This articledescribes a work or element of fiction in a primarilyin-universestyle.(October 2024) |
Franklinis ananimatedpreschooleducationalchildren's television series,based on theFranklin the TurtlebooksbyBrenda ClarkandPaulette Bourgeois,and co-produced byNelvana Limited.[1][2]It was followed up by aCGIadaptation,Franklin and Friends.
| Franklin | |
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| Based on | Franklin the Turtle byPaulette Bourgeois Brenda Clark |
| Directed by |
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| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Bruce Cockburn |
| Opening theme | "Hey, It's Franklin!" performed by Bruce Cockburn |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin |
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| No.of seasons | 6 |
| No.of episodes | 78 (156 segments)(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
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| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
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| Release | November 3, 1997– August 8, 2004 |
The animated series has also produced severaltelevision films:Franklin and the Green Knight(2000),Franklin's Magic Christmas(2001) andBack to School with Franklin(2003), alongside a theatrical movie:Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure(2006), all of which were co-produced byNelvana Limited.
Premise
editFranklinfollows the eponymous growing younganthropomorphicturtle (specifically a tortoise - which is a subgroup of turtles - a species which belong to the order Testudines or Chelonia, reptiles having bodies encased in a bony shell).
His television stories and books always begin, "(Franklin) could count by twos and tie his shoes". He goes to school, lives in a small village called Woodland with his friends, and has many adventures playing and learning in the world around him, sometimes with the helping hand of an adult such as his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Turtle. Franklin likes swimming, arts and crafts (especially drawing), and lovesshoofly pie.He's been known to be afraid of the dark and thunderstorms. Franklin has a best friend named Bear, as well as a blue blanket and a blue plush dog with shorter purple ears named Sam. In earlier seasons, he sleeps with his blanket and Sam. When Franklin is scared by thunderstorms, Sam and his blue blanket help keep him calm because he might otherwise panic or have a meltdown.
Episodes
editSetting and characters
editThe main character of the series is Franklin Turtle. All episodes and films focus on Franklin. Almost all events are presented directly from his point of view, with some exceptions. There are no stories in which Franklin is absent, but sometimes, other characters may take more of a focus.
Franklin's family includes his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Turtle, and his younger sister, Harriet. Mr. and Mrs. Turtle are presented as gentle, loving parents who provide direction and guidance for Franklin and reasonable discipline when needed. His sister, Harriet, was born in the filmFranklin and the Green Knightand was featured in stories in the fifth and sixth seasons of the program. Franklin's extended family includes his paternal grandmother, who lives nearby, and his maternal grandparents, who live on a remote farm (as shown inFranklin’s Magic Christmas). Franklin’s paternal grandfather never appears in the series and is assumed to be deceased.
In the filmFranklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure,his paternal aunt Lucy and hergoddaughterSam chose to settle in Woodland, as well. Sam has parents but they let her stay in Woodland so she could visit her Godmother, Lucy. In the CGI series, his paternal Aunt Teeny ( "Aunt T" or "Aunt Turtle" ) is introduced. In later episodes, Franklin's maternal aunt and uncle and his maternal cousin are introduced.
Franklin's best friend is Bear, who is a bear who loves to eat and, in later seasons, has a sister named Beatrice. His other close friend is Snail, a garden snail who considers Franklin his best friend. One of Franklin's other friends who appears most often in the series is Beaver. Franklin's other friends who appear most often in the series are Goose, Rabbit, Fox, Badger, Raccoon, and Skunk. Mr. Owl is Franklin's primary teacher, but was temporarily replaced by Miss Koala in the filmBack to School with Franklinwhen Mr. Owl was called away on a family emergency.
Goose's family includes a mother and father who are revealed to be divorced inFranklin and Friends.Goose's large family, as seen in "Franklin Migrates," includes her paternal grandmother (who is called Granny) and her maternal grandfather (who is called Grandpa), her maternal aunt and uncle, and her younger maternal cousin, Giselle.
Other characters are seen on the show with less frequency—sometimes appearing in just a few episodes.
Woodland
editFranklin and his friends live in Woodland, a small animal-resident village in eastern North America. The village is small enough that most residents know one another and meet regularly. There is a small shopping district, roads (with every bit of traffic), and at least one community schoolhouse. It is implied that Woodland is located in the Canadian province ofManitoba;however, this has never been officially confirmed by the show's creators. Residents of Woodland include:
- Turtle Household – Franklin, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Turtle, and Harriet.
- Granny Turtle – Franklin's paternal grandmother who talks a lot and has a nice attic.
- Grandma Jenny Turtle - Franklin’s maternal grandmother who has lived her entire life on Faraway Farm.
- Grandpa Turtle - Grandma Jenny’s husband and Franklin's maternal grandfather.
