Ace Lightning facts for kids

Ace Lightning is an exciting children's TV show. It was made by the BBC in the UK and Alliance Atlantis in Canada. The show was first shown in the United Kingdom. It also aired in other countries like the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Even though it was filmed in Canada, the story takes place in the United States. The series ran for two seasons and had 39 episodes. It started on September 4, 2002, and finished on May 18, 2005.

The show was special because it mixed real actors with computer-animated characters. These animated characters were from a made-up video game. At the time, it was one of the first TV shows to use so much live-action and CGI together every week.

What the Show is About

The story follows a British teenager named Mark Hollander. He moves to a town called Conestoga Hills in America with his parents. One stormy night, Mark is playing his favorite video game. It's called Ace Lightning and the Carnival of Doom. In the game, the hero, Ace Lightning, tries to find pieces of a magic item called the Amulet of Zoar. He also battles his enemy, Lord Fear.

Mark finds a secret seventh level in the game that shouldn't exist. Suddenly, a lightning bolt hits his house antenna. This causes the game characters to come to life in the real world! Ace Lightning asks Mark to be his sidekick. Together, they must complete the game's goals in real life.

Mark's life changes completely. Being a Lightning Knight affects his schoolwork and friendships. He often has to make up excuses to his family and friends. Meanwhile, Lord Fear and his bad guys take over an old carnival in town.

Most episodes show Mark dealing with his normal school life and helping the game characters. The animated characters often fight over the Amulet pieces they collect. The rules of the game also affect the real world. For example, if two Amulet pieces connect, a new character or weapon appears.

Four human characters learn about Mark's secret life. These include his best friend Chuck Mugel and his girlfriend Kat Adams. His science teacher, Mr. Cheseborough, thinks the characters are aliens. Mark's cousin Ashley also knows. Duff Kent, the carnival owner, is forced to work for Lord Fear. There's also a complicated relationship between Ace and Lady Illusion. She is one of Lord Fear's main helpers but later changes sides.

The first season ends with Mark winning the game. All the bad guys, except Lady Illusion, go back into the game world. In the second season, Chuck becomes Ace's second sidekick. All the villains return, led by a new bad guy named Kilobyte.

Kilobyte was created by Rick Hummel, a computer repairman. Rick used to be a game developer. He made the program that brought the game to life. But he was laughed at and fired. He wanted to prove himself by bringing the characters to life and taking over the world. A power outage in his shop makes Kilobyte independent. Kilobyte then decides to rule the world himself. In the final episode, Ace and Lord Fear team up to defeat Kilobyte. But then Lord Fear tricks Ace. Lady Illusion takes Ace's place and is hurt, dying in Ace's arms.

Characters

The show has both real human characters and computer-generated characters. The human characters live in Conestoga Hills. The animated characters are from the video game Ace Lightning and the Carnival of Doom.

The main hero is 13-year-old Mark Hollander (Thomas Wansey). He is a British teenager who moves from the United Kingdom. Mark wants a normal life. But the game characters' adventures mess up his friendships, grades, and social life. He often tries to keep his friends from finding out his secret.

His best friend, Chuck Mugel (Marc Minardi), loves the game. He becomes Ace's second sidekick in the second season. Mark has a few girlfriends during the show. These include his neighbor Samantha Thompson (Shadia Simmons), gossip girl Heather Hoffs (Petra Wildgoose), and strong-willed Kat Adams (Ashley Leggat). Kat wants to be a journalist.

The main character, Ace Lightning (Michael Riley), is a superhero from another dimension. He is part of a group called the Lightning Knights. At first, he is a brave hero who doesn't understand human feelings. But over time, he learns to be a better person. He secretly dates Lady Illusion (Tamara Bernier Evans). She is a shapeshifting villain who works for Lord Fear (Juan Chioran). Their complicated relationship is a big part of the story.

Lord Fear is a powerful, evil wizard-like creature. Ace hurt him in the past. Lord Fear wants to use the magic Amulet of Zoar to take over the world. He leads a small group of bad guys from the old carnival. Duff Kent (Phillip Williams), the carnival owner, is forced to be their helper.

The second season introduces Kilobyte (Ted Atherton). He is a scary villain who takes over from Lord Fear. Kilobyte plans to slowly hunt down and destroy Ace. Kilobyte was created by Rick Hummel (Brett Heard). Rick was a programmer who was fired after making the program that brought the characters to life. He works as a computer repairman.

Another important character is Mr. Cheseborough (R.D. Reid). He is Mark's science teacher. After being briefly taken by Lord Fear, he becomes convinced the game characters are aliens. He gets more and more paranoid throughout the series.

Episodes

Season 1 (2002–2003)

This season aired between September 2002 and March 2003. In America, the episodes were sometimes shown out of order. This caused some confusion in the story.

Season 2 (2005)

The second season aired in most countries in 2004. However, it was shown in the United Kingdom during the summer of 2005. This season did not air in the United States. The computer graphics were much better in this season. Some characters, like Staff Head and Pigface, looked more like their animal forms. New characters like Kilobyte, Rotgut, Kat Adams, and Rick the Master Programmer appeared. Chuck also met the Lightning Knights. Mark even got his own weapon to fight the villains. This season had 13 episodes with one main storyline.