1001 Nights (TV series)

Last updated

1001 Nights
1001 Nights TV Series Logo.jpg
Logo
Created by
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composer
ComposerMichael Richard Plowman
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes52 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers
  • Aly Jetha
  • Shabnam Rezaei
Production company Big Bad Boo
Original release
Network
ReleaseDecember 25, 2011 (2011-12-25) 
2012 (2012)

1001 Nights is a Canadian animated television series developed and produced at Big Bad Boo Studios in Vancouver, based on stories from One Thousand and One Nights . [1] The show is created and co-directed by Shabnam Rezaei and Aly Jetha. [2]

Contents

Borrowing from the original premise of the classical tales of One Thousand and One Nights, the TV series features Scheherazade, the storyteller, in a Persian court with her sister Donyazad, King Shahryar, Prince Shahzaman and a playful monkey named Maymoon. The show premiered on Teletoon in Canada on December 25, 2011, and on Radio Canada in French-speaking Canada. In the United States, the show premiered on Disney Channel on January 2, 2012. This is the first time a media company has serialized the books of One Thousand and One Nights into an animated TV series for children.

Premise

Another day at King Shahryar's court and another problem presents itself. Does Shahryar have a toothache? Is Maymoon "borrowing" Shahzaman's pistachios? Scheherazade always has a delightful story that will entertain and teach everyone a great lesson. She will often use the court characters in her stories. There are also a number of recurring characters such as Sinbad and Dina, Mujab and Samir and Harun al-Rashid. A red herring is presented in each episode such as a flying carpet which leaves room for the stories to continue.

Episodes

Season 1

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
US viewers
(millions)
1a1a"The Joke's on You" Chad Van De Keere Victor Nicolle December 25, 2011 (2011-12-25)
1b1b"King Bitehard" Chad Van De Keere Victor Nicolle December 25, 2011 (2011-12-25)
2a2a"Sinbad & the Valley of Serpents"Chad Van De Keere Michael Erskine Kellie January 1, 2012 (2012-01-01)
2b2b"Manjab's Just Desserts"Chad Van De Keere Steven Sullivan, Ursula Ziegler-Sullivan January 1, 2012 (2012-01-01)
3a3a"Princess Rou"Chad Van De Keere Michael Erskine-Kellie, Victor NicolleJanuary 8, 2012 (2012-01-08)
3b3b"What's Yours Is Mine"Chad Van De Keere Michael Erskine-Kellie, Victor NicolleJanuary 8, 2012 (2012-01-08) -->
4a4a"True Treasure"Chad Van De Keere Steven Sullivan, Ursula Ziegler-Sullivan January 15, 2012 (2012-01-15) -->
4b4b"Sinbad and the Cyclops"Chad Van De Keere Steven Sullivan, Ursula Ziegler-Sullivan TBA
5a5a"Hunchback's Tale"Chad Van De Keere Larry Raskin, Randy Rogel, Colin Yardley TBA
5b5b"Agrabroka"Chad Van De Keere Larry Raskin, Randy Rogel, Colin Yardley TBA
6a6a"Give Until It Hurts"Chad Van De KeereEric Lewald, Julia Lewald, Victor NicolleTBA
6b6b"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"Chad Van De KeereEric Lewald, Julia Lewald, Victor NicolleTBA
7a7a"Keeping Up with the Jinns"Chad Van De KeereSteven Sullivan, Ursula Ziegler-SullivanTBA
7b7b"King for a Day"Chad Van De KeereSteven Sullivan, Ursula Ziegler-SullivanTBA
8a8a"Abu Sabir"Chad Van De KeereMichael Erskine-Kellie, Shabnam RezaeiTBA
8b8b"Bigger Badder Badr"Chad Van De KeereMichael Erskine-Kellie, Shabnam RezaeiTBA
9a9a"The Boy Who Cried Science"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Eric Lewald, Randy RogelTBA
9b9b"Prince Ahmad"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Eric Lewald, Randy RogelTBA
10a10a"It's a Steal"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Davila LeBlancTBA
10b10b"Which Way Is Up?"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Davila LeBlancTBA
11a11a"To Hatch a Thief"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Eric Lewald, Atul N. Rao TBA
11b11b"The Gift of Norooz"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Eric Lewald, Atul N. Rao TBA
12a12a"Creature Karma"Chad Van De KeereCharles Horn, Julia Lewald, Atul N. RaoTBA
12b12b"Just My Luck"Chad Van De KeereCharles Horn, Julia Lewald, Atul N. RaoTBA
13a13a"Details, Details..."Chad Van De KeereLarry Raskin, Shabnam Rezaei, Colin Yardley, Franklin YoungTBA
13b13b"Sinbad in Solitude"Chad Van De KeereLarry Raskin, Shabnam Rezaei, Colin Yardley, Franklin YoungTBA

