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* BatScare: Inverted on an episode. Eliza tried to greet a bat only for the bat to scream "Eek! A human!" frightening all the other bats into waking up and flying away.
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* TheUnintelligible: Donnie.
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* TheUnintelligible: Donnie.Donnie only communicates via gibberish.
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* TheUnintelligible: Donnie
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* TheUnintelligible: DonnieDonnie.
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* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Nigel at first glance appears to be a goofball while his wife is the [[CloserToEarth rational, competent]] one. But several episodes show him to be a skilled outdoorsman (especially when escorting Eliza through the Andres Mountains) and TheMovie had him and his father performing some skilled sabotage against a group of poachers.
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* ItsAllAboutMe: '''Debbie'''. In spades. Especially in the episode where they're offered to stay at Nigel Parent's mansion for the left of her life. She whines ALL the fucking time about how she wants to stay there, not even lifting a finger when Eliza may have been caught in a bad storm!
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* [[CoolCar Cool Motor-home]]: The Commvee is [[ClownCarBase apparently]] the size of a small house, has at least one smaller vehicle stored inside it, is amphibious and seaworthy, and can enter a nigh invulnerable "security mode". Not to mention handling off-road quite well. Probably counts.
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* * {{Determinator}} : Nothing can stop Eliza from protecting/saving an animal in danger, and she'll also go to great lengths to protect her family and human friends. Same can be said about the whole family.
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** Expect for spinning on the ropes he really was screwing around then.
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** Expect Except for spinning on the ropes ropes; he really was screwing around then.
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* TheBeastMaster : With few exceptions (mostly SuperPersistantPredator s that see her as nothing but prey), Eliza befriends most of the animals she meets, and they are always ready to provide her with assistance/protection, specially against the very few animals that she doesn't befriend.
to:
* TheBeastMaster : With few exceptions (mostly SuperPersistantPredator s [[SuperPersistentPredator Super Persistent Predators]] that see her as nothing but prey), Eliza befriends most of the animals she meets, and they are always ready to provide her with assistance/protection, specially against the very few animals that she doesn't befriend.
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* TheBeastMaster : With few exceptions (mostly SuperPersistantPredator s that see her as nothing but prey), Eliza befriends most of the animals she meets, and they are always ready to provide her with assistance/protection, specially against the very few animals that she doesn't befriend.
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*** Actually, she had almost moved with her grandparents in some episodes, but she always decides to stay with her parents, sister and surrogate (later adopted) brother out of loyalty and because, deep down, she knows she'd miss them horribly.
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* * {{Determinator}} : Nothing can stop Eliza from protecting/saving an animal in danger, and she'll also go to great lengths to protect her family and human friends. Same can be said about the whole family.
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* MamaBear / PapaWolf : Mess with Eliza or Debbie, and you'll find out their parents can be more dangerous than these tropes' literal examples.
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* BadAssFamily : Eliza is the most obvious example, but every Thornberry had shown fair amounts of badassery in several occasions, especially when protecting each other.
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* BilingualBonus: Once, when Debbie attempted to teach Donnie proper words, she tried getting him to say apple. Instead, he picked up the example fruit and repeatedly said pomme. It seemed like typical Donnie gibberish, but in fact pomme is the french word for apple or fruit.
to:
* BilingualBonus: Once, when Debbie attempted to teach Donnie proper words, she tried getting him to say apple. Instead, he picked up the example fruit and repeatedly said pomme. It seemed like typical Donnie gibberish, but in fact pomme is the french word for apple or fruit.apple.
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** In her defense, it's never mentioned why she can't live with her grandmother, who resides in a suburban town, just that she needs to stay with the family.
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* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Debbie can be mean and bitchy at times, but she's not so bad really.
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* AdventurerOutfit: Nigel wears the safari version.
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* SuperstitionEpisode: The episode "Luck Be An Aye Aye" mentioned above.
