Line #11 Animation/VizipokCsodapok


1	[[quoteright:285:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vizipok.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:285:The water spider (right) and his diadem spider friend]]
3	''Vízipók-Csodapók'' (literally: "Water spider - wonder spider") is a Hungarian animated series created by Creator/PannoniaFilmStudio, initially running for 3 seasons in 1976, 1980 and 1985. In 1982, a feature-length movie edited together from the first two seasons got a theatrical release, which then got a digitally remastered re-release in 2019.
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5	The series stars a curious [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_bell_spider water spider]] exploring the world around himself, with the help of his grouchy land-dwelling cousin, a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araneus_diadematus diadem spider]].
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7	The show is notable for featuring numerous lesser-known species of spiders, insects and other invertebrates, and being one of the few shows that present spiders as heroic. Compare ''Literature/MayaTheBee'', a German franchise with a somewhat similar premise, but focusing on bees rather than spiders.
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10	!!Tropes:
11	* AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal: The water spider is an odd variant: he wears a bubble around his waist which is invisible on land but visible underwater. He doesn't wear it for modesty but rather because it's his source of oxygen when diving. This is TruthInTelevision: diving bell spiders have bubbles around their abdomen to breathe.
12	* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: While many species, like the ladybugs and bees, are realistically colored, some characters have more unrealistic colors, including the protagonist, who is for some reason purple rather than dark brown like real diving bell spiders.
13	* AmbiguousGender: Many characters, including the protagonist, are designed without clear TertiarySexualCharacteristics, and their voices (which are distorted Music/AlvinAndTheChipmunks-style) are also ambiguous enough to not be possible to tell their gender[[note]] Hungarian language lacks gendered pronouns[[/note]]. We refer to the protagonist as a "he" mostly due him being voiced by a man.
14	* AntlionMonster: An actual antlion, who traps an ant in his sand pit that gets rescued by the spiders.
15	* BirthdayEpisode: In an episode, all bugs celebrate their birthdays at the same time, since they all hatched in early spring.
16	* CarnivoreConfusion: All around. The water spider is a FriendToAllLivingThings despite being a predatory species. The diadem spider is acknowledged to eat flies, but is presented as unlucky and is never seen catching a fly. The ladybug is shown eating aphids, which appears to be okay [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute because the ladybug is cute and the aphids are unpleasant plant parasites]]. Meanwhile, other predators like the praying mantis, the antlion and the water stick insect are presented as antagonists, trying to eat the heroes' friends.
17	* CompeteForTheMaidensHand: Two male rhinoceros beetles engage in a duel to woo a female of their species.
18	* CompilationMovie: In 1982, a feature-length movie edited together from the first two seasons was released theatrically.
19	* CoolHouse: The water spider's diving bell, which is basically a huge bubble in the middle of his underwater web, is referred to a "crystal palace" and is presented as magnificent and awe-inspiring.
20	* DisneyDeath: The old crayfish appears to have died, but as the water spider mourns him, the crayfish shows up unharmed to explain that what appears to be his dead body is actually just his carapace which he molted off.
21	* ADogNamedDog: All characters are named after their species, with the exception of Mimi and Kri, the two flower crab spiders (whose name is, instead, a pun on "mimicry").
22	* EdutainmentShow: The show's creators intended to educate the young viewers about the life of bugs and show that they are not creepy, but rather interesting.
23	* ExtraEyes: The two main spider characters both have eight eyes, although most of the time they keep six of them closed. Oddly averted with the flower crab spiders, who have only one pair of eyes and are puzzled by the extra eyes of the water spider and the diadem spider.
24	* FourLeggedInsect: Played straight with most arthropod characters: insects tend to have two arms and two legs, whereas spiders (including the protagonist) have two arms and four legs. Inverted with the snails, who are portrayed with two arms.
25	* FriendlyNeighborhoodSpider: The two main spider characters are not scary the least bit: the water spider is the friendliest bug you can meet, whereas the diadem spider is a bit of a grouch, but still a loyal friend.
26	* FriendToAllLivingThings: The water spider is friendly with each and every animal he encounters. Unless [[BewareTheNiceOnes he finds that they threaten his friends]].
27	* GentleGiant: The crayfish dwarfs every other bug in the pond, and yet has the personality of a kind elderly man. The frog, while initially angry that the spiders play catch with her eggs, also gets friendly once the spiders apologize.
28	* HeliumSpeech: The majority of the characters have voices like this, to emphasize their small size.
29	* InformedSpecies: The protagonist doesn't look much like a spider; he's a purple cartoon bug with a generally humanoid body shape and beak-like mouth, with only his numerous legs and eyes indicating his species.
30	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The diadem spider is quite a grouch who mocks the water spider for his lack of knowledge or play mean-spirited pranks on him, but he is ultimately a loyal and loving friend who will stand up for the water spider when in need.
31	* MasterOfDisguise: The flower crab spiders can turn practically invisible when standing on a flower of their own color. The antagonistic water stick insect and praying mantis are also very good at disguising themselves as plants.
32	* TheMedic: The cellar spider obtained his medical skills by living inside a skull at an university.
33	* NiceGuy: The water spider is a FriendToAllLivingThings who is willing to help those in need. The only time he gets mean-spirited, mocking the old crayfish for his style of swimming, he quickly gets into trouble for it.
34	* NonstandardCharacterDesign: Most characters (including the insects, spiders and snails) are your typical cartoon bugs, with an upright stance, human-like arms and faces with cartoony eyes and mouth. However, some of the more outlandish creatures like the freshwater mussel and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydra_viridissima green hydra]] look completely realistic and non-anthropomorphic, despite also being sapient and capable of speech.
35	* ParentService: The damselfly larva is a HumanoidFemaleAnimal with a curvy body, including [[NonMammalMammaries breasts]].
36	* PhraseCatcher: "This water spider is a wonder spider", most often said by the diadem spider.
37	* ProtagonistTitle: "Vízipók-Csodapók" refers to the protagonist of the series, the water spider.
38	* RandomEventsPlot: The theatrical movie version is compiled together from stand-alone episodes, resulting in a very episodic plot without an overarching story arc.
39	* RhymingTitle: Vizi''pok'' Csoda''pok''
40	* ShownTheirWork: One of the writers of the show, György Kertész, was a biologist, and it ''shows''. Not only half of the cast are lesser-known species rarely featured in media, but lots of the major plot points (from the diving bell of the water spider to the dance of the bees) are based on the actual behavior of these species.
41	* SlayingMantis: The praying mantis is an antagonist who attempts to hunt down one of the water spider's friends.
42	* SliceOfLife: The show is basically bugs going on about their everyday lives, without any overall grand story arc, and the adventures are fairly low-key (with the conflicts ranging from simple misunderstandings to a dangerous predator showing up).
43	* SuddenDownerEnding: While the show has its happy and sad moments, its overall tone is rather upbeat. Then comes the series finale [[spoiler: where the diadem spider drifts away in the autumn wind, with the implication that he will never see the the water spider again]].
44	* VirtuousBees: The bee characters are all portrayed as hard-working, honorable and generally friendly.

Context Animation / VizipokCsodapok