- Great-Grandpa Turtle – Shown once on Franklin's Magic Christmas when Grandma Jenny was telling a story about him.
- Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Turtle – The parents of Granny who died in awildfire.Great-Grandma was a great berry picker, and Great-Grandpa was a great fisherman.
- Oakwood School – The schoolhouse in Woodland where Mr. Owl works and Franklin goes to school.
- James Turtle – The Legal Father/Stepfather of Grandfather Turtle, The Legal Father-in-law of Grandma Jenny Turtle, The Legal Grandfather/Step-Grandfather of Mrs. Turtle, and The Legal Great-Grandfather/Step-Great-Grandfather of Franklin and Harriet. James Died
- Ivana Turtle – The Mother of Grandfather Turtle, The Mother-in-law of Grandma Jenny Turtle, The Paternal Grandmother of Elizabeth Turtle, and The Great-Grandmother of Franklin and Harriet. She Was Married To James and Bricklin
- Bricklin Turtle – The Biological Father of Grandfather Turtle, The Father-in-law of Grandma Jenny Turtle, The Paternal-Biological Grandfather of Elizabeth Turtle, and The Great-Grandfather of Franklin and Harriet. Grandfather Turtle Is Bricklin's Biological Son.
- Shopping District – Woodland is known for its substantial shopping district, which includes an ice cream shop, Mr. Mole's hardware store, a pharmacy, a grocery market, a coffee shop, a bookstore, and more. Franklin and his friends sometimes travel here with their parents, with each other, or even by themselves.
- Tree Fort - A treehouse Franklin's friends built in the episode "Franklin's Fort". At the time, Franklin was afraid of heights, but he overcame his fear at the end of the episode after he helped a tiny bird. Franklin and his friends would then use it for their activities and to hang out. In the episode "Franklin Plays It Safe", it broke due to falling out of its tree when the branch holding it broke. However, a new one was built at the end.
- Pond – Franklin and his friends often hang out by the pond, which is attached to a stream. They sometimes swim, sit by the pond, or participate in other activities.
- Woods – Woodland is surrounded by forests on at least one end. A character named Gopher, who appeared in the filmFranklin and the Green Knight,is known to live here. Franklin and Snail had an adventure here inFranklin and the Green Knight.They explored deep into the woods, where they met several characters and found magic cherry blossoms.
- Oakwood Ravine – Located within the woods and connected distantly to the playground. The only area in Woodland that is shown to addpoison ivy.
- Nature Trail – The Nature Trail has a picnic ground, the Monarch Meadow, and the Blueberry Hill Lookout. Franklin and Bear went on a hiking trip on the trail once. They expected to find monarch butterflies in the meadow but found caterpillars instead. There is also a pond here. Franklin and Bear try to skip stones across the pond, but the stones sink.
- Village Park – Kids go skateboarding here.
- Playground – For the little kids, such as Harriet and Beatrice. It has a slide, swings, and monkey bars. Harriet, Kit, and Beatrice all enjoy playing here.
- Tamarack Play Park – An amusement park never seen on the program but is referenced. When Franklin is unable to travel there with all his friends, he creates "Turtle Play Park".
- Faraway Farm – The farm far away from Woodland, where Franklin's maternal grandparents live. Franklin and his family spend Christmas here with his maternal grandparents in the special episodeFranklin's Magic Christmas.
- Turtle Lake – An area featured only in the TV specialFranklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure.Franklin's Granny lived in this area but lost her home and parents in a fire.
- Woodland Town Hall – The Woodland Town Hall hosts the production of "Sleeping Beauty,"which Franklin and his class play in" Franklin's Starring Role”.
- Thrill Hill – A steep hill that the older kids in town like to skateboard down. Franklin accidentally skateboards down it and is dared to do it again. At first, he agrees but does not take the dare.
- Blueberry Hill – A hill within a nature park with the most extensive view of the village and its surroundings when the sky is not too cloudy. The name may be a reference to thesong.
Sports and games
editBaseballis seen more often in earlier seasons, with only sporadic appearances in later episodes.Hockeyandsoccerare favoured as sports to play. Once, when Franklin and Bear went to sign up forfootball,spaces had run out, so they were signed up forbasketballinstead.
Owing to the show's Canadian roots,ice hockeyhas an important place in theFranklinuniverse. It is featured in several stories, including one in which Skunk is taught how to play by Franklin and Bear. Franklin also meets a couple of his professional hockey icons in the fifth and sixth seasons of the program.
In addition to sports, the characters enjoy many games and activities. Franklin becomes his school's chess champion. Harriet and Beatrice enjoy playing tag and hide-and-seek. Franklin and his friends enjoy playing knights.
