Danny Phantom

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Danny Phantom
DannyPhantomTitleCard.jpg
Genre Comedy
Teen drama
Superhero
Supernatural
Action-Adventure
Created by Butch Hartman
Developed by Steve Marmel
Voices of David Kaufman
Grey DeLisle
Rickey D'Shon Collins
Colleen O'Shaughnessey
Rob Paulsen
Kath Soucie
Martin Mull
Theme music composer Guy Moon and Butch Hartman
Opening theme "Danny Phantom", performed by Deric Battiste and Guy Moon
Ending theme "Danny Phantom" (instrumental)
Composer(s) Guy Moon
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 53 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Butch Hartman
Steve Marmel (season 1-2)
Mark Banker
Marty Isenberg (season 1-2)
Kevin Sullivan (season 3)
Producer(s) Bob Boyle (season 1)
Running time 22 minutes
Production company(s) Billionfold Inc.
Nickelodeon Animation Studios
Distributor Viacom International Inc (International)
Nelvana (Canada)
Release
Original network Nickelodeon
Picture format 480i (4:3 SDTV)
Audio format Dolby Digital 5.1
Original release April 3, 2004 (2004-04-03) – August 24, 2007
Chronology
Related shows T.U.F.F. Puppy
Bunsen Is a Beast
The Fairly OddParents
External links
Website www.nick.com/danny-phantom/

Danny Phantom is an American superhero animated series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It was produced by Billionfold Studios and distributed in Canada by Nelvana, a Canadian animation company. The series follows a teenage boy who, after an accident with an unpredictable portal between the human world and the "Ghost Zone", becomes a human-ghost hybrid and takes on the task of saving his town (and the world) from subsequent ghost attacks using an evolving variety of supernatural powers. He is aided in his quest by his two best friends, and later, his older sister, who for most of the series' run are among the only people who know of his double life.

The series premiered on April 3, 2004, its first episode airing after the 2004 Kids' Choice Awards, and ended on August 24, 2007, totalling 53 episodes over three seasons. Danny Phantom has received critical and audience acclaim, with praise primarily directed at its ensemble cast and comic book-influenced themes and storyline. Hartman himself has noted that the series is arguably his most popular and acclaimed work, despite its relatively short production life compared to The Fairly OddParents.[1] Danny Phantom has spawned video games, home video releases, as well as toys and various other merchandise.

Premise[edit]

Danny Phantom centers on the life and adventures of Daniel "Danny" Fenton, a 14-year-old boy living in the small town of Amity Park. He lives with his ghost-hunting parents, Maddie and Jack, and his overprotective but caring 16-year-old sister, Jazz (short for Jasmine). Upon pressure from his two best friends, Samantha "Sam" Manson and Tucker Foley, Danny decides to explore the Ghost Portal that his parents had created in an attempt to bridge the real world and the Ghost Zone (the parallel universe in which ghosts reside), that, when plugged in, failed to work. Once inside, he inadvertently presses the "On" button (which his parents failed to do), thus activating the Portal, and infusing his DNA with ectoplasm, transforming him into a half-ghost.[2]

Danny, who calls himself "Danny Phantom" in ghost form, develops the ability to fly, to become invisible, to become intangible, and to "overshadow" (possess and control) people after first learning how to switch back and forth at will between his ghost and human forms. Over time, he develops much stronger abilities, such as his Ghost Ray (a concentrated blast of energy he fires from his hand), his Ghostly Wail (an intensely powerful scream with sonic capabilities that knocks back anything caught in its path), and even cryokinesis. Danny is initially frightened by his new abilities and has little control over them, but he soon learns to use them to protect his town from malevolent ghosts. Danny turns to the life of a superhero, using his powers to rid his hometown from the various ghosts who plague it and are almost always brought into the world thanks to the sporadic activation of the Fentons' Ghost Portal. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz are Danny's primary allies in his ghost-fighting activities.[3]

Danny's ghost form is a polarization of what he looked like when he first entered the Ghost Portal. When he "goes ghost", his black hair turns white, his blue eyes turn green, and the black-and-white jumpsuit he was wearing during the accident appears in negative color, with the originally white areas of the suit appearing black, and vice versa. In the premiere episode of season two, a ghost grants Sam's inadvertent wish that she and Danny had never met; in consequence, Danny loses his ghost powers, as Sam had primarily been the one to persuade Danny to investigate the Portal in the first place, which led to the accident. Sam then persuades the now fully human Danny to regain his powers by re-enacting the accident. This time, before Danny enters the Portal, Sam replaces the logo of his dad's face on the jumpsuit (which she also had removed the first time, and if she hadn't, it would have been part of Danny's ghost form), with her newly designed "DP" fused-letter logo on the chest so that it appears when he goes ghost from then on.

