Garage Kids is a five-minute, animated television pilot that was produced by Antefilms in 2001. It was the original concept for the French animated television series Code: Lyoko, which was released in 2003. A television pilot is the first episode of an intended television series. ... Antefilms is a French company that makes TV shows. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... An animated television series or cartoon television series is a television series produced by means of animation. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Original Concept

Garage Kids was originally intended to be the name and concept for the show known as Code: Lyoko. They decided to switch to the current concept instead of sticking with what is seen in the five-minute video. The original hook of the series is seen below. Some of it is still true of Code: Lyoko.

Built on the model of a soap opera which unfolds through the series, Garage Kids offers in each of its 26 episodes (26 minutes each) a complete story in which Odd and his friends – Jeremie (a computer wizard), Ulrich, and Yumi – try to end one of the disturbances in the computer network caused by Xanadu's exuberance. While the idea of clandestine natures and hidden identities should seduce the children while feeding their imaginations, Garage Kids rests on the fascination that video games hold for kids today. A confrontation between the real world and Xanadu fully vindicates that of 2-D and of 3-D. Influenced by the poetry and the visual impact of Japanese animation, the series proposes a graphic universe that's particularly original and strong. Odd in the real world. ... Jeremie at Kadic. ... Ulrich on Earth. ... 2D version of Yumi (at school). ...

Original Plot

This is the original plot for Garage Kids. Obviously, much of this holds true for Code: Lyoko, though various names and places have been altered.

A group of kids whose adventures take place in the real world but also in a parallel and virtual world, Xanadu. The story? A boy of about twelve, Odd, arrives one day in his new neighborhood and quickly learns that his friends are gifted with extraordinary powers. Yumi, for example, is telekinetic while Ulrich has the gift of displacing himself at the speed of light. These kids have in fact penetrated the secret of Xanadu, the fruit of the labours of a research group whose laboratory, set in an environment inspired by the old Renault automobile factory on the Île Seguin at Boulogne-Billancourt, is now abandoned. Created by the Professor, a learned eccentric who sunk into madness, Xanadu and its multiple disturbances threaten to destroy the real world. Odd in the real world. ... 2D version of Yumi (at school). ... Ulrich on Earth. ...

Garage Kids and Code: Lyoko

Garage Kids is similar in many ways to Code: Lyoko, but several stark differences exist, as well. The differences are seen in the minor details, such as outfits and backgrounds. The similarities can be seen in the larger details, such as the overall theme and characters involved.

Lyoko is portrayed quite differently in Garage Kids, being called "Xanadu" instead. The antagonist appeared and acted very much like XANA in Code: Lyoko, but was given no name in Garage Kids. Characters such as Yumi, with her telekinesis, were able to exert their special powers outside of Lyoko. Aelita does not seem to exist in Garage Kids, and no character models of her were ever made. All of Lyoko. ... The antagonist is the character (or group of characters) of a story who represents the opposition against which the heroes and/or protagonists must contend. ... The Eye of XANA. This article is about XANA, a fictional program. ... 2D version of Yumi (at school). ... Psychokinesis (literally mind-movement) or PK is the more commonly used term today for what in the past was known as telekinesis (literally distant-movement). It refers to the psi ability to influence the behavior of matter by mental intention (or possibly some other aspect of mental activity) alone. ... Aelita in the Mountain Sector of Lyoko. ...

Many of the locations are different, as well. Inside of the factory, the scanners (which are much wider and shorter than the ones in the show) are atop a long set of stairs and the lab (simply a chair surrounded by multiple screens) is on ground level. The exterior of the factory does not appear to be changed. The school looks different and pets are seemingly allowed there, since Odd takes absolutely no effort to hide the fact that Kiwi is with him. Kadic Junior High School is a boarding school in a French animated television series Code: Lyoko. ... Odd in the real world. ...

The outfits for the virtualized characters range from slightly to drastically different, appearing to be based on designs from the older eras of Japan. Ulrich's outfit has the most differences. Unlike his outfit in Code: Lyoko, his pants are rather large and puffy, based on early versions of samurai armor. The others are not seen in virtualized form, but early character models shown them in roughly the same outfits as they wear in Code: Lyoko. The various character models can be seen at the links below. Ulrich on Earth. ... For other uses, please see Samurai (disambiguation) Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ...

Different voice actors are used in Garage Kids. As a result, the character's voices are noticeably different. They are also less than fluent in English, which is easily spotted in fragments of their conversations. All the voices sound much more like French voices. They also sound much younger. Their personalities, however, seem to remain the same.

The overall state of the computer-generated imagery in Garage Kids is poorly executed, in almost second-rate video-game starkness, when compared to the smooth, realistic Code: Lyoko computer-generated imagery. Since this was never meant for television viewing, it's not too surprising. Also, some of the visual effects used in anime are used in Garage Kids, but, with the exception of one scene in the episode Claustrophobia, no anime effects are seen in Code: Lyoko. The pseudopod in The Abyss marked CGIs acceptance in the visual effects industry. ... This is the current Anime Collaboration of the Week. ...

Garage Kids is not on any of the official Code: Lyoko DVD box sets. Instead, it is available for download in Quicktime Movie format.

