The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo

The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo
Created by Jean Mathieson
Al Guest
Written by John Sone
Richard Oleksiak
Jean Mathieson
Al Guest
Dave Cox
Don Gillis
Directed by Jean Mathieson
Al Guest
Voices of Len Carlson
Billie Mae Richards
Country of origin Canada
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 78
Production
Producer(s) Jean Mathieson
Al Guest
Camera setup Kim Barnard
Dave Pauloff
Running time 5 minutes
Production company(s) Rainbow Animation
Release
Original network CBC (Canada)
CBS (United States)
Original release 1975

The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo is a Canadian animated television series of five-minute cartoons produced in 1975 by Rainbow Animation in Toronto, Ontario. The series follows the underwater adventures of Captain Mark Nemo and his two young assistants, Christine and Robbie, in their nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus.

Background

In the fall of 1975, children in the United States and Canada were introduced to the animated series The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo. In America, Captain Nemo was introduced as part of the long-running children's program Captain Kangaroo on CBS. In Canada, one five-minute Captain Nemo cartoon was shown during each episode of Peanuts and Popcorn on CBC Television.

Created by Al Guest & Jean Mathieson, who were also the producers and directors as well as writers, it was produced by their studio, Rainbow Animation of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo was a fanciful re-imagining of the original Jules Verne character Captain Nemo, from his book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

This time, Nemo was depicted as an ocean researcher named Mark Nemo. Blonde and hunky, Mark travelled the world's oceans doing scientific research, providing assistance to both humans and animals and thwarting evil doers. Along for the ride came two kids, Christine and Robbie, who learned (along with the viewers) about life beneath the sea as they went.

These cartoons were quite short, exactly five minutes in length (30 seconds of which was the opening). Besides being educational, these cartoons are an insight into some of the philosophy around children's education of the mid 70's. Each episode would attempt to convey some information about oceanography or marine biology, and all of the plot lines would be resolved cleanly in five minutes without resorting to much violence.

At times, Captain Nemo reflects the influence of the 1970s environmental movement, but the sometimes serious attempts to convey environmentalist themes are softened by its lighthearted style.

Voice cast

Episodes

Airdates for the episodes are unknown, nor is this a confirmed airing order. The following are the synopses Magic Shadows Inc. provides in the syndication package for Captain Nemo:

