UBOS

The Ultimate Book of Spells
The title card from UBOS.
Also known as	UBOS
Genre	Animated children's television series
Format	Animation
Written by	Sean Catherine Derek Michael Edens
Directed by	Kathi Castillo Dennis Graham
Voices of	Michael Dobson Ron Halder Cathy Weseluck Janyse Jaud Jim Byrnes Patricia Drake Saffron Henderson Kirby Morrow Pauline Newstone Nicole Oliver
Theme music composer	Will Anderson Jim West
Country of origin	Canada
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	30 mins
Production company(s)	BKN International
Distributor	YTV (CAN) Toon Disney (US)
Broadcast
Original channel	YTV (CAN) Toon Disney (US) CBBC (UK) Pop (UK)
Original run	September 12, 2001 – April 7, 2002
External links
Website

The Ultimate Book of Spells, or UBOS, is a Canadian children's animated television series which began production in 2001. The series aired on YTV in Canada, Toon Disney in the United States and on CBBC and Pop in the UK, but ran for only 26 episodes. It has often been criticised for being alike, and accused of copying in many respects, the Harry Potter Series of books by British author J. K. Rowling.

Overview/storyline

Cassy, Verne & Gus are three gifted students who go to an enchanted school where they learn about magic and how to use it. One day they receive a strange talking book in the mail. The book says his name is UBOS (Ultimate Book of Spells) and together they must journey to the center of the Earth to stop Zarlak. Zarlak is a powerful wizard who is stealing all of Earth's magic so he can ultimately escape his prison, at the center of the earth, into which he was banished after a great battle. This begins a journey of a lifetime for the three students – one they will never forget. They have to juggle school life and fighting the forces of evil with only each other and UBOS for help. UBOS is actually Cassy's great-grandfather in disguise, as proven by several episodes, for example, after witnessing the legendary battle which ended with Zarlack's banishment, UBOS says to Cassy, "Come, my child." just like her great-grandfather. In another episode, UBOS said that Cassandra the first helped "m(e) – I mean, your great-grandfather" to Cassy and finally admitting it to Verne whilst not being himself.

The show bears remarkable similarities to the CITV (non-animated) children's series, The Worst Witch and, more specifically, the Harry Potter franchise. Whilst the Worst Witch is set in a fictional boarding school for girls, and Harry Potter progresses towards darker themes as the series progresses, UBOS presents lighter scenarios. Similarly to the Harry Potter series in particular, the series features an extensive and fully comprehensive wizarding world, in which magic is employed as a utility as much as for extraordinary purposes i.e. fighting a Dark Lord.

Characters

• Cassandra/Cassy: The leader of the trio. She has a soft spot for animals and flowers but can become angry when taunted and when someone insults her family. Her ambition is to become a sorceress, as sorceresses are far superior to witches. She also wishes to become a trained healer, because she thinks it to be very rewarding. It is revealed in "Three is a Charm" that she is the great-granddaughter of the great wizard who defeated and banished Zarlack. She is also a master piloton of the 'Scoot Zoomer', the means of transport for many students. Cassy's family symbol is a purple diamond which is also the colour that her family members frequently wear.

• Gus: He is half Elf. He is quite confident but sometimes acts childishly. He at first looks down on Verne due to his "mortie" status, but Verne manages to redeem himself. It is revealed in "Magical Quest" that he is related to a werewolf. Because he is half elf he is attracted to anything shiny, and when he sees something shiny, he goes, "Ohhhh sparklies". This usually makes Verne have to pull on his hood to keep him out of trouble. He has the ability to imitate voices without the assistance of magic. Gus's family symbol is a green star which is displayed on his shirt.

• Verne: He is a mortal, but he displays magical powers and can naturally mend electronic devices. Because of his mortal status, he is called a 'Mortie'. At some points he is quite cowardly and is surprised by almost anything that involves magic. He is quite skilled at Techno Magic which is good for putting ordinary electronics and/or mechanical devices together to make all sorts of useful gadgets At times, he will mess up a spell that does not involve Techno Magic, often with embarrassing results. He came to the school on a scholarship, at first initially repulsed by the idea of magic and wanting to do nothing with it. He shares a room with Gus. It is later discovered that he is a descendant of the great wizard Merlin because of the sparkle in their eyes and their last names being the same. Verne is given the symbol of three wands united by Cassy later on in the series

• UBOS: an elderly looking book that has the power to teleport the three to the centre of the world where they must stop Zarlak. At some points he tends to be quite grumpy (mostly when Cassy stuffs him in her backpack) and hits the three on the head when he's scolding them. it is revealed throughout the series he is Cassy's great-grandfather. UBOS is also the title character of the series.

