Charlie and Lola (TV series)

Last updated

Charlie and Lola
Charlie and Lola logo.jpg
Title card
Created by Lauren Child
Based on Charlie and Lola book series
by Lauren Child
Written by
  • Dave Ingham
  • Bridget Hurst
  • Carol Noble
  • Samantha Hill
  • Anna Starkey
  • Olly Smith
  • Laura Beaumont
  • Paul Larson
Directed byKitty Taylor
Creative directors
  • Alan Kerswell
  • Gary Dunn
  • Leigh Hodgkinson
  • Jonathan Hodgson
  • Gideon Rigal
  • Jim Nolan
Voices of
  • Jethro Lundie-Brown (S1)
  • Maisie Cowell (S1)
  • Daniel Mayers (S2)
  • Clementine Cowell (S2)
  • Oriel Agranoff (S3)
  • Holly Callaway (S3)
Theme music composerTom Dyson
Soren Munk
Composers
  • John Greswell
  • David Schweitzer (S2-3)
  • Chris Taylor (S1)
  • Munk & Dyson (S1)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes78 (+2 specials) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Michael Carrington
  • Lauren Child
Producers
  • Claudia Lloyd
  • Tom Beattie
  • Nikki Chaplin
Editors
  • Zurine Ainz
  • Stephen Perkins
  • Claire Dodgson
  • Katie Bryer
  • Yulia Martynova
  • Ben Campbell
Running time11 minutes
  • 22 minutes (specials)
Production company Tiger Aspect Productions
Original release
Network CBeebies
Release7 November 2005 (2005-11-07) 
24 April 2008 (2008-04-24)

Charlie and Lola is a British Flash-animated children's television series based on the popular children's picture book series of the same name by Lauren Child, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions for CBeebies. It ran for 3 series from 7 November 2005 [1] to 24 April 2008, winning multiple BAFTA Children's Awards throughout its run. The animation uses a collage style that emulates the style of the original books.

Contents

Synopsis

Charlie has a little sister named Lola; he describes her as "small and very funny". Lola often gets caught up in situations that she (inadvertently) causes, whether it's running out of money at the zoo and having to borrow Charlie's [2] to forgetting her entire suitcase when having a sleepover at a friend's house. [3] These situations are sometimes comedic but often reflect real world problems that younger children may face, such as losing a best friend, [4] not getting the preferred part in a school play, [5] or becoming too excited about an upcoming event and accidentally ruining it. [6]

When these situations happen, Charlie usually ends up having to solve her problems through imaginative or creative methods, or by explaining to Lola where she went wrong. This is particularly demonstrated in the debut episode, "I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato", where Charlie pretends that her least favourite foods (such as carrots, mashed potatoes, fish fingers, and tomatoes) are more fantastical items in order to encourage her to eat them, such as 'orange twiglets from Jupiter' and 'ocean nibblers from the supermarket under the sea'. [7] This may encourage young children to eat particular healthy foods that would otherwise come across as undesirable to them.

In many episodes, Lola's best friend Lotta, Lola's imaginary friend Soren Lorenson, and Charlie's best friend Marv become involved in some way or another. Although adults are mentioned through dialogue, none of them are ever shown or heard.

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 267 November 2005 (2005-11-07)12 December 2005 (2005-12-12)
2 261 May 2006 (2006-05-01)20 April 2007 (2007-04-20)
3 2617 November 2007 (2007-11-17)24 April 2008 (2008-04-24)
Seasonal specials 225 December 2006 (2006-12-25)3 November 2007 (2007-11-03)

Characters

Primary

Minor

Animation style

The television series uses a collage style of animation which captures the style of the original books. 2D Flash animation, paper cutout, fabric design, real textures, photomontage, and archive footage are all employed and subsequently animated in the software applications Adobe Animate, ToonBoom, Adobe Flash, Adobe After Effects, and CelAction2D. [11]

The series is also notable for its use of children rather than adult voice actors as well as not showing adults, both techniques pioneered by the Peanuts television specials.

Release

Distribution

On 14 December 2004, Tiger Aspect Productions signed a licensing and distribution deal with BBC Worldwide (later BBC Studios) for the series.

On 12 October 2023, Banijay Kids & Family acquired the distribution rights to the series from BBC Studios. [12]

Home releases

In the United States and Canada, volumes 4 and 5 are reversed, as well as volumes 9 and 11, but volume 9 is titled "What Can I Wear for Halloween?" instead of "Everything is Different and Not the Same".

