Danny Phantom (2004-2007) Review

If I can think of two Nickelodeon shows from my childhood that hold up remarkably well, they would have to be Avatar: The Last Airbender and... well, you read the title of this blog, right? In case you haven't, it's Danny Phantom. It was created by Butch Hartman, the same guy who created The Fairly OddParents. It debuted on April 2004 and after watching the first episode, it became one of my obsessions back when I was in elementary school.

It was one of those shows that my close friends would talk about a lot. I even remember illustrating the character numerous times and I would constantly reference it in some of the comic books I made as child. But what is it that led me coming back to this one more than any other Nickelodeon show besides Avatar: The Last Airbender? Let's take a look.

Premise

As the show's theme song sums it up, a 14-year-old boy named Danny Fenton accidentally gets ghost powers after turning on the ghost portal that his parents constructed. Of all places, the "ON" button was inside the portal. The only people who know about his ghost powers are his friends, Tucker and Sam. Together, they fight and capture ghosts that escape the Ghost Zone, while also keeping his identity a secret and learning life lessons on the way.

Characters - Protagonists

Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom

(voiced by David Kaufman)

The main protagonist. He's a shy and clumsy, but good-natured teen, basically the character many of us can relate to since he is often bullied by jocks and tries desperately to fit in. I can sort of picture myself as him since I've been bullied before (all name-calling) and had trouble fitting in while I was in high school, to the point where I only had a few close friends.

The show begins with him already having his powers. From the start, he has the ability to fly, turn intangible (pass through solid objects) and invisible, but he develops other powers over time like possession, firing an ectoplasmic ray from his hands, shield, et cetera. He often tries to gain control of his powers and keep his identity a secret. No doubt, he's pretty much like Spider-Man with all the similar characteristics.

In the beginning of the second season, his costume was given a little cosmetic change, with the addition of the DP insignia on his chest, following the tradition of superheroes having a symbol on their chest, like Spider-Man having a spider, Batman having a bat, or Superman having a giant "S".

Sam Manson

(voiced by Grey DeLisle)

One of Danny's two best friends. She is a self-proclaimed goth girl who is fascinated with the supernatural and is an "ultra-recyclo vegetarian" (she doesn't eat anything with a face on it). Sam is not your stereotypical goth as she is more independent and not as moody, despite her sometimes deadpan attitude. She's also wealthy but despite that, she chosoes to hide it from everyone except Danny and Tucker because she prefers to earn real friends rather than people who want to be her friends because of her wealth (take note of this, people). She's the most mature of the group, sometimes serving as Danny's conscience, telling him right from wrong. A recurring theme in the show is her secret crush on Danny, which often shows from time to time.

Tucker Foley

(voiced by Rickey D'Shon Collins)

Another one of Danny's best friends. He's a technophile, or "techno-geek", who is often seen carrying a PDA, which often serves as a plot convenience with his masterful hacking skills. He is the opposite of Sam when it comes to food preference, as he is a meat-lover who has never eaten a vegetable in his whole life. As an optimist, he often has a flirtacious and narcissistic attitude when it comes to gaining popularity or hitting on popular girls. He's the most light-hearted of the group, often providing comic relief.

Jazz Fenton

(voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey)

Jazz is Danny's intelligent older sister who is more of an adult trapped inside a teenager's body. Because of their parents obsession with ghost-hunting, she acts as a second mother to Danny, often thinking he needs guidance to the point where Danny thinks she's being overprotective and annoying. A little later on (almost halfway through the first season), she finds out Danny is half-ghost, coming to the conclusion that Danny is doing just fine, but continues to support him.

Jack and Maddie Fenton

(voiced by Rob Paulsen and Kath Soucie, respectively)

Danny and Jazz's parents. Both are obsessed with ghosts, but are unaware of Danny's secret identity, often being portrayed as clueless and eccentric. Despite their mutual interests, they are often foils to each other. Jack believes all ghosts are evil and seeks to destroy them, whereas Maddie wants to dissect and study them. Jack is incompetent, but despite his goofyness, he is an excellent inventor and is able to fight off ghosts when he can. Maddie is more competent and highly skilled in combat (she's a ninth degree black belt). Like Jack, she cares for her family and is willing to protect them. Both are almost always seen wearing their trademark jumpsuits.

Dash Baxter

(voiced by S. Scott Bullock)

The bully character in the series. He often picks on Danny and also provides derogatory nicknames like "Fentina", "Fen-turd", and "Fentertainment Tonight." Due to being a popular football player, he can get away with anything, even stuffing weaklings in lockers. Despite picking on Danny, he idolizes his alter ego, just like Flash Thompson from Spider-Man.

Mr. Lancer

(voiced by Ron Perlman)

A teacher at Casper High. He is very strict and often gives the popular kids a free pass and gives other students a hard time, but beneath all that, he is a caring teacher who wants to see his students do their best. A running gag throughout the show is that when he's suprised, he doesn't exclaim phrases like "Egad!" or anything like that, but book titles, which is pretty weird, but welcome overall.

