Invader Zim

Invader Zim
Zim: Okay, GIR! Our mission begins now! Let us reign some doom down upon the filthy heads of our doomed enemies! GIR: I'm gonna sing the Doom Song now! Doom, doom, doom, doom, doom, doom~ [and so on]
Genre: Science fiction Horror Black comedy Running Time: 23 minutes Country: United States Release Date: March 30, 2001 – December 10, 2002 (Season 1) June 10 - August 19, 2006 (Season 2) Network(s): Nickelodeon Nicktoons Created by: Jhonen Vasquez Distributed by: Viacom Media Networks Starring: Richard Steven Horvitz Andy Berman Rosearik Rikki Simons Melissa Fahn Jhonen Vasquez Rodger Bumpass Lucille Bliss Wally Wingert Kevin McDonald Andrè Sogliuzzo Seasons: 2 Episodes: 27 (46 segments + 1 pilot)

Invader Zim is a cartoon series produced by Nickelodeon. It first aired in 2001 and was canceled after just two seasons due to low ratings.

Plot

Irken alien Zim dreams of greatness. Unfortunately, he's hopelessly inept as a space invader. Desperate to be rid of the annoying Zim, his planet's leaders, the Almighty Tallest, send him on a mission to infiltrate Earth, providing him with leftover, cobbled-together equipment. To their consternation, Zim succeeds in setting up a base on Earth and infiltrating human culture, posing as a human child as he plots the planet's downfall. Only Zim's human arch-nemesis, Dib, recognizes that Zim is an alien, and of course, nobody believes Dib's claims.

Why It Takes Over the World (And in a GOOD Way)

1. For starters, this show is very unique as it is the only Nickelodeon show to be different from the usual lighthearted tone shows, along with Ren and Stimpy.
2. Awesome voice acting coming from Richard Steven Horvitz (Billy from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Razputin Aquato from Psychonauts series, Moxxie from Helluva Boss), Rosearik Rikki Simons, Andrè Sogliuzzo (Tony Montana from Scarface: The World Is Yours), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants) and Andy Berman.
3. The premise of an alien invading a portrayal of a dystopian version of Earth along with its humanity further adds to its charm.
4. Smoothly fluent, detailed, and wacky-styled animation, while combining this with stylized computer graphics thanks to Sunwoo Entertainment.
5. Some likable characters like GIR, Zim, and Dib, Zim's arch-nemesis.
   • Speaking of GIR, his character serves as a comic relief to balance the usual dark tone of the series.
6. Many episodes have interesting and wacky plots behind them.
7. Its comic book series and especially its Netflix movie, Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, are awesome and a sure sign that the series aged very well.
8. Dib, being the heroic antagonist of the series while Zim being the villain protagonist makes it an unusual twist from how protagonists and antagonists are usually portrayed in most fiction.
9. A lot of dark and funny moments, especially with GIR's moments.
10. Unique art style that blends well with the theme of the show.
11. Lots of memorable quotes, such as:
    • "YOU'RE AFTER MY ROBOT BEE!!!!!"
    • "I'm gonna sing the Doom Song now!"
    • "I have a MIGHTY NEED!"
    • And of course, "I AM ZIM!!!"

Invading Qualities

1. It was canceled after only two seasons, leaving some plot holes. Fortunately, the recent comic series helped fill in the gaps left by the show. Sadly, those comic series can't be found anywhere.
2. Some moments featuring Gaz can get really dark and creepy, and alongside the fact she is emo, caused controversy and some people ordered Nickelodeon to tone down the "satanic" elements Gaz had.
   • On that topic, the show is also very infamous for its grotesque content that can be BEYOND terrifying and disturbing for children, with the worst offenders being the infamous scene in "Bestest Friend," where Keef's eyeballs are ripped out while he shrieks in agony, it doesn't help that it's shown in silhouette. Not to mention, the infamous and highly controversial scene in "Dark Harvest" showed the actual organs of the characters on-screen which was also controversial because there was a similar case of a murderer stealing body parts from his neighbor. And it painfully shows.
3. It has two infamously bad episodes such as: "Bolognius Maximus" and "Gaz, Taster of Pork".
4. The United States airing has been on a 3-year hiatus, as no new season or episodes were airing in 2003-2005.

Reception

The show received critical acclaim from both critics and audiences, who praised its humor, writing, animation, art style, and the way it pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable on children's television. It is nowadays considered one of the best Nickelodeon shows ever made.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has a 100% critic score and a 90% audience score. The site's critics' consensus states "The right balance of dark humor and spastic earnestness make Invader Zim a creepy kid's cartoon worthy of its cult following".

It has an 8.3/10 on IMDb. Despite the positive reception, Invader Zim had low ratings on Nickelodeon and became controversial for featuring dark content, such as brief, but graphic scenes depicting actual human organs onscreen, which led to it's cancellation after 2 seasons.

Trivia

• The show came out on the same day as The Fairly OddParents, and the same year as The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, in which both Richard Steven Horvitz starred in.

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