American Dragon: Jake Long
| American Dragon: Jake Long | |
|---|---|
| File:Adjllogo.jpg | |
| Created by | Jeff Goode |
| Starring | Dante Basco Keone Young John DiMaggio Amy Bruckner Miss Kittie Charlie Finn |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 52+ |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 22 minutes (per episode) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney Channel |
| Release | January 21 2005 – Still in Production |
| Release | File:Americandragon:jl.jpeg |
| Release | File:Americandragon:jl.jpeg |
| Release | File:Americandragon:jl.jpeg |
| Release | File:Americandragon:jl.jpeg |
| Release | File:Americandragon:jl.jpeg |
American Dragon: Jake Long is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Jake Long is an ordinary thirteen-year-old Chinese-American boy living in New York City, but Jake also has a secret. He's the American Dragon.
Premise
Jake is a descendant of a long line of dragons, and it is his duty to protect the community of magical creatures secretly living among the masses in New York. He lives with his parents, Johnathan and Susan, and his seven-year-old sister, Haley. His grandfather and sister are also dragons, the dragon powers having skipped his mother's generation. His father is unaware of his family being dragons.
Throughout the series Jake is taught how to use his innate magical powers by his grandfather and a 600-year-old Shar Pei named Fu Dog. Jake needs these powers to protect the other magical creatures of the city from various malevolent beings most notably the villainous Huntsclan led by the Huntsmaster. His best friends are Trixie and Spud with whom he skateboards and he is in love with Rose, another schoolmate. The stories are driven by Jake's search for balance between his life as a schoolboy and his secret life as a powerful magical guardian.
Production
American Dragon: Jake Long was created by Jeff Goode, who also created the hit MTV series Undressed. The Walt Disney Company ordered an initial twenty-four 30 minute episodes for the first season all of which have been made. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on The Disney Channel on January 4, 2005, in the United States on The Disney Channel on January 21, 2005, and on Toon Disney in February 2006. It has also been broadcast on The Family Channel in some places.
The theme song is performed by the band Mavin previously known as Badge. The theme song for Season 2 is performed by the band The Jonas Brothers.
It had been announced that Steve Loter, who had served as director of Disney Channel's Kim Possible, would be joining the show for its second season as director and executive producer alongside the current executive producers Matt Negrete and Eddie Guzelian. However, following Disney's renewal of Kim Possible for a fourth season, Loter would resume his role as director but still serve as an executive producer of Jake Long. Nick Filippi, who had also done some directorial work on Kim Possible, will be the new director of Jake Long. Steve Loter had confirmed that the show will be completely changed with the second season of the show featuring new character designs and a new animation style.
Characters
Major characters
- Jacob "Jake" Luke Long (Dante Basco): The hero of the show. Jake is a cool (albeit nowhere near as cool as he thinks he is), laid-back skateboarder who is, in reality, a dragon. He had a crush on Rose, even after he found out she was actually the Huntsgirl and one of his sworn enemies. Their dual identities often cause trouble. A running gag involves the mention of his embarrassing secrets to blemish his reputation. In Half Baked, it is revealed that after Rose left him (in the first-season finale The Hunted, which occurred three months prior), he has been suffering from depression and flunking out of school. He is the second being to defeat the Dark Dragon and the first to do it twice.
- Luong Lao Shi (Keone Young): Jake's grandpa. Lao is a Chinese dragon. He runs the Canal Street Electronics shop ("Never had a customer, never had a sale"), and his only friend is Fu Dog. His attempts at training Jake sometimes causes more damage than help. His name is a play on the Mandarin Chinese word for "teacher." In his youth, before his first encounter with the Dark Dragon, Jake's grandpa was known as Lucky Lao Shi and was just as arrogant as his grandson. He is the first being ever to defeat the Dark Dragon.
