Zixx

Zixx
GenreSci-fi
Cyberpunk
Created byJeffrey Hirschfield
Developed byBonita Siegel
Starring
  • T. Roy Kozuki (2008–2009)
Country of originCanada
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes39
Production
Production locationsToronto, Ontario (Season 1)
Vancouver, B.C. (Seasons 2-3)
Production companies
Original release
NetworkYTV
ReleaseJanuary 17, 2004 (2004-01-17) –
August 31, 2009 (2009-08-31)

Zixx (full title is Zixx: Level One for season one, Zixx: Level Two for season two, and Zixx: Level Three for season three) is a Canadian television series that aired on YTV. This series was developed by Savi Media and The Nightingale Company & Rainmaker Entertainment (formerly Mainframe Entertainment in seasons 1–2) with YTV Original Productions. The series was created by Jeff Hirschfield.

The show consists of a mixture of live-action real-world sequences interspersed with computer-generated scenes set inside a virtual realm. In Zixx Level One, Elliott Digital used the game engine LithTech to create the animation, the first time this had been done for a television show.

For Zixx: Level Two, the production had to move to British Columbia when Thunderbird Films Inc. joined the team. Mainframe Entertainment came on board to do the animation, and IDT Entertainment, the company that owns Mainframe, took over distribution of the show. It is the first-ever Mainframe series to combine live action with computer animation. The crew would stay for season three.

Plot

Zixx is an Intergalactic Network ( "the Network" for short) agent who has crash-landed on Earth with her partner, Flanngo. As luck would have it, Earth also happens to be a hotbed of activity for the evil Onccalon and the Hargokk Empire. Zixx has no intention of letting him win, so she and Flanngo need to find a way to access the Network and make sure they can get to the next level of the Keep before Onccalon's henchmen do.

Level 1

Zixx and Flanngo need to find a way into the Keep, a transdimensional antimatter field (a cyber dimension resembling a video game), the last legacy of the ancient Gaanth race, the leaders of the Network (reminiscent of Tron). The difference is that death is permanent if they die in the keep. Reluctantly accepting the help of Earthlings Adam and Griff, the four need to move fast and finish level one of the Keep; to do so they will need to recover the six fragments of a crystal that are scattered throughout the level. When the crystal is whole and combined with the crystal base, it shows the map to the three neuropods buried deep within the level that, when solved, show the path to the next level. They must accomplish all of this before Onccalon's henchman Deeth does.

Level 2

Having made it to the shifting labyrinth of level 2, Zixx and Flanngo have gotten a nice inventory upgrade, but seem to have lost their pals Adam and Griff. Finding their new Earth location outside the Keep to be a quiet rural town called Glen River, they find themselves forming a new team composed of their new friends, Riley, Meghan, and Dwayne. Zixx needs to keep one step ahead of her foes. Unlike the previous level, level 2 changes layout randomly making it difficult to find locations again.

Zixx and her new team must find the key to the golden gate, the portal to the next level, but it is not easy because the gate also shifts around. They will need to hurry and beat various new agents of the Hargokk Empire. As well as finding out that Onccalon is still alive and regenerating, now they need Adam and Griff's help.

Level 3

Zixx is thrilled when her team enters Level Three intact. The challenges of Level Three turn out to be far greater than those of the previous levels, requiring puzzle-solving to gain upgrades. Somewhere on this level in the Keep, Onccalon is growing ever stronger and is about to be resurrected. Only the most powerful weapon of all time can defeat Onccalon, and so the race is on to find the Sword of Gaanth, which is split into a hilt, a blade, and six Vortrian gems. If they fail, then the last remaining Gaanth who resides within the sword will destroy the entire universe before Onccalon can rule it. In the end, Onccalon is destroyed by Zixx using the Sword. As the Keep began dissolving in response, Zixx, Flanngo, and Tarphex depart to rejoin the Network while sending their human friends back to Earth with the promise of reuniting for future missions.