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* SuperstitionEpisode: The episode "Luck Be An Aye Aye" mentioned above. Eliza befriends an aye-aye who she insists isn't the cause of the bad luck that plagues her, calling that a silly superstition like walking under ladders, while she walks under a ladder.
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The series has three films to its name, the MadeForTVMovie ''The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin of Donnie'' (2001), and two [[TheMovie theatrical films]] ''The Wild Thornberrys Movie'' (2002) which an academy award nomination to its name (albeit for best song, not for best animated feature), and {{Crossover}} movie ''Film/RugratsGoWild''. This show has examples of some of the only non villainous roles in TimCurry's career - Nigel Thornberry and his father.
to:
The series has three films to its name, the MadeForTVMovie ''The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin of Donnie'' (2001), and two [[TheMovie theatrical films]] ''The Wild Thornberrys Movie'' (2002) which an academy award nomination to its name (albeit for best song, not for best animated feature), and {{Crossover}} movie ''Film/RugratsGoWild''.''WesternAnimation/RugratsGoWild''. This show has examples of some of the only non villainous roles in TimCurry's career - Nigel Thornberry and his father.
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* SuperstitionEpisode: The episode "Luck Be An Aye Aye" mentioned above.
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* FollowTheLeader: This show was made as a result of the popularity of the EddieMurphy Dr. Dolittle film.
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* FollowTheLeader: This show was made as a result of the popularity of the EddieMurphy Dr. Dolittle ''Film/DrDolittle'' film.
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* MeaningfulName: Eliza's gift makes her a "Doctor Doolittle" figure. Her name may be a ShoutOut to MyFairLady's Eliza Doolittle.
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* MeaningfulName: Eliza's gift makes her a "Doctor Doolittle" "Literature/DoctorDolittle" figure. Her name may be a ShoutOut to MyFairLady's ''MyFairLady'''s Eliza Doolittle. Doolittle.
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Moving to the tab known as YMMV but also known as Audience Reactions
Deleted line(s) 43,45 (click to see context) :
* MemeticMutation: Replacing a cartoon character's face with Nigel's.
** This isn't YMMV. [[http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/14-smashing-nigel-thornberry-gifs And it's hilarious.]]
** Also, replacing lyrics in popular songs with Nigel's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFNKccJc5eo 'Blaarrrgh']].
** This isn't YMMV. [[http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/14-smashing-nigel-thornberry-gifs And it's hilarious.]]
** Also, replacing lyrics in popular songs with Nigel's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFNKccJc5eo 'Blaarrrgh']].
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Removing wick to Did Not Do The Research per rename at TRS.
Deleted line(s) 24,25 (click to see context) :
* DidNotDoTheResearch: Nigel's TrademarkFavoriteFood, kippers are portrayed as grey, whole fish and described as "dry, salty fish". In reality, they're smoked fillets of herrings, which are split from head to tail before smoking, are quite oily, and their meat has a distinct dark orange colour.
** The whole episode where they were in New Zealand. They're in "Roturoa" (actually spelled Rotorua), the famous Rotorua lakes are mysteriously absent from the whole episode, and the Maori culture... Not a single word was pronounced right the whole episode.
** The whole episode where they were in New Zealand. They're in "Roturoa" (actually spelled Rotorua), the famous Rotorua lakes are mysteriously absent from the whole episode, and the Maori culture... Not a single word was pronounced right the whole episode.
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* MadnessMantra: ''TOWER TIME! TOWER TIME! TOWER TIME! KNOCK IT DOWN, FALL TO GROUND! KNOCK IT DOWN, FALL TO GROUND!''
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* MeaningfulName: Eliza's gift makes her a "Doctor Doolittle" figure. Her name may be a ShoutOut to MyFairLady's Eliza Doolittle.
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** Expect for spinning on the ropes he really was screwing around then.
