Wild Kratts is an educational children's television series that uses a hybrid of live action and Flash animation. The series was created by the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin. The Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Media Group produce the show, which is presented by PBS Kids in the United States and by TVOKids in Canada. The show's aim is to educate children[1] about species, biology, zoology, and ecology, and teach kids small ways to make big impacts. It has ties to the Kratts' previous shows, Kratts' Creatures and Zoboomafoo, and contains numerous characters from the latter. Spanning over twelve years, Wild Kratts is the longest running program made by the Kratt Brothers. It was also the last show to premiere on the PBS Kids Go! block before the block was discontinued in 2013 in favor of making PBS Kids aimed at all children young and old alike.
Wild Kratts | |
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Genre | Children Educational Adventure |
Created by | Chris Kratt Martin Kratt |
Written by | Chris Kratt Martin Kratt |
Directed by | Chris Kratt Martin Kratt Chris Roy Louis Champagne |
Presented by | Chris and Martin Kratt |
Voices of | Chris Kratt Martin Kratt Athena Karkanis Heather Bambrick Sabryn Rock Jonathan Malen Zachary Bennett Eva Almos Cory Doran Julie Lemieux |
Theme music composer | Pure West |
Opening theme | "Gonna Go Wild Kratts" by Sterling Jarvis |
Ending theme | "Gonna Go Wild Kratts" (instrumental) |
Composer | Pure West |
Country of origin | United States Canada |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 7 |
No. of episodes | 158 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Chris Kratt Martin Kratt Vince Commisso Steven Jarosz (seasons 1-5) Blake Tohana (season 6-present) |
Producers | Cheryl Knapp Chris Kratt Martin Kratt |
Running time | 26 minutes |
Production companies | Kratt Brothers Company 9 Story Media Group |
Original release | |
Network | PBS Kids Go! (2011-13) PBS Kids (2013-present) TVOKids Knowledge Network Tele-Quebec |
Release | January 3, 2011 present | –
Related | |
The show is broadcast in the United States and Africa (PBS Kids), Canada (TVOntario, Knowledge and Télé-Québec), Latin America, Brazil, Mexico (Clic Clac! and Discovery Kids) Australia (9Go!), Spain, the United Kingdom (POP), Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands (Dutch-dubbed versions as Kratts in the Wild), Middle East, Korea, Japan, India and Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, China, Taiwan, New Zealand, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia in Serbian.[2] The show was a finalist for a Peabody Award[3] and a Television Critics Association Award.
Each episode begins with a cold-open live-action segment of the Kratt brothers describing the characteristics and capabilities of a particular species of animal (which they refer to as its "creature powers") featured in the story. They segue into the episode by asking, "Imagine we had the powers" of this animal and then pose while saying "What if?" together transforming them into animated versions of themselves. Then the episode transitions to the animated segment with the theme song, where the brothers go on expeditions to study animals "living free and in the wild." They usually end up having to rescue the animals from threats caused by confusion on a baby animal's part; general human influence; or from villains such as Zach Varmitech, Gaston Gourmand, Donita Donata and Dabio, or Paisley Paver and Rex. Some episodes aim to change the way some creatures (such as bats and crocodiles) are perceived as threatening.
The Kratt brothers are supported by Aviva Corcovado, a biomechanical engineer who invented "creature power suits" which allow humans to mimic the abilities of animals, and other equipment to aid the brothers in their animal studies and defeating the villains; Koki, a mechanical engineer and computer expert who maintains their flying turtle ship, the Tortuga; and Jimmy Z, who pilots the Tortuga, operates the teleporter to send equipment to the Kratt brothers, and helps Aviva test her inventions. Along the way, both the team and the viewers learn about the animals as the team learn to use their creature powers to right wrongs or to get out of the situations they are in. They also occasionally enlist the help of the Wild Kratts Kids, children who help the Wild Kratts from their home however they can, whether it is moving animals or helping rebuild habitats, or providing local knowledge about the creature in question.
At the end of every episode, the animated segment transitions back to the live-action segment with the Kratt brothers recapping on the animal's powers and before the end credits, the brothers sign off with: "Keep on creature adventuring! We'll see you on the creature trail!"
Wild Kratts is the latest of the Kratt Brothers' hit television series, preceded by Kratts' Creatures (1996), Zoboomafoo (1999-2001), and Be the Creature (2003-2007). The series combines animation and live action, featuring a donut sequence that asks "What If?", that sets up the animated segment and introduces the focus animal (or focus trait/behavior if more than one animal is the focus); the principal cartoon show; and a concluding live-action segment that sums up the cartoon.