  1. Rescue of a Killer: Nemo and crew save a killer whale trapped under a cable.
  2. Battle of the Giants: Chris and Robbie accidentally become involved in a battle between a giant squid and a sperm whale.
  3. Poachers of the Deep: The Nautilus intervenes to save a herd of singing humpback whales from brutal poachers.
  4. Jaws of Death: A shark menaces a lost baby blue whale.
  5. Monsters on the Beach: The Nautilus must act quickly to keep a herd of pilot whales from beaching themselves.
  6. The Invisible Girl: Chris is forced to pioneer a new shark repellent device.
  7. Deadly Ribbons: Eels become a danger to the Nautilus when it accidentally intrudes on their grounds.
  8. The Floating Peril: The crew of the Nautilus explore the strange life in the Sargasso Sea.
  9. Guess What's Coming For Dinner: Nemo rescues Robbie when an experiment with sharks gets out of hand.
  10. Killer from the Past: The Nautilus faces a dangerous World War II magnetic mine.
  11. The Golden Trap: The Nautilus finds sunken treasure, but it is guarded by vicious moray eels.
  12. The Floating Gold Mine: An experimental sea-gold refining ship is attacked by pirates.
  13. The Tuna Trapper: An ingenious but illegal way to harvest fish is foiled by the crew of the Nautilus.
  14. The Fish Bomber: A wealthy collector who illegally bombs fish to add to his collection, has the tables turned on him.
  15. The Devil's Doorway: The Nautilus is trapped by an undersea volcano.
  16. The Coral Maze: The Nautilus is lost in an underwater labyrinth.
  17. The Mine at the Bottom of the Sea: Mining manganese nodules becomes hazardous when the kids' mini-sub becomes disabled.
  18. Wild Water and Oil: An oil rig's submersible repair craft is trapped under the rig during a storm.
  19. The Silver Sea: Observing the chaos of the food chain from an open boat becomes dangerous.
  20. The Ice Menagerie: On a snowmobile exploration of the Arctic, the crew of the Nautilus must race a polar bear to reach safety.
  21. Behind Bars: The Nautilus saves an injured dolphin from a ravenous pack of sharks.
  22. Shark Patrol: Specially trained dolphins guarding a bathing beach, fight off sharks.
  23. Dolphin Express: Only a dolphin can get to the surface and back with support gear fast enough to save a diver.
  24. Collision at Sea: The Nautilus becomes a life jacket for an injured whale.
  25. Eyes of the Deep: The crew of the Nautilus investigates the monsters that live in the deeper parts of the sea.
  26. The Bloodhound of the Sea: During an experiment, Robbie has to ward off a hungry hammerhead shark with his bare hands.
  27. The Arab Solution: Trapped in treacherous coral reefs with an monsoon approaching, Robbie and Chris have to think quickly to save the Nautilus.
  28. The Undersea Looters: A search for ghosts leads to ruins of Carthage.
  29. Shadow of Death: A sea leopard stalks the crew of the Nautilus under the ice.
  30. The Pearl Snatchers: Mysterious thefts of cultured pearls at an oyster farm.
  31. Circle of Fire: Lava from a volcano menaces an Icelandic village and only the Nautilus stands in its path.
  32. Rapture of the Deep: Robbie goes after a coelacanth and develops Nitrogen narcosis when he goes too deep.
  33. Fish Farm: The Nautilus investigates a case of deliberate pollution and encounters the largest shark in the world.
  34. Cool It, Captain: An emergency forces the Nautilus to hijack an iceberg.
  35. The Little Island: What is the secret of the ancient gold coins found by the islanders?
  36. Mystery Island: The Nautilus plans to sink an island.
  37. All That Glitters: The Nautilus tries to recover a cargo of valuable medicine from a sunken ship full of explosives.
  38. Queen of the Deep: A mysterious force pulls Chris helplessly into a cave full of sharks.
  39. Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River: A diver is pinned under a container that holds radioactive materials.
  40. The Big Prize: The crew of the Nautilus is honored by the Save the Whale foundation.
  41. Go Fetch, Killer: Trained killer whales display their abilities.
  42. Dangerous Welcome: A giant squid menaces the recovery of a group of astronauts.
  43. Mystery Triangle: The Nautilus investigates the Bermuda Triangle.
  44. The Meteorite Shower: Mating sea snakes complicate the retrieval of a meteorite.
  45. Snake Charmer: Chris attracts a deadly admirer.
  46. Haul Away Joe: A valuable research submarine disappears.
  47. See Through Killer: Robbie has an encounter with a fatal sea wasp.
  48. The Shark Catalog: The Nautilus takes a look at some of the strangest sharks in the world.
  49. The Blue Hole: A small plane goes down in a lake in the middle of the ocean.
  50. Undersea Flyer: Mark, Chris and Robbie save a rare leatherback turtle.
  51. The Five-Armed Thief: A plague of starfish descend on an oyster bed.
  52. The Greatest Predator: The crew of the Nautilus sees the results of man's effect on his environment.
  53. Getting Ahead: While testing new thermal diving suits in the Arctic, Robbie and Chris lose their way under the ice.
  54. Everybody Does It: Why is Mark sending the Nautilus on a collision course with an island?
  55. When Right is Wrong: Poachers hunting the protected right whale are pursued by the Nautilus.
  56. The Invisible Wave: The hunter becomes the hunted when the Nautilus, trapped in an underwater landfall, is at the mercy of desperate diamond thieves.
  57. Earthquake Hunters: It's a bad time for Robbie's radio to break down when he gets his foot caught in a giant clam.
  58. The Cloud Under the Sea: The Nautilus creates its own whirlpool to save a kelp farm.
  59. The Haunted Habitat: Mark, Robbie and Chris turn into ghost hunters at a haunted sea lab.
  60. Saved by a Whisker: Help comes from an unexpected source when the crew of the Nautilus is menaced by walruses.
  61. When You've Got to Glow: Teenagers swimming near a nuclear power plant develop a strange glow.
  62. Hawksbill Hero: Mark makes his acting debut to save the hawksbill turtle.
  63. Charlie to the Rescue: Tables are turned when Chris is saved by a dolphin.
  64. The Penguins of Paradise Harbor: Man-eating leopard seals menacing a colony of penguins.
  65. The Mermaid of Key West: Robbie and Chris look for mermaids off the Florida Keys.
  66. Flight from the Swordfish: A swordfish attacks the mini-sub with Chris and Robbie inside.
  67. Heads or Tails: The crew of the Nautilus discover the world's only bullet-proof fish.
  68. The Loch Ness Monster: Robbie is sure he and Chris have found the Loch Ness Monster.
  69. The Sunken Fleet of Truk Lagoon: Danger still lurks in the graveyard of World War II ships.
  70. Undersea Hitch-hiker: Study of the remora fish takes the Nautilus into the middle of a school of sharks.
  71. Sitting on a Fortune: The Nautilus crew discovers treasure worth millions of dollars.
  72. The Ice Trap: A fleet of whaling ships find themselves mysteriously sealed up in the middle of an iceberg.
  73. Turtle Farm: The crew of the Nautilus discover a plan to save the sea turtle.
  74. Now You See It, Now You Don't: Things are seldom what they seem, under the ocean.
  75. The Yellow Flood: Millions of poisonous sea snakes are sighted off the coast of a Jamaican resort.
  76. The Tunas of Taranto: Robbie is almost taken for a tuna when he stumbles into some fishing nets.
  77. The Hidden World: Mark shows Chris and Robbie the secrets of hidden marine life.
  78. The Green Ghost: Mysterious holograms from the Nautilus save a new generation of the green sea turtle.

DVD releases

Digiview Entertainment have released a total of 48 episodes on DVD in a series of four volumes. Digiview Entertainment's releases are found in thin-cases and made available through Walmart and Amazon.com where each DVD, containing 12 episodes per volume, retailed for $1.00 a piece.

References

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