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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TheWTBStillpage_Image_3378.PNG
''The Wild Thornberrys'' was a [[{{Nickelodeon}} Nicktoon]] that ran from 1998 to 2004 created, animated, and produced by KlaskyCsupo of ''{{Rugrats}}'' fame. The show centres around Eliza Thornberry, an adventurous young girl [[SpeaksFluentAnimal who can talk to animals]], an especially handy power when your parents travel the world to make Nature Documentaries. Naturally, there's a catch--she can't tell anyone she has this power, or else she loses it, and presumably, the shaman who gave it to her to begin with would be hard-pressed to give it back again. The cast is filled out by the aforementioned parents Nigel and Marianne Thornberry, the Nature Documentary's presenter and camerawoman respectively and Eliza's older sister, the [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan]] and deeply-[[BrattyTeenageDaughter unenthusiastic]]-[[CityMouse about-her-parents'-career]] Debbie. Also along for the ride was the deeply neurotic chimpanzee Darwin, and crazy wild jungle boy Donnie, Eliza's adopted younger brother.
The series has three films to its name, the MadeForTVMovie ''The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin of Donnie'' (2001), and two [[TheMovie theatrical films]] ''The Wild Thornberrys Movie'' (2002) which an academy award nomination to its name (albeit for best song, not for best animated feature), and {{Crossover}} movie ''Film/RugratsGoWild''. This show has examples of some of the only non villainous roles in TimCurry's career - Nigel Thornberry and his father.
----
!!This show provides examples of:
* AnimalTalk: Animals can all converse with each other but not with humans, except for Eliza. When people hear Eliza talking to animals it sounds like animal noises and gibberish.
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Donnie, the random, [[TheUnintelligible unintelligible]], [[{{Keet}} hyperactive]] [[WildChild wild child]].
* BigDamnHeroes / TheCavalry: Debbie in general. While she always bickers with Eliza and doesn't care for her interests, she's always the first person to jump in and save her sister's life once things look their worst, often diving headfirst into danger without much reservation for her own safety. Often Overlaps with AFriendInNeed, IGotYouCovered, and occasionally ChangedMyMindKid. The "Debbie goes looking for Eliza in the wilderness, finds her in jeopardy and saves her life" bit was used so often that they lampshaded it when it happened in the series finale.
--> Debbie (as Eliza and Shane cling on the side of a cliff from an unstable tree): "This is getting old..."
* BilingualBonus: Once, when Debbie attempted to teach Donnie proper words, she tried getting him to say apple. Instead, he picked up the example fruit and repeatedly said pomme. It seemed like typical Donnie gibberish, but in fact pomme is the french word for apple or fruit.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Debbie who longs for a normal suburban life and is very vocal about it.
* BrokenAesop: In ''Valley Girls'', Eliza takes a tape recorder from Debbie, resulting in the plot point. After trying to take a boulder from some gorillas to push the Commvee out of the mud, she learns from the gorillas that if you want something, you should ask for it. A very great lesson for kids; except for the fact that Debbie would have said no if Eliza asked for the tape recorder.
** Also, in Shane G.'s first episode. He doesn't listen to Eliza and ends up angering a mother bear and later a wolverine. Instead of worrying about the fact that he's endangered all of them, including a toddler and twelve-year-old, he wants everyone to film it because it will 'help his image' as a singer. Eliza blows up at him, and he says she's a ''wildlife snob'' - which ''everyone agrees with''. The Aesop? It's wrong to know facts that other people don't, especially important ones. Also, people with cool hair and fangirls are ''always'' right. Proven fact.
* BumblingDad: Nigel can be quite the goofball, but he's a very devoted and loving father willing to risk even his own life for his children.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Again, Nigel. Despite his rather child-like enthusiasm, he's actually very competent at finding and studying rare wildlife.
* ButtMonkey: Debbie goes through a lot of humiliation.
** [[IncrediblyLamePun Puns aside]], bad things always seem to happen to Darwin, as well.
* CityMouse: Debbie.
* DeadpanSnarker: Both Debbie and Darwin.
* DeathByOriginStory: [[spoiler:Donnie's parents]].