Each episode is written by either Chris or Martin Kratt themselves (who also serve as Executive Producers), Eva Almos (who also voices Donita Donata), or Chris Roy. It is filmed in Canada, the United States, and in several countries around the world. The designs were provided by The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom & Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure alumni Ben Balistreri. PBS dedicated nearly $500,000 to developing the series.[5]
Wild Kratts makes use of comedic devices such as slapstick comedy, as per their previous kids' shows (Kratt's Creatures and Zoboomafoo). The show debuted on January 3, 2011[6] on most PBS stations, and has currently aired a 6th season with both PBS and TVOntario. The series currently has 158 episodes, 146 of which have aired so far in the United States.
International rights were signed by 9 Story in September 2010, with North American rights being held by Kratt Brothers Company.[7]
PBS Kids often releases episodes out of order. For example, the episode "Polar Bears Don't Dance", which is supposed to be the pilot episode (but airs as the seventh episode on PBS stations), features an art style different from the rest of the series, and was also omitted from the first DVD release. Additionally, it is directed by Luc Chamberland, who did not direct any subsequent episodes. Chamberland worked on animated films such as Space Jam, Quest for Camelot and Joseph: King of Dreams. Foreign countries seem to get future episodes before the United States and Canadian watchers. For example, the episode "Caracal-Minton" was shown in South America before being aired in English.
On October 15, 2012, in the United States and Canada, Season 2 began with four episodes. This is the first season to begin with a view of the Earth before the Kratt brothers are shown introducing the audience. This season focused on the Western Hemisphere, including the Costa Rican rainforest, coral reef, temperate woodlands, and the Sonoran Desert.
On October 25, 2012, the Season 1 finale of the show was shown on PBS, along with all other unaired episodes in the following week.
On January 21, 2013, a special aired which combined two Season 2 episodes called "Speaking Dolphinese" and "Blowfish Blowout". These episodes later aired separately, with "Speaking Dolphinese" airing on February 5, 2013, and "Blowfish Blowout" airing on February 7, 2013, on most stations. The Season 2 finale, "Groundhog Wake-Up Call", was aired on January 31, 2014.
On the week of August 19 to August 23, 2013, Reptile Week came which aired 4 new reptile-themed episodes, including "Gila Monster Under my House", "Roadrunner", "Tortuga Tune Up" and "Rattlesnake Crystal".
On April 7, 2014, in the United States and Canada, Season 3 began with 5 episodes. This is the second season to begin with a view of the Earth before the Kratt brothers are shown introducing the audience. This focuses on habitats of the Western Hemisphere, such as the jungle and forest habitats of Madagascar, beach and coastal habitats of the Caribbean, prairie or Great Plains habitat of the central United States, ocean habitats of the Caribbean, and the cypress swamp habitat of Florida. On July 7, 2014, "Back in Creature Time" aired. On April 20, 2015, a "Spring Special" aired with episodes such as "Chameleons on Target" and "Lemur Stink Fight". The "Summer Safari" started July 1, 2015, with a rerun of "Back in Creature Time", as well as some Madagascar episodes like "Aye, Aye", "Lemur Legs" and other Madagascar episodes, including the episodes of "Fossa Palooza" and "Mini Madagascar" that marked the end of Season 3.
Season 4 premiered on July 29, 2015 in the USA with the release of the first two episodes, "The Last Largest Lobster" and "Stars of the Tides". Habitats featured in this season included Chinese bamboo forests, the Amazon rainforest, the Arctic, and the rocky intertidal zone of the Atlantic Ocean. On November 25, 2015, a holiday special known as "Wild Kratts: A Creature Christmas" was released in the USA. On November 23, 2016, the special "Creatures of the Deep Sea" was released in the USA.
From January 16–20, 2017 new episodes of Season 4 began to air, including "Liturgusa krattorum", "Snowy Owl Invasion" and "Eel-Ectric". "Liturgusa Krattorum" was a special episode dedicated to an event in 2014/15 in which Gavin Svenson discovered an animal by the episode's same name, naming it after Chris and Martin Kratt, for their excellent work on Wild Kratts, as well as their other shows including Be the Creature and Zoboomafoo.
Season 4 concluded in the USA when the remaining 5 episodes ("Archerfish School", "This Orca Likes Sharks", "Baby Tooth and Kid Musky", "Cheetah Adopted" and "Muskox Mania") aired from April 10–14, 2017.
