Disney Company ordered an initial twenty-one 30 minute episodes for the first season, all of which have been made. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on The Disney Channel on January 4, 2005, in the United States on The Disney Channel on January 21, 2005, and on Toon Disney in February 2006. It has also been broadcast on The Family Channel in some places.
The theme song is performed by the band Mavin previously known as Badge. The theme song for Season 2 is performed by the band The Jonas Brothers.
It had been announced that Steve Loter, who had served as director of Disney Channel's Kim Possible, would be joining the show for its second season as director and executive producer alongside the current executive producers Matt Negrete and Eddie Guzelian. However, following Disney's renewal of Kim Possible for a fourth season, Loter would resume his role as director but still serve as an executive producer of Jake Long. Nick Filippi, who had also done some directorial work on Kim Possible, will be the new director of Jake Long. With Steve Loter joining the staff, the show had all of its characters and backgrounds re-designed with new animation.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Major characters
- Jacob "Jake" Luke Long (Dante Basco): The protagonist of the show. Jake is a proud, lazy skateboarder who is, in secret, a dragon. He uses his duties as a dragon to help defend the underground magical world of New York City, while continuing his training into becoming the American Dragon.
- Luong Lao Shi (Keone Young): Jake's grandpa and Dragon Master. Lao is a Chinese dragon. He runs the Canal Street Electronics shop and his only friend is Fu Dog. His attempts at training Jake sometimes causes more damage than help. His name is a play on the Mandarin Chinese word for "teacher."
- Fu Dog (John DiMaggio): Fu is a 600-year-old talking Shar Pei and Lao's only companion. Like many cartoon animals, Fu is able to walk upright, and has no trouble using his front paws as hands, despite the apparent absence of opposable thumbs. He's particularly skilled at potion-mixing. Despite his age, he frequently keeps up-to-date with current trends and events, occasionally putting him at odds with Lao Shi.
- Trixie Carter (Miss Kittie): Jake's best friend. She is sassy, vivacious, and is somewhat of a tomboyish character. She is a fashion enthusiast, though does not necessarily partake in typical "girl" wear. In the situation of Jake and Rose's relationship, Trixie always showed a dislike and distrust towards Rose, advising Jake to be wary around her. She occasionally refers to herself as 'Mama Trixie'.
- Arthur "Spud" P. Spudinski (Charlie Finn): Spud is Jake's other best friend and is extremely loyal. Although apparently slow-witted, he often comes up with intelligent things to say at random times, much like the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. He owns a laptop computer that sports surveillance capabilities and other functions. In "Bring It On", he developed a global-positioning device to track his cheerleader crush, Stacey.
- Rose (Mae Whitman): Rose, Jake's paramour. A member of the Huntsclan. There is a birthmark on her right palm and wrist resembling a Chinese dragon, otherwise known as the "Mark of the Huntsclan". Jake eventually learns of her secret identity as the Huntsgirl. She in turn eventually learns that Jake is the American Dragon. Contrary to expectation, Rose helps Jake throughout the show.
- The Huntsman (Jeff Bennett): Jake's main enemy, the Huntsman (referred to as "Huntsmaster" by his subordinates) is the leader of the Huntsclan. The Dragon Council rates him as the #4 threat to the magical community.
[edit] Secondary characters
There are many secondary characters that appear in American Dragon: Jake Long. Some are family and friends, while others are enemies.
[edit] Magical creatures and characters
There is a menagerie of magical creatures and characters that appear in American Dragon: Jake Long.
[edit] Dragon Training
Because other magical creatures look up to dragons for leadership and guidance, the dragons of the world have become official protectors of the magical realm. Using their powers and abilities, the dragons of the world have formed a union of sorts and strive to protect magical creatures and the world around them and to keep normal humans from becoming aware of any magical creatures and the magical world. In many ways the dragons of American Dragon: Jake Long are similar to the Jedi Knights of Star Wars.
