Jonny Quest vs. The Cyber Insects facts for kids

Jonny Quest versus The Cyber Insects is an exciting animated movie made for TV by Hanna-Barbera. It first aired on November 19, 1995, on the TNT channel. This film was the last adventure in the classic Jonny Quest series. It followed up on earlier shows like The New Adventures of Jonny Quest and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. The same actors, Don Messick and Granville Van Dusen, voiced Dr. Quest and Race Bannon. Tim Matheson also returned to voice 4-DAC, Jonny's robot friend. The story is packed with "creepy cyberbugs, cool technology, and computer battles," all mixed with a classic good-versus-evil plot.

The movie also brings back Race's daughter, Jessie Bannon, voiced by Anndi McAfee. Jessie first appeared in Jonny's Golden Quest. Critics liked Jessie, saying she was "no 'icky girl'." She even saves Jonny's life from giant fire ants and teaches him patience. The film is dedicated to Doug Wildey, who created Jonny Quest. He passed away in 1994.

Story of the Cyber Insects

The movie begins with Jonny Quest and Hadji Singh in the Orinoco jungle in South America. They are running from what seems to be a hostile tribe. After escaping the tribe and dangerous animals like alligators, they enter a village. Their goal is to steal a special sapphire. Hadji thinks it's too easy, but Jonny tries to grab the jewel anyway. They are captured by the tribe, who were waiting for them.

Then, Chief Atacama appears with Jonny's father, Dr. Benton Quest, Race Bannon, and their dog, Bandit. It turns out the whole thing was a test of manhood for Jonny. He failed because he didn't listen to Hadji.

Later, Jonny talks to Chief Atacama. Jonny feels unsure if he can be as great as his famous scientist father. Atacama tells him that if he follows the right path, he will reach his goals. Suddenly, a big storm hits the area. Commander Harris from Intelligence 1 contacts Dr. Quest. He explains that strange weather is happening all over Earth and asks for Dr. Quest's help.

The Quests return to their base. Race's daughter, Jessie, teases Jonny about failing his test. Jonny's personal robot, 4-DAC, is introduced. 4-DAC helps Jonny figure out that the storms are coming from space, probably from a satellite.

Space Mission and Cyber Attack

With this information, Dr. Quest decides to visit his friend, Dr. Eve Belage. She works on Quest Station, a research platform orbiting Earth. He takes 4-DAC with him. Meanwhile, in the jungle, a ship crashes. It releases cybernetic (robot) insects. These insects use a special sound device to make a swarm of ants attack the Quest base. They want to stop Dr. Quest's ship, Quest Shuttle 1, from launching.

But Jonny plays Chief Atacama's flute music, which scares the ants away. Quest Shuttle 1 launches safely. Dr. Quest and 4-DAC arrive at Quest Station. They meet Eve, who shows them around the station that Dr. Quest helped build.

Elsewhere, it's revealed that Dr. Zin, an old enemy of the Quests, is behind the strange weather and the giant insects. He has several technicians helping him. Zin blames one of them, 425, for the ants' failure and has him removed. He then promotes 426.

Jonny's Investigation and Robot Trouble

Back on Earth, Jonny decides to investigate where the ants came from. He takes Hadji and Jessie with him without asking Race first. His quick actions almost get them killed when they meet the insects. Race manages to shoot off one insect's arm. They take it back to the base to study it.

Aboard Quest Station, Dr. Zin takes control of 4-DAC using a computer virus. 4-DAC then sends all of Quest Station's files to Zin's computer. This includes Dr. Belage's research on ancient "assassin bugs."

Dr. Zin needs these assassin bugs for his own plans. He captures the entire space station using his hidden asteroid base. He brings Dr. Quest and Eve to him. The other scientists are kept prisoner on Quest Station.

Rescue Mission and Zin's Plan

After losing contact with his father, Jonny, along with Race, Hadji, Jessie, and Bandit, takes Quest Shuttle 2 into space to find them. They stay in touch with Commander Harris and Intelligence 1 using a video link.

On the asteroid, Zin explains his evil plan. He wants to weaken Earth with his weather-changing satellites. Then, he will unleash his cyber insects. Zin no longer needs 4-DAC, so he throws the robot into a vat of liquid. He then uses Eve's research to start growing a giant, mutated assassin bug in a vat. When Quest Shuttle 2 appears, Zin orders his technician, 427, to shoot it down. Dr. Quest begs him not to.