Synopsis

Garage Kids begins on a stormy night. A computer in a random room (it looks like a dorm room at Kadic) lights up with a strange symbol (a silhouette of Xanadu) and dark, ghost-like shapes begin to pour from the screen. Kadic Junior High School is a boarding school in a French animated television series Code: Lyoko. ...

The next day, a bus arrives at Kadic. It drops off a student and his dog. They're named Odd and Kiwi, respectively. Odd is greeted by Jeremie, who also introduces him to his friend, Ulrich. Jeremie makes a comment about Kiwi, saying something about him looking "dumb." Odd claims Kiwi is very sensitive and can get mean, and pushes the dog into Jeremie's face. Jeremie believes him at first, but Odd quickly reveals the act to be a joke (showing off his goofball smile). Ulrich just shakes his head in disbelief. Odd in the real world. ... Jeremie at Kadic. ... Ulrich on Earth. ...

In the courtyard, Odd asks if any "cool chicks" can be found at Kadic. Jeremie points him to Yumi, who is practicing Pencak Silat with Ulrich. Jeremie makes sure to point out that getting on her bad side is not a good idea. As the two practice, Yumi eventually falls on top of Ulrich, with her legs wrapped around his. After a short stint of heavy breathing, Yumi blushes. 2D version of Yumi (at school). ... Pencak Silat or Silat (fighting by using techniques of self-defence) is an Asian martial art with roots in the culture of the Malay World. ...

Later on, on the roof of Kadic, Yumi is telling Jeremie to hurry before they are late for class. For some unfathomable reason, Jeremie is sitting on the bars meant to keep people from falling to the ground below. He's messing with his laptop, claiming something to be weird. All of a sudden, the symbol seen on the computer in the first scene appears on his laptop and the same ghosts burst from the screen and escape into the sky. This causes Jeremie to lose his balance and fall. Luckily, Yumi is able to catch him before he hits the ground. She doesn't catch him physically, but rather through telekinesis. Odd is understandably surprised as she floats Jeremie back up. She then asks if Odd can keep a secret. Psychokinesis (literally mind-movement) or PK is the more commonly used term today for what in the past was known as telekinesis (literally distant-movement). It refers to the psi ability to influence the behavior of matter by mental intention (or possibly some other aspect of mental activity) alone. ...

They take Odd (followed by Kiwi) to an old factory. Within is a giant laboratory, complete with a computer, three scanners, and a couch for some reason. Ulrich heads for the scanners while Jeremie and Yumi head for the computer. Odd just stands there, dumbfounded. Jeremie quickly sends Ulrich to a virtual world, known as Xanadu. Odd wonders what happening, so Yumi gives a quick explanation about Xanadu. They don't know why it exists, but that they do know something is wrong with it.

In Xanadu, Ulrich walks around aimlessly for a bit before giant black ghosts begin to chase him. As the chase takes place, Odd asks why they go if it's so dangerous. Yumi explains that their world is in danger as well. Back in Xanadu, a ghost tries to crash into Ulrich. He dodges and the ghost crashes into a pillar, instead. A subsequent earthquake in the real world helps to accentuate Yumi's earlier point.

Eventually, Jeremie informs Ulrich that his saber is charged. Ulrich then draws a blue saber made out of binary code. He quickly cuts one of the ghosts into several pieces. The other ghosts retreat, with Ulrich in hot pursuit. He chases them up a large mountain, eventually stopping at an over-sized tower. A few dozen ghosts are circling it. They break off and begin to pursue him. The term binary code can mean several different things: There are a variety of different methods of coding numbers or symbols into strings of bits, including fixed-length binary numbers, prefix codes such as Huffman codes, and other coding techniques including arithmetic coding. ...

Back in the lab, Jeremie tells Ulrich to come back. Yumi disagrees, saying they can't go back later, and has Odd come with her to Xanadu instead. They appear on top of one of the over-sized tower, but are not actually seen. The camera backs up to show the whole of Xanadu, which looks exactly the same as the symbol seen on Jeremie's laptop. Towers of varying sizes can be seen scattered about its landscape. The Garage Kids logo appears on the screen once it fully backs away. Odd then comes out of the scanner, exhausted from the experience.

Now the credits start to play, showing various still images of the group. Among these are the four sitting on a bench while Jeremie works on his laptop, Jeremie and Odd trying to push an embarrassed Ulrich and Yumi together, a scene with Jeremie working and Odd sleeping while Ulrich and Yumi have a pillow fight, and, finally, another scene with the four sitting on a bench.

Trivia

• The song in the ending credits is called Love Foolosophy by the English group called Jamiroquai. It's on a CD called A Funk Odyssey.

• Some scenes and still images from Garage Kids were partially recycled into Code: Lyoko. The actual scenes in Code: Lyoko are remastered and have different backgrounds. The ending credits for the first season of Code: Lyoko also show some of the same images from Garage Kids as well.

• The name Xanadu was taken from Xanadu House, a smart home.

The exterior of the Xanadu House in Kissimmee, Florida in 1994 The Xanadu Houses were a series of experimental homes, built to showcase computers and automation in the home. ...

External Links

• A site with the Garage Kids video.

• A site with various images from Garage Kids, as well as a script and the video itself.

• A page with images of the development of Garage Kids.

• Another page with images of the development of Garage Kids.