- Fu Dog (John DiMaggio): Fu is a 600-year-old talking Shar Pei and Lao's only companion. All throughout his life he and a hairless talking cat, Yan Yan (Tia Carrere), have fought over Fu's family amulet (causing famous disasters along the way). He is more down with the fads and trends than Lao is. Fu is able to walk upright, and (like many cartoon animals) has no trouble using his front paws as hands. He's particularly skilled at potion-mixing. He seems to be the only person who understands how Jake feels about Rose leaving and he also seems to be the only one who supports Jake's feelings for her.
- Trixie Carter (Miss Kittie): Jake's best friend, who is somewhat a tomboyish character. She is a hardcore fashion enthusiast. She does not support Jake and Rose and does not support Jake's emotions after she leaves. She has a large obsession with Kyle Wilkins, another student in her school.
- Arthur "Spud" Spudinski (Charlie Finn): Spud is Jake's other best friend and is extremely loyal and somewhat slow. However, he often comes up with intelligent things to say at random times. He also has the entire works of Shakespeare committed to memory. In Season 2, it also seems that Spud has a very comprehensive technological knowledge. He owns a laptop computer that sports surveillance capabilities and other functions. In The Academy, Spud uses the computer to decode the encryption in the Huntsclan teleportation system, allowing them to intercept the teleportation of #88 and #89. In Bring It On, he developed a global-positioning device to track his cheerleader crush, Stacey. According to Half Baked, Spud has a tremendous fear of clowns that started when he five years old.
- Rose (Mae Whitman): Rose, Jake's crush. A member of the Huntsclan. There is a birthmark on her right palm and wrist resembling a red Chinese dragon, otherwise known as the "Mark of the Huntsclan". Jake eventually learns of her secret identity as the Huntsgirl. She in turn eventually learns that Jake is the American Dragon. At the conclusion to Season 1, she apparently was transferred to an unknown location (coincidentally after discovering Jake's identity). It is revealed through Season 2 that she is actually in a secret Huntsclan Training Academy. Rose soon returns under care of the Huntsmaster, working as a double agent for Jake. Rose shows reluctance of being part of an evil organization and may not be as evil as she is portrayed.
- Thorn the Huntsgirl" (Mae Whitman): The Huntsclan persona of Rose. While more careful and modest outside Huntsclan duties, she is more daring and relentless otherwise, showcasing expert hand-to-hand fighting and weapon skills. Jake finds out about Rose's alter-ego in The Ski Trip.
- The Huntsman (Jeff Bennett): Jake's main enemy, the Huntsman is the leader of the Huntsclan. The Counsel of Dragons rates him as the #4 threat to the magical community. Other than a pair of glowing red eyes, his face has never been shown, although the back of his head appears to be horribly scarred and deformed (an apparent homage to Darth Vader). He appears to be Rose's uncle, as depicted in Act 4, Scene 15. There is a possibility that the Huntsman still does not trust his niece. He even threatens her by stating he would consider it as an admission of treason if she refused to bring the pelt of the American Dragon.
Secondary characters
Magical creatures and characters
- Dragons: Protectors of magical creatures, although not necessarily entirely good. Most of them are selected humans such as Jake.
- Dark Dragon (Clancy Brown): Jake's arch-enemy and the #1 threat to the magical community, the strongest of the many opponents of the protective dragons, including Jake's grandpa. His goal is to assemble an army of evil magical creatures to destroy the humans and take over the Earth. His 'human form' (if there is one) is yet to be shown. He can conjure smaller shadowy dragon-like creatures called Shades. He seems to have an interest in Jake and offered him a partnership, but it is unknown if he will continue to try and get him to join. Though denied at first, it has been revealed that the Dark Dragon will make another appearance in the conclusion of the second season.
- The Dragon Council: The Dragon Council is a group of elder and well-trained dragons that monitors all activity involving dragons around the world. They live on the Isle of Draco. One of the members was Councilor Chang (Lauren Tom), who secretly worked for Dark Dragon before being sent to jail. Other members of the Dragon Council are Councilor Andam (Clarence Williams III), Councilor Kulde (Jeff Bennett), Councilor Omina, and Councilor Kukulkhan.
