Time Warp Trio is an American/Canadian animated television series based on the children's book series of the same name by Jon Scieszka. Produced by Soup2Nuts in association with WGBH Boston, the show aired on Discovery Kids and The Hub in the United States and on CBBC in the United Kingdom. It also aired as part of a two-hour Discovery Kids block on NBC until September 2, 2006.
The last new episode of Time Warp Trio aired on Discovery Kids on July 15, 2006 (during a marathon featuring six other new episodes) and on NBC on September 2 (also marking the end of the "Discovery Kids on NBC" block).
For his tenth birthday, Joe receives a mysterious blue book from his magician uncle and namesake, "Joe the Magnificent," known only as "The Book". Using an often unpredictable number of voice and print clues, The Book transports Joe and his friends Fred and Sam to a variety of places in history, like Ancient Egypt, the Old West and to the year 2105, where they meet their own great-granddaughters, Jodie, Samantha and Freddi. The only way they are able to return present-day Brooklyn, New York is to find The Book again within whatever time period they are in. Later in the series, Joe's evil uncle, Mad Jack, makes several attempts to capture the children and The Book with his crafty tricks, whether stranding them in Antarctica (where The Book doesn't work) or trying to make their new home in China (during the Tang Dynasty).
Joseph "Joe" Arthur (voiced by Mark Rendall) – An up-and-coming magician and the present-day owner of The Book, Joe is the unofficial leader of the Time Warp Trio. While his penchant for carrying The Book around with him and experimenting with it often results in many of their adventures, his talent for magical tricks also helps them out of many tough situations. Joe is at one point awarded the title of Time Page (which Jodie says she hasn't since she was five, despite not receiving The Book herself until her tenth birthday) and is said to eventually become a Warp Wizard. According to Freddi and Jodie, Joe will fight his uncle, Mad Jack, in a great battle that will determine the fate of time itself. He lives in Brooklyn with his archeologist father, his mother, and his little sister Anna.
Sam (voiced by Darren Frost) – A friend of Joe and Fred who contributes his intelligence and historical knowledge to the group's problems. He wears thick glasses (he is self-conscious about being a nerd) and is lactose intolerant. Sam is also very wary of time travel, convinced their doom is imminent every time they open The Book. An amateur inventor, he is told by Freddi that he will invent something very important in the future (though it is not revealed what).
Fred (voiced by Scott McCord) – A friend of Joe and Sam who is a sports fan and known for being headstrong, sometimes to the point of idiocy. Fred is known for being the one of the group most interested in using The Book for material gains, whether hunting for treasure or patenting future technology (although in 'Dude, Where's my Karma?' he decides to use the book in order to save Joe). He has a bullying older brother named Mike.
Jodie Arthur (voiced by Sarah Gadon until ep. 14; voiced by Tajja Isen starting with ep. 20) – Joe's great-granddaughter from the year 2105, who occasionally cross the paths of the trio with her friends Samantha and Freddi (all three have a great mastery of The Book). She is known for being bossy, complaining, loving fashion, and allergic to cats. Jodie is also a third-level warper.
Samantha (voiced by Laurie Elliott) – Sam's great-granddaughter from the year 2105, who occasionally cross the paths of the trio with her friends Jodie and Freddi (all three have a great mastery of The Book). She is known for being teasing, daring, and klutzy, the exact opposite of Sam. Samantha owns a robot cat named Rivites and a time-traveling pocket watch that belonged to Sam.
Freddi (voiced by Sunday Muse) – Fred's great-granddaughter from the year 2105, who occasionally cross the paths of the trio with her friends Jodie and Samantha (all three have a great mastery of The Book). She is usually shy, timid and seems to be the exact opposite of Fred.
Anna Arthur (voice by Annick Obonsawin) – Joe's annoying younger sister, who shows having more knowledge of The Book than her brother.
Joe the Magnificent (voiced by Tony Daniels) – Joe's uncle, a would-be magician who fails at live performances. He originally sent his nephew Joe The Book, which he didn't know how to use, and instead traverses time and space with an enchanted pocket watch. He believes in the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny.
Mad Jack (voiced by Tony Daniels) – A character created for the TV series, Mad Jack is the evil brother of "Joe the Magnificent" and Mrs. Arthur. He is intent on getting his hands on The Book so that he can be the sole ruler of eternity, shadowing the trio in many of their travels and even once facing his nephew Joe down. Mad Jack travels through time and space with a scepter with an hourglass on top.
Mrs. Arthur (voiced by Susan Roman) – Joe and Anna's mother. She understands how to use The Book, originally giving it to her brother (Joe's uncle).
Mr. Arthur (voiced by Tom Arnold) – Joe and Anna's father. He is a world-famous archeologist, whom Joe was talking about in the episode "Jinga All The Way".
Mike (voiced by Dan Petronijevic) – Fred's mean older brother who appears in "See You Later, Gladiator" and "Viking It and Liking It".
Nightmare on Joe's Street
The Seven Blunders of the World
Plaid to the Bone
Meet you at Waterloo (Able Was I, Ere I Saw Elba)
You Can't, But Genghis Khan
Lewis and Clark...and Jodie, Freddi, and Samantha
Wushu Were Here