International transmission

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryRecipient (if any)Result
2006 Cartoons on the Bay [13] [14] Best Series For InfantsWon
Best Programme
The Raisat YOYO Best Series
BAFTA Children's Awards [15] Best Pre-school Animation Series Nominated
Bradford Animation Festival [16] Best TV Series for Children and AdultsWon
Royal Television Society Programme Awards [17] Best Children's Programme (for "Welcome to Lolaland")Nominated
2007 BAFTA Children's Awards [18] Best Pre-school Animation Series Won
Best WriterBridget Hurst
Anna StarkeyNominated
Best Animation (for "How Many More Minutes Until Christmas?")
Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards [19] Best Music Original ScoreJohn Greswell and David SchweitzerWon
Annecy International Animation Film Festival [20] Special Award for a TV Series (for "I Will Be Especially, Very Careful")
Broadcast Awards [21] Best Children's Programme
Annie Awards [22] Best Animated Television ProductionNominated
2008 BAFTA Children's Awards [23] Best Animation (for "Everything is Different and Not the Same")Won
Best Pre-school Animation Series
Best WriterDave InghamNominated

Related Research Articles

<i>Clangers</i> Television series

Clangers is a British stop-motion animated children's television series, consisting of short films about a family of mouse-like creatures who live on, and inside, a small moon-like planet. They speak only in a whistled language, and eat green soup and blue string pudding. The programmes were originally broadcast on BBC1 between 1969 and 1972, followed by a special episode which was broadcast in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBeebies</span> British childrens television network broadcast internationally

CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel, CBBC, is intended for older children aged 6 to 12. It broadcasts every day from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm, timesharing with BBC Four.

<i>Pingu</i> Animated childrens television series

Pingu is an animated children's television series co-created by Otmar Gutmann and Erika Brueggemann that first aired in Switzerland. It was produced from 1990 to 2000 by Swiss companies The Pygos Group and Pingu Filmstudio in Switzerland. It was later revived from 2003 to 2006 by British companies HIT Entertainment and HOT Animation. The series focuses on a family of anthropomorphic emperor penguins who live in the South Pole; the main character is the family's son and title character, Pingu.

Tweenies is a British live action puppet children's television series created by Will Brenton and Iain Lauchlan. The programme is focused on four pre-school aged characters, known as the "Tweenies", playing, singing, dancing, and learning in a fictional playgroup in England. They are cared for by two adult Tweenies and two dogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiger Aspect</span> British television production company

Tiger Aspect Productions is a British television and film production company, particularly noted for its situation comedies. Founded by Peter Bennett-Jones, its productions have included popular hits such as Mr. Bean and The Vicar of Dibley. The present-day company was founded in 1993 from the merger of Bennett-Jones' Tiger Television and Paul Sommers' Aspect Film & Television.

<i>Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks</i> Irish animated childrens television series

Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, or Jakers in Europe, is an animated children's television series. The series was broadcast on PBS Kids in the United States, and on CBBC and CBeebies in the United Kingdom. It was also broadcast in Australia on ABC Kids. The series ran for three seasons and 52 episodes total from September 7, 2003, to January 23, 2007, with reruns airing through August 31, 2008. Reruns aired on the Qubo television network from June 30, 2012 to March 26, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie and Lola</span> Fictional characters

Charlie and Lola are fictional children created by the English writer and illustrator Lauren Child in 2000. They were introduced in a series of picture books and later adapted as animated television characters. Lola is an energetic and imaginative little girl; Charlie is her kind and patient older brother who is always willing to help Lola learn and grow. Charlie and Lola's parents, as well as their friends' parents, are often mentioned, but never seen.

Arthur Mark Taylor is an animation director with the Bristol-based animation company A Productions. He created and directed the children's series Rubbish, King of the Jumble for ITV and was nominated for a BAFTA in 2002-03 for the BBC preschool animation series Boo! which he directed. He is also credited as animation director on the CBeebies show Tweenies, on the CITV show Jim Jam & Sunny and on the DK and Disney series Amazing Animals as well as the HarperCollins video of The Village with Three Corners.

<i>The Koala Brothers</i> TV series or program

The Koala Brothers is a British-Australian stop-motion animated children's television series, created by David Johnson. It features the adventures of two koala brothers named Frank and Buster, as they seek to help their friends in a sleepy town in the Australian outback. The series was narrated by Jonathan Coleman. 78 episodes were produced over 3 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Child</span> English author and illustrator

Lauren Margot Peachy Child is an English children's author and illustrator. She is best known for the Charlie and Lola picture book series and other book series. Her influences include E. H. Shepard, Quentin Blake, Carl Larsson, and Ludwig Bemelmans.

<i>Timmy Time</i> British stop-motion preschool television programme

Timmy Time is a British stop-motion animated television programme for preschoolers created and produced by Bob the Builder producer Jackie Cockle for the BBC's CBeebies and produced by Aardman Animations. It started broadcasting in the United Kingdom on 6 April 2009. It is a spin-off of Shaun the Sheep, itself a spin-off of the Wallace and Gromit film A Close Shave (1995).

<i>3rd & Bird</i> Childrens television series

3rd & Bird is a children's animated television series created by Josh Selig and directed by Jennifer Oxley. The series was animated by Little Airplane Productions, which opened a second studio in London to produce it. The show revolves around a community of birds and their adventures. It was broadcast on the BBC's CBeebies channel from 1 July 2008 to 31 July 2010. Described in its initial press release as "a charming new animated series all about community", the show's format generally involves one or more of the characters encountering a problem which must be solved using the social skills which pre-school children must develop in order to make their way in the world.