Season 5 premiered on July 24, 2017 in the USA with the release of the two-part special "Wild Kratts Alaska: Hero's Journey", as well as the episodes "Mystery of the North Pole Penguins?" and "Temple of Tigers". This season focuses primarily on habitats such as Europe's Black Forest, and Antarctica, as well as the Indian jungles. Also, a Halloween special, entitled "Wild Kratts Halloween: Creepy Creatures", was released in the USA on October 22, 2018. Season 5 concluded in the USA on January 23, 2019 with the release of the episode "Hercules - The Giant Beetle".
In 2019, Season 6 was announced and began with "Mystery of the Flamingo's Pink."The other episodes in season 6 were about ocelots, white tailed deer, harris hawks, hammerhead sharks, leaf cutter ants, tamarins and marmosets, stingrays, and a movie special about the Amazon rainforest called Amazin Amazon Adventure. Season 6 focuses on the Sonoran Desert, The Amazon Rainforest, the Caribbean Sea and Africa.
After the premiere of “The Great Creature Tail Fail”, on October 7, 2020, the series went into hiatus for 9 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Kratt Brothers focusing more on live appearances. However, it was later announced that a new episode called “Cats and Dogs” would air on July 12, 2021 as part of the sixth season. Unlike the rest of the cast members, though, Heather Bambrick did not reprise her role as Koki due to controversy over her voicing an African American character. Instead, the part was played by Canadian black actress Sabryn Rock, who has been confirmed to voice Koki in future episodes.[8] "Cats and Dogs" is the only episode to air in 2021 and served as the Season 6 finale. Afterwards, the series went into another hiatus, with no new episodes airing in 2022.
On July 5, 2021, it was announced that the series had started production on season 7, which later premiered on May 22, 2023.[9][10] Additionally, a feature film and autobiography have been confirmed to be in development. The film will mark the first theatrical adaptation of the Kratt Brothers' works.[11]
Wild Kratts airs on PBS Kids in the United States and Africa. In Canada it is shown on TV Ontario in Ontario, Knowledge Network in British Columbia, and Télé-Québec/Le Skwat in Quebec. In Australia, it is shown on GO! (now 9Go!). Season 1 and 2 are available on Netflix Singapore. In the United Kingdom, it is shown on POP. Netflix Canada streams Seasons 3-4.
Jacqueline Cutler of The Baltimore Sun wrote, "The best of what PBS kids shows can be."[12]
Creature Adventures – April 5, 2011
Predator Power – March 20, 2012
Jungle Animals – July 10, 2012
Lost at Sea – January 22, 2013
Rainforest Rescue – April 9, 2013
Bugging Out – February 25, 2014
Tiny Trouble – June 10, 2014
Shark-Tastic! – April 14, 2015
Super Sprinters – June 23, 2015
Australian Adventures – January 6, 2016
Wild Animal Babies – May 3, 2016
Wild Reptiles – August 23, 2016
A Creature Christmas – October 4, 2016
Panda-Monium – April 2017
Wild Winter Creatures – October 10, 2017
Triple Feature: Rainforest Rescue, Lost at Sea, and Predator Power:
Around the World Adventure: With 22 episodes:
Madagascar Madness:
Adventures on the African Savanna
Cats and Dogs
The Briny Blue Sea
Creepy Creatures
PBS Kids: 20 Snowy Tales
PBS Kids: 20 Sports Stories
PBS Kids: 20 Furry Tales
PBS Kids: 15 Sports Tales
PBS Kids: 15 Frozen Tales
PBS Kids: Ocean Adventures
PBS Kids: 15 Pet-Tastic Tails!
PBS Kids: 20 Music Tales
PBS Kids: 20 Incredible Tales
PBS Kids: Happy Birthday!
PBS Kids: Christmas Collection
PBS KIDS: Play Date Triple Feature!
PBS KIDS: Secret Superheroes!
PBS KIDS: Just A Little Bit Spooky!
PBS KIDS: We Love Camping!
PBS KIDS: Get Up and Dance!
PBS KIDS: 17 Puppy Adventures
Wildest Animal Adventures
A Wild Kratts magazine appeared in Wal-Mart in October 2017. It had animals from when this show started in 2011 to about until 2017.
In 2016, Whole Foods Market introduced a line of products including crackers, vitamins, and soap[13] carrying the WILD KRATTS branding.
Two theatrical live shows based on the animated series premiered at an unknown time at a large stage. The first stage show featured the Kratt Brothers leaping out of the animation and interacting with the audience, and later using their Creature Power Suits to rescue the miniaturizer from Zach Varmitech. A theatrical sequel to that live show in 2019 titled Wild Kratts Live 2.0: Activate Creature Power! premiered at a live stage. The live stage performance had featured the live-action Kratt Brothers shrinking down and exploring, only to later rescue their Creature Power discs from Zach.[14]