[edit] The Teacher and Student
Older and more experienced dragons can be appointed as "Dragon Masters", coaches to younger and less experienced generations of dragons, their "Dragon Student". One traditional rule the Dragon Council follows is that the student and teacher should not be related. One exception to this rule is the Student/Teacher relationship between Jake Long and his grandfather, Lao Shi. Lao Shi personally asked the Dragon Council if he could train Jake himself since he believed that one day the Dark Dragon would return and that Jake would have to face him. The Council reluctantly agreed but only on a strict basis. Also, students who are unable to learn sufficiently enough from their teachers are transferred to a new Dragon Master.
The Dragon Council tests the progress of students through three tests that three of the Council members personally administrate.
- The Test of Judgement in Fire (Councilor Kulde administrates this one): This trial tests the dragon student's use of judgement. In this trial, the student is guided into a warehouse where they are assaulted by ice sculptures depicting various different creatures (magical and non-magical alike), but the student must only use their fire breath to melt only the sculptures that would pose a threat.
- The Test of Wisdom in Battle (Councilor Andam administrates this one): This trial tests the dragon's knowledge of magical creatures and the magical world. In this trial, Councilor Andam pits the Dragon student against another magical creature of his choosing. If the student is able to overcome their opponent, they pass the test.
- The Test of Courage in Flight (Councilor Chang administrated this one, although she may no longer do so because of her imprisonment): This trial puts many of the dragon student's abilities to the test. In this test, the student must make their way through an obstacle course set up around Draco Island and must fly through three rings. Not only that, but the student must also compete against another dragon, whom the student has the option of choosing. If the student is able to fly through all three rings and complete the course before their opponent, they pass the test.
[edit] Rules
Dragons follow a strict set of rules. Most importantly a dragon must not allow humans to become aware of magical creatures and their world, including themselves. When humans become aware, the dragons must then erase all knowledge (and sometimes traces of) any information of their being magical creatures. Secondly, a dragon must not use their dragon powers for personal gain.
- A running gag in the show is that Jake Long ends up breaking this rule constantly, although most of the time inadvertently. Jake also seems to be a rebel against certain rules, such as when Trixie and Spud found out about his and his grandpa's identities, Jake was asked to use a memory-erasing potion on them, but refused (see "Professor Rotwood's Thesis"). Jake also uses his powers for personal gain a great deal of the time, such as using his ability to shapeshift, which landed him in trouble in "Dragon Summit".
[edit] Episode list
[edit] Season 1: 2005-2006
| Episode # | Production # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 101 | "Old School Training" | January 21, 2005 |
| 02 | 103 | "Dragon Breath" | January 22, 2005 |
| 03 | 107 | "The Talented Mr. Long" | January 28, 2005 |
| 04 | 105 | "The Legend of the Dragon Tooth" | February 4, 2005 |
| 05 | 108 | "Act 4, Scene 15" | February 11, 2005 |
| 06 | 104 | "Adventures In Trollsitting / Fu Dog Takes A Walk" | February 18, 2005 |
| 07 | 109 | "Professor Rotwood's Thesis" | February 25, 2005 |
| 08 | 106 | "The Egg / The Heist" | March 25, 2005 |
| 09 | 111 | "Dragon Summit" | April 1, 2005 |
| 10 | 110 | "Body Guard Duty" | April 29, 2005 |
| 11 | 102 | "Shapeshifter" | May 13, 2005 |
| 12 | 115 | "The Ski Trip" | May 27, 2005 |
| 13 | 112 | "The Long Weekend" | July 1, 2005 |
| 14 | 114 | "Eye of the Beholder" | July 30, 2005 |
| 15 | 116 | "Jake Takes The Cake" | August 26, 2005 |
| 16 | 121 | "Hong Kong Nights" | September 8, 2005 |
| 17 | 118 | "Halloween Bash" | October 22, 2005 |
| 18 | 113 | "Fu and Tell / Flight of the Unicorn" | November 3, 2005 |
| 19 | 119 | "Keeping Shop" | December 15, 2005 |
| 20 | 117 | "Ring Around the Dragon" | January 12, 2006 |
| 21 | 120 | "The Hunted" | January 29, 2006 |
[edit] Season 2: 2006-2007