Season 2

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
US viewers
(millions)
1a1a"The Tale of Taymour and Tiny" Chad Van De Keere Victor Nicolle TBA
1b1b"The Boy and the Panther" Chad Van De Keere Victor Nicolle TBA
2a2a"Abu Kassim's Smelly Shoes"Chad Van De Keere Randy Rogel TBA
2b2b"Bandits of Basra"Chad Van De Keere Randy Rogel, Bill Kopp TBA
3a3a"The Genie, the Fish, the Wolf and the Witch"Chad Van De Keere Michael Erskine-Kellie, Victor NicolleTBA
3b3b"The Forbidden City of Shenzhen"Chad Van De Keere Michael Erskine-Kellie, Victor NicolleTBA
4a4a"The Broken Jewel"Chad Van De Keere Steven Sullivan, Ursula Ziegler-Sullivan TBA
4b4b"The Boy Who Became a Genie"Chad Van De Keere Steven Sullivan, Ursula Ziegler-Sullivan TBA
5a5a"The Tale of the Mountain and the Valley"Chad Van De Keere Larry Raskin, Randy Rogel, Colin Yardley TBA
5b5b"Three Tales of a Daydreaming Boy"Chad Van De Keere Larry Raskin, Randy Rogel, Colin Yardley TBA
6a6a"The Riddle of the Ruined Tomb"Chad Van De KeereEric Lewald, Julia Lewald, Victor NicolleTBA
6b6b"The Merchant and the Pickpocket"Chad Van De KeereEric Lewald, Julia Lewald, Victor NicolleTBA
7a7a"Arman the Cheat"Chad Van De KeereSteven Sullivan, Ursula Ziegler-SullivanTBA
7b7b"Abu Hassan's Legendary Wedding"Chad Van De KeereSteven Sullivan, Ursula Ziegler-SullivanTBA
8a8a"The King Who Became a Slave"Chad Van De KeereMichael Erskine-Kellie, Shabnam RezaeiTBA
8b8b"The Spoon That Ruined Everything"Chad Van De KeereMichael Erskine-Kellie, Shabnam RezaeiTBA
9a9a"The King Who Outlawed Laughter"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Eric Lewald, Randy RogelTBA
9b9b"Sinbad and the Black Diamond"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Eric Lewald, Randy RogelTBA
10a10a"The Man Who Went Back in Time"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Davila LeBlancTBA
10b10b"The Schoolmaster"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Davila LeBlancTBA
11a11a"The Tale of the Haunted Palace"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Eric Lewald, Atul N. Rao TBA
11b11b"Habib and the Baby Genie"Chad Van De KeerePhilippe Ivanusic-Vallee, Eric Lewald, Atul N. Rao TBA
12a12a"Three Tales of a Daydreaming Girl"Chad Van De KeereCharles Horn, Julia Lewald, Atul N. RaoTBA
12b12b"Abu Mohammad Lazybones"Chad Van De KeereCharles Horn, Julia Lewald, Atul N. RaoTBA
13a13a"Sinbad Forever"Chad Van De KeereLarry Raskin, Shabnam Rezaei, Colin Yardley, Franklin YoungTBA
13b13b"One Thousand and One Nights"Chad Van De KeereLarry Raskin, Shabnam Rezaei, Colin Yardley, Franklin YoungTBA

Characters

Scheherazade

Voiced by Nicole Oliver

Confident and older than her years, Scheherazade is savvy, quick-witted, and no nonsense in her dealings with Donyazad and Shahzaman. She is the wife of King Shahryar. She serves the role of mother, educator and peace-keeper and it is through her that we are told many captivating stories. Scheherazade lives in the palace and is the daughter of Majid, Shahryar's vizier.

