Flight 29 Down

Flight 29 Down is a Television series about a group of teenagers who are stranded on an island. It was produced by Discovery Kids.

The show was created by Stan Rogow (Lizzie McGuire, Darcy's Wild Life) and D. J. MacHale (Are You Afraid of the Dark?, The Pendragon Book series).

The executive producers are Rogow, MacHale, Shauna Shapiro Jackson, and Gina & Rann Watumull. The first two seasons aired on Discovery Kids.

The "third season" of the series, which started filming February 5, 2007, was produced as a four part movie, instead of the episodic format of the first two seasons. A promo debuted for Flight 29 Down: The Movie during the second season's finale. The show is filmed in O'ahu, Hawaii.

Premise
The show follows a group of kids stranded on a South Pacific island after they ditch their plane in a tropical storm while flying to an eco-adventure camping trip in Micronesia. A plot device of a video diary powered by a solar battery charger allows the kids to talk to the camera about their everyday struggles, the island, and each other. It plays out as a "Lost" show for teens

Main cast

 * Allen Alvarado as Lex Marin
 * Corbin Bleu as Nathan McHugh
 * Hallee Hirsh as Daley Marin
 * Jeremy Kissner as Eric McGorrill
 * Johnny Pacar as Cody Jackson
 * Lauren Storm as Taylor Hagan
 * Kristy Wu as Melissa Wu

The "lost" cast

 * Tani Lynn Fujimoto as Abby Fujimoto
 * B.K. Cannon as Jory Twist
 * Blade Rogers as Ian Milbauer
 * John Kapelos as Captain Bob Russell

Nathan McHugh
In the first season, Nathan brags about how he was in Boy Scouts, therefore thinking that he should be the leader of the group. He starts to develop a crush on Daley, who becomes the leader, and tells nobody, except for his best friend, Melissa, who accidentally tells every one. In the second season, he finds out that Daley doesn't like him, when really, she does. Nathan makes quick decisions -- though they're not always the greatest ones. In one episode, Nathan climbs a tree to attempt to get coconuts for the group when there is actually a big bunch of fruit near the base of the tree. He always tries to fix anything wrong with the group.

Taylor Hagan
Taylor comes onto the island thinking that them being stranded was only temporary. Her life of being pampered and spoiled has made her literally useless to the others, however, she shows some of her hidden talents. For example, she helps Jackson improve his fishing skill through small notes and on one particular trek through the island, she discovers a trove of fruit. She believes everyone has a function in the group that they are good at which makes her come to the realization that she is good at parties and having fun. She creates the holiday, Chilloween, which was featured in one of the episodes. In the first season, she proves that she hates being messed with and will go at lengths for revenge (revealing Melissa's video diary). A recurring problem in the second season is the relationship she and Jackson develop much to the dismay of Melissa. By the end of the series, people recognize her as a more competent and a genuine person. Through the series she becomes more hard working and more aware of the others' feelings.

Eric McGorrill
One of the more rude students at Hartwell, Eric is a bit of a flirt with the girls. He is more of a slacker and a comedian than anything else. He also tends to manipulate people to get out of various responsibilities and chores. Eric looks at other people's video diaries and announces their secrets to either one person or every one. He hates lugging water, and caused the lighter to break leaving the group with no source of fire. However, he later fixed it. Eric helps Nathan when he becomes trapped under the plane, so he has a good side too. He wants to get off the island so he sneaks around taking stuff, though his actions are eventually discovered by Lex who tells Melissa. It has also been seen that Eric is extremely allergic to shellfish and he becomes very sick when he eats them. Eric becomes a really sweet and sensitive boy in the end.

Melissa Wu
Melissa has been the best friend of Nathan since kindergarten, and is one of the only level-headed ones on the island. She has an occasional habit of being overly hard on herself. She also has a crush on Jackson, which he becomes aware of when Taylor reveals it to everyone after Melissa accidentally ruins one of her shirts. She often tries to be everyone's friend, which causes her to lie in one episode. Melissa had a secret crush on Jackson when she wanted to be with him on the way back to school to talk to her friend, Meg that she likes Jackson. At first Melissa doesn't like Abby, but in time she overcomes that and becomes friends with Abby.

In Season Two she becomes distraught when Jackson and a matured Taylor grow closer. This problem is temporary resolved as Taylor does not go west with Abby though Melissa and Jackson go (as well as Eric). Melissa, Jackson, Eric, and Abby are on the same groups since 1st season of Flight 29 Down.