| Episode # | Production # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 203 | "Bring It On" | June 10, 2006 |
| 23 | 201 | "Half Baked" | June 24, 2006 |
| 24 | 204 | "The Academy" | July 1, 2006 |
| 25 | 209 | "The Doppelganger Gang" | July 8, 2006 |
| 26 | 206 | "Something Fishy This Way Comes" | July 15, 2006 |
| 27 | 208 | "Breakout" | July 29, 2006 |
| 28 | 205 | "Family Business" | August 5, 2006 |
| 29 | 202 | "Hero of the Hourglass" | August 12, 2006 |
| 30 | 210 | "Dreamscape" | August 19, 2006 |
| 31 | 214 | "A Befuddled Mind" | September 9, 2006 |
| 32 | 211 | "Fool's Gold" | September 16, 2006 |
| 33 | 213 | "Feeding Frenzy" | September 23, 2006 |
| 34 | 216 | "Haley Gone Wild" | September 30, 2006 |
| 35 | 221 | "Supernatural Tuesday" | October 24, 2006 |
| 36 | 215 | "The Rotwood Files" | November 18, 2006 |
| 37 | 207 | "Hairy Christmas" | December 16, 2006 |
| 38 | 212 | "The Love Cruise" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 39 | 217 | "Switcheroo" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 40 | 218 | "Homecoming" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 41 | 219 | "A Ghost Story" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 42 | 220 | "Young at Heart" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 43 | 222 | "Siren Says" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 44 | 223 | "Shaggy Frog" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 45 | 224 | "Year of the Jake" | February 18, 2007 |
| 46 | 225 | "Nobody's Fu" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 47 | 226 | "Game On" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 48 | 227 | "Bite Father, Bite Son" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 49 | 228 | "Magic Enemy #1" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 50 | 229 | "Furious Jealousy" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 51 | 230 | "Being Human" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 52 | 231 | "The Hong Kong Longs" | Unknown/Unaired |
[edit] Criticism
Many audiences had mixed opinions about Jake's excessive use of street slang. While some liked it, others despised it as irritating. There is no doubt that Jake's personality is homage to the second and third-generation immigrants who willingly embraced American culture (and adapted to its varying accents). Executive producer Eddie Guzelian also admits that the bravado of Jake's character was helped shaped by Dante Basco's ad-libbing and their own writing, which parodied the "wannabe MTV gangsta" crowd. [1] Season 2 seems to have toned down on Jake's superfluous use of slang.
Many audiences and fans found that they had mixed opinions of Season 2. The art style was changed drastically for the second season, giving the show an edgier look than the more traditional designs of the first season. However, many fans have grown past the initial shock of the drastic art change, and at the least accept the second season as its own experience, or else grown to prefer it, and the outcry that accompanied its initial showing has died down considerably. Season 2 Director Steve Loter has offered some explanation to the change in aspects such as the dragon forms, in which the forms were meant to be directly related to the dragon's human form and current level of development. In the case of Jake, he would start out as a short, scrawny teenage dragon (as he is as a human), and need to train and develop into a muscle-bound dragon (much like his form from Season 1) over time.
[edit] Trivia
- The name Long (龍) is the Chinese word for dragon.
- The name Lao Shi (老师) is the Chinese word for teacher. Though 老 can be used as a term of respect for an old or wise person, which would make 'Shi' Jake's Grandfather's given name.
- Concept sketches show that Jake's best friends were originally going to be named Jamal and Brook, and did not look like they did as of now. Jamal was a big African-American boy and Brook was a Caucasian girl.
- Haley was originally going to be named Brittany.
- Before coming up with the current title, the show had three previous titles. They were: Last Dragon, American Dragon, and Jake Long: American Dragon.
- According to Jeff Goode's American Dragon webpage, there was originally a Season 1 episode titled "The Order of the Dragon". The episode was soon scrapped as a budgetary maneuver to hire an extra writer to help revise the script. The episode was soon rewritten into "Dragon Summit".
