The Life and Times of Juniper Lee
| The Life and Times of Juniper Lee | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Main title card featuring main characters (from left to right: Monroe, Juniper, and Ray Ray) | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Judd Winick |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Frank Squillace |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer |
|
| Opening theme | "You Can't Stop the Girl" |
| Composer | Stewart Copeland |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 40 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Judd Winick |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | Cartoon Network Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | Cartoon Network |
| Release | May 30, 2005 – May 14, 2007 |
The Life and Times of Juniper Lee is an American animated television series created by former MTV reality star Judd Winick for Cartoon Network and produced by Cartoon Network Studios.[1] It premiered on May 30, 2005, on Cartoon Network and ended its run on April 9, 2007.[2]
On April 11, 2017, it was added to Boomerang's streaming app in the United States, making it one of its few series that never aired on the Boomerang channel in the US.[3] While it was only broadcast in full screen 4:3, Juniper Lee is the first Cartoon Network original series to be produced in a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9 in High Definition.
Premise[edit]
The series centers on the life of a preteen girl named Juniper Lee, who lives in Orchid Bay City. Based on Winick's adopted hometown of San Francisco, California, the city is a hub for magical activity and is filled with various monsters and demons, both good and evil. The magic and human worlds have been separated by an invisible mystical shield, known as "the Veil", which prevents ordinary humans from seeing any magic-related events or the creatures related to them. Juniper has recently been made the new Te Xuan Ze, the protector of the balance between the human and magical worlds.
To accomplish Juniper's task, she has been magically enhanced, making her far stronger and faster than ordinary humans; her abilities include superhuman strength, speed, agility and reflexes. She can also use several different types of spells to assist her. Maintaining the balance often interferes with her personal life, including her schoolwork and her social life, but she always manages to keep everything flowing.
Inspiration[edit]
Winick has stated that Juniper Lee was inspired by both The Simpsons and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, Juniper does follow in the footsteps of Buffy, as stated in the quote below:
Interviewer: We've touched on just about everything else, so hit us with the high concept. Sum up the show for us...
Judd: I'm sounding like a broken record, but it's kind of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Simpsons. That's the simplest way to put it. At the end of the day, it's about a little girl who fights monsters. There's a rather massive backstory to the whole thing, which really provides a spine to build from. I've only tapped into it a little in the show, but for me, knowing it's there is important. The show needs a spine, and needs a place to work from...[4]
Characters[edit]
 | This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. (May 2011) |
Main[edit]
- Juniper "June" Kim Lee (voiced by Lara Jill Miller) is the protagonist of the series. Juniper is a feisty 11-year-old Chinese-American human girl who lives in Orchid Bay City and is the current Te Xuan Ze. Juniper is relatively uneducated in the world of magic, mostly relying on brute force, a real talent for insults and the advice of her paternal grandmother, Ah-Mah and her enchanted dog, Monroe to defeat her foes. She has long black hair and after she inherits the powers of the Te Xuan Ze, a lock of hair on the left side changes to white from root to end (Juniper's grandmother, Jasmine, the former Te Xuan Ze has the same stripe in her hair) and Juniper later dyes this reddish-pink. The juniper flower symbolizes protection, referring to Juniper's role as the Te Xuan Ze, protecting others. She wishes to go to astronaut camp, but cannot because she can't leave Orchid Bay City while she is the Te Xuan Ze until another member of her family is chosen. She is also hoping for a breathtaking romance with her close friend Marcus Conner.
- Jasmine Lee (voiced by Amy Hill) - Jasmine Lee or "Ah-Mah" (Chinese: 阿嬤; pinyin: Ā-mā; lit. 'grandma') as Juniper calls her, is Juniper's paternal grandmother, and the previous Te Xuan Ze. Many in the magical world consider her to be the greatest Te Xuan Ze ever. Calm and deliberate in most respects but crude and tough when she needs to be, the 69-year-old gives June advice on dealing with the magical community and their expectations of her, and assists her when she is in serious trouble. As of the "Monster Con" episode, Ah-Mah was shown to still possess a significant amount of magically-enhanced speed and strength, though her stamina and durability are severely diminished (in comparison to her granddaughter who has superhuman strength) to the point of being unable to stand unassisted after two to three minutes of combat (this is because of her old age). This supports her assertion in the first episode - that it was no longer her place to act as Te Xuan Ze - and is pragmatic, in the sense that it prevents June from shirking her responsibilities. In "Little Big Mah", she claims that she knows about 26 different styles of hand-to-hand combat and that she hasn't been to China for 40 years (as Roxanne: "I haven't been to China in 40 years! Uh, I mean weeks. For weeks"). Younger Jasmine is depicted with a purple streak in her hair, instead of the usual magenta Te Xuan Ze streak.