* DidNotDoTheResearch: Nigel's TrademarkFavoriteFood, kippers are portrayed as grey, whole fish and described as "dry, salty fish". In reality, they're smoked fillets of herrings, which are split from head to tail before smoking, are quite oily, and their meat has a distinct dark orange colour.
** The whole episode where they were in New Zealand. They're in "Roturoa" (actually spelled Rotorua), the famous Rotorua lakes are mysteriously absent from the whole episode, and the Maori culture... Not a single word was pronounced right the whole episode.
* DirectionlessDriver: Gender-flipped - Maryann always drives, and she never asks for directions even when her sense of direction isn't exactly best.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Technically, Darwin is a chimpanzee (an ape). But, eh... close enough.
* EvilPoacher: A common enemy for the family, particularly ThoseTwoBadGuys.
* FreeRangeChildren: Eliza and sometimes Donnie often go out in untamed jungle, savannah, deserts, scrub, and swamp areas without a adult.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: The entire Thornberry family to animals. Debbie included; she may not have the enthusiasm of her parents and sister, but is shown to have a soft spot for animals.
* FollowTheLeader: This show was made as a result of the popularity of the EddieMurphy Dr. Dolittle film.
* ForeignQueasine: Mom makes [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capybara capybara]] burgers in the first episode. [[ShownTheirWork They]] ''[[ShownTheirWork were]]'' [[ShownTheirWork in South America, though.]]
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Debbie and Eliza fight constantly. Being polar opposites doesn't help much.
* HalloweenEpisode: A season three episode focused on Day of the Dead
* HappilyAdopted: Donnie was taken in at some point before the show began, but he wasn't officially adopted until his TV Special.
* HappilyMarried: Nigel and Marianne -- the family that films nature documentaries together stays together!
* HeroicSacrifice: In the movie, Eliza gives up her powers to save her sister.
* IncrediblyLamePun: For some reason, season 2 was the season of punny IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming. Some particularly noteworthy examples: Koality and Kuantity, Chimp Off the Old Block, and the cringe-inducing gem Cheetahs Never Prosper.
* InkSuitActor: Marianne's mother greatly resembles her voice actress BettyWhite.
* IntercontinuityCrossover: with the Rugrats in the film ''Rugrats Go Wild!''
* MagicalNativeAmerican: The Shaman that gave Eliza her gift in the first place.
** Also in one episode Eliza meets a aboriginal man that can speak to dingos (but not other animals).
* MemeticMutation: Replacing a cartoon character's face with Nigel's.
** This isn't YMMV. [[http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/14-smashing-nigel-thornberry-gifs And it's hilarious.]]
** Also, replacing lyrics in popular songs with Nigel's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFNKccJc5eo 'Blaarrrgh']].
* PlayingAgainstType: Woah. TimCurry playing someone that ''isn't'' evil or ridiculously snarky?
* PoorCommunicationKills: One episode has Eliza and her chinese penpal accidentally getting into trouble because they didn't know that the pandas were actually being transported to a safer place and thought they were instead being poached.
* PowerTrio: Eliza = Ego, Darwin = Superego, Donnie = Id.
* PrinceAndPauper: In one episode, Eliza secretly switches places with a Mongolian girl who bears a striking resemblance to her.
* RaisedByWolves: Donnie was raised by a mother orangutan alongside her own offspring for several years [[spoiler: after his parents were killed by poachers.]]
** While in South America Donnie and Debbie meet a girl Donnie's age being raised by jaguars.
* TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation
* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Kip and Beiderman, the only two recurring antagonists.
* ScrewedByTheNetwork: The series had a two episode grand finale that ended the series, but the actual last episode wasn't aired until over a year after the first one. When they did air the actual last episode, it was without much proper advertisement and most people weren't aware of it.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:Debbie]] after the first theatrical film.
* ShapeshiftingLover: Sort of. One of the legends which fall under that trope, The Pink Dolphin, is adapted in a Shapeshifting Best Friend. When Debbie makes friends with a South American girl, Eliza begins to think this girl is a river dolphin who wants to turn Debbie into one too because she is lonely. It's never revealed if Eliza is correct but it is distinctly implied to be the case.
