Supernoobs

Canadian animated television series

Supernoobs is a Canadian animated comedy television series produced by DHX Media, now known as WildBrain, for Cartoon Network and Teletoon.^[3] It was created by Scott Fellows, who also created Johnny Test, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Big Time Rush, and 100 Things to Do Before High School. The series follows four kids as they navigate middle school while fighting the Virus, which is infecting life on Earth. It premiered on Cartoon Network in the United Kingdom and Ireland on November 2, 2015.^[4]

On January 11, 2018, DHX announced that the second season would air on its Family Channel rather than Teletoon. The second season was picked up by Cartoon Network across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Hulu and YouTube in the United States.^[5] The series ended on February 7, 2019.

Premise

After receiving the power of the Battle Balls from the aliens Memnock and Zenblock, 12-year-old best friends Tyler, Kevin, Shope, and Theodore must not only survive middle school, but also fight against the Virus, which is infecting life on Earth and threatens to destroy the universe.^[6]

Characters

The Supernoobs

Four middle school students from the town of Cornbury who receive alien orb-like weapons called Battle Balls that grant them powers, which they tend to use irresponsibly when not fighting the Virus.

• Tyler Bowman (voiced by Matt Hill) is the wielder of the blue Battle Ball, which gives him the power to teleport and enhances his natural senses, giving him abilities such as mind reading, and also turns his blonde hair blue. Tyler serves as the group's leader and moral compass, but is often distracted by his feelings for fellow student Amy Anderson. After the Ball Master repairs his Battle Ball after it is damaged by paint corrosion, he regains his old powers and also gains the power of telekinesis.
• Kevin Reynolds (voiced by Richard Ian Cox) is the wielder of the red Battle Ball, which gives him the power to transform into various animals, but often turns him into something other than what he intended, and also turns his black hair red. Kevin is the most selfish and irresponsible member of the team, often using his Battle Ball for his own amusement and personal gain or making suggestions that get the group into trouble. After the Ball Master repairs his Battle Ball after it is damaged by paint corrosion, he regains his old powers and also gains the power to transform into Virus versions of animals. Kevin is also implied to have feelings for Shope, which, despite him stating while under mind control, may be genuine.
• Jennifer Shope (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) is the wielder of the purple Battle Ball, which gives her the power to harness natural forces such as water and electricity and also turns her black hair purple. She is the most scientifically minded of the group and also considers herself to be the smartest, though she sometimes relies on them to help her with her schoolwork. She is commonly known by her last name to her friends, while most adults refer to her by her first name. After the Ball Master repairs her Battle Ball after it is damaged by paint corrosion, she regains her old powers and also gains the power to manipulate subatomic frequencies.
• Theodore "Roach/The Roach"^[7] Roachmont (voiced by Lee Tockar) is the wielder of the green Battle Ball, which grants him the power of flight and super strength by enlarging his fists, and also turns his red hair green. The most innocent and least selfish member of the team, he tends to be clueless and gullible. Though not usually the team's strategist, he occasionally comes up with brilliant ideas, such as discovering that the Battle Balls can be combined into a vehicle. After the Ball Master repairs his Battle Ball after it is damaged by paint corrosion, he regains his old powers and also gains the power to remove his own arms.

Civilians

• Jock Jockerson (voiced by Michael Adamthwaite) is an eighth-grade jock at Cornbury Middle School, who is known for his size and athletic ability. He is a bully who is often unintelligent and has a short temper.
• Principal Warmerammer (voiced by Maryke Hendrikse) is the stern administrator of Cornbury Middle School, who is suspicious of their activities.
• Amy Anderson (voiced by Maryke Hendrikse) is a classmate of the Noobs whom Tyler has a crush on, though he is too shy to confess his love to her. However, she seems to reciprocate his feelings and develops a crush on his alter ego after he saves her from a Virus attack.
• Sue Newswoman (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) is a newscaster who covers stories of the Noobs' misadventures.
• Mr. and Mrs. Shope (voiced by Doron Bell and Kathleen Barr) are Jennifer's parents, who are skeptical of her friendship with the Noobs. Due to being unaware of her secret identity, they fear that they are having a negative influence on her due to her uncharacteristic behavior and threaten to send her to a boarding school if it continues. However, Zenblock disguises himself as Jennifer and convinces them to trust in her judgment and ability to stay on top of things. Mem later impersonates Mr. Shope at Jennifer's parent-teacher conference, since the Noobs' evil-fighting activities have interfered with their schoolwork and they do not want their parents to know.
• Mrs. Bowman is Tyler's mother, whom he greatly resembles.
• Mr. and Mrs. Roachmont are Theodore's parents.
• Coach Huntz (voiced by Lee Tockar) is the gym teacher of Cornbury Middle School and the coach of its football team.
• Emmas are three girls who witness the Noobs fighting evil in civilian form and threaten to expose them unless they concede to their demands, but later relent after they save them from a Virus-infected eagle.