Danny faces threats of many kinds, including vengeful ghost hunter Valerie Gray, who, for a short period of time, becomes his love interest,[4] an enemy half-ghost Vlad Masters, an old college friend of his father's and considered to be Danny's true arch-rival,[5] and even his own parents who, as ghost hunters, view Danny Phantom (and any other ghosts) as a menace to society. In addition, Danny tries to keep his secret safe from his classmates, teachers, and family. Throughout the series, Danny slowly realizes his own potential and his purpose, while both worlds slowly begin to accept him as their defender.[6]

Episodes[edit]

Main article: List of Danny Phantom episodes
Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 20 April 3, 2004 (2004-04-03) June 17, 2005 (2005-06-17)
2 20 June 24, 2005 (2005-06-24) June 9, 2006 (2006-06-09)
3 13 October 9, 2006 (2006-10-09) August 24, 2007 (2007-08-24)

Characters[edit]

Main article: List of Danny Phantom characters
  • Daniel "Danny" Fenton/Danny "Phantom" (voiced by David Kaufman) is the series' titular protagonist. Danny is a 14-year-old boy who gains ghost powers in a lab accident when he steps into and activates his parents' Ghost Portal. Now half-ghost, he chooses to use his powers to fight against malevolent ghosts who have begun to regularly escape the mysterious Ghost Zone and plague his hometown of Amity Park.[3] A rather unpopular student in high school along with his friends, Danny also faces the typical hardships of a teenager, but with the additional challenges of protecting Amity Park from frequent ghost attacks, learning to control his ghost powers, and maintaining his secret identity as "Danny Phantom." An ongoing story arc is his struggle to use his powers for the benefit of others rather than abuse them for his own needs, though he ultimately makes the right decision with the help of his friends. Danny can also be benevolent and decisive despite frequently struggling with his self-confidence. He a lover of science, especially astronomy, and aspires to become an astronaut.[6][7][8]
  • Samantha "Sam" Manson (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is Danny's female best friend and eventually girlfriend at the end of the series; she is also responsible for the accident in which Danny gains his powers. A strident individualist, Sam is a practitioner of a dramatized form of vegetarianism called "Ultra Recyclo-Vegetarianism"[3] (often generalized as "not eating anything that had a face"), a frequent protester for causes such as animal rights,[7] and a self-proclaimed goth. At first, she is Danny's best friend. Over time, however, her feelings for Danny begin to strengthen; she eventually falls in love with him but cannot bring herself to tell him for fear of ruining their friendship. Her patience pays off, as Danny secretly falls in love with her as well; they ultimately share their true feelings with each other and become a couple.[6][9][10]
  • Tucker Foley (voiced by Rickey D'Shon Collins) is Danny's male best friend, a nerdy teenager who is obsessed with technology and carries a PDA at all times. When not obsessing over gadgets, he obsesses over girls.[11] Like Sam, he shares in Danny's secret and often helps battle ghosts back into the Ghost Zone. He generally provides comic relief.[12] Tucker's gadgets sometimes seem redundant but, ironically, work well in the Ghost Zone or against ghosts. Tucker and Sam frequently handle the toils and triumphs of aiding Danny, especially when he's "going ghost."[13]
  • Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton (voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey) is Danny's somewhat overprotective but loving older sister, an intelligent and highly sociable overachiever who thinks of herself as an adult. Jazz considers her parents' obsession with ghosts a sign of needing psychological help.[3][14] She eventually learns about Danny's powers,[15] but chooses not to reveal her knowledge until he is ready to talk about them with her.
  • Jack Fenton (voiced by Rob Paulsen) is Danny and Jazz's father and Maddie's husband. Jack expresses an obsession with destroying ghosts, blindly holding the belief that all ghosts are evil and must be destroyed, including Danny Phantom.[16] He is generally incompetent in nature, but can be an effective fighter when provoked.[16][17][18] Jack cares about his family but does not know about Danny's powers.[3][14] He is almost never seen without his orange jumpsuit.
  • Maddie Fenton (voiced by Kath Soucie) is Danny and Jazz's mother and Jack's wife. She is a gifted genius and dedicated hunter of ghosts, though she usually aims to dissect and study them rather than destroy them.[14] A ninth-degree black belt, she is an excellent, competent fighter from whom Danny probably inherited his own talent for combat.[17][19] Like her husband, she does not know about Danny's powers and is almost never seen without her blue jumpsuit.
  • Vlad Plasmius (voiced by Martin Mull) is Danny's arch-nemesis throughout the series. Vlad had attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Jack and Maddie until Jack's prototype Ghost Portal beamed ecto-acne into Vlad's face, giving Vlad ghost powers and ruining his social life. Half-ghost for 20 years, Vlad has much more experience with his ghost powers than Danny. Vlad serves as the main antagonist throughout the entire series as he always tries to steal Maddie away from Jack and to persuade Danny to join his side and destroy his friends. He first appears in "Bitter Reunions."

