H2O: Just Add Water

H2O: Just Add Water
Also known as H2O
Genre
Created by Jonathan M. Shiff
Directed by
Starring
Theme music composer Shelley Rosenberg
Opening theme
Ending theme "No Ordinary Girl"
Composer(s)
Country of origin Australia
Original language(s) English
No. of series 3
No. of episodes 78 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Jonathan M. Shiff
  • Kay Ben M'Rad (series 1)
  • Julia Adams (series 2–3)
Producer(s)
  • Jonathan M. Shiff
  • Joanna Werner
Editor(s)
  • Geoff Lamb
  • Strutts Psyridis
  • Philip Watts
Cinematography
  • Bruce Phillips (series 1)
  • Zenon Sawko (series 2–3)
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 23–25 minutes
Production company(s) Jonathan M. Shiff Productions
Distributor ZDF Enterprises
Release
Original network Network Ten
Picture format PAL (576i); HDTV (720p/1080i)
Audio format Surround sound
Original release 7 July 2006 (2006-07-07) – 16 April 2010 (2010-04-16)
Chronology
Related shows

H2O: Just Add Water, also known as H2O, is an Australian dramatic fantasy television programme for children and teenagers created by Jonathan M. Shiff. It first screened on Australia's Network Ten and runs in syndication on channels in over 120 countries and has a worldwide audience of more than 250 million.[1][2] It was filmed on location at Sea World and other locations on the Gold Coast. The show's premise revolves around three teenage girls facing everyday teen problems with an added twist: they're mermaids with powers over water. The theme song "No Ordinary Girl" is performed by Ellie Henderson in series one, by Kate Alexa in series two and by Indiana Evans in series three.

Only two series with a total of 52 episodes were originally planned, but due to popular demand, a third and final series was filmed. Series one premiered in July 2006, followed by series two in September 2007. Series three first aired in the United Kingdom in October 2009, with the Australian premiere occurring in May 2010.

Plot

Rikki Chadwick, Emma Gilbert, and Cleo Sertori are three sixteen-year-old Australian girls who find themselves stranded on the mysterious Mako Island. They eventually find themselves in a pool under a dormant volcano just as a full moon passes overhead, bathing the pool in light. The girls are rescued and brought back to shore where they return to their normal lives, but soon discover their lives have become anything but normal. The girls find out that seconds after contact with water, they transform into mermaids. After further experimentation, the girls also discover they have supernatural powers over water. The trio enlist the help of Cleo's friend Lewis McCartney to help them keep their secret.

Everyday situations, such as bathing and rain, become tricky as the girls struggle to cope with their newfound abilities, which have many advantages and disadvantages, while also trying to keep them a secret from everyone else, including their families. They soon adapt to their new abilities and lifestyles.

Series two introduces Charlotte Watsford, a rival to Cleo after taking Lewis as her boyfriend. She gains mermaid powers and becomes the main antagonist of series two. She has all three of the mermaids' powers. In the end, Charlotte loses both her powers and Lewis.

Series three sees the departure of Emma, who has left to travel the world with her parents, and the arrival of Bella Hartley, who has been a mermaid since the age of nine. Rikki and Cleo become friends with Bella, but are soon beset by a mysterious tentacle of water with a connection to Mako Island. A new boy, Will Benjamin, also arrives and become friends with the trio when he discovers that they are mermaids. The girls learn that Earth is in the path of a comet that could destroy the planet. Using their powers, they manage to stop the comet from colliding with Earth.

Cast

Main

Supporting

Episodes

Series Episodes Originally aired
Series premiere Series finale
1 26 7 July 2006 (2006-07-07) 29 December 2006 (2006-12-29)
2 26 28 September 2007 (2007-09-28) 21 March 2008 (2008-03-21)
3 26 26 October 2009 (2009-10-26) (UK) 16 April 2010 (2010-04-16) (UK)

Development and production

There are three different types of mermaid tails used on the show: custom-fitted tails that the girls swim in, a "floppy tail" used for stationary shots, and a "hard tail" for stunts. The custom costumes took six months to build, with the tails and tops made from body casts and comprising individually hand-crafted scales. The finished product weighs between 12 and 15 kilograms (26 and 33 lb). Inside the tail are leg straps where the girls are strapped up and then zipped up. Once in costume, the girls have to be lifted into the water. Attempts were made to minimise the on-screen visibility of the zips on the tails, such as adding extra scales and crafting a ridge of material around the length of the zip. The tail fin itself was designed with a foot pedal to assist the actresses with swimming. This, along with the fin, adds some 60 centimetres (2 ft) to the length of the costume.

