Minuscule (TV series)

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Minuscule
Minuscule France 2 Nick Jr Australia Logo.png
Created byHélène Giraud
Thomas Szabo
Directed byHélène Giraud
Thomas Szabo
Country of origin France
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerPhilippe Delarue
Running time6 minutes
Production company Futurikon
Original release
Network France 2
France 5
ReleaseOctober 25, 2006 (2006-10-25) 
2012 (2012)

Minuscule is a French live action and CGI TV series, produced by Futurikon and created by Hélène Giraud and Thomas Szabo. The TV series comes in the form of short segments – focusing mostly on a variety of insects – where their mundane, everyday lives take on a humorous turn. Superimposing stylized characters over real-life scenery (of rural France), the main characters' comical scenarios come in the form of silent comedy. Aside from the main characters, animals and humans may also show up in minor roles, but the show does not utilize any proper spoken dialogue.

Contents

The series had been compared to popular media by the staff themselves. These include the film Microcosmos , nature-related documentaries from National Geographic, as well as cartoons by Tex Avery and cartoons produced for the Warner Brothers. [1] [2]

Plot

Minuscule has a few short segments per episode, all of which have its own self-contained story. The series also has a variety of specific and well-known insect species (all without proper names, except for the film adaptations), as well as a gastropod, for the main cast. These stories may focus on one of the following characters:

Mammals may also occasionally show up, depending on the episode's setting (like a herd of cows on grassland), but seemingly do not care about the insects' shenanigans. While humans were considered as irrelevant characters in the first season, the second season feature the insects explicitly interacting with them (unintentional or not) more.

Production and distribution

Minuscule is produced by Phillipe Delarue, Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud at French studio Futurikon. [3] The show's generalized country settings and avoidance of spoken dialogue enable universal accessibility and appeal. The series has been sold to more than 100 countries on television and about 30 countries on video.

Other media

The "region 4" DVD set for the first season consists of 3 discs. There were also very few merchandise made for the series, featuring its main characters, like a calendar, bookmarks and printable activities. [4]

A feature film based on the series, with the same creative team, titled Minuscule - Valley of the Lost Ants , was released on January 29, 2014. [5] [6] A second feature film, Minuscule 2: Mandibles from Far Away , [7] was released on January 30, 2019.

International broadcast

Country/RegionChannel
Flag of France.svg  France France 2
Disney Channel (France)
France 5
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh Duronto TV
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom BBC Four
Discovery Channel
CBBC
Channel 4
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Nick Jr. Australia [8]
Flag of India.svg  India Nickelodeon India
Cartoon Network India
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Disney Channel
Toon Disney
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore
Flag of Malaysia 23px.svg  Malaysia
Flag of Cambodia.svg  Cambodia
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
Disney Channel (Asia)
Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia LTV1
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia RTV
Disney Channel (Asia)
GTV
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada BBC Kids
VRAK.TV
TVOntario

Television de Radio-Canada
Yoopa

Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Danmarks Radio
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland Yle
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece ERT2
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Rai 3
Rai YoYo
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway NRK
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan NHK Educational TV
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands VPRO
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland SRF 1
SRF zwei
RTS 1
RTS 2
RSI La 1
RSI La 2
Televisiun Rumantscha
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Sveriges Television
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Disney Channel (Brazil)
TV Cultura
Rede Bandeirantes
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 2x2
Russia 1
Channel One Russia
JimJam
TNT
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand Channel 6
Disney Channel (Asia)
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia Eesti Televisioon (Estonian Television)
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic TV Barrandov
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal Disney Channel (Portugal)
Canal Panda
RTP2
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico Canal Once
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China CCTV
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea EBS
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina Canal Incaa.tv
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain TV3 (Catalonia)
Disney Channel (Spain)
Clan (TV channel)
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Ketnet
La Trois
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Yumurcak TV and Sinema TV Aile
Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar Jeem
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania LRT televizija
JimJam
Flag of Kosovo.svg  Kosovo Klan Kosova
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica Teletica
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran IRIB Pooya & Nahal

IRIB 2

References

  1. Minuscule - Mandibles from Far Away - Dailymotion. Accessed 11 October 2020.
  2. Minuscule's official channel - YouTube. Accessed 11 October 2020.
  3. About Us - Futurikon - Futurikon. Accessed 11 October 2020.
  4. Minuscule Goodies - Futurikon. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  5. Glaud, Emilie Film Review: 'Minuscule - Valley of the Lost Ants' at Variety, 7 March 2014. Accessed 7 March 2013.
  6. Debruge, Peter Cicada's Song at official blog site, 19 March 2012. Accessed 19 March 2012
  7. "Minuscule 2 - Les Mandibules du bout du monde". www.allocine.fr. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  8. http://www.nickjr.com.au/shows/minuscule%5B%5D