iGo to Japan
| iGo to Japan|noerror | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Teen comedy |
| Based on | iCarly by Dan Schneider |
| Written by | Andrew Hill Newman (story) Dan Schneider (teleplay) |
| Directed by | Steve Hoefer |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Bruce Rand Berman |
| Running time | 71 minutes |
| Production companies | Schneider's Bakery Nickelodeon Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nickelodeon |
| Release | November 8, 2008 |
iGo to Japan (also known as iCarly: iGo to Japan) is a 2008 television film, part of the Nickelodeon TV series iCarly. It premiered on November 8, 2008 on Nickelodeon, and November 21 on YTV. It has also been broadcast as three episodes of the second season. It was the first film of the series. The television movie stars Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy, Nathan Kress, Jerry Trainor, and Mary Scheer.[1] The film was directed by Steve Hoefer.[1] The production of the film began in the spring of 2008, and lasted around 4 to 5 weeks.
Plot
The iCarly gang are invited to Tokyo after being nominated for the annual iWeb Awards, where in order to qualify they will be expected to perform a skit live on stage. Prior to their trip, they create a sketch called Melanie Higgles: Space Cheerleader.
They receive three first-class tickets. Freddie’s mother, Marissa, initially refuses to allow Freddie to go on the trip even after Spencer volunteers to chaperone the kids. She agrees instead to come along. Since they do not have enough airline tickets for five people, Spencer trades the three first-class tickets for five lower-class ones. However, he subsequently calls in a favor from Socko which results in the team riding to Japan aboard an unsanitary, possum-filled cargo airplane bound for Korea. They must skydive into Tokyo.
The group winds up landing in a deserted area, but are found by a Japanese policeman who brings them safely to Hotel Nakamura, where they would be staying. After checking in and sleeping off their jet lag, they are visited by Kyoko and Yûki, the stars of a competing webshow. The pair give Spencer and Marissa free passes to a Nakamura Spa where their cousins work and take Carly, Sam and Freddie shopping.
As generous as their gestures seem, Kyoko and Yûki have their minds set on sabotaging iCarly's chances of winning the iWeb Awards. They purposely fight over and over again for directions until Yûki "admits" they are lost. As night falls, they take Carly, Sam and Freddie to the middle of nowhere and drive off after staging a kung-fu fight. Meanwhile, Spencer and Marissa find themselves bound to their massage tables by seaweed naked, a problem rectified by Spencer eating his way out and then freeing Marissa. Marissa locates the lost iCarly gang on a locator chip she had secretly put in Freddie's head.
Eventually, the gang reunites and are able to get to the iWeb Awards show, only to be prevented from entering the studio because the security guards do not speak English. Marissa distracts the guards and they get in, only to be quickly apprehended. The guards keep them in a utility room and Carly and Sam try to communicate with them by acting out what happened to them during their trip. Freddie cleverly videotapes them and plugs his camcorder into the stage's jumbotron. Unbeknownst to the girls, their manic performance is being broadcast to the audience, overshadowing Kyoko and Yûki's performance, as well as exposing their crimes. They are saved by the man who invited them, who in fluent Japanese, informs the security guards that they were supposed to be on the show.
iCarly wins the award for best comedy, though Carly and Sam have no idea how they won until Freddie explains what he did, while Kyoko and Yûki are arrested. The iCarly gang, along with Spencer and Marissa, return to America on a fishing boat, much to their dismay.
Cast
- Miranda Cosgrove as Carly Shay: Star of her own web show titled iCarly, and Spencer’s younger sister.
- Jennette McCurdy as Sam Puckett: Co-host of the web show, and Carly’s delinquent sidekick and trouble-making best friend.
- Nathan Kress as Freddie Benson: Technical producer and director of iCarly. He is also the techy, geeky neighbor of Carly and Spencer.
- Jerry Trainor as Spencer Shay: Carly's older brother, and a skilled artist. He is also Carly’s legal guardian. In the movie, he tries to learn Japanese but every time he gets something wrong, a magnetic collar he wears shocks him.
- Mary Scheer as Marissa Benson: Freddie's mother. In the movie, she (along with Spencer) is trapped in seaweed while getting a massage.
- Ally Matsumura as Kyoko: The star of a competing webshow from Japan and one of the two main antagonists of the film.
- Harry Shum Jr. as Yûki: Another star of a competing webshow from Japan and one of the two main antagonists of the film.
- Jonathan Mangum as Henri P'Twa: a webshow host from France. He also competes.
- Michael Butler Murray as Theodore Wilkins: The chairman of the iWeb Awards. He speaks English and Japanese.
- Don Stark as Freight Dog: A man who flies the gang to Japan on his cargo plane with many possums bound for Korea.
- Andrew Kishino as Japanese Voice
- Jeremy Rowley as Lewbert: The obnoxious doorman of Bushwell Plaza in Seattle, Washington.
- Good Charlotte as themselves: They perform as guests at the iWeb Awards.
- Caine Sheppard as Carly's friend.
- Cyro Smith as Carly's grandfather.
Reception
The movie special received some positive notice. Verne Gay of Newsday rated it a 'B−'.[2]
Nielsen ratings
| Network | Date | Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| Nickelodeon | November 8, 2008 | 7.6 Million[3] |
| Nickelodeon | November 10, 2008 | 4.83 Million[4] |
| YTV | November 21, 2008 | 3.32 Million |
| Nick UK | April 4, 2009 | 0.226 Million |
| Nick Germany | October 17, 2009 | 0.220 Million |
References
- ^ a b "iGo to Japan". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Verne Gay (November 7, 2008). "Review: The 'iCarly' movie 'iGo to Japan'". Newsday. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008.
- ^ Michael Starr (November 12, 2008). "'iCarly' Breaks Records". New York Post. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
- ^ Nielsen.com