Home media[edit]

VHS[edit]

Title Released
"Classes of Ghostes!" March 15, 2005
"Teacher of the Year", "Parental Bonding", "Splitting Images", "My Brother's Keeper"
"Spooky Ghost" April 12, 2005
"Control Freaks", "Prisoners of Love", "What You Want", "Bitter Reunions", "13"
"Fighting Ghost" July 26, 2005
"Life Lessons", "Lucky in Love", "Fanning the Flames", "Doctor's Disorders"
"Reign Storm" December 13, 2005
"Reign Storm"
"Superhero Danny" June 6, 2006
"Identity Crisis", "Kindred Spirits", "Masters of All Time", "Micro-Management", "Flirting With Disaster"

DVD's[edit]

Title Released
"Classes of Ghostes!" March 15, 2005
December 24, 2013 (re-release)
"Teacher of the Year", "Parental Bonding", "Splitting Images", "My Brother's Keeper", "Public Enemies", "Shades of Gray", "Mystery Meat" and "One of a Kind"
"Spooky Ghost" April 12, 2005
December 24, 2013 (re-release)
"Control Freaks", "Prisoners of Love", "What You Want", "Bitter Reunions", "13", "Attack of the Killer Garage Sale", "The Million Dollar Ghost" and "Maternal Instincts"
"Fighting Ghost" July 26, 2005
December 24, 2013 (re-release)
"Life Lessons", "Lucky in Love", "Fanning the Flames", "Doctor's Disorders", "Memory Blank", "Pirate Radio" and "Fright Night"
"Regin Storm" December 13, 2005
"Regin Storm", "The Fenton Menace", "The Fright Before Christmas" "Secret Weapons"
and a Bonus Episode from Special Features "The Ultimate Enemy"
"Superhero Danny" June 6, 2006
"Identity Crisis", "Kindred Spirits", "Masters of All Time", "Micro-Management" and "Flirting With Disaster"
"Public Enemies" September 11, 2007
"Eye for an Eye", "Livin' Large", "D-Stabilized", "Boxed Up Fury", "Urban Jungle", "Girls Night Out" and "Infinite Realms"
"The Phantom Planet" March 11, 2008
"Phantom Planet"
"The Adventures of Danny Phantom" August 19, 2008
"Claw of the Wild", "Forever Phantom", "Frightmare" and "Torrent of Terror"
"Reaillty Trip" September 23, 2008
"Double Cross My Heart", "King Tuck", "Beauty Marked" and "Reaillty Trip",

Danny Phantom first appeared on DVD in the Nick Picks DVD sets, appearing in all five volumes[20][21][22] and the Christmas special.[23] Nickelodeon and Amazon.com later struck a deal to produce DVDs of various Nickelodeon shows. Amazon made the discs, cover art and disc art, and released Danny Phantom Season One and Two on Sept 16.[24]

Despite its claim, each set only contains thirteen episodes each, the first set including the first thirteen episodes and the second set continuing with the next thirteen. The third Danny Phantom DVD was released on June 9.[25] This set contains the entirety of Season Three, rather than the previous thirteen episode sets, skipping over the rest of Season Two. Later editions of the first two seasons contained the entire first and second seasons of Danny Phantom and was released in Nov. 2009. Those, and all the other episodes, can be found on iTunes.

Amazon has now discontinued the Create Space DVD releases with the announcement of Shout! Factory releasing their own DVD sets.

On March 22, 2011, it was announced that Shout! Factory had secured the home video rights to the series from Nickelodeon.[26] They released Season 1 in a 4-disc set on September 13, 2011.[27] Season 2: Part 1 was released in a 2-disc set on April 3, 2012.[28] Season 2: Part 2 was released on August 28, 2012.[29]

Shout Factory Releases Release Date Discs Episodes
Season 1 September 13, 2011 4 20
Season 2: Part 1
Season 2: Part 2		 April 3, 2012
August 28, 2012		 2
2		 10
10
Season 3 October 14, 2014[30] 2 13
The Complete Series January 28, 2014[31] 9 53

Nick Picks releases[edit]