Cody Jackson
Cody goes by his last name, Jackson. He is a quiet, reserved, 16-year old male who generally keeps to himself (as he was the new kid at Hartwell High). He was befriended by Melissa at school, who extended him the trip invitation. On the island, Jackson brings order to the group when it is needed. He in the first episode befriends Lex and unlike everyone else he listens to him. As a result, he is elected the leader of the stranded kids and continues to keep the peace. In the second season he passed the responsibilities of leadership to Daley because of all the drama. A love triangle between him, Melissa, and Taylor emerges in Season Two when he begins to grow closer to a matured Taylor. However, in the final moments of the movie, it becomes apparent that he likes Melissa more. Only going by the name Jackson until the Flight 29 Down Movie, before they get saved Melissa asks Jackson if Jackson was his first or last name. Jackson replies,"It's Cody, Cody Jackson".

Daley Marin
The recently elected class president of Hartwell High School, who beat Nathan by 10 votes. She is a hard worker and a bit of a perfectionist. Daley is Lex's stepsister (her father married Lex's mother about a year ago after her mother passed away), though this is never elaborated upon. Daley has developed a crush on Nathan, who likes her as well. She, however, is much more secretive about this, confiding about it only to Melissa. Daley even kisses Nathan on the cheek once because he saves her from drowning. Daley tells Nathan that she doesn't like him, because she doesn't want to start a relationship on the island. They do, however, agree to become a couple once everyone is off the island and back home again. Daley is the leader of the group and wants to handle situations in a civilized manner. She is fond of democracy and resolving matters through voting. This ultimately causes a divide in the group. Eric, Jackson and Melissa go to explore the west side of the island with Abby while Nathan, Taylor, Lex and democratic Daley stay at the camp.

Lex Marin
The youngest of the group and Daley's younger 10-year old (turns 11) stepbrother who is intelligent, charismatic, and very observant, although the group constantly ignores him or put his ideas down, stating that "he's not old enough". Lex seems to get along well with Jackson. He always comes up with the best ideas on how to adapt to the island and make use of its resources. He seems to be the motivation of the group. Whenever everyone else feels like quitting or giving up, Lex comes up with a brilliant idea to help everyone feel better. In the episode "Mazeathon", he creates an obstacle course. For Chilloween, he makes a shower that has warm water to make the island more like home. He has even made a shelter that lasted through many violent storms. As shown in several episodes, he misses the others from the plane and wants Abby to find them. In Hotel Tango, Lex surprises everyone by saying it was Daley's fault the group separated and does not want to listen to her anymore.

Abby Fujimoto
Abby left with Jory, Ian, and Captain Bob Russell to explore the island and look for help. She is never seen again until Episode 10 "Eight is Enough". The others found her dehydrated, sunburned, and unconscious by a tree. The survivors take her in gives her water with crushed aspirin (Lex's idea). In episode 11 "Abby Normal", she and Lex prepare a surprise party for the others. While the others are dancing, Abby sneaks away and leaves a letter saying that she is going to look for the others. She is seen many days later in Episode 24 "Good Luck Abby", she goes through the island taking injuries. In the end, she goes back to camp angry and tells the others they haven't been through anything hard. She stays with the gang until Episode 26 "See Ya", where she goes back to look with the others along with Eric, Jackson, and Melissa. Eric left because he had it with the others, Jackson left because he was restless, and Melissa left because she wanted to be with Jackson and find the others. Abby reunites with Jory and Ian in Episode 29, part three of the Flight 29 Down Movie, "The Hotel Tango".

Jory Twist
Jory left with Abby, Ian, and Captain Bob Russell to look for help in the island. She is never seen again until part three of the Flight 29 Down Movie, "The Hotel Tango". As Abby, Eric, Jackson, and Melissa are exploring the ruins of a building, they find Jory at the end of the ruins. She tells Abby that she was okay, but Ian and Captain Russell were not. She also says Russell had gone insane during the flood when he suffered a head injury and Ian broke his leg when he fell through the floor of a building. Out of the four, she is the only lost character not injured. She later helps distract Captain Russell while the others try to steal the boat the Captain had been obsessing over.

Ian Milbauer
Ian left with Abby, Jory, and Captain Bob Russell to find help on the island. He is never seen again until part three of the Flight 29 Down Movie, "The Hotel Tango". He broke his leg when he crashed through the rotting floor of a building. In addition, he also has a fever. While the others attempt to steal the boat, he and Jory distract Captain Russell. He constantly mentioned that "They should just leave me here" and "Go back without me" to which Jory and Melissa both strongly admonish him. On the trip back to the plane, his fever grows steadily worse to the point where he can't ignore the pain.

Captain Bob Russell
Captain Bob Russell led Abby, Jory, and Ian with him into the island to look for help. He is never seen until part three of the Flight 29 Down Movie, "The Hotel Tango". He bashed his head during a flood and is mentally unstable. He tries to burn down the camp to avenge his destroyed boat and airplane, but the others manage to stop him. After the rescuers arrived, he tells Jory he is sorry and helps carry wounded Ian.