- Shades: Ghostly shadow dragon-like beings that are conjured by the Dark Dragon and serve him as his footsoldiers. They seem to be very weak, however, and easily disperse into shadows and smoke when defeated. They do seem capable enough to defeat the Tooth Fairy's Tooth Minions, though.
- Fairy folk
- Fairies: Small, tiny creatures that sometimes serve as messengers.
- Gnomes: Small, elf-like nature people.
- Pixies: Tiny, human-shaped beings with butterfly-like wings. If they are scared or upset, they will lash out at whoever is nearest to them.
- Sprites: Woodland beings with human shape and butterfly-like wings, much like Pixies, but prefer walking instead of flying. They prefer to dwell in remote wooded areas such as Central Park or the New Jersey woods.
- Tooth fairy (Edie McClurg): Her real name is unknown. She can use her wand to summon her tooth minions. She only gets angry when someone messes her clothing. She is very mannered, and even said "H-E-Double Hockey Sticks".
- Elves
- Brownies: Similar to leprechauns, Brownies are tiny anthropomorphic creatures enamored of shiny things and speak in Scottish accents.
- Elves They are the "humans" of the magical realm. Some are caterers who work for both magical and non-magical creatures.
- Leprechauns: Living on Wall Street, their pot of gold is the source of all their luck.
- Humanoids: Sentient beings that are human-like in appearance.
- Boggle
- Cyclops
- Djinn: Powerful spirits, also known as genies, which can turn into smoke to escape from harm. They can and will reveal the identity of magical creatures in hiding. A djinn was found imprisoned in Taranushi's Chalice which was used as a talent show trophy.
- Giants: Giants are portrayed as peaceful folk in this series. Many live in a mountain village. Some of the well-known giants are Hobie (Daryl Sabara) from Ring Around the Dragon and Bertha (Edie McClurg) from Eye of the Beholder and The Hunted .
- Goblins: As always, goblins are portrayed as crafty creatures. A mob boss named Herbert even controls some 'black market' operations in New York's magical underworld. Goblins have a keen sense of smell-a fact that Jake once put to good use by knocking over a dumpster full of rotten fish to temporarily incapacitate an attacking gang of goblins.
- Gorgons: Euryale, Fury (real name Stheno), and Medusa are three Gorgon sisters who terrorized Ancient Greece and their ability to turn people to stone was used against them by a hero using a reflective shield and there statued forms were scattered until an accident in the museum freed Fury. Alone, Fury has the power to hypnotize whomever she chooses, but when all three are together, they can turn anyone into stone.
- Gremlins: Curious little creatures who take apart and ruin mechanical and electrical devices and machines.
- Hags: Old women that are revolting in appearance.
- Harpies: Young, beautiful girls that have a good fashion sense despite being half human and half bird.
- Imps: One dresses up as a cat as a disguise to hide from humans.
- Mermaids: Some mermaids and mermen live in the Hudson River in a city called Mermopolis. One of the well-known mermaids is Silver (Kari Wahlgren), the aquaphobic mermaid who first appeared in The Hunted.
- Nixes: Nixes are human/serpentine creatures whose true forms are exposed when the full moon is in the exact center of the sky. They are known to steal souls for nourishment. Referred to as Nix, they are more similar to another mythical creature, the Naga.
- Ogres: Creatures related to giants and trolls. Ogres are well known to be strong and athletic, and a popular sport known only to the magical world is played by Ogres: The Ogre Bowl.
- Sasquatch
- Satyrs: Goat-like humans that work as chefs for Eli E. Pandarus.
- Tooth Minions: Creatures composed of teeth that the Tooth Fairy collected from loose teeth that children had placed under their pillows. They follow the bidding of whoever wields the tooth fairy's wand, including Dr. Diente.
- Trolls: One lives under the Triborough Troll Bridge. There is also a one-eyed troll named Stan Lipkowski (Don Lake) who is a friend of Fu's and lives in the sewers. Troll fur turns into monstrous hairballs when exposed to sunlight and/or fire. Also trolls themselves turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.
- Vampires: Jeff has confirmed that they will appear in Bite Father, Bite Son.
