Rocket Power: Race Across New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Rocket Power: Race Across New Zealand was the first of three telefilms made for the Rocket Power
cartoon series, first airing on Nickelodeon
in the US on February 16, 2002, during the 2002 Winter Olympics
. The telefilm closes the second season of Rocket Power.
Games" competition in New Zealand. The team finally raises enough money and are all set to go. However, the trip brings back painful memories for Ray, who, with Tito, competed in the first race years ago. He lost the race to the local favorite, Chester McGill, and can never let it go for the fact that he still believes Chester cheated in the final leg of the race. As the team heads for New Zealand and prepares for the first race, it starts to become clear that Ray is putting all his attention on Otto to win the race. This becomes certain when the gang finds out they are racing against the son of the man that beat Ray in the first race (Theodore McGill). This only gives Ray more reason to put more pressure on Otto to win. Otto wins the first race and Team Rocket is in the lead, but Ray only focuses on Otto's win which makes Reggie upset. On the second day, Otto is in the lead when his dirtboard falls apart and takes him out of contention for the win. Reggie, reluctant to give Otto her board after he begs, takes the fight to Theodore and they end up tied while Sam fixes Otto's board and keeps the team in the race. But just like the first race, Reggie is mad at Ray because he ignores her performance and focuses on Otto's broken board. During the third race, Otto falls out of the lead when he misjudges the location of a sandbar in the water. After the fall, Reggie catches and passes Theodore and looks to be on her way to the win. But when Ray insists Otto can still win, Reggie purposely falls off her board to catch his attention, and costs Otto a chance to win, handing the race to Theodore. Otto then blames Reggie and Sam for his problems during the race and calls Twister a shoobie in the midst of his frustration. Ray catches up with Reggie and asks why she fell during the race. Sarcastically, Reggie acts out how Ray has been acting throughout the competition and Ray realizes that he's been ignoring Reggie. The next morning, Ray talks to Reggie about why he acted the way he did and apologizes to Reggie. Reggie forgives her dad and successfully talks her teammates back together again. Before the final race, Ray apologizes to Otto for putting the pressure on him to win. Otto and Reggie decide to focus on winning the team competition and let the chips fall where they may for the individual competition. Meanwhile, Chester tells Theodore that he messed up Otto's board during the Dirtboard race and gave Team Rocket a misleading map for the windsurfing race, which led to his falls. Chester then tells Theodore to go left at the rock and shortcut through the woods. Theodore, appalled at his father's actions, reluctantly agrees to takes the shortcut. During the final race, Twister falls and breaks his leg and Otto turns around to go back and help. Otto then urges Reggie to go ahead and race against Theodore while he aids Twister to the finish. After a little hesitation, Reggie takes off and soon catches Theodore. As the two approach the Flat Stick Fork rock, Reggie takes the shorter way around while Theodore takes the long way and makes the shortcut. Behind them, Otto and Twister (who gets confused thinking Sam meant to tell him to go left at the rock) split apart at the rock and Twister almost crashes but Otto reaches him just in time to keep him in the race. Theodore comes out in the lead, but Reggie is not far back and catches up to Theodore. The two come across the finish line in a tie, which means Theodore wins the individual competition while Team Rocket take the team competition. Theodore later admits that he cheated and took a shortcut. Chester then admits he took the same shortcut in the first race. Theodore is disqualified and Otto and Reggie are declared co-champions and named Prince and Princess Waikikamukau. Tatupu, the Maori race director who assists Chester throughout the race, strips Chester of his winning medal and gives it to Ray.
In the movie's side plots, Tito has an obsession over Vegemite
, a local delicacy he fell in love with during the first race, and tries constantly to get his hands on a sandwich, but is having a hard time doing so. Meanwhile, back in Ocean Shores, Violet and Merv are watching after the Shore Shack and turn it into a gourmet restaurant.
, mountain biking
, tubing
, dirtboarding, windsurfing
, and snowboarding
.
Rocket Power
Rocket Power is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon.-Premise:Rocket Power involves the daily situations of a group of best friends named Oswald "Otto" Rocket, Regina "Reggie" Rocket, Maurice "Twister" Rodriguez, and Sam "Squid" Dullard, as they live in the fictional...
cartoon series, first airing on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
in the US on February 16, 2002, during the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
. The telefilm closes the second season of Rocket Power.
Plot
The Rocket gang have been working as a delivery team for the Shore Shack to help raise money for the gang to enter "The Junior WaikikamukauWaikikamukau
Waikikamukau, Why-key-car-moo-koh, , is any small rural town or locality in New Zealand. New Zealanders use the name as a placeholder name for "any town" or to denote a particularly remote rural town. It has a similar connotation as the term wop-wops, or for other English speakers Timbuktu, or BFE...