First Season
10 kids and a pilot crash on a deserted island after their plane gets hit by lightning in-flight. The pilot and 3 kids go off to explore the island. The kids elect a leader and try to survive on their own. One of the 3 missing children is found in the jungle but soon leaves. A huge monsoon leaves their camp ruined, but the night of the storm, Lex got contact with a plane, but the antenie falls, and breaks!

Second Season
The children continue to survive after a storm left their camp in ruins, as well as their plane washed out to sea. Daley is elected the new leader and she begins a democracy. The plane washes back on shore with a huge hole on its side. The survivors begin to learn that the island was involved in world war 2 when they find a time capsule from a general who once was on the island. They soon figure out there must be some life on the island.

Movie
The castaways split into two groups. One stays on the beach, and one travels to find life on the island. Just when they think the place is deserted, they find an old concrete hotel used in WWII, along with other old buildings rotting away. They find the pilot, and the two other survivors in the hotel. The pilot has a bad sickness that makes him go crazy. In the end the castaways are saved just before Typhoon Melissa hits the island and destroys everything it touches.

DVD releases
All seasons have been released on DVD. The first season was released individually in 3 volumes, but later released on a first season package. Season 2 was released in one package and the series finale was released separate from the other DVDs. With hidden episode "Island Bathroom".

In 2008 all the seasons have been released on DVD in Sweden by Pan Vision.

Differences between the books and the series

 * In the episode, Groundbreaking, when the castaways individually approach the box and imagine what would be in it, but in the book, Scratch, the survivors have a meeting and explain what they thought the box was filled with.
 * In the book, Ten Rules, Lex's parents had a divorce, but in the movie, he mentions that his dad died.
 * The episode Survival Of The Fittest is before the episode Mazeathon, but in the books, it's the other way around.
 * The books have parts added to them that are not in the series.
 * In the book, Static, Melissa had the idea to have an election, but in the series, the kids all contributed to the idea.
 * In the book, Scratch, Groundbreaking is supposed to be first, but He Said, She Said, He Said is before that episode.
 * In the books, the episodes The Tide and Home Sweet Home had been cut out in the storyline due to the fact that they finished building Lex's shelter.
 * In the book Static, Daley and Nathan go to the back of the plane to get the life raft; in the episode Arrival, they do not.
 * In the book Scratch, Melissa tells only Daley that Nathan likes her, not everybody at once.
 * In the episode "Chilloween" Jackson plays "I Won't Stand Alone" but in the books he doesn't.

Music
Sam Winans composed most of the music of Flight 29 Down. Corbin Bleu, Nathan McHugh, sang "Circles" in the background in "He Said, She Said, He Said." Also, Johnny Pacar, Cody Jackson, sang and played with a guitar "I Won't Stand Alone" in "Chilloween."

Broadcasting
Flight 29 Down debuted on HDNBC as part of Discovery Kids on NBC in HD on October 1, 2005 and was also broadcast on the Discovery Kids cable television channel the following Monday. Originally airing weekly from noon-12:30 p.m. (ET)/11 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (CT) on NBC when not preempted by local stations and shown the following Monday on Discovery Kids on Mondays and Fridays at 8 p.m. (ET) and 11 p.m. (ET), it now airs every weekday on Discovery Kids at 9:30 p.m. & 12:30 a.m. (ET) and on at various times on weekends, including 9:00 & 9:30 p.m.

The first season was aired on SVT (Sweden) during Summer 2006, as a part of the breakfast show Hej Hej sommar (Hello, Hello Summer). The second season aired in the same program during summer 2007, and started August 7. The show also played in Finland (season 1 and season 2) during Summer 2006 as a part of the breakfast show Summeri. It is also aired on the Belgium channel Ketnet.

The show premiered in Latin America, March 10 2007, at 21:00 on Boomerang (Latin American TV channel) Latin America

The show's first season also aired on TV3 Slovenia somewhere during the Summer of 2007, Weekends (Saturday & Sunday) around 11:00 a.m., reruns premiered on March 15 2008 (Saturday & Sunday at 10:35 a.m.). It is currently unknown if TV3 Slovenia will air the second season or the movie, The Hotel Tango.

The show premiered in Canada on the Family at 6:30 PM on June 2 2007. The show will continue to run weekends at 6:30 PM. Starting September 7, 2007, Family reported they would run the movie, The Hotel Tango, every Friday for four consecutive weeks, as part of their Summer Graduation programming (in episodic form as opposed to running the whole movie). Something went wrong during the first week, and the first part finally premiered in Canada on September 14, running until October 5, 2007.