Shahryar

Voiced by Colin Murdock

Shahryar is slightly older than his wife Scheherazade, and has little experience or knowledge of what it takes to make a good king. He is unintentionally selfish, arrogant, pompous, and spoiled. He is also innocent and childlike because he is a prince who has been catered to his entire life. He says whatever is on his mind, no matter how bumbling or stupid it might sound. Often when Scheherazade is telling a story to the kids, Shahryar is listening in and will draw the wrong message.

Donyazad

Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain

Donyazad is Scheherazade's younger sister. She is ten years old, bright, independent, and feisty. She loves and respects her older sister who has essentially become her mother figure. Donyazad often tussles with Shahazman. Although they are not related, they have a typical brother-sister relationship. They are close to one another but are often at odds. Of the two, Donyazad is the smarter. She's also more sensitive and aware.

Shahzaman

Voiced by Cathy Weseluck

Shahzaman is Shahryar's eleven-year-old brother and therefore, he is a prince. He is a younger version of Shahryar, i.e. spoiled with a sense of entitlement. Even though he's a prince, he is like any other boy who loves sports, games, sweets, and play time. He gets into mischief and he endlessly teases Donyazad. He's a practical joker and often insensitive to other people's feelings. Still, he's loveable and when faced with issues, he and Donyazad make a good team.

Majid

Voiced by Peter Kelamis

Majid is Shahryar's vizier, i.e. high counselor. He is also Scheherazade's father. He is about fifty years old and supposedly the wise and learned man of the court. Majid frequently finds himself trying to calm Shahryar down when the king is throwing a temper tantrum. He is sycophantic towards Shahryar whereas Scheherazade is smarter and subtler in her approach. She's often able to change Shahryar's behaviour just by telling him a story. Whereas Majid is often afraid of his son-in-law, Scheherazade has no trouble standing up to him.

Maymoon

Voiced by Scott McNeil

Maymoon is a mischievous pet monkey who belongs to Shahzaman. He is playful and loving and is a regular member of the court. He often outwits Shahryar and like all the other characters is used often as a character in Scheherazade's stories.

Production history

The idea for the show came to co-creator Shabnam Rezaei in a dream. Her father read stories from One Thousand and One Nights in her native country Iran. Together with partner Aly Jetha, Series and Creative Director Chad Van De Keere, story editor Randy Rogel as well as the Big Bad Boo team, they formulated the 1001 Nights TV series, which would be appropriate for a modern audience. [3]

Reception

1001 Nights came in the # 1 show at the 2011 at the Mip Junior awards among 1027 other children's properties. It was a finalist in the 2010 Mip Junior Licensing Challenge and # 6 in the Top 30 that year. [4]

Awards and nominations (2010)

1001 Nights was nominated for four awards in 2010. [5]

YearAssociationAward CategoryNotesResult
2010 Leo Awards Best Animation Program or SeriesNominated
2010 Leo Awards Best Direction/Storyboarding in an Animation Program or Series Chad Van De Keere for episode "What's Yours Is Mine"Nominated
2010 Leo Awards Best Screenwriting in an Animation Program or SeriesFor episode "What's Yours Is Mine"Nominated
2010 Leo Awards Best Overall Sound in an Animation Program or SeriesFor episode "Sinbad and the Valley of Serpents"Nominated

Awards and nominations (2011)

1001 Nights was nominated for two awards in 2011. [6]

YearAssociationAward CategoryNotesResult
2011 Leo Awards Best Screenwriting in an Animation Program or SeriesFor episode "Sinbad in Solitude"Nominated
2011 Leo Awards Best Direction/Storyboarding in an Animation Program or Series Chad Van De Keere for episode "The Boy Who Cried Science"Nominated

Awards and nominations (2012)

1001 Nights was nominated and won three Leo Awards in 2012. [7]

YearAssociationAward CategoryNotesResult
2012 Leo Awards Best Screenwriting in an Animation Program or Series Shabnam Rezaei for episode "Sinbad & The Black Diamond"Won
2012 Leo Awards Best Animation Program or SeriesProducers Aly Jetha & Shabnam Rezaei Won
2012 Leo Awards Best Overall SoundFor episode "Abu Hassan's Legendary Wedding"Won