* ShownTheirWork: This isn't just a mindless cartoon; aside from the talking part, a lot of effort was put in to show how animals behave and made sure they were shown in their proper habitat. For example, that female lions do most of the hunting, komodo dragons smell with their tongues, camels store fat and not water, African elephants can communicate by sound vibration, hippos are extremely territorial and not the cute, lazy animals portrayed on the media (as Eliza's cousin erroneously thought), etc.
** A lot of work was also put into showing accurate portrayals of the indigenous peoples and their cultures and lifestyles. For example, in the episode "Luck Be An Aye Aye", the people of Madagascar try to kill an aye-aye Eliza befriends because they regard it as an ill omen, a true unfortunate case in real life.
* SickEpisode: Eliza develops appendicitis while in the heart of the Australian outback.
** In another episode, Nigel gets poisoned by a stonefish during a filming, leading her to rush back to the Commvee to fetch some antitoxin.
* SillyReasonForWar: Two different groups of primates were fighting each other because one group had tails and the other didn't. Eliza stops them fighting by [[spoiler: getting both groups to wear coconuts as armour. The armour made it impossible to tell who had a tail and who didn't.]]
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: The main feature of the show is Eliza's ability to talk to animals.
* TaughtByExperience: Debbie may not share the same intense love of animals as her family but their knowledge and traveling has left her very knowledgeable about the animal kingdom. She also knows a lot about subjects that relate to them and the places where they live, too.
* ThisIsNoTimeForKnitting: Marianne gets irritated with Nigel when they are supposed to filming a documentary on the bird-eating spider and he keeps being distracted by a series of seemingly unrelated activities. He eventually explains that everything he was doing was to actually help him locate the spider so they could start filming.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Eliza and Debbie, respectively.
* TheUnintelligible: Donnie
* WildChild: Donnie was raised by orangutans.
----
''The Wild Thornberrys'' was a [[{{Nickelodeon}} Nicktoon]] that ran from 1998 to 2004 created, animated, and produced by KlaskyCsupo of ''{{Rugrats}}'' fame. The show centres around Eliza Thornberry, an adventurous young girl [[SpeaksFluentAnimal who can talk to animals]], an especially handy power when your parents travel the world to make Nature Documentaries. Naturally, there's a catch--she can't tell anyone she has this power, or else she loses it, and presumably, the shaman who gave it to her to begin with would be hard-pressed to give it back again. The cast is filled out by the aforementioned parents Nigel and Marianne Thornberry, the Nature Documentary's presenter and camerawoman respectively and Eliza's older sister, the [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan]] and deeply-[[BrattyTeenageDaughter unenthusiastic]]-[[CityMouse about-her-parents'-career]] Debbie. Also along for the ride was the deeply neurotic chimpanzee Darwin, and crazy wild jungle boy Donnie, Eliza's adopted younger brother.
The series has three films to its name, the MadeForTVMovie ''The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin of Donnie'' (2001), and two [[TheMovie theatrical films]] ''The Wild Thornberrys Movie'' (2002) which an academy award nomination to its name (albeit for best song, not for best animated feature), and {{Crossover}} movie ''Film/RugratsGoWild''. This show has examples of some of the only non villainous roles in TimCurry's career - Nigel Thornberry and his father.
----
!!This show provides examples of:
* AnimalTalk: Animals can all converse with each other but not with humans, except for Eliza. When people hear Eliza talking to animals it sounds like animal noises and gibberish.
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Donnie, the random, [[TheUnintelligible unintelligible]], [[{{Keet}} hyperactive]] [[WildChild wild child]].
* BigDamnHeroes / TheCavalry: Debbie in general. While she always bickers with Eliza and doesn't care for her interests, she's always the first person to jump in and save her sister's life once things look their worst, often diving headfirst into danger without much reservation for her own safety. Often Overlaps with AFriendInNeed, IGotYouCovered, and occasionally ChangedMyMindKid. The "Debbie goes looking for Eliza in the wilderness, finds her in jeopardy and saves her life" bit was used so often that they lampshaded it when it happened in the series finale.