- Ray Ray Lee (voiced by Kath Soucie) is Juniper's hyperactive, dimwitted 8-year-old little brother. Like Juniper, Ray Ray can see through the magic barrier, though this is not a naturally occurring ability. In the episodes after "Star Quality", he is occasionally seen watching monster TV. When Juniper first gained her powers, a group of demons attempted to drain her powers. Ray Ray unwittingly intervened, causing some of her powers to transfer to him, as seen in "Adventures in Babysitting". Whether or not he'll gain other powers similar to hers remains to be seen, as Ah-Mah has implied that he may over time. He is hyperactive and careless, and often gets himself into trouble when dealing with the magic world. Ray Ray is often over-eager in regards to the magic world, finding every single event involving it, no matter how bad or ominous, to be "cooool". A recurring joke about him is that asks if he has ever run out of energy, where someone would say, "but there's always a first time". He also has a sibling rivalry relationship with Juniper, although it is often seen that he cares for her deeply. Since episode "Feets too big", he has a crush on Lila, the Sasquatch. In the episodes after "O Brother, What Art Thou?", Ray Ray is a homunculus, his mind having been transferred to an artificial body after accidentally mutating his original body into a massive dinosaur by ingesting the growth potion that was supposed to make a giant grow back to his proper size. In "Meet the Parent", Monroe states that Ray Ray has a bladder control problem, though this has never been confirmed, save in "The World According to LARP" when Juniper said that he wet his pants on the jungle gym once, and again in "Dream Date" where he has trouble making it to the bathroom after drinking punch. Since he is very young still, it is probable he will outgrow these tendencies. In "Te Xuan Me", where after Juniper was erased from knowledge he took up being the Te Xuan Ze and being particularly skilled at his position, even earning Monroe's praise. But after everything was set back to normal, Ray Ray started to study in magic spells as a way to help his sister in future battles.
- Monroe Connery Boyd Carlyle McGregor Scott V (Monroe for short, voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) is an enchanted pug of Scottish origin. He is quite educated in the world of magic, having been alive for several centuries and assisting each Te Xuan Ze for nearly that entire time. Despite his knowledge, Juniper Lee makes him his pet dog, due to his lack of grasping hands or opposable thumbs (according to Ray Ray, he uses this as an excuse for everything). Monroe has been magically enhanced, allowing him to be understood by those who can see through the magic barrier. Anyone else listening to him will only hear barking. He is also lactose intolerant.
- Dennis Lee (voiced by Alexander Polinsky) is Juniper's grumpy, cynical 15-year-old elder brother who does not take June or Ray Ray seriously and usually calls them names. He loves manga and video games, and does not like anyone touching his stuff. In "Not in my Backyard", it is revealed that Dennis never gives June a turn on his video games (he says if monkeys fly out of his butt, she will have a turn, which will never happen). Also, when he saw that Ray Ray got one of his comics books, he didn't like it at all. In "The World According to L.A.R.P.", he had been known to take stuff out of June's room, which annoys her. In "Sealed With a Fist", Dennis learns that his sister is the current Te Xuan Ze and has grown to trust June after they work together with Boomfist and the heroic team of H.A.T.E. (Heroes Against Terrible Evildoers) to defeat the villainous team of L.O.V.E. (League of Villainous Evildoers). After that, he starts helping Juniper and Ray Ray on occasion.
- Jody Irwin (voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey) is Juniper's best friend and usually the happiest of the group. She tries her best to cheer the group, even in the most ridiculous of ways. June tries her best not to disappoint Jody, but, being Te Xuan Ze, she ends up doing so, but Jody forgives her.
- Ophelia Ramírez (voiced by Candi Milo) is one of Juniper's friends. She is a gothic, grumpy, cynical emo girl with pinkish-purple colored hair and Latino descendancy. She doesn't like a lot of stuff (including girly things) and especially hates Roger (in fact, at some nights, Ophelia has nightmares about her dating Roger). When she is in charge, she wants everything done perfectly and usually has Roger doing something ridiculous.
