Invader Zim is an American animated television series created by
Jhonen VasquezJhonen Vasquez , also known as Chancre Scolex or simply Mr. Scolex, is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and music video director...
. It was produced by and subsequently aired on
NickelodeonNickelodeon is a US cable TV channel.Nickelodeon may also refer to:-In television:*Spinoffs of the Nickelodeon channel:** Nickelodeon Magazine, a children's magazine.** Nickelodeon Universe, an amusement park....
. The series revolves around an extraterrestrial named Zim from the planet Irk, and his ongoing mission to conquer and destroy
EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. His various attempts to subjugate and destroy the human race are invariably undermined by some combination of his own ineptitude, his malfunctioning robot servant GIR, and his arch-nemesis Dib, one of very few humans attentive enough to be aware of Zim's identity.
Invader Zim was first broadcast on March 30, 2001. The show was targeted at children in their early teens, and met with critical acclaim. However, after the first season, the show's
ratingsAudience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
began to suffer. Before the second season was completed, Nickelodeon canceled the series, leaving at least sixteen episodes and a planned
television movieA television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
series finale unfinished. Because of its continued fan base and above average DVD sales since cancellation, Invader Zim has gained a
cult followingA cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
.
The series consists of a pilot episode, forty-six
canonIn the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
episodes, and at least seventeen episodes that were in production at the time of the series' cancellation. As of August 19, 2006, all forty-six canon episodes have aired on television and been released on DVD. Nineteen of the episodes are split into two individual stories, each lasting about twelve minutes. There are eight double-length episodes. Almost every episode was directed by
Steve ResselSteve Ressel is an animator, comic book artist, illustrator, producer, publisher, novelist, script writer, and director. Steve directed animated series such as Invader Zim, The Wild Thornberrys, Duckman, Stressed Eric, God, The Devil and Bob, Rugrats, and others.Ressel directed and produced the...
; the only exception is the pilot episode, which was directed by Jordan Reichek.
Premise
Invader Zim revolves around the life of its lead character, Zim, his malfunctioning SIR Unit GIR and the humans and aliens who become involved in his schemes. Zim is a member of the
imperialisticImperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
Irken race, an
extraterrestrial speciesExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
whose social hierarchy is based on height. The Irken leaders, known as The Almighty Tallest, serve together because they are exactly the same height. As recounted during the series premiere, "The Nightmare Begins", Zim, who is both very short and very naïve, was banished to the planet Foodcourtia for overzealously attacking his own planet and allies during
Operation Impending Doom I.
Upon hearing of
Operation Impending Doom II, Zim "quits" his exile in Foodcourtia and arrives at the Great Assigning. Here, elite Irken soldiers are chosen to become Invaders: special soldiers whose mission is to blend in with the indigenous life forms of their assigned planet, collect intelligence and prepare the planet for conquest by the Irken Armada. Zim pleads with the Tallest to assign him a planet and, in a desperate act to get Zim as far away as possible, they assign him to a presumed planet on the outskirts of their known universe that has never been explored. This "mystery planet" is
EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and Zim's erratic attempts at world domination and/or the eradication of the human race begin when he lands on Earth for the first time.
Characters
- Zim (Richard Steven Horvitz
Richard Steven Horvitz, sometimes credited as Richard S. Horvitz, Richard Horvitz, or Richard Wood, is an American actor and voice actor best known for his work as the voice of the original Alpha 5 in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, and Power Rangers Turbo, as Raz in Psychonauts,...
): Overzealous, impulsive and convinced of his own greatness, Zim is incompetent as an Invader. He constantly schemes to enslave or destroy mankind and, despite his access to potent Irken technology, his plans, frequently based on misconceptions, are never successful.
- GIR (Rosearik Rikki Simons
Rosearik Rikki Allen Simons is an American voice actor, writer, graphic novelist, and artist, best known as the voice of GIR in the Nickelodeon animated series, Invader Zim....
): Zim's only companion, GIR is a SIR (Standard Information Retrieval) unit, an Irken standard-issue robot. He was made out of some scraps in a trash bin by The Almighty Tallest. The name "GIR" is a self-applied moniker that is never explained; GIR himself states that he doesn't know why he refers to himself as GIR. GIR differs physically from other SIR units in that his head contains odds-and-ends rather than artificial intelligence hardware. Because of this, GIR displays a wildly erratic personality. He is almost completely irreverent and rarely obeys Zim's commands, variously due to distraction, disinterest and disobedience. GIR disguises himself by wearing a green dog suit which fools most humans, despite looking almost nothing like an Earth dog.