--> Debbie (as Eliza and Shane cling on the side of a cliff from an unstable tree): "This is getting old..."
* BilingualBonus: Once, when Debbie attempted to teach Donnie proper words, she tried getting him to say apple. Instead, he picked up the example fruit and repeatedly said pomme. It seemed like typical Donnie gibberish, but in fact pomme is the french word for apple or fruit.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Debbie who longs for a normal suburban life and is very vocal about it.
* BrokenAesop: In ''Valley Girls'', Eliza takes a tape recorder from Debbie, resulting in the plot point. After trying to take a boulder from some gorillas to push the Commvee out of the mud, she learns from the gorillas that if you want something, you should ask for it. A very great lesson for kids; except for the fact that Debbie would have said no if Eliza asked for the tape recorder.
** Also, in Shane G.'s first episode. He doesn't listen to Eliza and ends up angering a mother bear and later a wolverine. Instead of worrying about the fact that he's endangered all of them, including a toddler and twelve-year-old, he wants everyone to film it because it will 'help his image' as a singer. Eliza blows up at him, and he says she's a ''wildlife snob'' - which ''everyone agrees with''. The Aesop? It's wrong to know facts that other people don't, especially important ones. Also, people with cool hair and fangirls are ''always'' right. Proven fact.
* BumblingDad: Nigel can be quite the goofball, but he's a very devoted and loving father willing to risk even his own life for his children.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Again, Nigel. Despite his rather child-like enthusiasm, he's actually very competent at finding and studying rare wildlife.
* ButtMonkey: Debbie goes through a lot of humiliation.
** [[IncrediblyLamePun Puns aside]], bad things always seem to happen to Darwin, as well.
* CityMouse: Debbie.
* DeadpanSnarker: Both Debbie and Darwin.
* DeathByOriginStory: [[spoiler:Donnie's parents]].
* DidNotDoTheResearch: Nigel's TrademarkFavoriteFood, kippers are portrayed as grey, whole fish and described as "dry, salty fish". In reality, they're smoked fillets of herrings, which are split from head to tail before smoking, are quite oily, and their meat has a distinct dark orange colour.
** The whole episode where they were in New Zealand. They're in "Roturoa" (actually spelled Rotorua), the famous Rotorua lakes are mysteriously absent from the whole episode, and the Maori culture... Not a single word was pronounced right the whole episode.
* DirectionlessDriver: Gender-flipped - Maryann always drives, and she never asks for directions even when her sense of direction isn't exactly best.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Technically, Darwin is a chimpanzee (an ape). But, eh... close enough.
* EvilPoacher: A common enemy for the family, particularly ThoseTwoBadGuys.
* FreeRangeChildren: Eliza and sometimes Donnie often go out in untamed jungle, savannah, deserts, scrub, and swamp areas without a adult.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: The entire Thornberry family to animals. Debbie included; she may not have the enthusiasm of her parents and sister, but is shown to have a soft spot for animals.
* FollowTheLeader: This show was made as a result of the popularity of the EddieMurphy Dr. Dolittle film.
* ForeignQueasine: Mom makes [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capybara capybara]] burgers in the first episode. [[ShownTheirWork They]] ''[[ShownTheirWork were]]'' [[ShownTheirWork in South America, though.]]
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Debbie and Eliza fight constantly. Being polar opposites doesn't help much.
* HalloweenEpisode: A season three episode focused on Day of the Dead
* HappilyAdopted: Donnie was taken in at some point before the show began, but he wasn't officially adopted until his TV Special.
* HappilyMarried: Nigel and Marianne -- the family that films nature documentaries together stays together!
* HeroicSacrifice: In the movie, Eliza gives up her powers to save her sister.
* IncrediblyLamePun: For some reason, season 2 was the season of punny IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming. Some particularly noteworthy examples: Koality and Kuantity, Chimp Off the Old Block, and the cringe-inducing gem Cheetahs Never Prosper.