Multimedia

DVD releases

All series have been released on DVD in Region 4 PAL format. Series one comprises six individual DVD sets released between September 2007 and November 2008, and a complete series set released in June 2009. Series two comprises three individual sets released between February and September 2009, and a complete series set released in November 2009. Series three comprises two individual sets released in July and September 2012, with a complete series released in December 2012.

A complete series DVD set was also released in Region 1 NTSC format on 6 November 2012.[4]

Title Release date Episodes
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 1
12 September 2007 1."Metamorphosis", 2."Pool Party", 3."Catch of the Day", 4."Party Girls"
  • Special features: series one trailer, profiles of main characters
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 2
12 September 2007 5."Something Fishy", 6."Young Love", 7."Moon Spell", 8."The Denman Affair"
  • Special features: photo gallery of series one
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 3
5 March 2008 9."Dangerous Waters", 10."Sink or Swim", 11."The Camera Never Lies", 12."The Siren Effect"
  • Special features: character profiles of Emma, Cleo, Rikki, Lewis and Zane
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 4
7 May 2008 13."Shipwrecked", 14."Surprise!", 15."The Big Chill", 16."Lovesick"
  • Special features: H2O quiz game
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 5
9 July 2008 17."Under the Weather", 18."Bad Moon Rising", 19."Hurricane Angela", 20."Hook, Line and Sinker", 21."Red Herring"
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series One: Volume 6
5 November 2008 22."Fish Out of Water", 23."In Too Deep", 24."Love Potion #9", 25."Dr Danger", 26."A Twist in the Tail"
H2O: Just Add Water:
Complete Series One
2 June 2009 All episodes of series one
  • Special features: H2O quiz game, character profiles of Emma, Cleo, Rikki, Lewis and Zane, photo gallery of series one, series one trailer, profiles of main characters
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series 2: Volume 1
27 January 2009 1."Stormy Weather", 2."Control", 3."The One That Got Away", 4."Fire and Ice", 5."Hocus Pocus", 6."Pressure Cooker", 7."In Hot Water", 8."Wrong Side of the Tracks"
  • Special features: series one telemovie, series two trailer
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series 2: Volume 2
2 June 2009 9."Riding For a Fall", 10."Missed the Boat", 11."In Over Our Heads", 12."Fish Fever", 13."Moonwalker", 14."Get Off My Tail", 15."Irresistible", 16."Double Trouble", 17."Moonstruck"
  • Special features: photo gallery of series two
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series 2: Volume 3
2 September 2009 18."The Heat is On", 19."The Gracie Code (Part 1)", 20."The Gracie Code (Part 2)", 21."And Then There Were Four", 22."Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble", 23."Reckless", 24."Three's Company", 25."Sea Change", 26."Unfathomable"
  • Special features: behind the scenes special
H2O: Just Add Water:
Complete Series Two
4 November 2009 All episodes of series two
  • Special features: series one telemovie, series two trailer, photo gallery of series two, behind-the-scenes special
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series 3: Volume 1
27 June 2012 1."The Awakening", 2."Jungle Hunt", 3."Keep Your Enemies Close", 4."Valentine's Day", 5."Big Ideas", 6."Secrets & Lies", 7."Happy Families", 8."Kidnapped", 9."The Sorcerer's Apprentice", 10."Revealed", 11."Just a Girl At Heart", 12."Crime & Punishment", 13."To Have & To Hold Back", 14."Mermaid Magic"
H2O: Just Add Water:
Series 3: Volume 2
5 September 2012 15."Power Play", 16."The Dark Side", 17."A Magnetic Attraction", 18."Into The Light", 19."Breakaway", 20."Queen For A Day", 21."The Jewel Thief", 22."Mako Masters", 23."Beach Party", 24."Too Close For Comfort", 25."A Date With Destiny", 26."Graduation"
  • Special features: behind the scenes special
H2O: Just Add Water:
Complete Series Three
3 December 2012 All episodes of series three
  • Special features: behind the scenes special
H2O: Just Add Water:
Complete Series
3 December 2012 All three series in one box
  • Special features: bonus features known from previous releases

Soundtracks

An official soundtrack for series two of the show, titled H2O: Just Add Water and recorded by singer Kate Alexa, was first released on 10 September 2007 in Australia on Liberation Records and has since been made available worldwide. Its lead track, "No Ordinary Girl", is the theme song for the show.