The British Academy Children's Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). They have been awarded annually since 1996, before which time they were a part of the main British Academy Television Awards. It currently includes categories for television productions, feature films and video games.

Kindle Entertainment is an independent television production company based in London, England. Kindle Entertainment was formed after ITV Kids was closed, and current personnel includes Anne Brogan, the former controller of ITV Kids, and former head of development at ITV Kids, Melanie Stokes. The company is currently owned by Banijay, via its Banijay UK Productions subsidiary.

The Large Family is an animated children's television series based on the book series of the same name written by Jill Murphy and published by Walker Books in the United Kingdom. The series was produced by Indie Kids, GO-N Productions, LuxAnimation and DQ Entertainment, with the participation of TF1, Playhouse Disney France and CBeebies, while GO-N Distribution and BBC Worldwide distribute it. The series focuses on a family of anthropomorphic elephants, the Larges. It consists of two seasons with 26 episodes of up to 12 minutes each.

<i>Chloes Closet</i> British childrens television series

Chloe's Closet is a British animated children's television series produced by MoonScoop Entertainment and Telegael Teoranta. The series is mainly aimed for children aged 2–8 years old.

Sixteen South is a Northern Irish production and distribution company that specialises in creating children's television programmes. Founded in Belfast in 2007 by Colin Williams, Sixteen South has partnered with major names in children's entertainment, co-producing shows with Sesame Workshop, The Jim Henson Company and the BBC.

<i>Sarah & Duck</i> British animated childrens television series

Sarah & Duck is a British animated children's television series created by Sarah Gomes Harris and Tim O'Sullivan, and produced by Karrot Animation for the BBC. Though designed as a story-driven animation primarily targeted at 4 to 6 year old children since premiering at the MIPCOM trade show in 2012, the series now has something of an adult following.

<i>JoJo & Gran Gran</i> British childrens animated television series

JoJo & Gran Gran is a British children's animated television series based on the semi-autobiographical picture book Jo-Jo and Gran-Gran, All in a Week by Laura Henry-Allain MBE. It is the first animated series to focus on a Black British family. It first premiered on 16 March 2020 and airs on weekdays on CBeebies. In the United States, it was released on the Noggin streaming app.

The British Academy Children and Young People Award for Preschool Animation is an award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). It is given to "animated content for children under six". Through the nineties, preschool animated productions were awarded alongside live-action series in a category named Preschool.

References

  1. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 43. ISBN   9781476672939.
  2. "Please May I Have Some of Yours?". Charlie and Lola. Series 2. Episode 15. 9 October 2006. CBeebies.
  3. "I Must Take Completely Everything". Charlie and Lola. Series 1. Episode 21. 5 December 2005. CBeebies.
  4. "My Best Best Bestest Friend". Charlie and Lola. Series 2. Episode 9. 3 July 2006. CBeebies.
  5. "There is Only One Sun and That is Me!". Charlie and Lola. Series 1. Episode 5. 11 November 2005. CBeebies.
  6. "This is Actually My Party". Charlie and Lola. Series 2. Episode 5. 22 May 2006. CBeebies.
  7. "I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato". Charlie and Lola. Series 1. Episode 1. 7 November 2005. CBeebies.
  8. "Character oulines". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  9. "Charlie and Lola Series 1". tigeraspect.co.uk. 25 April 2013.
  10. "I Am Extremely Absolutely Boiling". Charlie and Lola. Series 3. Episode 4. 29 November 2007. CBeebies.
  11. Tiger Aspect Productions
  12. https://www.banijay.com/blog/2023/10/12/banijay-kids-family-to-represent-animated-series-charlie-and-lola/
  13. Crippa, Francesca (26 April 2007). "Dolmen per Cartoons on the bay ('Dolmen per Cartoons on the bay')" (in Italian). Spazio Film. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  14. Demott, Rick (20 June 2007). "BBC Worldwide Brings Doctor Who & Teletubbies to Licensing Int'l". Animation World Network . Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  15. "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2006". BAFTA . Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  16. "BAF06 Bradford Animation Festival 2006 Festival Review". Bradford Animation Festival. National Media Museum. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  17. "Royal Television Society – Programme Awards 2006". Royal Television Society. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  18. "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2007". BAFTA . Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  19. "Royal Television Society – Craft and Design Awards 2006–2007". Royal Television Society . Retrieved 17 March 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  20. BalL, Ryan (18 June 2007). "Jimmy, Peter Score Big at Annecy". Animation Magazine . Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  21. "North West Vision and Media Broadcast Awards 2007". North West Vision and Media. Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  22. "'Cars', 'Flushed Away' Top Annie Nominees". KRCA. 4 December 2006. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  23. "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2008". BAFTA . Retrieved 17 March 2010.

This article incorporates material derived from the " Charlie and Lola " article on the Charlie and Lola wiki at Fandom (formerly Wikia) and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License (December 2023).