Top Australian Animated Characters
To celebrate the release of Koala Kid on DVD April 30 featuring Johnny, we’re going down-under to explore the exciting world of Aussie animation. Our research has led us to a crowd of friendly critters, both old and new. We’ve listed best of the bunch below!
The Tasmanian Devil
Often referred to as ‘Taz’, the character is the youngest of the cartoon characters from the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series. He is a ferocious yet dim creature with an extremely short temper and boundless appetite. Distinguishing features include communicating mainly through grunts, growls and blowing raspberries. He also has the impressive ability to spin like a vortex when on the chase for a tasty morsel (Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck).
Blinky Bill
This much-loved classic Aussie children’s character is a mischievous boy in the form of a koala. He lives in the bush along with his mother and sister, a marsupial mouse named Marcia, a platypus named Flap and his teacher, Wombo. Created by Australian writer Dorothy Wall in 1933, Blinky featured in his own range of books but was bought to life with his own TV series in the 1980’s.
Felix the Cat
This black animated cat is one of the most recognisable cartoon characters of all time. Although his origins remain disputed, Felix is widely thought to have been created by the Australian cartoonist, Pat Sullivan. This was during the silent era of film, which may explain the lack of Aussie twang in this funny feline!
Dot (Dot and the Kangaroo)
When Dot gets lost in the Australian outback she is befriended by a kangaroo and several other marsupials. On eating some red berries, she discovers that she has the magical ability of being able to communicate with the animals, and with their help is able to find her way home. Since the first feature film, there have been eight others made, all based around another exciting adventure in the wild. We say that’s not bad for a character based a book written back in1899 – Dot is certainly a character who has lasted the test of time!
Rocko
The main character of Rocko’s Modern Life which aired on Nickelodeon. Rocko, a young Bush Wallaby, was raised down-under but emigrated to America in High School because of a bully named Dingo. He now lives in O-town along with an assortment of odd-ball friends including a greedy Heffer Wolfe and a hypochondriac turtle named Filbert. He has been described as having the personality of “a young wallaby Woody Allen”!
Koala Kid
Johnny is a small white koala bear who just wants to fit in and make friends. However, when a twist of fate mistakenly transforms him into a fearless protector of the animals, called Koala Kid, Johnny finds himself in over his head in a thrilling adventure across the outback. With the help of a crafty Tasmanian devil, loveable lizard and boomerang flinging female koala, Johnny must prove himself a true hero by outwitting the villainous crocodile, Bog.
Journey down under and meet a whole new breed of hero in this laugh-filled, action-packed animated adventure with an all-star voice cast, including Rob Schneider, Tim Curry and Alan Cumming. Johnny (Schneider) is a rare white koala bear who just wants to fit in and make friends. But when a twist of fate mistakenly transforms him into a fearless protector of animals, called “Koala Kid,” Johnny finds himself in over his head on a thrilling trek across the outback. With help from his hilarious new sidekicks, including a crafty Tasmanian devil, a lovable lizard and a boomerang-flinging female koala, Johnny may just outwit a villainous crocodile named Bog (Cumming) and become a true hero after all.
Koala Kid will be released on DVD 30th April 2013.
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