Characters

In Level 2 it was revealed that Onccalon is regenerating and is more than just a pile of space goo. He is getting stronger each day as the pieces of his remains find their way to him. He has spoken in Level 2 and in Level 3, his hand was shown in a sphere where he was regenerating. Also, he can sense and feed on fear. If Onccalon is resurrected then the universe is doomed.

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Production

The first season was produced by The Nightingale Company, Savi Media and Megafun Productions. It was shot in Toronto between October 25 and December 18, 2002. Elliott Digital handled the animation, utilizing the LithTech video game engine. In January 2005, Thunderbird Films and Mainframe Entertainment co-acquired distribution rights, with both joining production on the second season alongside The Nightingale Company and Savi Media. Thunderbird would handle filming, which was set to start in Langley in February, while Mainframe would produce the animation. In April 2007, Thunderbird announced that the third season had finished filming, with an expected broadcast in summer 2008.

Episodes

Level One (2004)

  1. "Phunkee Zee" (January 17, 2004)
  2. "In For a Penny" (January 24, 2004)
  3. "Parched" (January 31, 2004)
  4. "Plant Life" (February 7, 2004)
  5. "The Key Ring" (February 21, 2004)
  6. "Anna" (February 28, 2004)
  7. "Symbiosis" (March 6, 2004)
  8. "Stuck on You" (March 13, 2004)
  9. "Four's A Crowd" (March 20, 2004)
  10. "Losing Griff" (March 27, 2004)
  11. "Larry" (April 3, 2004)
  12. "Revenge is Sweet" (April 10, 2004)
  13. "Boss Monster" (April 17, 2004)

Level Two (2005)

  1. "Welcome to The Funhouse" (September 7, 2005)
  2. "Dwayne's World" (September 14, 2005)
  3. "Trust No One" (September 21, 2005)
  4. "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" (September 28, 2005)
  5. "Lost Pets" (October 5, 2005)
  6. "Walk Like An Egyptian" (October 12, 2005)
  7. "Nerds of a Feather" (October 19, 2005)
  8. "Spin Cycle" (November 2, 2005)
  9. "Beware the Man Eating Chicken" (November 9, 2005)
  10. "The Rod of Lethor" (November 16, 2005)
  11. "The Key" (November 23, 2005)
  12. "Deal with the Devil" (November 30, 2005)
  13. "Guardian of Level Three" (December 7, 2005)

Level Three (2009)

  1. "Oncallon's on Switch" (January 10, 2009)
  2. "No Man Is An Island" (January 17, 2009)
  3. "The Only Thing To Fear" (January 24, 2009)
  4. "Old Friends" (January 31, 2009)
  5. "Who's That Girl?" (February 7, 2009)
  6. "Riley's Bad Date" (February 14, 2009)
  7. "My Name Isn't Earl" (February 21, 2009)
  8. "When Good Robots Go Bad" (February 28, 2009)
  9. "Gift Horse" (March 8, 2009)
  10. "While the Iron Is Hot" (March 15, 2009)
  11. "The 'I' in Team" (March 22, 2009)
  12. "Then There Were Five" (March 29, 2009)
  13. "The Fate of the Universe" (April 5, 2009)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "YTV monthly CRTC Television Program Logs - February 2000 to November 2015". November 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  2. ↑ Welcome to Zixx Level One Archived June 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "I sorta soft-launched it, but I'm not going by Alex no more. I am Katie now".
  4. ↑ "Welcome to Actra Toronto - What's New - What's Shooting". ACTRA Toronto. Archived from the original on December 1, 2002. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Animate this!… what's new in Canuck animation & F/X shops". Playback. Brunico Communications. June 23, 2003. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  6. ↑ "About Us - Elliott Animation". Elliott Animation. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  7. ↑ Ball, Ryan (January 11, 2005). "Thunderbird, Mainframe Take ZIXX to Next Level". Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  8. ↑ Rusak, Gary (April 4, 2007). "One-liners: Noteworthy news nuggets". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved August 16, 2026.