- Dib (Andy Berman): Zim's main opponent on Earth. He has been obsessed with the paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
and supernaturalThe supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
ever since he was a baby and instantly recognizes Zim as an alien, but everyone derides him as "crazy" or "insane", including his sister and father.
- Gaz (Melissa Fahn
Melissa Fahn is an American voice and stage actress and singer known for her work in anime dubs and other mainstream animated series, as well as her work in Broadway and Los Angeles Theatre.-Biography:...
): Gaz is Dib's cynical, humorlessly sarcastic and psychotic younger sister. She plays a prominent role in the show, but rarely takes an active part in attempting to hinder Zim's schemes. Though she knows and admits Zim is an alien, she believes Zim is too dumb to actually be a threat. She enjoys a very limited number of things, a few of them being pizza and video games.
- Almighty Tallest (Wally Wingert
Wallace E. "Wally" Wingert is an American actor and voice artist. He is originally from Des Moines, Iowa but he currently works and lives in Los Angeles, California. He is the current announcer for the second incarnation of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the current voice of Jon Arbuckle in...
; Kevin McDonaldKevin Hamilton McDonald is a Canadian comedian and actor, known as a member of the Canadian sketch comedy group The Kids in the Hall.-Early life:...
): Red and Purple, collectively known as the Almighty Tallest, are the supreme emperors of the Irken Empire. They are united in their love of destruction, tormenting of others, snacks, puppet shows and their hatred of Zim.
Supporting characters
The main cast is supported by recurring characters such as Dib's teacher, Ms. Bitters, and Dib's father, Professor Membrane. Later in the series, characters such as Sizz-Lorr and Tak were introduced as extra antagonists for Zim. Lard Nar and his resistance group, The Resisty, were later added as enemies of the Irken Empire.
Production
Invader Zim was created by comic book writer
Jhonen VasquezJhonen Vasquez , also known as Chancre Scolex or simply Mr. Scolex, is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and music video director...
. Vasquez indicated that very little of his writing style was changed, other than restricting language and certain visuals that may not be suitable for children. The biggest difference that he cites is the change from working alone to working with thousands of people at Nickelodeon, calling it an "absolute misery".
Apart from a few double-length episodes (including the debut), each episode is a self-contained storyline. Sometimes the occurrences in previous episodes are mentioned but there is no continuing storyline other than the main invasion plot. According to the DVD commentaries,
Invader Zim takes place in an alternate universe of its own, with a present-day Earth more technologically advanced than the real Earth. The most common setting of the show is where Zim spends most of his time "infiltrating" the human race at a school (spelled "Skool" in the show), or in his home planning his next "big" takeover. However, towards the end of the show, a larger universe of characters and organizations were beginning to build continuity: Dib's capture and repair of a downed spaceship and use of it to learn more about Zim's race; a resistance to the Irken Empire (The Resisty); an Irken seeking revenge against Zim (Tak); and various other devices which were becoming more and more a part of the show's central mythology.
Episode broadcast
A full first season and half of a second season of
Invader Zim were produced before Nickelodeon cancelled the show due to low ratings among the channel's target audience and the high cost of making the show. In season two, the animation style became slightly more stylized and pronounced in motion than season one. The majority of the completed season two episodes were never aired on Nickelodeon in the North American territories, although they were all eventually aired on
Nicktoons NetworkNicktoons is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Viacom. It is a sister service of the Nickelodeon cable channel...
in mid-2006.
Since November 25, 2006, both seasons of
Invader Zim are available for download on the
Xbox Live MarketplaceThe Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
, Zune Marketplace, and
PlayStation StoreThe PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
. In addition, the majority of the show's episodes are available for download on
iTunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.Episodes are also available for streaming on
NetflixNetflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
.
On March 2010, episodes of Invader Zim were aired on Nicktoons. The reruns were the second highest-rated show on the network, and according to Vasquez, were part of a plan by the network to see if a revival of
Invader Zim was feasible. Vasquez also asserts that, despite widespread rumor, he would have returned to the show again had Nickelodeon not deemed the revival "too expensive".