- Wood Nymph
- Yeti: One lives in the mountains near a ski lodge.
- Humans: Yes, believe it or not. Humans are capable of great things. Aside from Jake and the other half-dragons, there are other people with 'special' talents:
- Jack Frost (Jonathan Freeman)
- Oracles are humans (though not limited to) with the ability to see the future. Sara & Kara are the prominent examples of oracles in the show.
- Santa Claus (Kevin Michael Richardson)
- Miscellaneous quadrupeds
- Centaur: Cross between a human and a horse.
- Cerberus: The Huntsclan owns a pack of Ceberuses for hunts such as the Grand Equinox Hunt.
- Gargoyles: One lives atop the Empire State Building as seen in Old School Training.
- Griffins: A griffin has a nest on the Empire State Building and keeps their newly-hatched young in the digestive tract for weeks.
- Jersey Devil: One lives in the forests near a Sprite village. Depicted as having a moose head (with strange horns) and body, eagle wings, and a lion-like tail.
- Sphinx: A dragon's powers weaken due to their hair which is made into specific nets. Yet to be seen in the series.
- Unicorns: A herd (blessing) lives in Central Park. Its horn is said to be made of the hardest substance known to Earth and magic realms.
- Werewolves
- Reptiles
- Guardian Serpent: A giant serpent that guards one of thirteen mystical Aztec skulls. If all the skulls are brought together, it could bring certain doom to all magical creatures. The serpent was later used by the Huntsman to track down the last of the 13 skulls and was possibly slain by the him in the end of Breakout.
- Sea monsters
- Kelpie (Dee Bradley Baker): An aquatic creature that can suck the life-energy out of any creature, allowing it to transform into that life-form and utilize its unique abilities. In this show, it's depicted as a kelp monster. It is also considered as one of The Top 13 Threats to the Magical Community.
- Kraken: The Huntsclan Academy has a Kraken for battles for wrongdoing students. In this show, it is seen as a giant fishman. It is also considered as one of The Top 13 Threats to the Magical Community.
- Shark People
- Other: Here are some creatures that don't fit the other categories.
- Arachnes: Cross between a human and a spider, Veronica (Tara Strong) is an example.
- Doppelganger: Doppelgangers are basically clones of another entity using their ch'i. Every doppelganger one makes sucks out part of their own ch'i energy causing them to become weaker. Jake created several doppelgangers of himself in The Doppelganger Gang and even created an evil one, Yang Jake.
- Krylock Demon: An inter-dimensional monster that has the head of a cobra and the body of a scorpion. Its venom is a key ingredient in a portal charm recipe, and can mutate an organism into a Krylock-like creature if consumed. According to Steve Loter, he is also one of The Top 13 Threats to the Magical Community.
- Kumo Spider: A giant spider monster that can regenerate its legs if burnt off. One guards the safe of Eli Pandurus. Can break anything -- even unicorn horn!
- Magical Scarab Beetle: A magical insect from Egypt that can bring back the dead with the use of moonlight.
Places
- Canal Street Electronics: The electronics store that Grandpa owns and trains Jake in.
- Central Park: Where Jake has most of his battles.
- Draco Island: The island where the Dragon Summit was held and where The Dragon Council resides.
- Huntsclan Academy: A school for current and future members of the Huntsclan.
- Magus Bazaar: The Magus Bazaar is a magical market where magical creatures and beings could shop and socialize.
- Mermopolis: A mermaid city in the Hudson River where it is home to many mermaids as well as mermen.
- Millard Fillmore Middle School: The school that Jake, Trixie, and Spud attend.
