Total Drama (series)
Encyclopedia
Total Drama is a Canadian
animated television series that parodies reality television
, with the characters consisting of the eponymous fictional reality series and the contestants therein. All of the contestants have distinct personalities that serve as a main plot point. The style of the series is similar to that of Survivor
, Fear Factor
, and The Amazing Race
, but also takes elements of other widely known series such as Endurance
, The Real World
, Road Rules
, Iron Chef
, The Apprentice
, Project Runway
, American Idol
, and The Challenge.
is when the winner was actually able to take the money home and spend it, unlike how the money was given away and eaten by a shark in the first season
, and was thrown into a volcano in the third season.
. The second season is set in an abandoned movie studio lot in Toronto
, Ontario
. The third season takes the contestants all around the world in 80 days in the Total Drama Jumbo Jet, which seems to be structurally unstable. This season visits countries such as France
, Japan
and Egypt
. However, the fourth season
is set back at Camp Wawanakwa but this time with a new cast.
, studied what teenagers liked and disliked about reality television shows
in the writing process. McGillis says they used a "countrywide online research project" to determine this demographic's likes. Fresh TV Inc. partners McGillis, Pertsch, Elliott and Irving
produced the series. The budget for the first season was $8 million. It was animated in Flash
, at Elliott Animation's studio in Toronto. Every cast and crew member on Total Drama had to sign a confidentiality agreement not to disclose who the winner was. All the characters were designed by Kauffman. An early name for the series was Camp TV.
The characters of the Total Drama series
played the role of host Chris McLean and said that the best part of the job was that his character could not be voted off the show. Emilie-Claire Barlow
plays Courtney on Total Drama Island and stated that Courtney was her favorite character that she had ever played. Other voice actors include Julia Chantrey as Eva, Drew Nelson as Duncan, Megan Fahlenbock
as Gwen, Stephanie Anne Mills as Lindsay and Katie, Adam Reid as Justin and Rachel Wilson
as Heather. Most voice actors have only voiced one character, but some have voiced two. Peter Oldring
and Clé Bennett
are the only two voice actors who have voiced three characters.
calls the show "phenomenally popular".
received general acclaim from critics and fans. Users from TV.com
gave the show an 8.6 "Great", while users from IMDB gave it a 7.5 out of 10. Commonsense Media gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, stating "Clever cartoon reality show spoof OK for older tweens". The third season, Total Drama World Tour, has also received critical acclaim from critics and won multiple awards including "Best Animated Series", "Best Voice Actress", and was also nominated for several other awards. As of 2011, the first season has been shown in over 188 countries while the entire franchise has been seen in at least 100.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
animated television series that parodies reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
, with the characters consisting of the eponymous fictional reality series and the contestants therein. All of the contestants have distinct personalities that serve as a main plot point. The style of the series is similar to that of Survivor
Survivor (U.S. TV series)
Survivor is an American version of the Survivor reality television game show, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson originally created in 1997 by Charlie Parsons. The series premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS...
, Fear Factor
Fear Factor
Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...
, and The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
, but also takes elements of other widely known series such as Endurance
Endurance (TV series)
Endurance is an American reality television children's program, currently shown on the Discovery Kids cable network in the United States and also on networks in other countries. The show's format is somewhat similar to the CBS television series Survivor, though with a teenaged cast...
, The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...
, Road Rules
Road Rules
Road Rules was an MTV reality show that debuted on July 19, 1995. The series, which was MTV's second reality show after The Real World followed six strangers between the ages of 18 and 24 after stripping them of their money and putting them on an RV traveling from location to location only guided...
, Iron Chef
Iron Chef
is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1992, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The series ended...
, The Apprentice
The Apprentice (U.S. TV series)
The Apprentice is an American reality television show hosted by real estate magnate, businessman and television personality Donald Trump, created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on NBC...
, Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
, American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, and The Challenge.
