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Growing up can be confusing! When Zach and Annie face difficulties in their lives, they go to special place called Plato’s Peak. There, Plato—a talking buffalo!—and his friends are always willing to lend a helping hand.
2000
Embarrassed that his history project -- a reproduction of a relic that his father brought back from a trip to Egypt -- is too lame, Zach tells his class that the relic is real. When his teacher asks permission to display the ancient relic in the History Fair, Zach’s “harmless” embellishment is in danger of becoming a major school-wide deception. Concerned that this would harm Zach’s integrity, Plato tells a wise and well-known tale about a boy whose lies get the better of him.
Annie decides to build an electric motor from scratch for her science, but when the task turns out to be harder than she expected, she is prepared to give up. That is, until Plato tells her the story the Wright Brothers who worked tirelessly to make their dream of human flight a reality.
When Zach feels threatened by a new athlete on his track team, a potential friendship is thwarted. It takes the story of the friendship between Robin Hood and Little John, to make Zach realize that a good friendship can be born out of healthy competition.
Zach promises to drop off his father’s film at the lab before going on a hike with Annie, but decides to do the hike first. When he and Annie get stranded on a steep trail, Sock goes for a rope while Ari tells a story to boast Zach’s courage. They get off the trail safely, but Zach doesn’t make it to the lab before it closes. Now he must have the courage to tell his father of his mistake.
During a trail bike race with her friend, Zach, Annie is left in the dirt and becomes discouraged. She rests up at Plato’s Peak, just enough time to hear the story of The Tortoise and the Hare, which teaches her a valuable perseverance lesson: Slow and steady wins the race.
Annie promises to pay Zach fifteen dollars to paint her mother’s fence. But when the task takes him one hour rather than the entire day, Annie refuses to pay him the full amount. That is, until she hears a story that shows the consequences of not keeping your promises.
Annie volunteers to take care of her aunt and uncle’s garden while they are away on vacation. But when playing with her friends proves to be too tempting, the garden goes to seed, prompting a story from Plato about the importance of responsibility.
Zach’s obsession with a new video game, rather than his scouting manual, leaves him embarrassingly unprepared during a troop camping trip, prompting a story from Plato about the need for self-discipline.
Zach is excited about the launch of a new cable network called The Kids Movie Channel. Although he promises his parents that his movie watching won’t interfere with his studies and chores, Zach overdoes it, causing concern ... and a story up at Plato’s Peak about the importance of moderation.
Annie’s snowboarding bravado gets the best of her when she dares a group of fellow snowboarders to board down Deadfall Bluff. Concerned, Zach tries to talk her out of it -- it’s too dangerous! -- but it’s a story about humility that does the trick.
When Annie receives a postcard from a friend who moved to New York City, Annie becomes glum and wishes she lived in an exciting place. But a funny, enlightening story helps Annie feel gratitude for her life in Spring Valley.
When Annie is elected president of the Drama Club, her desire to make a profit blinds her to the true meaning of Christmas. Her growing selfishness triggers a series of dreams where Annie is Scrooge in Victorian London!
After she wakes up she learns the true meaning of the Christmas spirit.
1996
When a violent thunderstorm wrecks Plato’s Peak, everyone works together to clean up the debris, except Sock, who finds no virtue in work.
When Zach Nichols breaks one of his father’s cameras, he concocts a story to escape blame. However, three cautionary stories he hears up at Plato’s Peak make him see the "big picture", and convince him to confront his father with the truth.
Annie vows to safely deliver her mother’s cakes on her new bike, but she is tempted by Zach’s challenge to a bike race; the resulting accident wrecks her new bike and the cakes. When Annie blames Zach for the accident, Plato spins several tales about the nature of responsibility.
When an immigrant family loses their home in a terrible fire, Plato and Aurora counter Zach’s excuses not to get involved with several inspiring stories about the need for compassion.
When Annie Redfeather hits a hurdle and falls flat on her face during a track meet, her friends at Plato’s Peak offer several stories to bolster her courage so she can face the next big race.
Zach gets into a heated argument with his mother when she refuses to advance him his allowance, prompting several stories from Plato and Aurora about the pitfalls of impatience and losing one’s temper.
When Annie’s "new best friend" breaks her promise and chooses someone else to be her partner on a canoe trip, Annie’s feelings are hurt, provoking a discussion about the meaning of true friendship.