- Roger Radcliffe (voiced by Tara Strong) is one of Juniper's friends and the school's class clown, he has unpredictable tendencies and he constantly asks Ophelia to go on a date, which she refuses. He has been known to imitate really famous people or songs in the most crude and ridiculous of ways, as in "Enter Sandman", when he was doing arm farts to New World Symphony No. 9 and in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Juniper Lee" where he was dressed up as a combination of a werewolf, a robot and Abraham Lincoln. His family is eventually revealed to be wealthy, but he has never even come close to becoming spoiled, due to his cheerful personality.
Supporting[edit]
- Marcus Conner (voiced by Phil LaMarr) - Along with being handsome and popular, Marcus Conner is one cool African-American boy. Juniper has a big crush on him, although she won't admit it. Despite being part of the in-crowd, Marcus is friends with everyone and often looks out for Juniper. He never gets caught up in his popularity and is always laid-back. As we see in "Enter Sandman", it was Juniper's dream to marry Marcus, after getting advice from Ah-Mah saying she had to fall asleep in order to go into the dream realm without being a visitor. His last name is first mentioned in "Meet the Parent".
- Michael and Barbara Lee (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui and Candi Milo) - Michael Lee and his wife, Barbara are the parents of Juniper, Ray Ray and Dennis. Michael is Jasmine's only child and was supposed to wind up being the Te Xuan Ze after Ah-Mah, but the trait skipped him and ended up with Juniper instead. Michael works with Mr. Radcliffe, his occupation is unknown. His wife, Barbara is a kind and caring mother. But she will not tolerate academic problems. Like her husband, she can't see magic or enchanted beings. She loves her children and will discipline them occasionally. One example is in "Monster in My Backyard" when she said; Oh and if Ray Ray blows up another potato in the microwave, he is grounded until he is 30.
- Ms. Jill Gomez (voiced by Candi Milo) is a Mexican-American teacher at Juniper's school. While it's never shown, Ray Ray mentions in the episode "The World According to L.A.R.P." that he once accidentally turned her into a rhinoceros, he still thinks she was happier that way.
- William (voiced by Martin Jarvis) is Monroe's father, who previously served as the assistant to the Te Xuan Ze and constantly teases Monroe about his weight. Although being a dog, he has a short beard. He seems more proud of his Scottish ancestry than Monroe, as he is seen wearing a kilt and tam o'shanter.
- Melissa O'Malley (voiced by Tara Strong) is Juniper's Irish-American school diva rival who is jealous of June because she has a boyfriend (Marcus) and she doesn't which is why she plans on breaking June and Marcus apart so that she can steal Marcus from June. She is accompanied by two unnamed girls who help her with her plans against June and her friends.
- Cletus and Gus (voiced by Jeff Bennett and Dee Bradley Baker) are two recurring monsters, and friends of Juniper and Ray Ray.
- Lila (voiced by Tara Strong) is a Sasquatch. She is significantly more intelligent than other Sasquatch. She likes movies. Ray Ray is also seen to have a crush on her (even when she was hairy). In "Make Me Up Before You Go-Go", Lila claims herself to be an herbivore, although she was shown to have fangs when she got angry at Jody's sister Rachel. She helped June find her and Roger's parents (whom were captured by a lost Sasquatch named Charlie Paulsen) as well as helping her defeat a Brown Back Mountain Troll and returning a mountain lion's cubs to their mother. Later on, Monroe uses an Exfoliax Charm to remove most of her excess hair so that she could pass for human. She enrolls at Juniper's school to learn more about humans. She has super strength and reflexes on a par with Juniper's, and knows a ton about surviving and grooming skills in the woods. As a cover-up to Juniper's friends, Lila claims that her parents were forest rangers. For some unknown reason, she is completely absent after "Make Me Up Before You Go-Go" only to return in the final episode. She may be based on Roxie, another Sasquatch disguised as a human from Judd Winick's comic book series Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius; this along with many similar incidences[spelling?] between the two when trying to adapt to human life, most noticeably trying to carry a mountain of books in their bag.