Format
The name of each season consists of the title Total Drama with a different word later in. That changing word defines the theme for that season; some having two or more words. Like most reality television series, this series is a competition but the grand prize being only cash; the first season having a prize of $100,000 and the rest at a million. Currently, only the second seasonTotal Drama Action
Total Drama Action is a Canadian animated television series. It is the second season of the Total Drama series, which began with Total Drama Island. The show premiered in Teletoon at 6:30 pm ET/PT on January 11, 2009. This series was also created by the makers of 6teen, another Teletoon program...
is when the winner was actually able to take the money home and spend it, unlike how the money was given away and eaten by a shark in the first season
Total Drama Island
Total Drama Island is a Canadian animated television series which lampoons the conventions commonly found in reality shows. The show and its sequel seasons are collectively referred to as the Total Drama series. It premiered on the Canadian cable television specialty channel Teletoon on July 8, 2007...
, and was thrown into a volcano in the third season.
Location
Every season takes place in a different location and may have different amounts of contestants, although some contestants may compete in more than one season. The first season is set in Camp Wawanakwa, a fictional island located in an unspecified area in Muskoka, OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The second season is set in an abandoned movie studio lot in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The third season takes the contestants all around the world in 80 days in the Total Drama Jumbo Jet, which seems to be structurally unstable. This season visits countries such as France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. However, the fourth season
Total Drama: Revenge of the Island
Total Drama: Revenge of the Island is the fourth season of the Total Drama franchise. The series' extension was commissioned by Teletoon from the producers, Fresh T.V. Inc. This season will take place back at Camp Wawanakwa but this time with an entirely new cast...
is set back at Camp Wawanakwa but this time with a new cast.
Production
Total Drama was developed and produced by Fresh TV. The series was animated at Elliott Animation. The series was directed by Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton of Neptoon Studios. It is primarily targeted at twelve- to eighteen-year-olds, and the creators, Tom McGillis and Jennifer PertschJennifer Pertsch
Jennifer Pertsch is a story editor, writer, series creator, and one of the founding partners of Fresh TV Inc , a Toronto based production studio specializing in teen and family oriented animated series. She began her career as a writer for Nelvana Ltd., before moving to Fresh TV...
, studied what teenagers liked and disliked about reality television shows
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
in the writing process. McGillis says they used a "countrywide online research project" to determine this demographic's likes. Fresh TV Inc. partners McGillis, Pertsch, Elliott and Irving
Brian Irving
Brian Irving is a Canadian screenwriter and film-maker. As a producer his past projects have included Sabrina the Teenage Witch starring Melissa Joan Hart, for Viacom Television....
produced the series. The budget for the first season was $8 million. It was animated in Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
, at Elliott Animation's studio in Toronto. Every cast and crew member on Total Drama had to sign a confidentiality agreement not to disclose who the winner was. All the characters were designed by Kauffman. An early name for the series was Camp TV.
Characters
Total Drama has a total of 38 contestants overall who have competed on all the four seasons. The first three seasons consited of an original set of cast, with a total of 25 contestants. The fourth season only consists of a new cast, with only 13 contestants. Most contestants have competed in more than one season, but only three have won. The names of all the contestants are Alejandro, Ann Maria, B, Beth, Blaineley, Brick, Bridgette, Cameron, Cody, Courtney, Dakota, Dawn, DJ, Duncan, Eva, Ezekiel, Geoff, Gwen, Harold, Heather, Izzy, Jo, Justin, Katie, LeShawna, Lightning, Lindsay, Mike, Noah, Owen, Sadie, Sam, Scott, Sierra, Staci, Trent, Tyler and Zoey. Unless otherwise stated, all contestants are 16 years old, as stated in the first episode of the series; by the time of the third season, the contestants have all turned at least seventeen.The characters of the Total Drama series
Voice actors
There are several voice actors who have voiced the characters in the Total Drama series. Christian PotenzaChristian Potenza
Christian Potenza is a Canadian actor born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.- Biography :He has been in television since 1997, when he first appeared in the television series Riverdale as the character Jimmy....
played the role of host Chris McLean and said that the best part of the job was that his character could not be voted off the show. Emilie-Claire Barlow
Emilie-Claire Barlow
Emilie-Claire Barlow is a Canadian jazz singer and voice actress. Born to parents who were professional musicians, she was encouraged to sing and study several instruments including piano, cello, clarinet and violin. By age seven she had begun her career, singing television and radio...