426 refuses to shoot, saying it would give away their position. Zin agrees she is right but then drops her through a trapdoor for questioning him. He promotes 427. He takes Dr. Quest and Eve to a prison cell inside a giant honeycomb-like structure.

On Quest Shuttle 2, Jonny uses his laptop to find 4-DAC. He connects to the robot remotely. They clean up the computer virus using anti-virus software. 4-DAC, after getting out of the liquid, tells the group everything that has happened. He finds and frees Dr. Quest and Eve. The three start looking for a way out.

Jonny, desperate to save his father, flies Quest Shuttle 2 near the asteroid again. Zin has 427 send out fighter ships piloted by his cyber insects to destroy them. During the attack, Race is injured and everyone thinks he is dead.

The Final Battle

After learning that Dr. Quest and Eve escaped, Zin removes 427 by freezing him to death. He then has his insects find Dr. Quest and Eve. They are quickly recaptured, even though 4-DAC tries to distract the insects. The robot is damaged and thrown down a trash chute. Zin then shows his asteroid to Intelligence 1 and tells Commander Harris that Earth must surrender to him.

Back on Quest Shuttle 2, Race wakes up. Jonny blames himself for Race almost dying. But Hadji and Jessie tell him that making mistakes and learning from them is part of growing up. Jonny agrees to help them get onto the asteroid.

Zin plans to upload all of Dr. Quest and Eve's memories into his computer. He hooks them up to a brain-scanning machine. But he gets distracted by Quest Shuttle 2's attack. He destroys the ship with his ion cannon, which makes Dr. Quest horrified.

However, the ship was empty! The group got onto the base using two small shuttlecraft called Weasels. Jonny finds 4-DAC. The robot's body is too damaged, but its main computer part is fine. So, Jonny uploads 4-DAC into his laptop, along with the computer virus (which is now harmless). He plans to use it against Zin's computer.

Meanwhile, Zin's giant assassin bug, which he calls an "Assassinoid," finishes growing. Zin tells it to attack the intruders. The Quest Team's first fight with the Assassinoid ends with Race shooting it, freezing and shattering it. Bandit grabs a piece. But the other pieces melt and grow into more Assassinoids! The group finds Quest Station in the hangar and takes shelter there, freeing the captured scientists.

Eve's assistant, Mylana, freezes the piece of Assassinoid that Bandit grabbed. Then, Jonny and Race fight their way past the insects to reach Zin's empty control room. They learn from 4-DAC that the only way to destroy the insects is with a nuclear bomb or a very large, fiery explosion. They open the hangar doors, allowing Quest Station to be safely pulled back into space.

Jonny and 4-DAC upload Zin's own virus into his computer, taking control of it. Dr. Quest and Eve are freed, and Jonny rescues them. Zin tries to escape. Jonny transfers control of the weather satellite to Intelligence 1. Commander Harris orders it to be used against the asteroid base. The base starts to be destroyed. Jonny, Dr. Quest, Race, and Eve try to reach Zin's escape ship, but an Assassinoid damages it. Instead, Hadji and Jessie arrive in Quest Shuttle 1 (which was docked on Quest Station) and rescue them. They escape just as the base explodes.

Aftermath

Back on Earth, Jonny and Hadji take the Orinoquian test of manhood again, and Jonny passes! This makes both Dr. Quest and Chief Atacama proud. Jonny then invites Jessie into the circle, saying she has earned the right to be there too. 4-DAC has also been rebuilt into a new robot body.

In space, Eve keeps the frozen Assassinoid piece in her lab on Quest Station. She and Mylana tend to the station's garden, which is called E.D.E.N. ("Environmental Diversity Experimental Nucleus"). Not far away, it is revealed that Dr. Zin escaped in a different ship and survived!

Cast

• Kevin Smets - Jonny Quest
• Don Messick - Dr. Benton Quest, Bandit
• Granville Van Dusen - Race Bannon
• Rob Paulsen - Hadji, 425
• Anndi McAfee - Jessie Bannon
• Jeffrey Tambor - Dr. Zin
• Theresa Saldana - Dr. Belage Eve
• Tim Matheson - 4-DAC
• Héctor Elizondo - Chief Atacama

Additional Voices

• Victor Love - Commander Harris
• Robert Ito - 427
• Olivia White - 426