Episodes[edit]
Series overview[edit]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 13 | May 30, 2005 | August 21, 2005 | |
| 2 | 13 | October 9, 2005 | June 20, 2006 | |
| 3 | 14 | August 16, 2006 | April 9, 2007 | |
| Shorts | 6 | December 28, 2006 | May 14, 2007 | |
Season 1 (2005)[edit]
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "It's Your Party and I'll Whine if I Want To" | Judd Winick | Frank Squillace | May 30, 2005 | 1 |
|
June has been doing her Te Xuan Ze business for just over a month, and it's become a real hassle for her. She's managed to flake out on her friends on a regular basis and, has managed to acquire a reputation for being weird. And now, one of her best friends, Jody, is having a birthday party. June gets called away because the Leprechauns have let loose the Racatan. Despite begging Ah-Mah to help out, June is forced to skip the party and save Orchid Bay City again. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "I've Got My Mind on My Mummy and My Mummy on My Mind" | Judd Winick | Brian Larsen and Fred Reyes | June 5, 2005 | 4 |
|
June has to stop a mummy who opened up his own restaurant. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "It Takes a Pillage" | Tim McKeon | Vincent Edwards and Jason Park | June 12, 2005 | 2 |
|
The spirits of Nordic Vikings take possession of June's friends and it's up to her, Monroe, and RayRay to get them back to normal. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "New Trickster in Town" | Marsha Griffin | David Chlystek and Shannon Eric Denton | June 19, 2005 | 3 |
|
June battles Loki, the god of pranks and lies. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Not in My Backyard" | Judd Winick | David Chlystek and Shannon Eric Denton | June 26, 2005 | 5 |
|
June and Ray-Ray baby-sit a migrating Batoot. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Enter Sandman" | Tim McKeon | Jim Schumann and Jill Trousdale | July 3, 2005 | 6 |
|
June tries out for the school talent show. But she must put her efforts on hold when everyone in the city falls asleep and they become victims of a plot by the Sandman, lord of the sleep realm. Note: This episode was dedicated to David Lehner, who passed away in 2005. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Ding Dong, the Witch Ain't Dead" | Marsha Griffin | Vincent Edwards and Jason Park | July 10, 2005 | 7 |
|
Many years ago, there once was an evil witch named Auntie Roon who battled the Te Xuan Ze of that time. She was defeated and also banished at the same time. Many years later, a 10th level Warlock has gotten together with a Pus Goblin and an Antelope Snake to release Auntie Roon where the sacred grounds are where the Orchid Bay Mall now stands. At the same time, June, Jody, Ophelia, and Roger try to get in line to get the latest album from the band called Ambiguous Angst. When Auntie Roon is released, she lifts the veil that was preventing the humans from seeing monsters and has her minions gather every teen and kid in one spot. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "I'll Get By with a Little Help from My Elf" | Tim McKeon | Alex Que and Harry Sabin | July 17, 2005 | 8 |
|
June becomes so busy with her duties as Te Xuan Ze that she asks for some assistance in clearing her schedule from a helper elf who is Local 492. But he ends up causing more trouble than he's worth; most nearby, he gets June grounded by plagiarizing her platypus report. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "The World According to L.A.R.P." | Tom Franck | Fred Reyes and Brian Larsen | July 24, 2005 | 9 |
|
Maret, Grand Arch-Demon of the 6th Astral Plane, accidentally kidnaps Dennis. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Magic Takes a Holiday" | Marsha Griffin | David Chlystek and Shannon Eric Denton | July 31, 2005 | 10 |
|
June goes to performing arts camp on Edipan. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Take My Life, Please" | Marsha Griffin | Fred Reyes and Brian Larsen | August 7, 2005 | 11 |
|
The good 4th-degree sorceress named Ashley arrives in town while pursuing the Baguano. She volunteers to take over June's responsibilities as a bulwark against the forces of evil. June is tempted to let her. June tries to act normal and everything goes wrong. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Meet the Parent" | Tim McKeon | Jason Park and Vincent Edwards | August 14, 2005 | 12 |
|
Monroe's father, William, comes to visit. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Monster Con" | Judd Winick | Alex Que and Jill Colbert Trousdale | August 21, 2005 | 13 |
|
The three-day magic convention called "The Convergence" has opened in town and June attends it. All monsters go there to hear her speak. But when an evil organization of bloodthirsty racists named H.A.M.(Humans for the Abolishment of Magic) breaks into the convention center and holds everybody there hostage, Ah-Mah is forced out of retirement to save the day. | ||||||