• Zarlack: the evil wizard and antagonist that seeks world domination. He desires to get his hands on UBOS so that he will have enough power to not only escape his prison but destroy the world.

• Rowce and Snerrot: Zarlack's henchman whom he often loses patience. They have the power to combine to become a 2 headed dragon, but like most henchmen, are rather dim-witted.

Others

• Ilsa: A 12-foot-tall (3.7 m) giant girl whose father is a big man (literally) in Vonderland. She was roommates with Cassy for a short while. Due to her size, Ilsa had trouble fitting in.

• Lucretia and Borgia: Evil fraternal twins who try to make trouble for the main characters. Their father used to serve Zarlak but defected before Zarlak's defeat, thus avoiding punishment for his crimes.

• Miss Crystalgazer: The Headmistress of the magic school.

• Professor Saysme

• Professor Beagleboyce: The librarian of the magic school.

Episodes

Episode Number	Broadcast Date	Title	Description
01 - 1.1 (Pilot)	9/12/2001	Three is a charm	A mortie(non-magic person) named Verne comes to a magic school. He meets Gus, a half-elf second year junior wizard and Cassy, a third year junior witch. He also meets the evil twins: Lucretia and Borgia. He also meets the headmistress Miss Crystalgazer. He also meets a prince that has been enchanted to look like a toy frog. He also meets Ubos, a book that can talk and take them to the center of the earth where an evil wizard Zarlak is stealing magic from the outside world. He becomes good friends with Cassy and Gus! Three Is a Charm, after all!
02 - 1.2	9/19/2001	Man or Mortie	Many winged beings are crashing into turrets of the castle. The only antidote comes from an extinct animal. It's up to the trio: Cassy, Gus, and Verne.
03 - 1.3	9/26/2001	He Who Laughs Last	Zarlak's planning on taking joy from the surface world! It's up to the trio to stop them!
04 - 1.4	10/3/2001	Rootopia of All Evil	Zarlak wants all the flowers (and the happiness) for himself! AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!! What will the trio do now?
05 - 1.5	10/10/2001	Time and Again	Gus takes a crystal filled with "sparklies"(It's an elf thing) when they're class goes back in time to Zarlak's trial. It turns out to be the crystal that Cassy's great grandfather Getz needed for his battle with Zarlak! What will they do now?
06 - 1.6	10/17/2001	Fire with Fire	Gus's magic seemed to be out of whack all of a sudden. He finds out that all the elves are losing their powers because they don't have the "Elfin Stone" anymore. A huge dragon stole it and the trio has to get it back!
07 - 1.7	10/24/2001	The New Librarian	Professor Beagleboyce becomes the new librarian. He absorbs books' contents and he thinks those things actually happened to him!
08 - 1.8	10/31/2001	Shadow Land	A Shadow creature takes Cassy and Gus's shadows so it's up to Verne to get them back!
09 - 1.9	11/7/2001	Once in a Blue Moon	Zarlak has kidnapped all the Charmlings. They are little elf-like people who can grant any wish if they want to. When Zarlak gets the "Ring of the Blue Moon" which can grant ANY wish in the entire world, it's up to the trio to get it back!
10 - 1.10	11/14/2001	The Bind That Ties	Zarlak has captured all the bookbinder gnomes. They are small gnomes that keep the magical books and rivals to the elves. This forces all the books to become unglued. Ubos becomes delirious. It's up to the trio to bring them back.
11 - 1.11	11/21/2001	Coat of Arms	Cassy finds out that her great-grandaunt Cassandra VII teamed up with Zarlak many, many, many years ago. Is it true? We'll just have to find out!
12 - 1.12	11/28/2001	Out of Shape	Zarlak has captured small beings called "the tricky trolls", but one escaped and come to the kids. Zarlak then send his dragon to steal their magic book, but took Verne (who turned into into UBOS) instead, then they kidnap Gus, leaving Cassy to save the day, who is having a hard time using her shape-changing powers. Will she be able to save the day by turning into Zarlak?