* InkSuitActor: Marianne's mother greatly resembles her voice actress BettyWhite.
* IntercontinuityCrossover: with the Rugrats in the film ''Rugrats Go Wild!''
* MagicalNativeAmerican: The Shaman that gave Eliza her gift in the first place.
** Also in one episode Eliza meets a aboriginal man that can speak to dingos (but not other animals).
* MemeticMutation: Replacing a cartoon character's face with Nigel's.
** This isn't YMMV. [[http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/14-smashing-nigel-thornberry-gifs And it's hilarious.]]
** Also, replacing lyrics in popular songs with Nigel's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFNKccJc5eo 'Blaarrrgh']].
* PlayingAgainstType: Woah. TimCurry playing someone that ''isn't'' evil or ridiculously snarky?
* PoorCommunicationKills: One episode has Eliza and her chinese penpal accidentally getting into trouble because they didn't know that the pandas were actually being transported to a safer place and thought they were instead being poached.
* PowerTrio: Eliza = Ego, Darwin = Superego, Donnie = Id.
* PrinceAndPauper: In one episode, Eliza secretly switches places with a Mongolian girl who bears a striking resemblance to her.
* RaisedByWolves: Donnie was raised by a mother orangutan alongside her own offspring for several years [[spoiler: after his parents were killed by poachers.]]
** While in South America Donnie and Debbie meet a girl Donnie's age being raised by jaguars.
* TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation
* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Kip and Beiderman, the only two recurring antagonists.
* ScrewedByTheNetwork: The series had a two episode grand finale that ended the series, but the actual last episode wasn't aired until over a year after the first one. When they did air the actual last episode, it was without much proper advertisement and most people weren't aware of it.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:Debbie]] after the first theatrical film.
* ShapeshiftingLover: Sort of. One of the legends which fall under that trope, The Pink Dolphin, is adapted in a Shapeshifting Best Friend. When Debbie makes friends with a South American girl, Eliza begins to think this girl is a river dolphin who wants to turn Debbie into one too because she is lonely. It's never revealed if Eliza is correct but it is distinctly implied to be the case.
* ShownTheirWork: This isn't just a mindless cartoon; aside from the talking part, a lot of effort was put in to show how animals behave and made sure they were shown in their proper habitat. For example, that female lions do most of the hunting, komodo dragons smell with their tongues, camels store fat and not water, African elephants can communicate by sound vibration, hippos are extremely territorial and not the cute, lazy animals portrayed on the media (as Eliza's cousin erroneously thought), etc.
** A lot of work was also put into showing accurate portrayals of the indigenous peoples and their cultures and lifestyles. For example, in the episode "Luck Be An Aye Aye", the people of Madagascar try to kill an aye-aye Eliza befriends because they regard it as an ill omen, a true unfortunate case in real life.
* SickEpisode: Eliza develops appendicitis while in the heart of the Australian outback.
** In another episode, Nigel gets poisoned by a stonefish during a filming, leading her to rush back to the Commvee to fetch some antitoxin.
* SillyReasonForWar: Two different groups of primates were fighting each other because one group had tails and the other didn't. Eliza stops them fighting by [[spoiler: getting both groups to wear coconuts as armour. The armour made it impossible to tell who had a tail and who didn't.]]
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: The main feature of the show is Eliza's ability to talk to animals.
* TaughtByExperience: Debbie may not share the same intense love of animals as her family but their knowledge and traveling has left her very knowledgeable about the animal kingdom. She also knows a lot about subjects that relate to them and the places where they live, too.
* ThisIsNoTimeForKnitting: Marianne gets irritated with Nigel when they are supposed to filming a documentary on the bird-eating spider and he keeps being distracted by a series of seemingly unrelated activities. He eventually explains that everything he was doing was to actually help him locate the spider so they could start filming.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Eliza and Debbie, respectively.
* TheUnintelligible: Donnie
* WildChild: Donnie was raised by orangutans.
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