Invader ZIM

Invader Zim is an American animated science fiction dark comedy television series created by comic book writer and cartoonist Jhonen Vasquez for Nickelodeon. The series centers on an extraterrestrial named Zim (voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz), from the planet Irk, and his mission to conquer Earth and enslave the human race along with his malfunctioning robot servant GIR (Rosearik Rikki Simons). He is antagonized by Dib (Andy Berman), a young paranormal investigator who is determined to stop Zim from succeeding.

Nickelodeon contacted Jhonen Vasquez about pitching ideas for an animated series for their older demographic and Invader Zim was the first thing he pitched. In Vasquez's words "it went from pitch to series without hardly any waiting". As the series went on, ratings declined and budgetary issues became more frequent. Before the second season was completed, Nickelodeon cancelled the series, leaving several episodes unfinished.[18] The show originally ran on Nickelodeon from 2001 to 2002, with six of the completed second-season episodes initially going unreleased. These episodes were first made available on DVD in 2004 and later made their television debut on the Nicktoons Network in 2006. In Canada, the series premiered on YTV on September 8, 2006.

Invader Zim received positive reviews from critics and audiences, with praise primarily directed at its humor, writing, animation, art-style and the way it pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable on children's television. In the years following its cancellation, Invader Zim has often been listed as one of Nickelodeon's best shows. The series won an Annie Award, an Emmy Award and a World Animation Celebration Award, and received nominations for seven additional Annie Awards and two Golden Reel Awards. Invader Zim has spawned its own fan convention called InvaderCON and a plethora of official merchandise, including video games, toys, clothing and accessories, among many other products. Despite its early cancellation, due to increasing popularity and above-average merchandise sales, it has been widely regarded as a cult classic.

An ongoing monthly comic book series of the same name was released on July 8, 2015 as a continuation of the television series and published by Oni Press.

A film based on the television series, entitled Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, premiered on Netflix on August 16, 2019.

Plot
The series centers on Zim (voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz), a member of the imperialistic Irken race, an extraterrestrial species from the planet Irk, who are bent on universal conquest and whose social hierarchy is based solely on height rather than any type of skill or intellect. The two Irken leaders, known as The Almighty Tallest (Wally Wingert and Kevin McDonald), rule the Irken Empire together because they are the tallest individuals in their society and exactly the same height. As recounted in series premiere, "The Nightmare Begins", Zim is a delusional Irken outcast who is very short, and also overzealous, narcissistic, and megalomaniacal. He was banished to the Irken food court planet, Foodcourtia, for absentmindedly nearly destroying Irk and his own race during their first invasion known as Operation Impending Doom I.

When Zim learns the Irkens are planning a new invasion called Operation Impending Doom II, he, not understanding the purpose of his exile, "quits being banished" and leaves Foodcourtia and travels to the convention center planet called Conventia, for the Great Assigning, an event where Irken Elite soldiers are chosen to become Invaders and are then assigned by The Tallest to a planet. Invaders are soldiers whose missions are to blend in with the indigenous life forms of their assigned planet, collect information about the planet and its inhabitants and prepare the planet for conquest by the Irken Armada. Zim is determined to regain his status as an Invader and pleads with The Tallest to assign him a planet. In a desperate act to get Zim as far away as possible and ensure he would not ruin things the second time around, The Tallest send Zim on a fake "secret mission" to a "mystery planet" located on the outskirts of their known universe which they do not think even exists, in order to keep him occupied and away from the real invasion. Zim is joined in his mission by GIR (Rosearik Rikki Simons), an ineffective and erratic Standard Issue Information Retrieval (SIR) unit which was hastily made out of spare parts found in a trash can.

