Amazing Animals
Educational nature series featuring Henry the Lizard and an unseen narrator.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Amazing Animals, also known as *Henry's Amazing Animals* for home video, is an educational children's television series that blends animation with nature footage. Produced by Dorling Kindersley Vision and Partridge Films in partnership with the Disney Channel, it first aired on that network in 1996 and later on Canada's Family Channel. The series was also released on VHS. Its central characters are Henry, a green, CGI-animated lizard with yellow spots, and an off-screen narrator.
The show's structure revolves around Henry, who is enthusiastic but often foolish and uninformed about the episode's topic. Each installment follows a theme, such as prehistoric animals, with Henry traveling through time in a machine. He typically faces a predicament or task related to the theme, which he resolves by the end, often learning a lesson. Episodes mix segments featuring Henry, narrated video clips of real animals (with Henry commenting), and short cartoons with recurring unnamed animal characters.
Two regular segments appear in most episodes: "Henry's Report" and "The Golden Gecko Awards." In the report, Henry presents a comical and usually wildly inaccurate school or news report, which the Narrator then corrects. The Golden Gecko Awards feature Henry selecting three animals related to the episode's subject and giving them awards, generally more sincerely than his reports. Henry narrates this segment and often grows annoyed when the Narrator interrupts him. "Henry's Report" appeared in every episode, while "Underground Animals" was the only episode without the Golden Gecko Awards.
Henry (voiced by Eric Meyers) is the main protagonist—a small green lizard with yellow spots and yellow eyes. He is portrayed as immature and ignorant of the episode's subject, usually failing at his attempts, though he occasionally proves clever and is an inventor. He often refers to lizards in the video segments as his cousins, such as Monty the Monitor Lizard, and his favorite food is pizza. The Narrator (voiced by Tom Clarke-Hill in the US and Nigel Greaves in the UK) is never seen and rarely named. He serves as a wise, knowledgeable foil, correcting Henry's reports and using dry sarcasm and seriousness to counter Henry's immaturity. Another recurring character is a crab named Crabby (vocal effects by Fred Newman), whom Henry met at the seashore and who se
- original_broadcast
- 1996
Lore & Background
Each episode of Amazing Animals is made up of sections in which Henry is featured, video sequences of animals narrated by the off-screen narrator with replies by Henry, and cartoons featuring recurring unnamed cartoon animals. Two recurring segments are 'Henry's Report' and 'The Golden Gecko Awards'. Early episodes depicted Henry's Report as a school report, though later episodes changed it to a news report; the report is comical and almost always wildly inaccurate, with correct information given by the Narrator after the report. In the Golden Gecko Awards, Henry picks three animals relating to the subject and presents them with awards, typically more genuine than his report. Henry's Report occurred in every episode; the only episode that did not have the Golden Gecko Awards was 'Underground Animals'.
Reader's Guide
Amazing Animals represents a notable entry in 1990s educational children's programming, blending live-action animal footage with CGI animation and comedic segments. Its format—combining factual narration with a fictional lizard protagonist—aimed to engage young viewers while delivering natural history content. The show's structure, including recurring segments like the inaccurate 'Henry's Report' and the 'Golden Gecko Awards', provided a consistent framework for learning. The series was produced by Dorling Kindersley Vision and Partridge Films, reflecting a collaboration between a publishing house and a wildlife film company. Its availability on VHS and broadcast on the Disney Channel and Family Channel helped reach a wide audience. The show's legacy includes an educational computer game and a board game, 'The Really Amazing Animal Game', though the board game was shortly discontinued.
Did You Know?
- Henry the Lizard is a green CGI anthropomorphic lizard with yellow spots.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Amazing Animals?
Amazing Animals is a 1996 educational children's series that blends CGI animation with real nature footage to teach young viewers about wildlife. It was produced by Dorling Kindersley Vision and Partridge Films for the Disney Channel and later aired on Canada's Family Channel.
Who is Henry the Lizard and what role does he play?
Henry is a green, purple-spotted CGI lizard who serves as the show's on-screen host, enthusiastically introducing each episode's animal topic. Voiced by Eric Meyers, he is written as eager but frequently misinformed, which naturally sets up the factual segments.
Who narrates Amazing Animals?
An off-screen narrator delivers the educational information alongside Henry, voiced by Tom Clarke-Hill in the US version and Nigel Greaves in the UK version. This unseen narrator is the primary source of the show's factual content.
What is the difference between Amazing Animals and Henry's Amazing Animals?
They are the same program; 'Henry's Amazing Animals' is simply the title used for the VHS home-video releases, while the broadcast version aired under the shorter name 'Amazing Animals.'
Why is Amazing Animals notable in children's television history?
It was among the early educational series to pair a CGI-animated character with live-action nature footage, making wildlife concepts accessible to preschool and early-elementary audiences. Its 1996 Disney Channel debut helped popularize that blended format for a generation of young viewers.
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