DVD name Release date Ep# Title
Nick Picks Vol. 1 May 24, 2005 1x07 Bitter Reunions
Nick Picks Vol. 2 October 18, 2005 1x05 Splitting Images
Nick Picks Vol. 3 February 7, 2006 1x15 Fright Night
Nick Picks Vol. 4 June 6, 2006 1x12 Teacher of the Year
Nick Picks Holiday September 26, 2006 2x11 The Fright Before Christmas
Nick Picks Vol. 5 March 13, 2007 1x11 Fanning the Flames
Nick Picks Vol. 6 N/A 2x02 Doctor's Disorders

Video games[edit]

There have been two video games released for the series. Danny Phantom: The Ultimate Enemy (for the Game Boy Advance) was made to promote the then upcoming special "The Ultimate Enemy" with the main gameplay consisting of events from the TV movie. It is a 2D platformer and was released in Sept. 8, 2005.[32] Danny Phantom: Urban Jungle for both the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS was to promote the Danny Phantom episode "Urban Jungle". It is loosely based on the episode and is strictly a shooter game. It was released Sept. 19, 2006.[33]

Danny plays one of the main heroes in the Nicktoons Unite! series, appearing in all four games across multiple platforms, Nicktoons Unite!, Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island, Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots, and SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom.

Danny and other characters have also been featured in other Nickelodeon crossover video games: Nicktoons MLB, Nicktoons: Summer Camp, Nicktoons Basketball for the PC, and Nicktoons Movin' Eyetoy for the (PlayStation 2). He is a playable character in the kart racer Nicktoons Winners Cup Racing (PC) and the latter Nicktoons Nitro developed by Raw Thrills for the arcade.[34] Nicktoons: Freeze Frame Frenzy for the (Game Boy Advance), and Nicktoons: Android Invasion (LeapFrog Didj).

Danny Phantom has appeared in two mobile games, Nicktoons Mini Golf (USA, www.nick.com) and Danny Phantom: El secuestro de Jazz, available only in Chile.

Cast[edit]

Main cast[edit]

Additional cast[edit]

Internet short and possible revival[edit]

For years following the series' end, Hartman has teased fans of Danny Phantom of a possible sequel or reboot of the franchise. In August 2016, on YouTube, Hartman released concept artwork for a potential revival while alluding to ideas about what has happened to the characters over the last 10 years.[35] In May 2017, Hartman released a second video containing more concept art for characters from the show 10 years later.[36] Love for the series has also sparked a social media campaign, "#GoGhostAgain," dedicated to bringing back the series after its ten-year cancellation.

On February 21, 2017, Nickelodeon released an online animated Danny Phantom short, "The Fairly Odd Phantom," a crossover featuring characters from The Fairly OddParents, T.U.F.F. Puppy, and Bunsen Is a Beast.[37] Following the success of the short, Butch Hartman released an exclusive crossover comic, "Fairly Odd Phantom," based on the short at San Diego Comic-Con 2017.

Spiritual successor series[edit]