Awards and nominations (2013)

1001 Nights was nominated for two Leo Awards and won one in 2013. [8]

YearAssociationAward CategoryNotesResult
2013 Leo Awards Best Screenwriting in an Animation Program or Series Shabnam Rezaei and Aly Jetha for episode "The Tale of the Mountain & The Valley"Won
2013 Leo Awards Best Animation Program or SeriesProducers Aly Jetha & Shabnam Rezaei Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Thousand and One Nights</span> Collection of Middle Eastern folk stories

One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the Arabian Nights, from the first English-language edition, which rendered the title as The Arabian Nights' Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scheherazade</span> Character from Arabian Nights

Scheherazade is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the One Thousand and One Nights.

1001 is the natural number following 1000 and followed by 1002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shahrazad (crater)</span> Crater on Saturns moon Enceladus

Shahrazad is a large crater on Saturn's moon Enceladus first discovered by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. It is located at 47.3° North Latitude, 199.7° West Longitude and is approximately 20 kilometers across. Shahrazad is the middle crater of a prominent crater triplet on Enceladus' anti-Saturnian hemisphere. Voyager images revealed very little about this crater, however, higher resolution views of Shahrazad taken by the Cassini Spacecraft during a close flyby on March 9, 2005, reveal significant north–south fracturing that runs through all three craters of the triplet. Deep canyons mark the northern and eastern portions of Shahrazad's rim. Some evidence for viscous relaxation can be seen, but it is not nearly as significant as at Dunyazad to its immediate south or at Aladdin elsewhere on the satellite.

<i>Asterix and the Magic Carpet</i> 28th volume of the Asterix comic book series

Asterix and the Magic Carpet is the twenty-eighth volume of the Asterix comic book series by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was first published in 1987, and was translated into English in 1988. It is the fourth Asterix album to be published after the death of René Goscinny in 1977 and is thus both written and drawn by Albert Uderzo alone.

<i>Arabian Nights</i> (1974 film) 1974 film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Arabian Nights is a 1974 Italian film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Its original Italian title is Il fiore delle mille e una notte, which means The Flower of the One Thousand and One Nights.

<i>Arabian Nights</i> (miniseries) American TV series or program

Arabian Nights is a two-part 2000 miniseries, adapted by Peter Barnes from Sir Richard Francis Burton's translation of the medieval epic One Thousand and One Nights. Mili Avital and Dougray Scott star as Scheherazade and Shahryar respectively. Produced by Dyson Lovell and directed by Steve Barron, the serial was produced by Hallmark Entertainment and originally broadcast over two nights on 30 April and 1 May 2000 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and ABC in the United States.

<i>Scheherazade</i> (Rimsky-Korsakov) Symphonic poem by Rimsky-Korsakov

Scheherazade, also commonly Sheherazade, Op. 35, is a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888 and based on One Thousand and One Nights.

<i>Chimera</i> (Barth novel) 1972 novel by John Barth

Chimera is a 1972 fantasy novel written by American writer John Barth, composed of three loosely connected novellas. The novellas are Dunyazadiad, Perseid and Bellerophoniad, whose titles refer eponymously to the mythical characters Dunyazad, Perseus and Bellerophon. The book is an example of postmodernism, which can be seen in its metafictional content and its incorporation of stylistic elements that go beyond the traditional novel genre. It shared the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction with Augustus by John Edward Williams.

<i>1001 Nights of Snowfall</i> 2006 graphic novel

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall is a graphic novel prequel to the comic book series Fables written by series creator Bill Willingham with a variety of artists. It was released on October 18, 2006 by Vertigo.

<i>One Thousand and One Nights</i> (manhwa)

One Thousand and One Nights is a Korean manhwa written by Jeon JinSeok and illustrated by Han SeungHee. It is a different take on the events of the original One Thousand and One Nights story, where the main character dresses up like a woman to take his sister's place in the sultan's harem. There are eleven volumes, all of which have been published in English.