A second soundtrack, featuring music from series three, was first released on iTunes on 17 February 2011[5] and later worldwide in March 2011. It is also titled H2O: Just Add Water and was recorded by actress Indiana Evans.[6]

Books

Several children's books have been released by Nickelodeon UK:[7]

  1. No Ordinary Girl – 2 February 2009
  2. Living with Secrets – 2 February 2009
  3. Fishy Business – 5 May 2009
  4. A Sleepover Tail – 6 July 2009
  5. Sequins for Sea Queens – 7 January 2010
  6. First Crush – 29 April 2010
  7. Moon Spell – 5 August 2010
  8. Testing Times – 6 January 2011
  9. Hot Stuff – 9 June 2011
  10. In Too Deep – 4 August 2011
  11. Mermaid Emotions – 27 October 2011
  12. Siren Status – 2 February 2012

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2007 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards Best TV Show[1] H2O: Just Add Water Nominated
Logie Awards Most Outstanding Children's Program[8] H2O: Just Add Water Nominated
2008 AFI Awards Best Visual Effects[9] H2O: Just Add Water Won
Best Children's Television Drama[10] H2O: Just Add Water Nominated
Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama[10] Phoebe Tonkin Nominated
Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama[10] Brittany Byrnes Nominated
Logie Awards Most Outstanding Children's Program[11] H2O: Just Add Water Nominated
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards Best TV Drama Show[12] H2O: Just Add Water Won
2009 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards Best Drama Show[13] H2O: Just Add Water Nominated
Logie Awards Most Outstanding Children's Program[14] H2O: Just Add Water Won
2011 AACTA Awards Best Children's Television Series[15] H2O: Just Add Water Nominated

Spin-offs

In July 2011, the production of a 26-episode spin-off was announced.[16] The new series, Mako: Island of Secrets, follows the adventures of 15-year-old Zac and mermaids Sirena, Nixie, and Lyla.[17]

In May 2015, an animated spin-off targeted to children premiered on Netflix, titled H2O: Mermaid Adventures.[18][19]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "'H2O – Just Add Water' nominated for Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award Series" (Press release). LifePR. 27 September 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
  2. Tucker-Evans, Anooska; Sourris, Marie-Christine (3 May 2009). "Rebecca Gibney feels like a million dollars for Logies bid". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  3. Redmond, Renee (21 January 2009). "Actor quits Coast TV show". Gold Coast. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  4. "H2O: Just Add Water The Complete Series (2006)". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012.
  5. "H2O Just Add Water – The Music". iTunes. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  6. "H2O: Just Add Water". WaterfrontRecords.com. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  7. "H2O: Just Add Water Books". SimonandSchuster.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  8. "2007 TV Week Logie Awards: Most Outstanding Children's Program". Yahoo7.com.au. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007.
  9. "2008 Awards Winners". Australian Film Institute. 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 "L'Oréal Paris 2008 AFI Awards Nominees". Australian Film Institute. 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  11. "Logie win a boost for Albany". Albany Weekender. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  12. "KCA 2008: Winners". Nickelodeon.com.au. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  13. Knox, David (20 September 2009). "2009 Kid's Choice Awards: Nominees". TV Tonight. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  14. "51st Annual TV WEEK Logie Awards winners". TV Week. May 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  15. "Inaugural Samsung AACTA Awards" (PDF). Australian Film Institute. 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  16. "New telemovies, mini-series at Nine, ABC". 24 July 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  17. "TV Series Index". Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  18. "H20: Mermaid Adventures". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  19. Anders, Ella (1 June 2015). "H2O: Mermaid Adventures". BSCKids. Retrieved 4 June 2015.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: H2O: Just Add Water
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, April 24, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.