Games" competition in New Zealand. The team finally raises enough money and are all set to go. However, the trip brings back painful memories for Ray, who, with Tito, competed in the first race years ago. He lost the race to the local favorite, Chester McGill, and can never let it go for the fact that he still believes Chester cheated in the final leg of the race. As the team heads for New Zealand and prepares for the first race, it starts to become clear that Ray is putting all his attention on Otto to win the race. This becomes certain when the gang finds out they are racing against the son of the man that beat Ray in the first race (Theodore McGill). This only gives Ray more reason to put more pressure on Otto to win. Otto wins the first race and Team Rocket is in the lead, but Ray only focuses on Otto's win which makes Reggie upset. On the second day, Otto is in the lead when his dirtboard falls apart and takes him out of contention for the win. Reggie, reluctant to give Otto her board after he begs, takes the fight to Theodore and they end up tied while Sam fixes Otto's board and keeps the team in the race. But just like the first race, Reggie is mad at Ray because he ignores her performance and focuses on Otto's broken board. During the third race, Otto falls out of the lead when he misjudges the location of a sandbar in the water. After the fall, Reggie catches and passes Theodore and looks to be on her way to the win. But when Ray insists Otto can still win, Reggie purposely falls off her board to catch his attention, and costs Otto a chance to win, handing the race to Theodore. Otto then blames Reggie and Sam for his problems during the race and calls Twister a shoobie in the midst of his frustration. Ray catches up with Reggie and asks why she fell during the race. Sarcastically, Reggie acts out how Ray has been acting throughout the competition and Ray realizes that he's been ignoring Reggie. The next morning, Ray talks to Reggie about why he acted the way he did and apologizes to Reggie. Reggie forgives her dad and successfully talks her teammates back together again. Before the final race, Ray apologizes to Otto for putting the pressure on him to win. Otto and Reggie decide to focus on winning the team competition and let the chips fall where they may for the individual competition. Meanwhile, Chester tells Theodore that he messed up Otto's board during the Dirtboard race and gave Team Rocket a misleading map for the windsurfing race, which led to his falls. Chester then tells Theodore to go left at the rock and shortcut through the woods. Theodore, appalled at his father's actions, reluctantly agrees to takes the shortcut. During the final race, Twister falls and breaks his leg and Otto turns around to go back and help. Otto then urges Reggie to go ahead and race against Theodore while he aids Twister to the finish. After a little hesitation, Reggie takes off and soon catches Theodore. As the two approach the Flat Stick Fork rock, Reggie takes the shorter way around while Theodore takes the long way and makes the shortcut. Behind them, Otto and Twister (who gets confused thinking Sam meant to tell him to go left at the rock) split apart at the rock and Twister almost crashes but Otto reaches him just in time to keep him in the race. Theodore comes out in the lead, but Reggie is not far back and catches up to Theodore. The two come across the finish line in a tie, which means Theodore wins the individual competition while Team Rocket take the team competition. Theodore later admits that he cheated and took a shortcut. Chester then admits he took the same shortcut in the first race. Theodore is disqualified and Otto and Reggie are declared co-champions and named Prince and Princess Waikikamukau. Tatupu, the Maori race director who assists Chester throughout the race, strips Chester of his winning medal and gives it to Ray.
In the movie's side plots, Tito has an obsession over Vegemite
Vegemite
Vegemite is a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract. It is a spread for sandwiches, toast, crumpets and cracker biscuits, and filling for pastries...
, a local delicacy he fell in love with during the first race, and tries constantly to get his hands on a sandwich, but is having a hard time doing so. Meanwhile, back in Ocean Shores, Violet and Merv are watching after the Shore Shack and turn it into a gourmet restaurant.
Sports
Sports featured in this telefilm include zorbingZorbing
Zorbing is the recreation of rolling downhill in an orb, generally made of transparent plastic. Zorbing is generally performed on a gentle slope, but can also be done on a level surface, permitting more rider control. In the absence of hills some operators have constructed inflatable, wooden or...
, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
, tubing
Tubing (recreation)
Tubing is a recreational activity where an individual rides on top of an inner tube, either on water, snow, or through the air. The tubes themselves are also known as "donuts" or "biscuits" due to their shape.-Water:Tubing on water generally consists of two forms: towed and free-floating, also...
, dirtboarding, windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
, and snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
.
Soundtrack
In the same month the telefilm was premiered, a soundtrack album for the series was released, featuring the songs that appeared in the telefilm. Besides the show's theme song, the album featured:- Individuality by Area-7Area-7Area-7 are an Australian alternative/third wave ska band.- History :Area-7 rose from the ashes of Madness cover band Mad Not Madness. In 1994 three members, Dugald McNaughtan , Charles "Chucky T" Thompson and Dan Morrison left the group and began to write their own songs...
- An English languageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
cover of 99 Luftballons99 Luftballons"99 Luftballons" is a protest song by the German pop-rock band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. Originally sung in German, it was later re-recorded in English as "99 Red Balloons" for their album 99 Luftballons in 1984...
(99 Red Balloons) by GoldfingerGoldfinger (band)Goldfinger is a Los Angeles pop punk/ska punk band that formed in 1994. Currently, the band is composed of vocalist/guitarist John Feldmann, guitarist Charlie Paulson, bassist Kelly LeMieux, and drummer Darrin Pfeiffer... - Valentino by Bowling for SoupBowling for SoupBowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...
(who had previously performed the theme song to Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius for the film's soundtrack album) - I'm Cool by Reel Big FishReel Big FishReel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...
External links
- A transcript of the telefilm, from the Maximum Rocket Power website