After a six month long trip across the universe, Zim finally arrives at this "mystery planet" which not only really does exist, but also coincidentally happens to be a dark, dystopian, and satirical version of Earth. Delighted with his find, Zim quickly goes to work and succeeds at setting up his base of operations in a random suburban area on Earth, much to the dismay of The Tallest. Due to his short stature, Zim disguises himself as a human child, albeit one with a green complexion that he explains away as a "skin condition", and attends a local school (spelled "Skool") in an attempt to collect knowledge about Earth and learn the planet's weaknesses. The remainder of the show focuses on Zim's time "infiltrating" the human race at school or at his home base, planning attempts at world domination, and the enslavement of humanity. Opposing Zim is his classmate Dib (Andy Berman), a paranoid young boy who is obsessed with the paranormal and supernatural and the only human (besides his sister) who sees through Zim's disguise. Dib is determined to expose Zim as an alien and thwart his plans for world domination, despite the hostility and mockery he receives from his oblivious peers for doing so.

Supporting characters include Dib's cynical and apathetic sister Gaz (Melissa Fahn); Zim and Dib's demonic teacher Ms. Bitters (Lucille Bliss); and Dib and Gaz's famous, but neglectful father Professor Membrane (Rodger Bumpass). Later in the series, other alien characters begin to appear, including Tak (Olivia d'Abo), a fellow Irken seeking revenge against Zim; Lard Nar (Fred Tatasciore), the leader of a resistance group called The Resisty who wants to overthrow the Irken Empire; and Sizz-Lorr (Jim Wise), Zim's former Irken employer on Foodcourtia who attempts to recapture his employee.

Apart from eight double-length episodes (including the debut), each episode is a self-contained storyline. Some occurrences from previous episodes are mentioned, but there is little continuing storyline other than the main invasion plot. However, towards the end of the show, a larger universe of characters and organizations were introduced to build continuity: Tak appearing and seeking revenge against Zim; Dib's capture and repair of Tak's spaceship to travel through space; resistances to the Irken Empire such as the Meekrob and The Resisty; and other various devices which were becoming more and more a part of the show's central mythology.

Followed by
Lizzie McGuire (2001) (TV Series) Invader Zim and other characters are featured.

Invader ZIM: Enter the Florpus (2019) (TV Movie)

Referenced in
Nickelodeon Party Blast (2002) (Video Game) Zim is a playable character.

Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast (2003) (Video) Zim, GIR and Dib appear

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) One of Steve's students: Sam Hynes, wears a Gir Shirt.

SpongeBob and Friends: Attack of the Toybots (2007) (Video Game) Zim (DS-exclusive) and Gir are playable (console- and DS-exclusive).

Crash of the Titans (2007) (Video Game) N. Gin sings the Doom Song.

South Park: Imaginationland: Episode III (2007) (TV Episode) Invader Zim appears among the villains.

Kid vs. Kat (2008) (TV Series) Homage

South Park: The Ungroundable (2008) (TV Episode) One of the t-shirts at the Hot Topic store has an image of GIR in his dog costume but it's colored blue instead of green.

Smosh: If Cartoons Were Real (2010) (TV Episode) Ian and Anthony don't know anything about Invader ZIM so they show a waffle instead

Mad: Are You Karate Kidding Me?/The Fresh Prawn of Bel-Air (2011) (TV Episode) An alien is wearing a GIR shirt.

Nicktoons MLB (2011) (Video Game) Zim & Gaz are playable characters.

DashieXP: XBOX SMASH!! (2012) (TV Episode) Different types of clothing and a bag with GIR on it can be seen

DashieXP: KILLER IN MY HOUSE! (2012) (TV Episode) GIR can be seen on a shirt

Escape from Planet Earth (2012) Zim is among the graffitti names

Honest Game Trailers: Tomb Raider (2015) (TV Episode) "Bow down before the might of Santa!"

Honest Game Trailers: Pokemon Black & White (2016) (TV Episode) GIR mentioned

The Loud House: Linc or Swim/Changing the Baby (2016) (TV Episode) Miss Bitters is one of the seniors at the community pool.

TMNT: Don vs Raph (2016) (Short) A picture of Zim is seen on the side of a building.

Atop the Fourth Wall: New Line Cinema's Tales of Horror #1 (2017) (TV Episode) "...if the twist was that it was actually Invader ZiM."

Brain Dump: Deadpool is Scamming You (2018) (TV Episode) Invader ZIM box set can be seen on Max's shelves.

Vexus Shares Her Thoughts on Nickelodeon Universe (2019) (Short) Zim was indirectly mentioned by Vexus.

