Invader Zim

For the comic book series, see Invader Zim (comics). For the feature film, see Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus.

Invader Zim
Genre
Created byJhonen Vasquez
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composerKevin Manthei
Mark Tortorici
Composers
Country of originUnited States
South Korea
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes27 (46 segments) (+1 pilot) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Jhonen Vasquez
  • Mary Harrington[10]
Producers
  • Monique Beatty
  • Christine Griswold
  • Steve Ressel
AnimatorSunwoo Entertainment
Running time24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon
ReleaseMarch 30, 2001 (2001-03-30)[11] –
December 10, 2002 (2002-12-10)
NetworkNicktoons
ReleaseJune 10 (2006-06-10) –
August 19, 2006 (2006-08-19)
Related
Invader Zim (comics)
Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Invader Zim is an American animated science fiction dark comedy television series created by comic book writer and cartoonist Jhonen Vasquez for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the titular character Zim (voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz), an extraterrestrial from the planet Irk. His mission is to conquer Earth and enslave the human race along with his malfunctioning robot servant GIR (Rosearik Rikki Simons). However, Zim is antagonized by Dib (Andy Berman), a young paranormal investigator who is determined to stop Zim from succeeding.

Nickelodeon contacted Jhonen Vasquez about pitching ideas for an animated series for their older demographic[12][13][14] and Invader Zim was the first thing he pitched. In Vasquez's words "it went from pitch to series without hardly any waiting".[15] As the series went on, ratings declined and budgetary issues became more frequent.[16] Before the second season was completed, Nickelodeon cancelled the series, leaving several episodes unfinished.[17] The show originally aired on Nickelodeon from 2001 to 2002,[16][11] with six of the completed second-season episodes initially going unreleased. These episodes were first made available on DVD in 2004 and later made their television debut on the Nicktoons Network in 2006.[16][18]

Invader Zim received positive reviews from critics and audiences,[16] with praise primarily directed at its humor, writing, animation, art-style, and the way it pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable on children's television. In the years following its cancellation, Invader Zim has often been listed as one of Nickelodeon's best shows.[19][20][21][22][23] The series won an Annie Award, an Emmy Award and a World Animation Celebration Award, and received nominations for seven additional Annie Awards and two Golden Reel Awards. Invader Zim has spawned its own fan convention called InvaderCON and a plethora of official merchandise,[16] including video games, toys, clothing and accessories, among many other products. Despite its early cancellation and short run, due to increasing popularity and above-average merchandise sales[9][24][25] it has been widely regarded as a cult classic.[9][25][26][27][28][29]

A monthly comic book series of the same name was released on July 8, 2015, as a continuation of the television series and published by Oni Press until August 4, 2021.[30][31] A film based on the television and comic series[32][33] titled Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, premiered on Netflix on August 16, 2019.[34]

  1. ^ a b Avina, Anthony (October 13, 2019). "Creepy Cartoons: 10 Scariest Animated Horror Series". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  2. ^ A.C. Levine (July 10, 2015). "Invader Zim creator on keeping his absurdist humor grounded". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  3. ^ Lynne Heffley (March 30, 2001). "Zany 'ZIM,' 'Odd-parents' Land on Nickelodeon Lineup". LA Times. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Kathryn Shattuck (April 4, 2017). "Nickelodeon's Invader Zim is Returning to Earth as a TV Movie". Outer Places. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  6. ^ Allegra Frank (July 20, 2018). "Invader Zim's creator on the alien's return: 'What I'm making isn't going to be the best episode'". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  7. ^ Natalie Hoover (August 9, 2018). "'Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus' Will Hopefully Bring Doom to All Humanity". Study Breaks Magazine. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference about was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Jones, Tim was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Mary Harrington Credits". TV Guide. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference S1RT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ McDonnell, Chris (July 28, 2020). The Art of Invader Zim. Abrams Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-1419734601.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference no good was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Ziss, Sophy (July 22, 2018). "The 'Invader Zim' Movie Teaser Premiered At Comic-Con & It's Just As Weird As '00s Kids Dreamed It Would Be". Bustle. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  15. ^ "Invader Zim Meet the Creator: Jhonen Vasquez Nick Animation". Nick Animation. October 2, 2018. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d e McDonnell, Chris (July 28, 2020). The Art of Invader Zim. Abrams Books. p. 187. ISBN 978-1419734601.
  17. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 432–433. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  18. ^ "Invader Zim season two". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Screen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Nikeita Hoyte (September 25, 2018). "The 20 Best Nickelodeon Cartoons". Complex. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  21. ^ Richard Pruit (September 30, 2017). "The Top 10 Nicktoons of All Time". TBK Magazine. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference Guardian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Sarah Cooke (April 28, 2016). "13 Best Old-School Nickelodeon Shows". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference Barry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ a b Frank, Allegra (April 6, 2017). "Invader Zim's strange path from cult hit to all-time classic". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  26. ^ Marnell, Blair (April 4, 2017). "Invader Zim Is Returning to Nickelodeon in the Best Way Possible". Nerdist. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  27. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (April 4, 2017). "'Invader Zim' Re-Invades Nick in Original TV Movie". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  28. ^ Holub, Christian (April 5, 2017). "Invader Zim still wants to conquer the world in new teaser". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  29. ^ Amid Amidi (November 20, 2009). "The 2000s: TV Animation". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  30. ^ Cite error: The named reference Invader Zim comic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference Oni Press partners with Jhonen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  32. ^ Petski, Denise (April 4, 2017). "'Invader Zim' TV Movie Based On Series Greenlighted By Nickelodeon". Deadline. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  33. ^ Balach, Katelyn (April 4, 2017). "Invader Zim Returns To Nickelodeon In All-New Original TV Movie Based On Fan-Favorite Animated Series". Nick Press. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  34. ^ "You asked for it, so we're delivering a fresh order of doom right to your doorstep. Zim is back". Twitter. @NetflixNX. July 23, 2019. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.