When Zach accidentally breaks a memorial plaque in an overgrown park, his elderly friend is angered and Zach doesn’t understand why. Plato helps Zach "solve" the mystery by telling several stories about loyalty.
When Zach and Annie are rude to a friendly junk yard man who is helping them build a go cart for an upcoming race, Plato is concerned and tells several stories about the virtue of respect.
When Annie’s elderly friend and neighbor dies suddenly, she questions the use of faith and the virtues it inspires.
When Annie wins the class presidency the power goes to her head, prompting several stories from Plato and the gang about the virtue of humility.
Zach and Annie collect canned goods for a local shelter. When Plato realizes that the kids are more concerned about getting recognition for their generosity than actually helping people, he spins several tales about the true spirit of generosity.
When Plato discovers that Zach and Annie have given up guitar and karate lessons, he takes them on a hike to the top of Plato’s Peak. Along the way, Annie and Zach discover various objects, prompting several stories from Plato and Aurora about the importance of perseverance.
Andrew Francis
Zach Nichols (voice)
Michael Donovan
Sock (voice)
Christopher Judge
Plato (voice)
Gillian Barber
Aurora (voice)
Lee Tockar
Ari (voice)
Adrienne Carter
Annie Redfeather (voice)
1998
When Zach discovers that his college football idol is coming to his school, he eagerly volunteers to help with the preparations. But when he’s asked to clean up the auditorium, Zach wants to back out, prompting stories from Aurora and Plato about what it means to be trustworthy.
Zach and Annie take off on a biking trail, determined to complete it before sun down. But when Zach has an accident and sprains his ankle, he and Annie tell each other stories to bolster their determination so they can get out of the forest before nightfall.
When Annie’s handmade weathervanes sell like crazy at the school fair, she cuts a few corners to keep up with the demand. Later, when the weathervanes begin to fall apart, Annie is confronted by angry customers who want their money back. Humiliated, Annie retreats to Plato’s Peak where she hears several tales about the concept of "integrity."
Zach plans to invite a lot of classmates to his birthday party -- more guests means more gifts! -- until his parents tell him that they can only afford a small party for Zach’s closest friends. Disappointed, Zach retreats to Plato’s Peak where he hears several tales which demonstrate the importance of gratitude.
Annie is looking forward to spring vacation until her mother asks her to help baby-sit her four-year-old twin cousins part of the time. At first, Annie balks at being selfless and sharing her time, until she learns the value of giving up something in the present to achieve a greater future good.
Zach needs a 90 on his history test to get an A minus on his report card and just make the school honor roll. And it looks like he’s done it...until he realizes his teacher added the points wrong and he only got an 87. If he tells, he’ll lose the honor he wanted so badly to win. But Plato’s stories help him realize there’s a more important kind of honor at stake.
When Annie volunteers to help a younger schoolmate with his math, she grows increasingly impatient with the boy and loses her temper. Annie regrets offering to tutor the boy, until she hears several stories from her friends at Plato’s Peak about the virtue of patience.
When a cold front moves through Spring Valley, making life miserable for the poor, Zach and Annie decide to collect clothes donations from their neighbors. When Annie includes her favorite leather jacket, and later regrets it, she must come to terms with the true meaning of ‘charity.’
When Zach first complains about the leadership abilities of the team captain of his water polo team and then later gets elected to the position of captain himself -- he learns, firsthand, what it means to lead others.
When Annie’s father is called for jury duty, the family vacation is put on hold. Annie, excited about taking a trip, doesn’t understand why her father can’t just postpone his jury duty, prompting several stories up at Plato’s Peak about citizenship -- the civic virtue.
Zach decides he wants to be a photographer. He is diligent in his study of photography, until the school newspaper offers him what he considers a thankless assignment -- taking pictures for their new classified ads section. Zach is disappointed. With guidance from Plato and Aurora, he realizes he should apply himself to this assignment with the same diligence he originally had for learning photography.
When Annie’s obsession with baseball playing results in a drop in her grades, Plato relates two tales that demonstrate the value of moderation in all things.
Faced with the prospect of attending a new school, Zach wonders whether he is wise enough to make new friends or handle his new, more difficult studies. A story told up at Plato’s Peak, and a recap of his and Annie’s past adventures, help him realize that he is wiser than he thought.