13 - 1.13	12/5/2001	The Rift	Scavenger imps get a portal that they can use to get to the surface world with. The start stealing everything! It's up to the trio to stop them! But how can they stop them now that two of the kids are caught in the hands of Zarlak?
14 - 1.14	1/9/2002	What a Cut-Up!	Zarlak has turned everything dull! Knives, forks, axes, and even morties! It's up to the trio to save them!
15 - 1.15	1/16/2002	Multiple Mayhem	Cassy creates a duplicate of herself to get to all her classes but the duplicate is vandalizing the school and snubbing her friends. How can they stop her if anything they do to Cassy's duplicate will happen to Cassy?
16 - 1.16	1/23/2002	The Tears of Moolana	Gus and Cassy are after "The Tear of Moolana." That's a tear-shaped gem that give anyone who possesses it all the power they could ever want! But so is Zarlak!
17 - 1.17	1/30/2002	Magical Logical	Everything is losing its logic! Video games, computers, wands and even Ubos! How can the trio get it back?
18 - 1.18	2/10/2002	Veil of Illusion	The whole controversy of this episode is that the "Veil of Illusion" is disappearing from the school. Morties can see it! They find out that a great wizard is stealing it to hide his fortress from Zarlak! The trio needs to get it back!
19 - 1.19	2/17/2002	Dark Image	Cassy and Gus make fun of Verne for being a mortie. He gets mad and leaves. He goes to the mortie arcade. He has a magical artifact in his backpack. It turns Verne into a powerful dark wizard. Later it Cassy into a powerful dark sorceress. It's up to Gus to stop them from destroying the earth and each other!
20 - 1.20	2/24/2002	Sleeping Beauty School	Creatures from a land behind the grandfather clock came to Vonderland and put a sleeping spell on everyone except Cassy, Gus, Verne, and Ubos because they were off on one of their journeys. What will the trio do do now?
21 - 1.21	3/3/2002	Eclipsed	At the famous Festivus Solarus (the festival where all the witches and wizards at Vonderland get together to celebrate the time when the moon eclipses the sun), the moon is frozen infront of the sun and the temperature drops below zero! What will the trio do now?
22 - 1.22	3/10/2002	Big Girls Don't Cry	A giant girl named Ilsa comes to Vonderland and becomes roommates with Cassy. Cassy keeps trying to help her fit in, but Lucretia (one of the evil twins) keeps doing spells behind her back to make it seem like Cassy is making fun of her. Lucretia pretends to be her friend and gets Ilsa kidnapped by Zarlak! The trio have to save her!
23 - 1.23	3/17/2002	Lucky Gus	Gus is getting lucky all of a sudden. He's beating Cassy at sports, he's got everyone hanging on his word when he's talking! But it's a trick from Zarlak to make Cassy and Verne jealous of him so they'll break up! How will they stick together?
24 - 1.24	3/24/2002	Magic Quest	Cassy and Gus sit in a magic chair made by Merlin and Cassy starts to change into a tree and Gus starts to turn into a werewolf! They have to find all the ingredients for the spell. But Zarlak is trying to get at least one of the ingredients first! And we find out a big secret about Verne! What could it be?
25 - 1.25	3/31/2002	The Lure	Gus fails his mid-term. So in order to find a challenge he goes to the high seas with this old ghost. Cassy and Verne think that he went onto an old ship. But he didn't. Cassy goes onto the ship and is kidnapped. Gus and Verne have got to save her!
26 - 1.26	4/7/2002	Solo Sorceress	Cassy sees Lucretia cheat during a their scooterrace contest, but nobody believes her. Now, it's up to her to prove it Verne and Gus that she is right.

See also

• CBBC
• List of BBC children's television programmes
• BBC

External links

• Ultimate Book of Spells at the Internet Movie Database
• UBOS Theme tune on YouTube
• Entry on TV.com