- The numerical address of Canal Street Electronics, 10048, was also the former zip code of the World Trade Center, and was made in memoriam to the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001.
- According to executive producer Matt Negrete, almost all of the early Season 2 episode scripts ran longer than needed; nearly eight minutes had to be cut from "Half Baked" and "The Academy". [2]
- An early draft of "Hong Kong Nights" was originally going to reveal Chang to be Jake's grandmother, but was rejected due to the distaste of the scenario by Standards & Practices (Chang would have had Jake's mother out of wedlock), and the conflicts it created with the series timeline. [3]
- An early draft of "Homecoming" originally planned the episode to be a dark and dramatic two-parter, and there were even plans of killing off a main character. The Disney Channel considered the episode "too dark" and "too Jetix", and the episode was revised into a single, 22-minute episode. [4]
- During a majority of "Hero of the Hourglass", a series of Super Mario Bros. sound effects can be heard, including getting coins, hitting a koopa, and the Klown Car from Super Mario World.
- In "Dreamscape", a name on a door in the dream corridor is "Nick Filippi", who is Steve Loter's directing replacement for Season 2 of American Dragon: Jake Long, after he went back to direct Kim Possible for its fourth season.
- Episode Title Changes: Episode 221 was originally called "Student Body by Jake", but was changed to "Supernatural Tuesday" (a play on the political term "Super Tuesday") for legal reasons. In addition, episode 220 was originally called "Youth or Consequences" (an obvious nod to the classic game show "Truth or Consequences") but was changed to "Young At Heart".
- The name "The American Dragon" is also used by a professional wrestler named Bryan Danielson, and, like Jake Long, sometimes refers to himself as "The AmDrag". However, he has been calling himself by this name before the show's 2005 premiere.
- In "Halloween Bash", Ingrid Third, one of the stars of Disney's "Fillmore!" can be seen at Jake's Halloween party. Coincidentally, most of American Dragon's executive producers worked on that show (Chris Roman being the director for all of its episodes), and the writer of "Halloween Bash", Scott Gimple, created the series. Another tribute to the show is the name of Jake's school: Millard Fillmore Middle School.
- In a scene in "Feeding Frenzy", the female shark regurgitates various objects, including a license plate that reads "OUTATIME". This same license plate can be found on Doc Brown's De Lorean in Back to the Future.
- Though it was shown on DisneyChannel.com's video service, the episode "Supernatural Tuesday" is the first episode of the series to be premiered on television before the Disney Channel. It was shown on Toon Disney a full four days before Disney Channel's broadcast of the episode.
[edit] Appearances in Other Media
- Jake, Spud, Trixie, Lao Shi, and Fu Dog made a guest appearance in the Lilo & Stitch: The Series episode "Morpholomew" on July 1, 2005.
- Coming out in October, there will be an American Dragon: Jake Long game for the Nintendo DS ("Attack of the Dark Dragon") and the Game Boy Advance ("Rise of the Huntsclan").
[edit] External links
- American Dragon: Jake Long at the Disney Channel Official Site
- American Dragon: Jake Long at the Internet Movie Database
- American Dragon: Jake Long at JeffNet
- Unofficial Amdrag Blog by Eddie Guzelian & Matt Negrete
[edit] References
- 'American Dragon: Jake Long': TV.com. Retrieved August 10 2005
- 'American Dragon Jake Long', TV Tome. This link used to lead directly to http://www.tvtome.com/AmericanDragonJakeLong Retrieved June 9 2005. (TV Tome is now defunct; this links to Archive.org)
| Disney Channel Original Series (2000 - present) |
| Television series: |
| American Dragon: Jake Long • Brandy and Mr. Whiskers • The Buzz on Maggie • Cory in the House • Dave the Barbarian • The Emperor's New School • Even Stevens • Hannah Montana • Kim Possible • Lilo & Stitch: The Series • Lizzie McGuire • Phil of the Future • The Proud Family • The Replacements • The Suite Life of Zack & Cody • That's So Raven |
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