Theme music
Vasquez asked his friend, Mark Tortorici, to produce ideas for the
theme musicTheme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for
Invader Zim. The two settled on a direction for the music and Tortorici and produced a final version of the theme. Vasquez's team selected
Michael TaveraMichael "Mike" Tavera is an American composer. He has worked on countless TV series, TV films and direct-to-video sequels, usually animated.-Film:-Television:-External links:...
to compose music for the pilot episode. Vasquez said that he asked for several of the tracks that Tavera produced to be discarded and that ultimately the team had less than half of the number of tracks that they planned to submit. According to Vasquez, he and Tavera were not creatively "a great fit" for one another. Vasquez described the pilot music as having a "more 'children's television' sound", with a "much more traditional and not as surprising" theme as he wanted, but added that the music "worked for the pilot". Tortorici's theme song and Tavera's cover version did not appear in the pilot as there was no credit sequence. Vasquez said that members of the
Invader Zim crew laughed at Tavera's version of the theme because it was "cheesy", adding that the reaction was not mean-spirited and that Tavera had received little information about the series before submitting the music. Tavera did not become a part of the regular
Invader Zim crew, while
Kevin MantheiKevin Manthei is a composer for film, television, and video games.-Biography:Manthei grew up in Minnesota. He played the piano in his youth and played the trumpet in high school. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Music degree in Theory and Composition. He also studied...
created the series' music.
Critical reception
Invader Zim was critically accepted, winning two awards and nominations for the first episode. The DVD release has also received high scores and positive acclaim.
Awards and nominations
During its initial broadcast,
Invader Zim was the recipient of three awards and seven nominations.
In 2001, Kyle Menke won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for "The Nightmare Begins" for his storyboarding, as did
Steve ResselSteve Ressel is an animator, comic book artist, illustrator, producer, publisher, novelist, script writer, and director. Steve directed animated series such as Invader Zim, The Wild Thornberrys, Duckman, Stressed Eric, God, The Devil and Bob, Rugrats, and others.Ressel directed and produced the...
, who won an Annie for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production for "The Nightmare Begins". That same year, Steve Ressel, Jhonen Vasquez, and Mary Harrington won the World Animation Celebration award for Best Title Sequence.
The show was nominated for five other
Annie AwardThe Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
s in 2001: Outstanding Achievement in a Primetime or Late Night Animated Television Production, Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production (Steve Ressel for episode "Dark Harvest"), Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music Score in an Animated Television Production (
Kevin MantheiKevin Manthei is a composer for film, television, and video games.-Biography:Manthei grew up in Minnesota. He played the piano in his youth and played the trumpet in high school. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Music degree in Theory and Composition. He also studied...
), Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television Production (Vasquez), and Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Television Production (
Richard Steven HorvitzRichard Steven Horvitz, sometimes credited as Richard S. Horvitz, Richard Horvitz, or Richard Wood, is an American actor and voice actor best known for his work as the voice of the original Alpha 5 in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, and Power Rangers Turbo, as Raz in Psychonauts,...
).
In 2002, the sound crew was nominated for the
Golden Reel AwardGolden Reel Award may refer to:* Golden Reel Award , presented by the Genie Awards to high-grossing Canadian films...
for Best Sound Editing in Television - Animation for "The Nightmare Begins". In 2003, the show was nominated post-cancellation for an Annie for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production.
Invadercon
The series had its own convention, celebrating the ten year anniversary of
Invader Zim in Atlanta, Georgia on March 2011. Special guests included cast members Richard Horvitz,
Melissa FahnMelissa Fahn is an American voice and stage actress and singer known for her work in anime dubs and other mainstream animated series, as well as her work in Broadway and Los Angeles Theatre.-Biography:...
, Rikki Simons, Andy Berman, and writer Eric Truehart. Invadercon II: Doomcon will take place on July 2012 near L.A featuring the previous year's guests with the addition of
Jhonen VasquezJhonen Vasquez , also known as Chancre Scolex or simply Mr. Scolex, is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and music video director...
.
Criticism and controversy
Invader Zim did not escape criticism for its mature tone. When
Invader Zim was launched along with
The Fairly OddParentsThe Fairly OddParents is an American-Canadian animated television series created by Butch Hartman about the adventures of Timmy Turner, who is granted fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda. The series started out as cartoon segments that ran from September 4, 1998 to March 23, 2001 on Oh Yeah!...
, Christian Parenting Today criticised both programs, calling them "non-Christian", "immoral", and "insulting towards Christian values and beliefs" (due to
Invader Zims dark nature, and
Fairly OddParents use of magic, similar to the religious debates over the
Harry Potter series). More negative criticism came when
Invader Zim was cited in the murder trial of
Scott DyleskiScott Edgar Dyleski was convicted of murdering his neighbor, Pamela Vitale, the wife of prominent attorney Daniel Horowitz. He received the maximum penalty allowed by the law, life in prison without parole. As a juvenile at the time of the murder he did not qualify for the death penalty...
. The prosecution asserted that the defendant had a fascination with images of body parts. They drew attention to comments he had made after watching the
Invader Zim episode "Dark Harvest", in which Zim collects human organs in an attempt to appear more human. Witnesses for the defense said that the comments were made in jest.