Episode list
Season 1
| Episode # | Production # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 101 | "Old School Training" | January 21, 2005 |
| 02 | 103 | "Dragon Breath" | January 22, 2005 |
| 03 | 107 | "The Talented Mr. Long" | January 28, 2005 |
| 04 | 105 | "The Legend of the Dragon Tooth" | February 4, 2005 |
| 05 | 108 | "Act 4, Scene 15" | February 11, 2005 |
| 06 | 104 | "Adventures In Trollsitting / Fu Dog Takes A Walk" | February 18, 2005 |
| 07 | 109 | "Professor Rotwood's Thesis" | February 25, 2005 |
| 08 | 106 | "The Egg / The Heist" | March 25, 2005 |
| 09 | 111 | "Dragon Summit" | April 1, 2005 |
| 10 | 110 | "Body Guard Duty" | April 29, 2005 |
| 11 | 102 | "Shapeshifter" | May 13, 2005 |
| 12 | 115 | "The Ski Trip" | May 27, 2005 |
| 13 | 112 | "The Long Weekend" | July 1, 2005 |
| 14 | 114 | "Eye of the Beholder" | July 30, 2005 |
| 15 | 116 | "Jake Takes The Cake" | August 26, 2005 |
| 16 | 121 | "Hong Kong Nights" | September 8, 2005 |
| 17 | 118 | "The Halloween Bash" | October 22, 2005 |
| 18 | 113 | "Fu and Tell / Flight of the Unicorn" | November 3, 2005 |
| 19 | 119 | "Keeping Shop" | December 15, 2005 |
| 20 | 117 | "Ring Around the Dragon" | January 12, 2006 |
| 21 | 120 | "The Hunted" | January 29, 2006 |
Season 2
| Episode # | Production # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 203 | "Bring It On" | June 10, 2006 |
| 02 | 201 | "Half Baked" | June 24, 2006 |
| 03 | 204 | "The Academy" | July 1, 2006 |
| 04 | 209 | "The Doppelganger Gang" | July 8, 2006 |
| 05 | 206 | "Something Fishy This Way Comes" | July 15, 2006 |
| 06 | 208 | "Breakout" | July 29, 2006 |
| 07 | 205 | "Family Business" | August 5, 2006 |
| 08 | 202 | "Hero of the Hourglass" | August 12, 2006 |
| 09 | 210 | "Dreamscape" | August 19, 2006 |
| 10 | 207 | "Hairy Christmas" | December 25, 2006 |
| 11 | 211 | "Fool's Gold" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 12 | 212 | "The Love Cruise" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 13 | 213 | "Feeding Frenzy" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 14 | 214 | "A Befuddled Mind" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 15 | 215 | "The Rotwood Files" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 16 | 216 | "Haley Gone Wild" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 17 | 217 | "Switcheroo" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 18 | 218 | "Homecoming" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 19 | 219 | "A Ghost Story" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 20 | 220 | "Youth or Consequences" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 21 | 221 | "Student Body by Jake" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 22 | 222 | "Siren Says" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 23 | 223 | "Shaggy Frog" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 24 | 224 | "Year of the Jake" | February 18, 2007 |
| 25 | 225 | "Nobody's Fu" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 26 | 226 | "Game On" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 27 | 227 | "Bite Father, Bite Son" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 28 | 228 | "Magic Enemy #1" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 29 | 229 | "Furious Jealousy" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 30 | 230 | "Being Human" | Unknown/Unaired |
| 31 | 231 | "The Hong Kong Longs" | Unknown/Unaired |
Criticism
- Many audiences had mixed opinions about Jake's personality: an Asian-American who 'excessively' speaks in street slang. Most liked it or were indifferent, while others despised it for being 'too irritating'. There is no doubt that Jake's personality is homage to the second and third-generation immigrants who willingly embraced American culture (and adapted to its varying accents). Season 2 seems to have toned down on Jake's superfluous use of slang.
- Many audiences and long-time fans have mixed opinions of Season 2. The art style was changed drastically for the second season, giving the show an edgier look than the more traditional designs of the first season. Season 2 Director Steve Loter has offered some explanation to the change in aspects such as the dragon forms, in which the forms were meant to be directly related to the dragon's human form and current level of development. In the case of Jake, he would start out as a short, scrawny teenage dragon (as he is as a human), and need to train and develop into a muscle-bound dragon (much like his form from Season 1) over time.
Trivia
- The name Long (竜) is the Chinese word for dragon.