Benevolent Alliance

An intergalactic organization dedicated to battling the Virus and bringing its creators to justice.

• Zenblock/Zen (voiced by Michael Adamthwaite) is a blue dragon-like alien who, along with Mem, was sent to Earth by the Benevolent Alliance to recruit warriors that could fight against the Virus. However, due to their unfamiliarity with Earth's culture, they mistake the Noobs for soldiers after seeing them wearing football gear and armed with slingshots. While he often doubts their abilities, he has a soft spot for them, which leads to him and Mem being assigned to train them. He is the rougher of the two, but can be as immature and childish as Mem. Despite their frequent arguments, he gets along well with Mem and they are like brothers. He is also shown to have a problem with sleepwalking, which he calls "sleepfighting". Zen possesses armor that gives him powers similar to the Noobs, and can disguise himself as a human under the alias "Rob".
• Memnock/Mem (voiced by Bill Mondy) is a greenish-yellow dragon-like alien and companion to Zen, who is the softer spoken and more sensitive of the two but is also immature and childish. Despite their frequent arguments, he gets along well with Zen and they are like brothers. He is also shown to like cooking food as a hobby. Like Zen, he possesses special armor that grants him similar powers to the Noobs and can disguise himself as a human under the alias "Bob".
• XR4Ti (voiced by Rebecca Shoichet) is the feminine artificial intelligence who controls Mem and Zen's ship, the Galacticus, and often serves as a voice of reason, but is limited by being a computer without the power to act on her own.
• General Blorgon (voiced by Scott McNeil) is a blue-skinned humanoid alien with telepathic abilities who is the leader of the Benevolent Alliance and has telepathic abilities. Though noble, he is known for his harsh methods, such as subjecting new Virus Warrior recruits to harsh tests or punishing those irresponsible enough to misplace their Battle Balls.
• Secretary Hedies (voiced by Maryke Hendrikse) is one of the Elders of the Benevolent Alliance.
• Secretary Techn'ut (voiced by Lee Tockar) is one of the Elders of the Benevolent Alliance.
• Rovu is a reddish-brown dragon-like alien who appears to be of the same species as Mem and Zen. Like them, he was assigned to recruit warriors to battle the Virus, but has been more successful than them and won the Recruiter of the Year award seven times in a row, which he likes to brag about. However, he is humbled after the Supernoobs rescue the New Virus Warriors convention from Count Venamus, resulting in Mem and Zen receiving the Recruiter of the Year award and breaking his streak.
• Chiquadotran/Dot is a pink dragon-like alien who appears to be of the same or similar species to Mem and Zen. She is a legendary and famous Virus Warrior, known for creating a powerful technique called Supernova, and recruited and trained Mem and Zen when they were young.

Villains

• Virus is a virus from outer space that attacks planets, infecting living organisms and turning them into monsters that wreak havoc. The Benevolent Alliance and the Supernoobs battle the Virus while trying to uncover its creator.
• Count Venamus (voiced by Trevor Devall) is a blue octopus-like alien. He is one of the Creators' agents and a wanted criminal throughout the galaxy, who aims to infect the Virus Warriors. The Benevolent Alliance and the Supernoobs want to capture him in hopes that he has information about the Creators of the Virus. Until his first encounter with the Supernoobs, his power of invisibility had made him a mysterious figure whose existence was uncertain. However, after the Noobs reveal his identity, he vows revenge against them.
• Venaminions - Bestial creatures who serve Count Venamus. They are strong, but seemingly depend on his leadership to function.
• The Creators of the Virus – The creators of the Virus, who unleashed it upon the universe and have agents like Count Venamus who serve them and help them to spread it.
• Mr. Wertz (voiced by Michael Adamthwaite) is a former science teacher at Cornbury Middle School who suffers from paranoia and megalomania, having believed in the existence of aliens even before encountering Mem and Zen and learning of the Noobs' powers. Upon learning of their powers, he attempts to expose them, but is dismissed as insane due to having no proof. He later tries to enslave Cornbury by inventing goggles that allow him to use mind control on those who wear it, but Shope stops him. He later attempts to use the Virus to conquer the world, but is defeated and taken back to the School Board.
• The Incredibly Amazing Man (voiced by Andrew Francis) is a galactic superhero who fights the Virus and is more competent than the Noobs, but is destructive, which he refuses to acknowledge due to his arrogance and narcissism. He has various abilities, including flight, laser vision, super strength, and elongation.