plays Courtney on Total Drama Island and stated that Courtney was her favorite character that she had ever played. Other voice actors include Julia Chantrey as Eva, Drew Nelson as Duncan, Megan Fahlenbock
Megan Fahlenbock
Megan Fahlenbock is a Canadian actress. She was born on June 30, 1971. Primarily known as a voice actress, she has also had a few film roles.-Career:One of her television roles is 6teen as Jen Masterson...
as Gwen, Stephanie Anne Mills as Lindsay and Katie, Adam Reid as Justin and Rachel Wilson
Rachel Wilson
Rachel Wilson is a Canadian actress.-Early life:She started acting at age 12, working extensively in Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles....
as Heather. Most voice actors have only voiced one character, but some have voiced two. Peter Oldring
Peter Oldring
Peter Oldring is a Canadian TV actor and comedian.- Biography :In addition to performing with The Second City improv group in Toronto and Los Angeles, Oldring has appeared on Canadian television. He was also a regular cast member of the redneck-themed sketch comedy series Blue Collar TV...
and Clé Bennett
Clé Bennett
Clé Bennett is a Canadian television and film actor. He has had roles in the television series Instant Star, Soul Food, The Hoop Life, Code Name: Eternity, Odyssey 5, Total Drama and The Line, as well as the films Harvard Man, Treed Murray, Urban Legend, How She Move and Doomstown...
are the only two voice actors who have voiced three characters.
Broadcast
Total Drama first premiered on the Canadian cable television specialty channel Teletoon on July 8, 2007 but then the US started airing the show one year later, followed by other countries airing the series thereafter. Since then, Total Drama has become an international franchise, and one of the biggest successes for Teletoon yet. As of September 2011, Total Drama is shown in over 100 countries around the world while Cake EntertainmentCake Entertainment
Cake Entertainment Ltd is a British production and distribution company based in London.The company distributes content for children around the world.The company was founded in 2002.-Distribution:* Total Drama Island* Total Drama Action...
calls the show "phenomenally popular".
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Production line | DVD DVD A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.... Release dates |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| 1 Total Drama Island Total Drama Island is a Canadian animated television series which lampoons the conventions commonly found in reality shows. The show and its sequel seasons are collectively referred to as the Total Drama series. It premiered on the Canadian cable television specialty channel Teletoon on July 8, 2007... |
28 | July 8, 2007 | January 8, 2008 | 1xx | August 18, 2009 | September 29, 2010 | ||
| 2 Total Drama Action Total Drama Action is a Canadian animated television series. It is the second season of the Total Drama series, which began with Total Drama Island. The show premiered in Teletoon at 6:30 pm ET/PT on January 11, 2009. This series was also created by the makers of 6teen, another Teletoon program... |
27 | January 11, 2009 | December 10, 2009 | 2xx | November 2, 2011 | |||
| 3 | 26 | June 10, 2010 | April 24, 2011 | 3xx | Late 2012 | |||
| 4 Total Drama: Revenge of the Island Total Drama: Revenge of the Island is the fourth season of the Total Drama franchise. The series' extension was commissioned by Teletoon from the producers, Fresh T.V. Inc. This season will take place back at Camp Wawanakwa but this time with an entirely new cast... |
13 | January 5, 2012 | April 2012 | 4xx | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
| 5 | TBA | Summer 2012 | Fall 2012 | 5xx | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Seasons
There are currently four seasons in the Total Drama series which are listed below:| Season | Title | Season Premiere | Season Finale |
|---|
Series reception
The first season, Total Drama IslandTotal Drama Island
Total Drama Island is a Canadian animated television series which lampoons the conventions commonly found in reality shows. The show and its sequel seasons are collectively referred to as the Total Drama series. It premiered on the Canadian cable television specialty channel Teletoon on July 8, 2007...
received general acclaim from critics and fans. Users from TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
gave the show an 8.6 "Great", while users from IMDB gave it a 7.5 out of 10. Commonsense Media gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, stating "Clever cartoon reality show spoof OK for older tweens". The third season, Total Drama World Tour, has also received critical acclaim from critics and won multiple awards including "Best Animated Series", "Best Voice Actress", and was also nominated for several other awards. As of 2011, the first season has been shown in over 188 countries while the entire franchise has been seen in at least 100.