- The name Lao Shi is the Chinese word for teacher.
- Jake, Spud, Trixie, Lao Shi, and Fu Dog made a guest appearance in the Lilo & Stitch: The Series episode Morpholomew on July 1, 2005.
- Many of the episodes in the series are aired out of order. For example, in Dragon Summit, the Dragon Council mentions Jake "using shape shifting spells for personal gain". At this point in the series, Shapeshifter still had yet to air.
- Throughout Eye of the Beholder, the color of Fu Dog's collar is constantly changing between blue and red.
- One or two viewers have noted that even though he is called the American Dragon, Jake is a European dragon rather than an Amphitere, which is the primary dragon in the myths and folklore of the Americas. The reason for this is probably that Amphitheres are virtually unknown in popular culture, so presumably animators opted for a more iconic species. However, during the Season 2 preview, it has been found that Jake is now a Chinese-styled dragon.
- Jake is a dictionary example of an "anthrozil" from the book series Dragons In Our Midst, albeit more powerful than any anthrozil in the books. An anthrozil is someone who has one dragon parent (in human form) and one normal human parent. Incidentally, The Huntsmaster is rather similar to Sir Devin, the sworn enemy of all anthrozils (See Dragons In Our Midst).
- Concept sketches show that Jake's best friends were originally going to be named Jamal and Brook, and did not look like they did as of now. Jamal was a big African-American boy and Brook was a Caucasian girl.
- Haley was originally going to be named Brittany.
- Before coming up with the current title, the show had three previous titles. They were: Last Dragon, American Dragon, and Jake Long: American Dragon.
- To find out the episode order for Season 2, there are trailers that are shown before a new episode that give a "Dragon Rule Number". These numbers range in the 200's (for the second season), and their following numbers denote their episode number, forming their complete production code. For example: the promo for Half Baked mentioned "Dragon Training Secret #201". The production code for Half Baked is "201", or the first episode of the second season.
- In Jake Takes the Cake, Jake uses a hula CD by Elvis Kamehameha to put gremlins to sleep. The real King Kamehameha I was a ruler of the Hawaiian Islands in the early 1800s.
- According to Jeff Goode's American Dragon webpage, there was originally a Season 1 episode titled "The Order of the Dragon". The episode was soon scrapped as a budgetary maneuver to hire an extra writer to help revise the script. The episode was soon rewritten into Dragon Summit.
- Though constantly referred to as "Huntsgirl", Rose's original moniker as a Huntsclan member was "Thorn". It was discovered late in the recording of first season episodes that a DC Comics character already existed with the same dual-personality label of Rose and Thorn. For legal reasons, re-recording was done to replace all mentions of "Thorn" with "Huntsgirl" (though, one instance in Shapeshifter was accidently skipped over; additionally, in The Hunted, Jake hints at knowledge of Huntsgirl's secret identity by flipping a famous saying, telling her that every Thorn has its Rose).
- The episode Breakout was made available to see on Disney Channel's online video service, from July 21 to July 28 (the day before its television premiere in the U.S.).
- In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Dante Basco the voice talent for Jake is villainous Firebender Prince Zuko, while Mae Whitman the voice talent for Rose is chivalrous Waterbender Katara.
External links
- American Dragon: Jake Long at the Disney Channel Official Site
- American Dragon: Jake Long at IMDb
- American Dragon: Jake Long Forum at SaveDisneyShows.org
- American Dragon: Jake Long at JeffNet
- American Dragon: Jake Long Fan Forum
- American Dragon: Jake Long Forum at the Alternate Reality Association
- Unofficial Amdrag Blog by Eddie Guzelian & Matt Negrete
- American Dragon Empire
References
- 'American Dragon: Jake Long': TV.com. Retrieved August 10 2005
- 'American Dragon Jake Long', TV Tome. This link used to lead directly to http://www.tvtome.com/AmericanDragonJakeLong Retrieved June 9 2005. (TV Tome is now defunct; this links to Archive.org)
- American Dragon: Jake Long at TVRage.com