Episodes

Season 1 (2015–17)

Season 2 (2018–19)

DHX Media announced a second season of the series. The series moved to the Family channel in Canada and is available for streaming on Hulu in the United States.^[15][16]

Broadcast

Supernoobs first premiered on Cartoon Network in the United Kingdom and Ireland on November 2, 2015. The series premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on December 7, 2015,^[17] the Middle East and Africa on January 18, 2016,^[18] and in Russia, Bulgaria, Australia and New Zealand on February 1, 2016. In Turkey and Central & Eastern Europe the series debuted on February 8, 2016.,^[19] In Southeast Asia the series is first premiered in the Philippines on February 1, 2016, and the rest of the Asian countries is premiered on June 6, 2016. The entire first season became available on iTunes on July 12, 2016 and includes episodes that have yet to air. Four episodes debuted on Teletoon in Canada on September 20, 2016.^[20]

Reception

Ratings

The premiere of the series in the U.S. attracted 818,000 viewers.^[21]

Critical reception

Jaclyn Appelgate from Comic Book Resources described the animation as "decent enough", although going on to state "that's just about the only decent part of the show. The characters are unlikable, the voice acting is downright embarrassing, and the storylines are so ridiculous you will feel as though you're losing brain cells watching a single episode."^[22] Emily Ashby from Common Sense Media gave the show two out of five stars, stating "As superhero stories go, this offbeat show misses the mark".^[23]

References

1. "Transformation Page - Super Noobs". CartoonNetwork.co.uk. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2016. Find out more about Super Noobs! Visit the official Cartoon Network Super Noobs Transformation page and find out more about Tyler, Kevin, Roach, Shope, the other Super Noobs characters and their battle costumes!
2. "DHX Slates Season 2 of 'Supernoobs' for Turner, Family Channel". January 11, 2018. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
3. Milligan, Mercedes (August 12, 2014). "'Supernoobs' Coming to Teletoon, Cartoon Network". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
4. White, Grant (October 18, 2015). "UK Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito Announce November Highlights". Toonzone. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
5. "Investors News - WildBrain". Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
6. "'Supernoobs' Coming to Teletoon, Cartoon Network". Animation Magazine. August 12, 2014. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
7. "Supernoobs". CartoonNetwork.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016. Tyler Bowman, Kevin Reynolds, Jennifer Shope and Theodore "The Roach" Roachmont are the heroes
8. http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/supernoobs-happy-noob-o-ween/EP023219840021?aid=zap2it Archived December 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine ^{[bare URL]}
9. "Hulu scoops up Supernoobs". Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
10. "Hulu scoops up Supernoobs". Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
11. "Hulu scoops up Supernoobs". Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
12. "Hulu scoops up Supernoobs". Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
13. "Hulu scoops up Supernoobs". Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
14. "Hulu scoops up Supernoobs". Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
15. "DHX Media Announces Season Two of Supernoobs with Turner and Family Channel". Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
16. "DHX Slates Season 2 of 'Supernoobs' for Turner, Family Channel". January 11, 2018. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
17. SpongeBranded (December 4, 2015). CN 4.0 Promo Supernoobs - New Series Starting December 7th (30s). YouTube. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
18. Dube, Prosper (November 18, 2015). "Cartoon Network Africa January 2016 Highlights". Blogspot. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
19. "Cartoon Network PR Highlights February 2016". Eckfactor (Press release). Turner Broadcasting System Asia-Pacific. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
20. "Supernoobs". rogersondemand.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2016. EP 4 Noob Kids on the Block Aired on 09/20/16
21. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Update: 12.7.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
22. Appelgate, Jaclyn (February 8, 2022). "10 Horrible Shows With Great Animation". CBR. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
23. "Supernoobs TV Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.

External links

• Supernoobs at IMDb
• Official website at Cartoon Network