Home video
In May 2004,
Media BlastersMedia Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...
released the first volume of an official
Invader Zim DVD collection in cooperation with Nickelodeon. By late 2004, two subsequent volumes completed the series release. A boxed set in the shape of Zim's house has also been released, which includes an extras disc with an alternate cut of "The Most Horrible X-mas Ever", complete voice overs for seven of the unfinished episodes, interviews with Kevin Manthei on the sound design and music of
Invader Zim, and a soundtrack of Kevin Manthei's main compositions for the show. Originally this set included a duty-mode "GIR" figurine in a roof compartment in the box set, but Media Blasters silently stopped including it with the termination of Palisade, the toy company that had been producing
Invader Zim figurines. The three DVD volumes were re-released in late 2006 as a low-priced series box set without Zim's house as a case. On April 2 of 2010, Invader Zim was re-released on DVD as two sets. A new DVD was released on February 22, 2011 called "Operation Doom". This set contains the highest rated episodes to air on Nicktoons Network throughout 2010.
Figurines and accessories
Two series of
Invader Zim figures were produced, including Zim, GIR, Dib, Ms. Bitters, and Almighty Tallest Purple in the first series and Human Disguise Zim, Doggie Disguise GIR, Gaz, Almighty Tallest Red, and the Robo-Parents in the second. A third series was planned with Santa Zim, Elf GIR, Professor Membrane, Tak, and Nightmare Bitters, but the manufacturer, Palisades Toys, ceased operations in early 2006. A multitude of other toys were produced before the termination of Palisade, such as a miniature replica of the Voot Cruiser and a 12 inch "Mega GIR" figurine with a removable dog disguise. Many other licensed products exist such as iron on transfers, stickers, and keychains, which are commonly sold at retailers like
Hot TopicHot Topic is an American retail chain specializing in music and pop culture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music on CD. The majority of the stores are located in regional shopping malls. The first Hot Topic store was opened in 1988 by Orv Madden, who retired as CEO in 2000...
and
Newbury ComicsNewbury Comics is a New England-based music retailer. Newbury Comics began as a comic book vendor on Newbury Street in Boston. The company was founded in 1978 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology students John Brusger and Mike Dreese. Over the next few years, the focus of the company changed...
.
Video games
An interactve Flash game has been posted on Nickelodeon's official
Invader Zim site since the series' original broadcast, based on the episode "NanoZim", in addition to other shockwave games. There were two video games created with Zim as an included character:
Nicktoons: Freeze Frame FrenzyNicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy is a video game for the Game Boy Advance based on various Nicktoons...
and
Nickelodeon Party BlastNickelodeon Party Blast is a party game developed by English developer Data Design Interactive and published by French game company infogrames. Party Blast was first shown at E3 2002 and was released for Xbox in North America on October 30, 2002, and later in pal Regions on December 6, 2002...
. Zim's Voot Cruiser and house were seen briefly in
Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano IslandNicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island, known as SpongeBob and Friends: Battle for Volcano Island in Europe, is the sequel to the 2005 video game Nicktoons Unite!. Players assume the role of up to 6 playable characters from numerous Nickelodeon shows, such as Danny Phantom, SpongeBob SquarePants,...
. GIR was a playable character in
Nicktoons: Attack of the ToybotsNicktoons: Attack of the Toybots is the 2007 sequel to the 2005 game Nicktoons Unite! and 2006 game Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island. It is also the prequel to the game Nicktoons: Globs of Doom, which was released in 2008...
while Zim was only playable in the DS version. Both Zim and Dib are playable in
Nicktoons: Globs of DoomSpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom is a video game; the fourth installament in the Nicktoons Unite! series...
, with GIR as a boss battle and rescuie after the battle. The game
Nicktoons: Android Invasion, on the educational
DidjThe Leapfrog Didj is a handheld console made by LeapFrog Enterprises. The Didj was priced at $89.99 when it first debuted on August 22, 2008. The console has multiple games available for the system, which mostly consists of educational software aimed for children.The Didj has also attracted the...
platform, is set entirely inside Zim's base. Zim is the main boss in the game, with several other characters making appearances. Zim and Gaz are playable characters in
Nicktoons MLBNicktoons MLB is a baseball game released for the Nintendo DS, Wii, and Xbox 360. The game was developed by High Voltage Software and published by 2K Play...
, GIR appears in the game as well as one of the announcers, and there is a ballpark for the show called "Irken Field". Other characters appear in the game as cameos when the game is loading and on the character cards. The series has yet to have a stand-alone video game set.
External links