Characters - Antagonists

Pretty much all of the villains in the show consist of ghosts, interdimensional beings who come in different shapes and sizes. It's never made clear as to whether or not all of them are spirits of dead people, but other than that, the show gives a different interpretation of ghosts. Not all ghosts that Danny comes up against are evil but a good majority of them are.

Vlad Masters/Vlad Plasmius

(voiced by Martin Mull)

The main antagonist of the series. He was Jack and Maddie's former college classmate until an accident with trying to open a portal to the Ghost Zone infected him with Ecto-Acne and spent years in the hospital. The accident, however, gave him ghost powers, and has spent twenty years mastering them. Like Danny, he keeps his ghost half a secret by assuming the role of a billionaire. Due to the twenty years of self-training, he is more powerful than Danny, even mastering other techniques that Danny hasn't mastered yet like duplication.

His main objective is to destroy Jack for giving him ghost powers, as well as stealing Maddie from him (he has the hots for her). In addition, he wants nothing more than to make Danny his son and apprentice.

Vlad is a very three-dimensional character. Underneath his suave exterior, he is a bitter, cruel, and manipulative man. However, this accounts to his loneliness, and in episodes like "Kindred Spirits", you can understand his motivations. Nevertheless, he serves as a great adversary to Danny and quite possibly one of my favorite animated antagonists.

Valerie Gray

(voiced by Cree Summer)

Valerie was once a popular girl in Casper High until ghosts ruined her life by jeopardizing her father's job and reducing them into living an apartment. Just as her life takes a turn for the worse, Vlad sends her ghost-hunting equipment and she vows to get revenge on all ghosts. Due to her hatred of them, she is very one-sided and hard to negotiate with, and there are times when Danny tries to convince her when they're forced to work together. She's a sympathetic character because of all the heck she goes through, but the audience sees she's doing it for a good cause, even if she views it a different way, making her more of an anti-hero than a villain.

Skulker

(voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson)

The Ghost Zone's greatest hunter. He often hunts down Danny because of him being half-ghost, making him a unique prize. Deep down, he's actually just a tiny green ghost operating an exo-skeleton. In the first four episodes that he appeared, he was voiced by Matthew St. Patrick, but starting in "Life Lessons" he was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, and the voice change is really obvious. St. Patrick was more calm, but menacing, whereas Richardson was just flat out menacing, though I do prefer Richardson more, in my opinion. I swear, like Clancy Brown, his voice is made for portraying villains.

Nikolai Technus

(voiced by Rob Paulsen)

The ghost of technology who has the ability to merge and control... well, technology. He often has a habit of shouting out his evil plans (that Danny accidentally suggests), as well as outdated catchphrases like "Who's your daddy?" or "fry your bacon" in order to sound hip. Just hearing his voice reminds me of Gilbert Gottfried, with all the shouting that he does. His name is a parody of famous inventor, Nikola Tesla, which fits, seeing as how he works around technology.

Walker

(voiced by James Arnold Taylor)

The vigilante warden of the Ghost Zone prison who rules with an iron fist, always following the rule book, and even making them up as he goes. He is very strict and will punish those who defy the rules. His design resembles a 1920s Mafia member, though he acts a like sheriff; he could be both.

Ember McLain

(voiced by Tara Strong)

A siren-like, musician ghost who feeds off the admiration of teenagers and has a dislike of adult authority. Her main weapon is a guitar, which has multiple uses such as hypnosis, attacking, and making people fall in love.

Box Ghost

(voiced by Rob Paulsen)

A ghost with a Canadian accent who attacks with boxes and anything square. His most recurring phrase is "Beware!" as a way to intimidate other people. More of a comic relief character than a villain, nobody takes him seriously and the show is self-aware, since he is often ignored by others. Actually, the image below sums it all up:

Concept

Danny Phantom is no doubt a superhero show, mixed with sci-fi/fantasy elements (basically Ghostbusters) and stuff you find in sitcoms and superhero stories, but it doesn't feel as cliched as it might have been and it feels kind of fresh and new. It has the obligatory close-call moments when you think Danny's secret is about be revealed, but then you breathe a sigh of relief when it's not.

The tone is very light-hearted, but also action-oriented. The humor is made up of one-liners, as well as exclusive running gags for each episode, whether it's a phrase or action that is repeated. If you guys are expecting some subtle adult humor, you're not going to find any, though I did find one in "Secret Weapons." If you've seen the episode, you know which one I'm talking about.

There are some pop cultural references here and there, including some tie-ins to the ghost theme. For example, the high school is called Casper High and the main setting is in the fictional Amity Park, Michigan. For those who don't understand the second one, it's a reference to The Amityville Horror, sort of tying-in to the ghost theme of the show.