Season 2 (2005–06)[edit]
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "It's the Great Pumpkin, Juniper Lee" | Adam Pava | David Chlystek and Patrick Kochakji | October 9, 2005 | 15 |
|
Every Halloween all monsters become humans for the night; but a monster called Evan has contracted an agent demon, Vikki Devyne, to make him human forever. Thanks to Vikki Devyne, all the now-human monster children are unable to change back into monsters, and the parents turn to June to help. However, she has to make deals from getting a protein shake to wrestling a demon that goes by the name of "Jordan The Destroyer" managed by a Don King-hairdo styled wrestling promoter before midnight, or else they will not turn back into monsters and remain human permanently. Will June do this in the nick of time? | ||||||
| 15 | 2 | "Oh Brother, What Art Thou?" | Tim McKeon | Brian Larsen and Fred Reyes | January 14, 2006 | 14 |
|
Ray-Ray tests a growth potion that June has created for a dwarf giant (he's even smaller than Ray-Ray, leading to Monroe and some little humor, pun intended), but his experimentation causes a big problem becoming invisible and a T-Rex that's getting bigger by the minute. So June and Monroe try to create a new person and transfer Ray-Ray's brain into it. It works, but the monster has suddenly gotten a mind of its own and wants to eliminate them all. On top of that, the monster keeps growing bigger. Ray Ray doesn't want to banish it, but June tries to battle it. However, the monster overpowers June easily. Will they banish it before it's too late? | ||||||
| 16 | 3 | "The Great Escape" | Marsha F. Griffin | Alexander Que and Jill Colbert Trousdale | January 21, 2006 | 16 |
|
June and her friends are at the zoo, but when two camels speak to her, she suddenly learns from them that they are a group of magical beings trapped in the form of zoo animals because the zoo has a magical barrier. Now June must try to save them from a wicked zoo-keeper who is in reality a female demon named Gigi who drains magical energy from magical folk to stay young, and Gigi turns June into a ring-tailed lemur to drain her magical energy. Can Ray Ray and Monroe get there in the nick of time? | ||||||
| 17 | 4 | "Picture Day" | Tim McKeon | Brian Larsen and Fred Reyes | January 28, 2006 | 17 |
|
An evil demoness decides to make evil clones of June and her friends on picture day at school, so she sends her flunky to take the photographer's place. She then plans to use June's powers to free her father, Cordath the Conqueror, from magical banishment. When Evil Jody, Roger, and Ophelia are on the job, they try their best to capture the real June! So, when Jody just has enough of it, she zaps Juniper which makes her unconscious. Juniper wakes up and finds herself kidnapped. They've taken a picture where June was on the ground when Jody knocked her out, then they use her picture to make a clone of Juniper. | ||||||
| 18 | 5 | "Star Quality" | Adam Pava and Judd Winick | David Chlystek and Patrick Kochakji | February 3, 2006 | 18 |
|
After interfering in a television production called "The Wonderful World of Magic", the show's producer decides to make June the star of her own reality television show…without her knowledge or permission. Sure enough the show is a hit, and she's a superstar on Monster TV (which is located on any channel above 300 in Orchid Bay City's cable system). Even Ray Ray gets into the act, turning into June's manager, but Monroe isn't amused and neither is June, and she wants the show canceled. One problem: they're planning a special in over a billion monster households. Can June cancel the series and the special before it airs? | ||||||
| 19 | 6 | "There's No Mitzvah Like Snow Mitzvah" | Marsha F. Griffin | Alexander Que and Jill Colbert | March 11, 2006 | 19 |
|
During a Wizard of Oz-themed Bat Mitzvah for Jody's sister Rachael, June and the rest of the party are subjected inside a snow globe by Jean-Claude (and these hitmen he has), a former elder of magic who he was kicked out for being a traitor. Can June save the day and the party at the same time? | ||||||
| 20 | 7 | "Bada Bing Bada Boomfist" | Tim McKeon | Brian Larsen and Fred Reyes | March 17, 2006 | 20 |
|
One of Ray-Ray's comic book characters, Wrongness, is accidentally brought to life while June is fighting a demon who accidentally hits it with a magic spell. So while June and Monroe create a potion to make Wrongness (who now has a women's body for his disembodied head) back to the comic book, Ray Ray goes to the demon who animated him to bring Boomfist (the protagonist of the comic) into reality. Can the three get the superhero and his formidable foe back into the comic book before Orchid Bay City gets completely wiped off the map? | ||||||
