Dan Vs. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dan Vs.
Genre	Comedy
Created by	Dan Mandel Chris Pearson
Voices of	Curtis Armstrong Dave Foley Paget Brewster
Composer(s)	Patrick Griffin
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	53 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Dan Angel Jay Fukuto (Season 1) Dana Booton (Season 2–3) Chris Pearson (Season 3)
Producer(s)	Lizbeth Velasco
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Film Roman The Hatchery
Distributor	Starz Media
Release
Original network	The Hub
Original release	January 1, 2011 (2011-01-01) – March 9, 2013 (2013-03-09)

Dan Vs. is an American animated TV show created by Dan Mandel and Chris Pearson. It's a comedy series made using Flash animation. The show aired on a channel called The Hub. It ran for three seasons, from January 1, 2011, to March 9, 2013. In total, 53 episodes were made.

What the Show Is About

The show follows a guy named Dan. He doesn't have a job and often feels annoyed by almost everything. But he really loves animals! Dan often gets into strange problems and can't earn money for himself.

His best friend, Chris, is usually with him. Chris is a kind-hearted person who has a good home and a steady job. He often ends up paying for Dan's small or big expenses. Chris's boring job and stressful work make it hard for him to say no to Dan's crazy plans for revenge. Even when Dan really gets on his nerves, Chris can't leave him. He believes there's something good in Dan.

Dan and Chris became friends after a bad experience at summer camp. Along with Chris's wife, Elise, they go after things that make life annoying. Elise is the third main character. She usually doesn't like Chris helping Dan with his revenge missions. But sometimes, she joins in. This happens if Dan's plans remind her of things that annoyed her as a kid. Or sometimes, it's because of her secret work for the government. Elise's special skills often help Dan's missions. Her secret missions are often a side story in the show.

The show mostly takes place in the Los Angeles area. You can often see famous landmarks from Los Angeles in the background.

Episodes

To see a full list of all the episodes, check out: List of Dan Vs. episodes.

Characters

Main Characters

• Dan (voiced by Curtis Armstrong) – Dan is a grumpy man with a bad temper. This is because he had a tough childhood. He can be hostile, easily annoyed, and impatient. Most of the time, he tries to control his anger. But when things get too much, he can't stop himself. He then decides to get even with anyone or anything he thinks has wronged him. He acts very childish and stubborn. This makes him go on missions to get revenge. Sometimes, his plans get out of hand. He has been kicked out of libraries and even jailed with Chris. Dan almost always calls Chris for help with his revenge plans. Dan usually wears blue jeans, black shoes, and a black T-shirt that says "JERK" in white letters. He has black hair, green eyes, and a small beard patch. He is short, messy, and loud. Dan cannot digest milk products (he is lactose intolerant). He likes to buy cheap, expired turkey and doesn't like vegetables. He loves his car, even though it needs repairs. Many of his revenge missions start because someone damages his car. He also loves his cat, Mr. Mumbles. Dan first thought Mr. Mumbles was a boy cat, so he kept the name. He is very fond of his cat and can't stay mad at her for long. This is true even though she often scratches his face when surprised or when she has to take a bath. Dan lives in a small apartment in North Hollywood, CA. His driver's license says he was born on Halloween in 1975. He is the main character of the show.

• Chris (voiced by Dave Foley) – Chris is Dan's best friend and Elise's husband. Even though Dan often treats him badly, Chris almost always helps Dan with his revenge plans. Chris is a total pushover and very kind-hearted. He almost never says no to his wife or Dan. He loves to eat and thinks about food most of the time. Chris usually wears a blue T-shirt, an orange over-shirt, and cargo pants with many pockets. He wears white socks with brown flip-flops. He has light brown hair and blue eyes. He also walks in his sleep. Both Elise and Dan have mentioned that he sometimes walks to the kitchen and eats while asleep. He is very scared of open grasslands (prairies). This fear makes him act crazy and run around. His fear comes from being afraid of being alone. Chris works at a temporary job agency. He has different office jobs in different episodes. He hates these jobs but puts up with them, even when they are "soul-sucking." He lives with Elise in a house in Van Nuys, California. When Dan gets into trouble with the law, Chris and Elise often help him out. They also try to tell him not to be too wild or vengeful.