Production
editDevelopment
editThe development design of Franklin the Turtle for the animated series character, was the achievement of Canadian Animation artist and Illustrator Kurt Lehner, which he worked on during his time at Nelvana studio in 1997. These designs were studies taken directly from the Franklin the Turtle book series itself. Though Lehner did not continue to work with the "series" design team which was hired after the development process, at that time he was given the privilege of also designing Beaver, Rabbit, and Skunk as well.
In May 2004, new episodes of the series began airing on the Canadian networkTreehouse TV.Franklin and many of his friends had new voice actors in these new adventures, including actor Grant Eubanks. Many of the show's strongest writers and staff members remained on board, however. These new stories saw Franklin facing a flood, worrying about the old treehouse, and earning a badge in a group called the Woodland Trailblazers. For the sixth seasonFunbagand other animation studios joined in the development of Franklin. The most recent film in the series isFranklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure.The film was written byJohn van Bruggenand directed byDominique Monféry.The 76-minute film premiered in theaters in 2006 and had its debut on Noggin on New Year's Eve 2007, as part of a celebration of the network's conversion to a 24/7 format.
Format
editFranklinistraditionally animatedwith some computer aid, especially in the later seasons.[citation needed]Franklinisclosed-captioned.
Franklinmostly aired with two 11-minute stories, except onCBCin Canada, which splits the stories apart and shows one at a time. TheFranklinDVD and video releases include individual stories grouped together as part of a theme, rather than complete episodes. Unlike many animated children's programs,Franklinhas nointerstitial segmentsor end-tags featuring the characters. The scenes shown in the animated opening introduction were changed after the show's first season. Many of these scenes featured Otter, a character who left the series early in the first season and was only seen once more in later seasons.
Differences in the colouring of the cartoon can be spotted from season to season. The more recent feature films, most noticeablyBack to School with Franklinhave a somewhat different look from the television series. The filmFranklin and the Turtle Lake Treasurehad considerably higher production values, with more colour differentiation between the other turtles, higher quality animation, an overall brighter look, and prettily painted backgrounds.
Release
editBroadcast
editIn Canada, the series aired onCBC Television,Family Channel,andTreehouse TV.
In the United States, it aired onCBSas part of their Saturday-morningCBS Kidshowblock from October 3, 1998 to January 2, 1999. It later returned to CBS as part ofNick Jr. on CBSfor 2 years from September 16, 2000, to September 7, 2002. It also aired onNickelodeonas part of theNick Jr. programming blockfrom January 11, 1999, to July 30, 2004. It aired on theNogginchannel from October 4, 1999, until September 25, 2009,[3]and returned to Noggin on August 26, 2015,[4]after the brand was relaunched as astreaming service.It was available on the Noggin streaming service until September 30, 2018.[5]It also aired on theNick Jr. Channelfrom September 28, 2009, until June 14, 2013.[6]Seven years later, it moved toQuboand aired from January 1 (New Year's Day), 2021, until February 26 of that same year when some affiliates abruptly switched that night to other Katz networks, two days before others were switched automatically at the end of the same second month's last day at the master control level, at which point the network ceased operations.
In the United Kingdom,Franklinaired onSky Onefrom March 21, 1998, until May 27, 2000,Channel 4from November 1, 1998, until August 31, 2004,Tiny Livingfrom April 2001 to May 2002,Nick Jr.from 1999 to 2008,Fivein 2004, andTiny Popin 2012 (in which it was dubbed with British voice actors on those channels, replacing the original Canadian soundtrack) in 2007. It has also been broadcast in India on Pogo, along with another animated series,Angelina Ballerina.
In Australia, it aired onABC.
In The Arab World, it aired onSpacetoonfrom 2004 to 2015.
Home media
edit| Title | Release date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin Plays the Game | July 14, 1998[7][8] | |
| Franklin and the Secret Club | ||
| Franklin's Halloween | September 1, 1998[citation needed] |
Reception
editThe show was well-received by critics and parents. Joly Herman ofCommon Sense Mediastated in a review, "Franklin is a show that takes for granted respect for elders and vice versa. There's no whining, fighting, yelling, provocation, or aggravation. Franklin ultimately sets a good example of responsible TV programming, and it is a rare show that celebrates the innocence of childhood."[9]
In other media
editBooks and movies
editFranklintelevision stories are mostly based on books in the original Franklin Adventure series. The practice of adapting television stories from books was dropped in the program's second season, though elements and dialogue from some of the books are incorporated into later stories. Although, many Franklin television stories have been made into books in the Franklin TV Storybook and Franklin First Readers series. Usually written by Sharon Jennings, these adaptations are shortened versions of what is seen on TV and may contain non-canon material.