| 21 | 8 | "Adventures in Babysitting" | Judd Winick | Jill Colbert and Alexander Que | March 24, 2006 | 21 |
|
After capturing a goblin who has wreaked havoc in the Orchid Bay City park, Ah-Mah tells Ray-Ray and June the story of how Juniper became the Te Xuan Ze and why she can see magical creatures. Several years ago, when Ah-Mah was still the Te Xuan Ze, she was becoming aware of her age and the drops in performance that brings. Unfortunately, her son shows no signs of becoming magical in any way, as do her grandchildren. When Ah-Mah babysits her grandchildren, her bracelet glows signifying a disturbance in the magic world. Juniper seems to feel this as a stomach ache. Meanwhile, some demon trolls led by Nester (who had fought Ah-Mah earlier) decide to find and take care of the new Te Xuan Ze before he or she can gain their powers. They come to Ah-Mah's house to find the new Te Xuan Ze, inadvertently triggering Juniper's dormant powers, causing one stripe of hair to turn white (She will dye it magenta later). The trolls use an amulet in an attempt to drain Juniper's magical energy, but Ray-Ray intervenes, accidentally transferring Juniper's magical sight to himself. Juniper starts to get the hang of her new powers and holds off all three trolls until Ah-Mah returns and finishes the job. Ray-Ray isn't too surprised that he doesn't remember, since in the grand scheme of things that would be considered a normal day for him. He's still confused why he doesn't have any other powers. Ah-Mah says that he should wonder why he doesn't have any—yet. | ||||||
| 22 | 9 | "June's Egg-cellent Adventure: Juniper Lee Meets the Easter Bunny" | Judd Winick | Mike Kunkel and Jill Colbert | April 14, 2006 | 22 |
|
On the eve of the 7th annual Orchid Bay Park Easter Egg Hunt, Ray Ray is practicing to win the grand prize of twenty pounds of candy by less than honorable means. Meanwhile, Juniper asks Marcus to go with her to the event (she claims it's not a date). Monroe tells Ray Ray that the Easter Bunny won't leave him any gifts if he cheats to win. Ray Ray thinks he's lying, but Juniper confirms that the Easter Bunny not only exists, but there are thousands of them. Monroe then tells the story about Sweetland, where chickens make the eggs and the Easter Bunnies paint and deliver them. They are then sent by a pair of Easter Bunnies to Sweetland to intervene in a feud between the bunnies and the chickens, the latter of which are being led by Monroe's father, William. Little do they realize that a blue-skin enchanted rhinoceros named Mitch has set them up in order for him to take over the holiday and replace the candy and eggs with AA batteries and socks. Will everyone realize it before it's too late? | ||||||
| 23 | 10 | "I've Got You Under My Skin" | Marsha F. Griffin | Jill Colbert and Alexander Que | May 12, 2006 | 23 |
|
When Ah-Mah gets lost because she missed a flight on a dragon to mediate a dispute (which would later turn out to be a trap), Monroe uses a magic stone to make two Junipers but Ray-Ray gets in the way of the blast and turns into Juniper's double so they turn Monroe into a Ray-Ray so their mom won't be suspicious. She has to take her grandmother's place in the negotiations, sending them to school. | ||||||
| 24 | 11 | "Welcome Bat Otter" | Tim McKeon | Brian Larsen and Fred Reyes | June 6, 2006 | 24 |
|
Monsters are scared of a menace called the Bat Otter, so it's up to June to save the day…with some help from Skeeter Khomen-Gettit's anti-Bat Otter kit, that is. When June finds out its just a scam to make money, will she be able to expose the truth? | ||||||
| 25 | 12 | "Dog Show Afternoon" | Judd Winick | David Chlystek and Brian Larsen | June 15, 2006 | 25 |
|
When June's family plans to go on vacation, she signs up for a trip to Space Camp, but she must catch a mysterious creature called a Bombat before she can leave Orchid Bay. To do so, June must enter Monroe in a dog show. Unfortunately, she also learns a terrible price to being the Te Xuan Ze—June can't leave the city physically. | ||||||
| 26 | 13 | "Dream Date" | Marsha F. Griffin | David Chlystek and Patrick Kochakji | June 20, 2006 | 26 |
|
June and Marcus go to the school dance, but Steven the Sandman has other plans for them as he plans to return to the Dream Realm. | ||||||
Season 3 (2006-07)[edit]
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Written by | Storyboarded by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "Party Monsters" | Tim McKeon | David Chlystek and Patrick Kochakji | August 16, 2006 | 301 |
|
At Jasmine’s birthday party, her relatives turn into monsters, thanks to a well-meaning but incompetent old friend and a magical orb. How can Jasmine and Junpier stop this before the entire house turns into creatures? | ||||||