• Elise (voiced by Paget Brewster) – Elise is Chris's calm and kind wife. She is usually relaxed. But she can become dangerous if she gets very annoyed. She is constantly bothered by Dan's revenge plans. However, she rarely tries to stop Chris from helping Dan. Sometimes, she will even help Dan herself. This happens if she thinks it's needed, helpful, or if it reminds her of something bad from her childhood. Elise works as a secret agent for a government agency. Her work often becomes a side story in many episodes. Elise usually wears a white T-shirt with red trim, blue low-rise pants, and red sneakers. She has reddish-brown hair (which looks purple) and purple eyes. She has a younger brother named Ben. Elise's mother is also named Elise. So, her mother calls her "Elise Jr." or "Junior." This makes Elise feel childish and frustrated.

• Mr. Mumbles (vocals by Paget Brewster) – Mr. Mumbles is Dan's cat. Dan rescued her from an animal shelter. He did this while getting revenge on the very noisy animal shelter across the street from his apartment. Later, Dan learned from a hired person that Mr. Mumbles is a girl cat. But he still calls her "Mr." Dan seems to understand her meows and can talk to her. She often calms him down and makes him forget his anger with her cuteness. Dan seems to have trained her to do several escape plans in his apartment. These plans are for break-ins or other problems. Like Dan, she is messy and scruffy.

Other Characters

• Crunchy (voiced by Tom Kenny) – Crunchy is a hippie with dreadlocks. He often works as a store clerk in places that Dan tries to get revenge on. He has a very relaxed personality. Once, he was completely calm even after being in an explosion. He only got upset when he saw his dreadlocks were burned off. His laziness and easy-going attitude often make him an accidental target of Dan's missions. Even though they meet many times, Dan and Crunchy don't seem to see each other as big enemies.

• Sheriff (voiced by John DiMaggio) - He is a big, tough police officer. He appears every time Dan makes reports, or false reports. When Dan causes trouble, the sheriff often uses a taser to shock him.

• Don (voiced by Michael Gross) – Don is Elise's father. He owns a successful chain of cupcake stores. He really dislikes Chris. He often tries to make Elise marry someone else, usually at Chris's expense. Sometimes, he would love to see Chris get hurt.

• Elise Sr. (voiced by Meredith Baxter) – Elise Sr. is Elise's mother. She also dislikes Chris, but not as much as her husband. She spends her time on her own secret activities. Elise and Elise Sr. once had to fight each other because their missions were against each other.

• Ninja Dave (voiced by Eric Bauza) – Ninja Dave used to be a ninja. He swore he would never bake cookies. So, he had to steal them when he wanted to eat some. He also had to destroy any rivals of his ninja group. He was the last member of his group because he was sick during a field trip where a bus crashed. After a sword fight with Elise, and with Dan's help, he changed his ways. He opened a cookie shop. This shop became a main hangout for Dan, Elise, Chris, and other characters. Dan goes there for the treats that don't have milk.

• Spy Boss (voiced by Dan Mandel) – This is Elise's unnamed boss. He sends her on different missions in certain episodes. He used to be a supermodel. He and Elise were good friends. But when Elise became a super agent and he became a boss, he had to make her forget what he looked like. This was to keep his identity a secret.