Despite being Butch Hartman's second show, it doesn't shove in any Fairly OddParents easter eggs, except in the episode "One of a Kind" where a Crash Nebula (Timmy Turner's favorite superhero) arcade game can be seen in the background:

Presentation

Pretty much how Futurama has the same look as The Simpsons due to having the same creator, Danny Phantom shares the same look as The Fairly OddParents, since it's also created by Butch Hartman. One difference is that this show feels more grounded than the former, but it does have its exaggerated and high-speed moments.

The character models are pretty similar. Most of the time, characters face left or right, have rounded eyes (most characters don't have pupils on their irises), and have angular heads. The only difference between this and The Fairly OddParents is that the characters have ten fingers, whereas in FOP, they have eight. Every character looks unique that you could even tell them apart if they were in silhouette.

In addition to the black outlines on all the characters, all ghost characters have a white glow outline in order to tell them apart. There were some instances, however, where human characters like Valerie have a ghostly glow, even if they're just humans (maybe it's their ecto equipment or something). Like the fairies from The Fairly OddParents, when ghosts float, they move like they're still standing or falling to their knees, like every frame was drawn, but give the illusion that they're floating up and down.

The show also makes good use of colors. Whenever I think of Danny Phantom, I think of the colors green, purple, sky blue, and even red. Anything ecto-related like certain ghosts, gadgets, powers, and the entire Ghost Zone are colored green; certain powers or items and backgrounds are colored purple; scenes involving ghosts often have blue lighting; and red is often used for some of the ghosts' eye color, to make them look sinister.

During action scenes, whenever a character takes a blow, it cuts to sound effects like "POW!" or "BAM!", similar to the fist-fights in the 1960s Batman series, a style also used in The Fairly OddParents (I'm starting to think Hartman is a big fan of that show). Sometimes it shows the result, which is often in the form of a painted, still image that zooms out. The show also simulates shots where the camera rotates around a character to give it a more three-dimensional feel.

Audio

For starters, the show has an intro theme, performed by Deric Battiste and composer Guy Moon, in form of a rap song, which is overall catchy and memorable.

Funny enough, there was also an unused theme that also sounds cool:

There should be an official full version of the theme, mixing both the original and unused ones, and released on iTunes, as the fan-made remixes on YouTube are pretty rough.

Known for his work on Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, and The Fairly OddParents, Guy Moon composes the show's score. The music is often upbeat and very lighthearted. There are some leitmotifs (recurring musical phrase) like the "WHAMP!" sound effect to match an awkward situation or a joke. As well as that, it also replays the same explosive sound effect for a blow is being struck or an explosion occurs. In addition, ghosts also have an echo when they speak in order to differ between humans.

During action scenes, various arrangements of the main theme play, often played with an electric guitar, and that's pretty much 90% of what you listen to in the entire show. In a way, it's pretty repetitive.

While the show features several veteran voice actors like Kath Soucie, Rob Paulsen, Grey DeLisle, Tara Strong, and Dee Bradley Baker, once in a while there are some celebrity guest voices (though they're not really big-name actors) including actors like Jon Cryer, Eric Roberts, William Baldwin, Chynna Phillips, and the late David Carradine.

Conclusion

I think you can pretty much tell why I love this show. It has memorable characters, great animation, interesting mythos, great character development, hilarious comedy, exciting action, and great writing overall. I do think the first two seasons are the best, whereas the third season had its moments, but just doesn't hold a candle to the first two.

Danny Phantom ran from April 2004 to August 2007, with a total of 53 episodes (49, since the hour-long specials were aired as one episode). The show was cancelled for whatever reason, though it did have somewhat of a proper series finale, tying up the loose ends, but not all of them. Butch Hartman expressed some ideas, which would have been pretty cool had Nickelodeon not cancelled the show.

I know many fans want the show to come back, but it's fine the way it is. I feel the same way about The Spectacular Spider-Man being cancelled; I was angry and heartbroken, but in the end, there's nothing I can do about it and I can say the same about Danny Phantom. The only difference is that the latter show had a decent finale, whereas the former did not. Just be glad it didn't end up like SpongeBob, where it got worse and worse as the show went on.

The show wasn't as big as other Nickelodeon cartoons at the time. It does have somewhat of a strong fanbase and it did have its share of merchandising like video games, Burger King toys, and even a Cap'n Crunch cereal.

Yes, this existed.

Early this year, Shout Factory finally released the entire series on DVD, which any fan should go buy right now. This gave me a great opportunity to watch every episode and write my first cartoon review just in time for its tenth anniversary.

Anyone who hasn't seen this show should probably check it out. In my opinion, this is one of Nickelodeon's best animated shows, and one of the most underrated.

Also, recent episodes of The Fairly OddParents had Danny Phantom cameos. What's up with that?

Discuss the review here.