| 28 | 2 | "Who's Your Daddy?" | Marsha Griffin | David Chlystek and Jill Colbert | August 23, 2006 | 302 |
|
Marcus encounters severe jealousy when a new boy named Taylor Evermore enters June’s life. Unfortunately, Taylor is the son of Loki. | ||||||
| 29 | 3 | "Water We Fighting For?" | Tim McKeon | Fred Reyes and Alex Que | August 30, 2006 | 303 |
|
The magical water from Orchid Bay is disappearing at an alarming rate when a water company is draining it. Juniper heads to Aqualandia to seek out its king to fix the problem before Orchid Bay is capsized. | ||||||
| 30 | 4 | "Feets Too Big" | Judd Winick | Patrick Kochakji and Jennifer Coyle | September 8, 2006 | 304 |
|
June and Roger's families are enjoying a camping trip until both their parents including Dennis are kidnapped by the legendary bigfoot. Juniper, Ray-Ray, and Monroe are on the search and they meet a new friend along the way: a female Sasquatch named Lila. | ||||||
| 31 | 5 | "Citizen June" | Marsha F. Griffin | Jill Colbert and Dave Chlystek | September 15, 2006 | 305 |
|
June runs for class president. Thor returns when he pursues a Vindolf Hobgoblin to her school which it's hiding in. If the Vindolf Hobgoblin isn't found soon, Thor will destroy the school to take out the monster. | ||||||
| 32 | 6 | "Make Me Up Before You Go-Go" | Michael Jelenic | Fred Reyes and Alex Que | September 22, 2006 | 306 |
|
June is helping Lila the Sasquatch learn to fit in by taking her to a slumber party at Jody's house. However, a pint-sized monster called a Monotuke is using an incoming comet to summon a pair of powerful monsters called Uglian Banticores. | ||||||
| 33 | 7 | "Out of the Past" | Marsha F. Griffin | Patrick Kochakji and Brian Larsen | September 29, 2006 | 307 |
|
A former Te Xuan Ze whose name is Kai Yee that became a traitor, is freed from being a statue thanks to the DaPheetes company and once again attempts to destroy the orb that gives life to the Magical Elders whom empower both Juniper and Ah-Mah making him stronger, which means it's up to both of them to have him intercepted. | ||||||
| 34 | 8 | "Sealed with a Fist!" | Eric Kentoff | Dave Chlystek and Jill Colbert | November 3, 2006 | 308 |
|
When Dennis finds June's Invasion of the Inanimations comic book, he accidentally brings the Legion of Villainous Evildoers (L.O.V.E.) to life, wreaking havoc on Orchid Bay. As Dennis tries to make it up to June, Ray Ray brings back Boomfist and his compadres to life, and to stop L.O.V.E. | ||||||
| 35 | 9 | "Little Big Mah" | Kevin Seccia | Fred Reyes and Alex Que | November 10, 2006 | 309 |
|
Ah-Mah is made younger by a Darnock Demon, and now June has to help her turn back and stop the Darnock Demon from absorbing the power of the Elders. At the end of this episode, Juniper Lee meets a Magical Elder. | ||||||
| 36 | 10 | "Te Xuan Me?" | Judd Winick | Patrick Kochakji and Rafael Rosado | November 24, 2006 | 310 |
|
When June forecomes to a mysterious spell, causing her and all of her classmates to disappear not only from space but from time, Ray-Ray, who is the Te-Xuan-Ze in this new reality, and the only one who remembers June existed, must substitute for her while trying to convince everyone that June and her classmates existed and that he's not crazy. | ||||||
| 37 | 11 | "Food for Naught" | Eric Kentoff | Dave Chlystek and Jill Colbert | December 1, 2006 | 311 |
|
June investigates as the monsters in Orchid Bay City become fierce beasts. When she discovers that the source of this is in the Runey Stix snack food, she tries to persuade the snacks' creators, a pair of demons named Margie and Eloise to stop adding Tarabok Weed (the secret ingredient and also what's causing the transformations) in them, similar to the situation of the episode "Sweets" from Bromwell High. | ||||||
| 38 | 12 | "A Helping H.A.M." | Tim McKeon | Alex Que and Fred Reyes | December 15, 2006 | 312 |
|
Fed up with the lack of respect, Monroe joins the secret organization known as H.A.M. when he is accidentally captured instead of June. | ||||||
| 39 | 13 | "The Kids Stay in the Picture" | Kevin Seccia | Patrick Kochakji and Rafael Rosado | February 6, 2007 | 313 |
|
Ophelia wants June and her friends to be in her student film as Cordoth's Daughter plots to escape Barandom. | ||||||
| 40 | 14 | "Every Witch Way but Loose" | Marsha F. Griffin | Dave Chlystek and Jill Colbert | April 9, 2007 | 314 |
|
The origin of the magic veil and the Te Xuan Ze is revealed, Auntie Roon returns for a second time and plans to enslave humanity by turning June into a monster and breaking the Magical Touchstones. Jody becomes suspicious of June and Magic as Ray-Ray, Monroe, Dennis, and Lila try to prevent Auntie Roon from succeeding. | ||||||