• Hortense (voiced by Grey DeLisle) – Hortense works at the Burgerphile restaurant. She is a bit of an airhead. She falls for Dan after he starts a protest against the restaurant. This happened because they gave him the wrong order (cheese when he asked for no cheese). When the manager refused to fix it, Dan chained himself to the counter. They briefly "dated" during Dan's protest. The manager asked Hortense to use Dan's feelings to stop the protest. Instead, Hortense called the news to bring attention to the problem. They broke up at the end of the episode. She got promoted to a manager in another area, and Dan didn't want her to give up her dream. She later returns and says she is marrying the owner of Burgerphile, Jeremiah Burger. This makes Dan furious because he feels tricked. At the wedding, Dan tries to have a plane write "Dan's love" in the sky. But the plane crashes into the wedding by accident. Dan then tries to stop Hortense from marrying Burger. He thought Burger had married, divorced, and killed his previous wives. It turns out Dan misunderstood, and all seven wives were at the wedding. Dan tries to win Hortense back but fails. He sadly leaves her. Hortense is the only person Dan is consistently kind to throughout the show.

• The Imposter (voiced by John C. McGinley) – This is an unnamed man who shows up at Dan's apartment one day. He claims to be Dan. He tricks everyone and acts like a "good neighbor" to steal Dan's life. He is later arrested for a crime Dan committed. He promises to get revenge. He later comes back as a telemarketer. He keeps calling Dan, trying to drive him "absolutely crazy." He eventually gets Dan arrested. He takes Dan's vacation while Dan is in prison for his own mistakes.

• Ben (voiced by Eric Bauza) – Ben is Elise's younger brother. He was mentioned in some episodes and appears in others. Ben is allergic to cats and loves video games. He doesn't like Chris and sometimes makes fun of his weight. He is also trying to get his driver's license with Chris's help, even though he dislikes him. After one episode where Ben helps Chris and Dan find a dinosaur to pay for Dan's car repairs, he starts to like Chris more.

• Mechanic Mike (voiced by Kurtwood Smith) – Mechanic Mike is Dan's local mechanic. He works on Dan's car for free because he loves working on special Filipino cars. Years ago, he was part of a group where people built robot armor from car parts and battled. It started as fun, but he became addicted to gambling. He lost so much money that he overcharged customers, stole their parts, and tried to sell his garage. This is why he stole Dan's car parts, replaced them with household items, and lied about fake parts. He wanted to build a robot suit. Dan didn't know about Mike's past. Dan threatened to beat Mike up. In the end, Dan won a robot battle against Elise. This made Mike quit the sport forever and fix Dan's car for free whenever needed.

• Vegan Vic – Vegan Vic owns a chain of vegan stores. He has a very strict way of making sure people only eat vegetables. Once, he almost chopped off a vegetarian's head with a plow. But he stopped when Dan and Chris entered the store. In the end, Vegan Vic eats a broccoli monster that Dan accidentally created with a special machine. He hates any vegetarian who almost eats meat.

Voice Actors

Main Cast

Curtis Armstrong was chosen early on to voice Dan. Dave Foley and Paget Brewster were also chosen to voice Chris and Elise.

Other Voices

Many guest stars and recurring actors lent their voices to the series. For example, Carlos Alazraqui voiced a balloon cult member, a surfer, a lifeguard, and other characters. Matt Angel was a guest star as a Burgerphile employee. René Auberjonois was the voice of Chef Puree. Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter played Elise's parents, Don and Elise Sr. Felicia Day voiced "The Boss." John DiMaggio voiced a police officer and a security guard. Jenna Fischer voiced Amber. Judy Greer voiced Jennifer. Seth Green voiced the mummy. Ernie Hudson played the Camp Counselor.

Other guest stars included Clancy Brown, Mark Hamill, Tom Kenny, Bill Kopp, Kevin McDonald, John C. McGinley, Daran Norris, Kurtwood Smith, Cree Summer, Harland Williams, and Henry Winkler.

When It Aired

The show first aired on January 1, 2011, on The Hub. Its first season ended on July 9, 2011. The second season of Dan Vs. started on November 19, 2011, and finished on June 23, 2012. Dan Vs. was renewed for a third season. This season premiered on November 17, 2012, and ended on March 9, 2013.

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Dan Vs. para niños