The story centers on a normal boy, Tom, who gets drawn into this world against his wishes when his eccentric grandmother who he lives with in San Francisco's Chinatown turns out to be the guardian of the phoenix egg. When his grandmother perishes in battle and is spirited away in a ghost cart, Tom must apprentice with an unlikely mentor - a tiger, Mr. Hu - to learn ancient magic and become the egg's new protector. They team with an unlikely band of exotic creatures, each representing a different sign of the Chinese zodiac, who can morph into human form while retaining their innate animal characteristics. Tom Lee, a Chinese American boy discovers that he is part of a long lineage of magical protectors known as the Guardians. Tom finds that in order to have a fighting chance against the evil forces that threaten the world, he must first bring the estranged Zodiac animal warriors back together as a unified team.
Richard Condie, under the umbrella of the National Film Board of Canada, does some fairly odd and wonderful work. This one is pretty strange even for Condie! I am seldom at a loss for words, but trying to describe this one and do it justice is difficult. This airs somewhat frequently on O Canada on the Cartoon Network. The show itself is well worth watching. Catch this one if you can. Highly recommended!