On September 11, 2000, Franklin's younger sister Harriet was introduced in the direct-to-video and DVD movieFranklin and the Green Knight.The two shared an adventure on November 24, 2001, inFranklin's Magic Christmas.Back to School with Franklinwas released direct-to-video on August 19, 2003, which involved Harriet befriending Beaver's younger brother Kit, and new character Mrs. Koala introduced as a teacher to Franklin and his friends.
Live tours
editFranklinhas been seen in numerous touring stage shows, including "Franklin's Big Adventure," "Franklin's Class Concert," "Franklin's Family Christmas Concert," and "Franklin's Carnival Of Animals." Produced by Koba Entertainment and presented by Paquin Entertainment, these stage shows featured a number of songs including "Come See the World," "What I Do in the Morning" and "The Dinosaur Song".
In 2009, a new touring show, "Franklin and The Adventures of the Noble Knights", was developed, and is currently touring in France. The show is also produced by Koba Entertainment, and presented by Paquin Entertainment.[10]The Director/Choreographer is Patti Caplette. This show toured in Canada in 2010. A soundtrack CD featuring the songs from the programme is now available.[11]
Video games
editThree educational video games,Franklin's Activity Center,Franklin's Reading WorldandFranklin Learns Mathare published by Sanctuary Woods, Multimedia Corporation and released from PC in 1995 and 1996. In 2000, Nelvana and Knowledge Adventure, Inc. developed two PC games,Franklin the Turtle Goes to SchoolandFranklin the Turtle's Clubhouse.In 2004, Nelvana also developed an educational PC game calledFranklin the Turtle After School.Between 2005 and 2006,The Game FactoryreleasedFranklin the TurtleandFranklin's Great Adventuresin 2005, andFranklin's Birthday Surpriseon April 18, 2006.[12]
CGI series
editOn September 27, 2010, Nelvana announced that it had begun production on a new all-CGIFranklinseries calledFranklin and Friends.[13]The series has been ordered for 52 episodes and the characters that return in the series are Bear, Fox, Rabbit, Beaver, Goose, Snail and, naturally, Franklin himself. Additionally, the series features a new regular character, Franklin's paternal aunt named Aunt T., described as "quirky." The series "features special themes including fun mysteries, Woodland events and outdoor activities." This is a Canada-Singapore joint venture betweenNelvanaandInfinite FrameworksPte. Ltd.
The series officially premiered on Treehouse TV on March 4, 2011.[14]A US release date had been announced on theNick Jr. ChannelFranklin webpage for February 13, 2012. It also premiered in Singapore on Mediacorp on February 15, 2012.
References
edit- ^Perlmutter, David (2018).The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows.Rowman & Littlefield. pp.219–220.ISBN978-1-5381-0373-9.
- ^Erickson, Hal (2005).Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003(2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp.348–349.ISBN978-1-4766-6599-3.
- ^"Noggin TV Listings, TV Shows and Schedule - Zap2it".Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2009.
- ^Noggin (brand) [@NOGGINKids] (August 26, 2015)."Here he comes with all his friends—you can watch ten episodes of Franklin on #NOGGIN, now! http://at.nick /GetNoggin"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^"NOGGIN Streaming Service".Noggin LLC.2018. Archived fromthe originalon September 30, 2018.
From the classic series, Franklin
- ^"The Baltimore Sun - Breaking news, sports, weather and traffic in Baltimore - baltimoresun".affiliate.zap2it.Archived fromthe originalon June 5, 2013.RetrievedAugust 1,2022.
- ^"Billboard".June 27, 1998.Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2023.RetrievedJune 23,2022.
- ^"Billboard".July 4, 1998.Archivedfrom the original on April 25, 2023.RetrievedJune 23,2022.
- ^Joly Herman."Parents' Guide to Franklin".Common Sense Media.Archivedfrom the original on August 29, 2023.RetrievedAugust 29,2023.
- ^"Franklin and the Adventures of the Noble Knights".Paquin.Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2014.
- ^"Franklin & the Adventures of the Noble Knights".Amazon.Archivedfrom the original on March 6, 2014.RetrievedJune 23,2016.
- ^"Game Factory To Make Game Based on Young Dinos, Garfield, Miss Spider, Franklin".Animation World Network.Archivedfrom the original on October 26, 2022.RetrievedOctober 26,2022.
- ^Rick DeMott (September 28, 2010)."Nelvana's MIPCOM Slate Features New CG Franklin And More".Animation World Network.Archived fromthe originalon September 3, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 20,2021.
- ^Wild, Diane (February 1, 2011)."Franklin and Friends premieres March 4 on Treehouse".TV, eh?.Archivedfrom the original on August 26, 2017.RetrievedMarch 5,2011.
External links
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