Babak and Friends - A First Norooz is a direct-to-DVD animated film by Norooz Productions, later renamed Big Bad Boo Studios. The 33-minute animated cartoon was released in 2005. The film was made to teach children about the Persian New Year Norooz, celebrating the coming of spring and is about a little boy named Babak who is stuck between being Iranian and being American. Through a dream and magical visit by Amoo norooz, Babak learns to be proud of his heritage and celebrates the New Year with his family.

Mixed Nutz is a Canadian animated cartoon series produced by Big Bad Boo Studios. The show is about a group of friends from different backgrounds in a fictional town called Dyvercity. The main characters are Babak from Iran, Sanjay from India, Adele from Austria, Damaris from Cuba and Jae from Korea. The show has been referred to as "International" Peanuts for the simplicity of the animation style and its multicultural angle.

Big Bad Boo is a Canadian production company that specializes in animated series for television as well as games, apps, websites and curriculum development. Popular TV series are 16 Hudson, based on the miniseries Lili & Lola and musical series ABC with Kenny G, which is also spinoff.

Shabnam Rezaei is a children's television creator, director, producer and co-founder of Big Bad Boo Studios and VOD service Oznoz. She is the director and producer of Hulu Original series The Bravest Knight, the first children's series with an LGBT protagonist. The all-star cast includes T. R. Knight, Bobby Moynihan, Storm Reid, RuPaul, Wanda Sykes, Wilson Cruz, and Christine Baranski. The Bravest Knight won the 2020 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming.

<i>1001 Nights</i> (1990 film) 0000 French film

Les 1001 Nuits is a French-Italian fantasy film loosely based on the ancient Arabic legend One Thousand and One Nights. It is directed by Philippe de Broca and stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as Sheherazade, who has married a king, who desires to have many virgin wives, but only one at a time. As soon as the King has consummated his relationship with a new wife, he has her put to death at sunrise. Sheherazade delays this unfortunate ending by putting off the connubial event for a thousand and one nights, telling irresistible stories that are unfinished when the sun rises. In this version, Sheherazade finds a magical lamp that holds the genie Jimmy Genius who is from the 20th century. Jimmy helps Sheherazade by providing her with 20th-century technology including a parachute that is used to drop a nude Sheherazade into a man's lap.

<i>The Bravest Knight</i> Canadian animated series

The Bravest Knight is a Canadian animated television series, produced by Big Bad Boo Studios and a Hulu original which became the first kids original on the streaming service. The first episodes were added to the streaming service on June 21, 2019 and the other eight on October 11, 2019. The show, which was created by Daniel Errico, and directed by Shabnam Rezaei. It is a fantasy and adventure story focused on how a young kid and pumpkin farmer turned into the "bravest knight" through wild adventures across the lands, which he tells his adopted daughter. The series is one of the first all-ages animations to have an "openly gay main character".

ABC with Kenny G is a Canadian animated series developed and produced at Big Bad Boo Studios in Vancouver. The musical ABC series is a spin-off from 16 Hudson. The series is about Kensington, Lili's cat from 16 Hudson, who dresses up as a singer and goes down to the Milk & Cookies Jazz club at night, when the humans are sleeping, to teach his animal friends the ABCs. Marcus Mosley is the main performer in the role of Kensington. He is a gospel singer based in Vancouver.

References

  1. "Shabnam Rezaei & Aly Jetha, Founders of Vancouver-based Big Bad Boo Studios". Animation Magazine Article by Ramin Zahed. June 10, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  2. "1001 Nights Official Main Title Song". Big Bad Boo. November 9, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  3. "PBS Series on World Literature 1001 Nights". PBS Documentary on World Literature 1001 Nights. June 4, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  4. "Big Bad Boo's 1001 Nights is Top Show at Mip Junior". Animation Magazine Article by Ramin Zahed. October 5, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  5. Leo Awards Nominee List 2010. Leo Awards Official Website. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  6. Leo Awards Nominee List 2011 Archived November 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine . Leo Awards Official Website. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  7. Leo Awards Winners List 2012. Leo Awards Official Website. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  8. Leo Awards Winners List 2013. Leo Awards Official Website. Retrieved June 19, 2013.