What's Your Game?: Price is Right Too (2020) (TV Episode) Clips shown

AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: A Good Cup of Toons (2020) (TV Episode) Zim is name dropped.

Featured in
Atop the Fourth Wall: Gameboy #1 (2011) (TV Episode) clip shown

The Nostalgia Chick: Daria (2011) (TV Episode) compares Daria to this show.

Atop the Fourth Wall: Gameboy #2 (2012) (TV Episode) clip shown

El Reviewer Random: Ghost Sweeper Mikami: The Great Paradise Battle!! (2013) (TV Episode) clip from the show is used

Atop the Fourth Wall: Solson Christmas Special Featuring Samurai Santa #1 (2013) (TV Episode) clip shown

WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Cartoons That Got Canceled (2014) (TV Episode) Invader ZIM is #9.

Anime Abandon: Dark Cat (2014) (TV Episode) clip shown

WatchMojo: Top 10 Animated Shows from Nickelodeon (2014) (TV Episode) Invader ZIM is #10.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Cartoon Aliens in Movies and TV (2014) (TV Episode) Zim is #9.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Sci-Fi Comedy TV Shows (2014) (TV Episode) Invader ZIM is #10.

Atop the Fourth Wall: Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone (2015) (TV Episode) clip shown

WatchMojo: Top 10 Animated Goth Girls (2016) (TV Episode) Gaz gets an honorable mention.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Sci-Fi Animated Series (2016) (TV Episode) Invader ZIM gets an honorable mention.

El Reviewer Random: God's Not Dead (2016) (TV Episode) clip from the show is used

WatchMojo: Top 10 Funniest Robots in Film and TV (2016) (TV Episode) GIR is #10.

Loose Canon: 9/11 (2016) (TV Episode) Footage is shown when talking about shows that had episodes pulled after 9/11.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Memorable TV Cartoon Characters of the 2000s (2016) (TV Episode) Zim gets an honorable mention.

RebelTaxi: Coconut Fred - 5th Worst Cartoon Ever (2016) (TV Episode) Clips used.

MsMojo: Top 10 Most Bullied Animated Characters (2016) (TV Episode) Dib Membrane is #9.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Sympathetic Villains in Cartoons (2016) (TV Episode) Zim is #7.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Most Annoying Cartoon Voices (2016) (TV Episode) The voice of GIR gets an honorable mention.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Most Maniacal Evil Laughs in Cartoons (2017) (TV Episode) Zim's maniacal laugh is #8.

The Know's Top 10s: Top 10 Fictional Worlds (2017) (TV Episode) A clip is shown.

MsMojo: Top 10 Darkest Moments in Kids' Shows (2018) (TV Episode) Zim's Organ-Filled Body is #10.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Kids' Show Concepts That Are Actually Disturbing (2018) (TV Episode) An Organ-Eating Alien Tries to Enslave the Human Race is #7.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Invader Zim Episodes (2018) (TV Episode) The top 10 "Invader Zim" episodes are counted down.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Cartoons That Were Canceled for Ridiculous Reasons (2018) (TV Episode) Invader ZIM, canceled because of Nickelodeon's choice to focus on their demographic of younger viewers, is #5.

MsMojo: Top 10 Unique Cartoon Character Voices on TV (2018) (TV Episode) Richard Steven Horvitz as Zim gets an honorable mention.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Short Lived Cartoon Kids Shows That Gained a Cult Following (2018) (TV Episode) "Invader ZIM" is #1.

MsMojo: Top 10 Most Underrated Nickelodeon Shows (2019) (TV Episode) Invader ZIM gets an honorable mention.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Unexpectedly Violent Moments in Cartoons (2019) (TV Episode) Zim Steals Kids' Organs gets an honorable mention.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Nickelodeon Cartoon Characters (2019) (TV Episode) Zim gets an honorable mention.

MsMojo: Top 10 Darkest Nickelodeon Episodes (2020) (TV Episode) Invader ZIM: Germs/Dark Harvest (2001) is #2.

Spoofed in
Replaying: The Game (2009) (Video Game) One of the shows featured in the "Cult TV: The Game" level.