On July 20, 2017, Butch Hartman announced that he was working on a Danny Phantom-like show for YouTube. It is unknown when the series will be released. This series will also serve as a spiritual successor to Danny Phantom. Hartman stated that “I’m working on a series right now that will only be available on YouTube,” Hartman said. “It’s going to be a little bit of anime, a little bit in the Danny Phantom range. It won’t be Danny Phantom, of course, but it will be a show like that. It’s still a ways away and we’re putting the pieces together, but the Butch Hartman channel is going to be where I’m bringing more of my series.”[38]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "DANNY PHANTOM IS GOIN' GHOST! BUTCH TELLS ALL ABOUT DANNY PHANTOM!". YouTube. Retrieved 25 April 2016. 
  2. ^ "Memory Blank. Director: Butch Hartman, Ken Bruce, Gary Conrad; Writer: Steve Marmel.". Danny Phantom. Season 2. Episode 21. 2005-06-24. Nickelodeon. 
  3. ^ a b c d e "Mystery Meat. Director: Butch Hartman; Writer: Butch Hartman, Mark Banner, Steve Marmel.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 01. 2004-04-03. Nickelodeon. 
  4. ^ "Shades of Gray. Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Juli Hashiguchi; Writer: Sib Ventress.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 10. 2004-09-24. Nickelodeon. 
  5. ^ "Bitter Reunions. Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Juli Hashiguchi; Writer: Steve Marmel, Sib Ventress.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 07. 2004-05-08. Nickelodeon. 
  6. ^ a b c "Reign Storm. Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Kevin Petrilak; Writer: Steve Marmel.". Danny Phantom. Season 2. Episode 24/25. 2005-07-29. Nickelodeon. 
  7. ^ a b "Splitting Images. Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Richard Bowman; Writer: Marty Isenberg.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 05. 2004-04-24. Nickelodeon. 
  8. ^ "The Ultimate Enemy. Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Kevin Petrilak; Writer: Marty Isenberg, Steve Marmel, Sib Ventress.". Danny Phantom. Season 5. Episode 28/29. 2005-09-16. Nickelodeon. 
  9. ^ "Lucky in Love. Director: Butch Hartman, Gary Conrad, Ken Bruce; Writer: Sib Ventress.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 17. 2005-02-11. Nickelodeon. 
  10. ^ "Flirting with Disaster. Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Kevin Petrilak; Writer: Steve Marmel.". Danny Phantom. Season 2. Episode 32. 2006-01-13. Nickelodeon. 
  11. ^ "Parental Bonding. Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Sean Dempsey; Writer: Steve Marmel, Sib Ventress.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 02. 2005-04-07. Nickelodeon. 
  12. ^ "Torrent of Terror. Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Gary Conrad; Writer: Butch Hartman, Sib Ventress.". Danny Phantom. Season 3. Episode 44. 2007-07-11. Nickelodeon. 
  13. ^ "Kindred Spirits"
  14. ^ a b c "One of a Kind. Director: Butch Hartman; Writer: Butch Hartman, Mark Banner, Steve Marmel.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 03. 2004-04-10. Nickelodeon. 
  15. ^ "My Brother's Keeper. Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Juli Hashiguchi; Writer: Sib Ventress.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 09. 2004-06-25. Nickelodeon. 
  16. ^ a b "The Million Dollar Ghost. Director: Butch Hartman, Ken Bruce, Gary Conrad; Writer: Sib Ventress.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 19. 2005-06-03. Nickelodeon. 
  17. ^ a b "Maternal Instincts. Director: Butch Hartman, Gary Conrad, Juli Hashiguchi; Writer: Sib Ventress.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 16. 2005-02-18. Nickelodeon. 
  18. ^ "Girls' Night Out. Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Gary Conrad; Writer: Kevin Sullivan.". Danny Phantom. Season 3. Episode 43. 2007-07-10. Nickelodeon. 
  19. ^ "Public Enemies. Ghost Director: Butch Hartman, Wincat Alcala, Juli Hashiguch; Writer: Steve Marmel, Sib Ventress.". Danny Phantom. Season 1. Episode 14. 2005-02-04. Nickelodeon. 
  20. ^ Amazon.com: Nick Picks Boxed Set (Vol, 1-3): Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Dee Bradley Baker, Mr. Lawrence, Carolyn Lawrence, Sirena Irwin, Jill Ta...
  21. ^ Amazon.com: Nick Picks, Vol. 4: Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Dee Bradley Baker, Mr. Lawrence, Carolyn Lawrence, Sirena Irwin, Jill Talley, Mary Jo...
  22. ^ Amazon.com: Nick Picks, Vol. 5: Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Dee Bradley Baker, Mr. Lawrence, Carolyn Lawrence, Sirena Irwin, Jill Talley, Mary Jo...
  23. ^ Amazon.com: Nick Picks - Holiday: Elizabeth Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, Nancy Cartwright, Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Dee Bradley Baker, Mr. Lawr...
  24. ^ Site News DVD news: Amazon and Nickelodeon/Paramount Strike Deal for Burn-on-Demand Titles | TVShowsOnDVD.com
  25. ^ Danny Phantom DVD news: Release Date for Danny Phantom - Season 3 | TVShowsOnDVD.com
  26. ^ The Wild Thornberrys DVD news: Press Release for The Wild Thornberrys - Season 1 | TVShowsOnDVD.com
  27. ^ Danny Phantom DVD news: Announcement for Danny Phantom - Season 1 (general retail) | TVShowsOnDVD.com
  28. ^ Amazon.com: Danny Phantom: Season 2, Part 1: Movies & TV
  29. ^ Danny Phantom DVD news: Announcement for Danny Phantom - Season 2, Part 2 | TVShowsOnDVD.com
  30. ^ [1]
  31. ^ [2]
  32. ^ Search Reviews, Articles, People, Trailers and more at Metacritic - Metacritic
  33. ^ Danny Phantom: Urban Jungle for DS Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More - Metacritic
  34. ^ Games | Raw Thrills, Inc
  35. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJN2R1QfmkY
  36. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXpow35PuD8
  37. ^ Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, T.U.F.F. Puppy & Bunsen is a Beast | The Fairly Odd Phantom Short
  38. ^ https://www.polygon.com/2017/7/20/16003066/danny-phantom-series-youtube-butch-hartman

External links[edit]

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