Shorts (2006–07)[edit]
| No. in series | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S01 | "Monsters in My Potion" | December 28, 2006 | |
|
June finds Ray Ray and Monroe tied upside-down with three monsters brewing something in the cauldron. She fights the monsters and dumps the cauldron. Later, another monster comes out from the bushes with a bag of groceries. June realizes that the monsters weren't going to cook Ray Ray and Monroe. So they sit down at the picnic table, and enjoy the soup. Ray Ray is still tied upside-down. Then Monroe puts an onion in Ray Ray's mouth to shut him up. | |||
| S02 | "The Bus Stop" | January 2, 2007 | |
|
June is waiting at the bus stop with Jody and Ophelia. The two-headed nerd creature shows up and starts bothering June to take a picture with her. Jody and Ophelia look at June as if there's something wrong. When the two-headed nerd stops disturbing June, she goes on the bus, and finds more monsters who want to take a photo of her. | |||
| S03 | "Just a Second" | January 5, 2007 | |
|
While June is waiting for Ray Ray to come downstairs, Ray Ray tries to fight off a monster in his room. He keeps throwing magical jars at the creature as it grows bigger. June calls Ray Ray to come downstairs, but Ray Ray keeps saying "Just a second" while fighting off the beast. | |||
| S04 | "Nice Weather" | January 6, 2007 | |
|
While June is brushing her hair to look nice on a date with Marcus, Ray Ray comes in her room and tells her he accidentally released the giant mucus troll in the living room. June tells Ray Ray to distract Marcus at the door while she fights off the creature. | |||
| S05 | "Beach Blanket Monroe" | January 6, 2007 | |
|
As June is relaxing at the beach, two creature kids with five-eyes throw Monroe around like a football. She rescues Monroe, but keeps the monster kids happy by giving them Ray Ray to throw around, much to his pleasure. | |||
| S06 | "Big Monster in My Backyard" | May 14, 2007 | |
|
When June misplaces her magical Te Xuan Ze bracelet, Ray Ray and Monroe unleash a monster in the backyard in order for the bracelet to go off so June can find it. | |||
Inspiration[edit]
Winick has stated that Juniper Lee was inspired by both The Simpsons and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, Juniper does follow in the footsteps of Buffy, as stated in the quote below:
Interviewer: We've touched on just about everything else, so hit us with the high concept. Sum up the show for us...
Judd: I'm sounding like a broken record, but it's kind of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Simpsons. That's the simplest way to put it. At the end of the day, it's about a little girl who fights monsters. There's a rather massive backstory to the whole thing, which really provides a spine to build from. I've only tapped into it a little in the show, but for me, knowing it's there is important. The show needs a spine, and needs a place to work from...[5]
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation | Frederick Gardner for "Adventures in Babysitting" |
Won |
| Annie Award | Best Production Design in an Animated Television Production | Alan Bodner for "Enter Sandman" |
Nominated | |
| 2007 | Annie Award | Best Character Design in an Animated Television Production | Mike Kunkel for "Party Monsters" |
Won |
| Best Production Design in an Animated Television Production | Alan Bodner for "Water We Fighting For?" |
Nominated | ||
| Writers Guild of America[6] | Best Writing in an Animated Program for Television | Marsha Griffin for "Who's Your Daddy?" |
Nominated |
Comics[edit]
Stories based on the series were featured in issues of Cartoon Network Action Pack.
References[edit]
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 358. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Baisley, Sarah (May 30, 2005). "Life & Times of Juniper Lee Premieres May 30". AWN.com. Animation World Network. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ New This Week | Juniper Lee | Boomerang. Boomerang Official. May 19, 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2017-10-05 – via YouTube.
- ^ Brady, Matt (2005-05-27). "JUDD WINICK TALKS JUNIPER LEE". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- ^ Brady, Matt (May 27, 2005). "Judd Winick Talks Juniper Lee". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- ^ Thielman, Sam; McNary, Dave (February 9, 2008). "Cody, Coens Bros. Top WGA Awards". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
External links[edit]
Look up Appendix:The Life and Times of Juniper Lee in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikiquote has quotations related to The Life and Times of Juniper Lee.
Categories:
- 2005 American television series debuts
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