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| Franklin | |
|---|---|
 Franklin the Turtle title card | |
| 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 |
| Ending theme | "Hey, It's Franklin!" (instrumental) |
| 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 | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network |
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| Release | November 3, 1997 (1997-11-03) – August 8, 2004 (2004-08-08) |
Franklin is ananimatedpreschooleducationalchildren's television series, based on theFranklin the Turtle books byBrenda Clark andPaulette Bourgeois, and co-produced byNelvana Limited.[1][2] It was followed up by aCGI adaptation,Franklin and Friends.
The animated series has also produced several books like Little Bear.television 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.
Franklin follows the eponymous younganthropomorphicturtle who lives in a small village called Woodland with his friends. His television stories and books always begin, "[Franklin] could count by twos and tie his shoes". Episodes of the series follow Franklin's adventures as he goes to school, plays, learns and grows in the world around him, sometimes with the helping hand of an adult such as his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Turtle.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 13 | November 3, 1997 (1997-11-03) | January 26, 1998 (1998-01-26) | |
| 2 | 13 | September 7, 1998 (1998-09-07) | November 30, 1998 (1998-11-30) | |
| 3 | 13 | October 11, 1999 (1999-10-11) | February 21, 2000 (2000-02-21) | |
| 4 | 13 | May 8, 2000 (2000-05-08) | July 30, 2000 (2000-07-30) | |
| 5 | 13 | April 29, 2002 (2002-04-29) | July 22, 2002 (2002-07-22) | |
| 6 | 13 | May 22, 2004 (2004-05-22) | August 8, 2004 (2004-08-08) | |
The main character of the series is 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 in some episodes other characters serve as the main focus.
Franklin likes swimming, arts and crafts (especially drawing), andshoofly pie. Franklin has a blue blanket and a blue plush dog with short purple ears named Sam. In earlier seasons, Franklin sleeps with his blanket and Sam. He has been known to be afraid of the dark and thunderstorms. When Franklin is scared by thunderstorms, Sam and his blue blanket help keep him calm because he might otherwise panic or have a meltdown.
Characters who are part of 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 Knight and 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).
In the filmFranklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure, Franklin's paternal aunt Lucy and hergoddaughter Sam 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 agrizzly bear who loves to eat and, in later seasons, has a sister named Beatrice. Franklin's other close friend is Snail, agarden snail who considers Franklin his best friend. One of Franklin's other friends who appears most often in the series isBeaver. Franklin's other friends who appear most often in the series areGoose,Rabbit,Fox,Badger,Raccoon, andSkunk. Mr.Owl is Franklin's primary teacher, but was temporarily replaced by MissKoala in the filmBack to School with Franklin when Mr. Owl was called away on a family emergency.
Other friends who appear includeMr. Mole,Mrs. Muskrat,Coach Porcupine,Moose,Otter,Wolvie, andBat.
Characters of Goose's family include a mother and father who are revealed to be divorced inFranklin and Friends. Goose's extended 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 less often—sometimes appearing in just a few episodes.
The series takes place in Woodland, a small village in eastern North America inhabited by anthropomorphic animal characters, including Franklin and his family. The village is small enough that most residents know one another and meet regularly. The village is shown to have 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.
Several episodes of the series feature characters playingbaseball, but the sport only makes sporadic appearances in later episodes. In these later episodes,ice hockey andsoccer are featured more often. In one episode, when Franklin and Bear went to sign up forfootball, spaces had run out, so they were signed up forbasketball instead.
Owing to the show's American roots,ice hockey has an important role inFranklin. 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 other 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.
The development design of the character of Franklin 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 also given the privilege of designing Beaver, Rabbit, and Skunk.
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 episodes, including actor Grant Eubanks. Many of the show's strongest writers and staff members remained on board, however. Some premises in the new episodes include Franklin facing a flood, worrying about the old treehouse, and earning a badge in a group called the Woodland Trailblazers. For the sixth season,Funbag and 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 Bruggen and 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.
Franklin istraditionally animated with some computer aid, especially in the later seasons.[citation needed]Franklin isclosed-captioned.
Franklin mostly aired with two 11-minute stories, except onCBC in Canada, which splits the stories apart and shows one at a time. TheFranklin DVD and video releases include individual stories grouped together as part of a theme, rather than complete episodes. Unlike many animated children's programs,Franklin has nointerstitial segments or 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 Franklin have a somewhat different look from the television series. The filmFranklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure had considerably higher production value, with more colour differentiation between the other turtles, higher quality animation, an overall brighter look, and painted backgrounds.
In Canada, the series aired onCBC Television,Family Channel, andTreehouse TV.
In the United States, it aired onCBS as part of their Saturday-morningCBS Kidshow block from October 3, 1998 to January 2, 1999. It later returned to CBS as part ofNick Jr. on CBS for 2 years from September 16, 2000, to September 7, 2002. It also aired onNickelodeon as part of theNick Jr. programming block from January 11, 1999, to July 30, 2004. It aired on theNoggin channel 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. Channel from September 28, 2009, until June 14, 2013.[6] Seven years later, it moved toQubo and aired from January 1, 2021, until February 28 of the same year, when the network ceased operations.
In the United Kingdom,Franklin aired onSky One from March 21, 1998, until May 27, 2000,Channel 4 from November 1, 1998, until August 31, 2004,Tiny Living from April 2001 to May 2002,Nick Jr. from 1999 to 2008,Five in 2004, andTiny Pop in 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 onSpacetoon from 2004 to 2015.
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| 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] | |
| Franklin's Valentines | January 12, 1999[citation needed] | |
| Franklin and the Tooth Fairy | July 20, 1999[citation needed] | |
| Franklin Goes to School | ||
| Franklin's Christmas Gift | October 12, 1999[citation needed] | |
| Franklin's Birthday Party | February 8, 2000[citation needed] | |
| Franklin Plants a Tree | ||
| Franklin in the Dark | June 6, 2000[citation needed] | |
| Franklin's Blanket | ||
| Franklin's Summer Vacations | July 17, 2001[citation needed] | |
| Franklin's Reading Adventures | ||
| Franklin Family Bonds | April 16, 2002[citation needed] | |
| Franklin The Show Must Go On |
The show was well-received by critics and parents. Joly Herman ofCommon Sense Media stated 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]
Franklin television stories are mostly based on books in the original Franklin Adventure series. The American series creator of Little Bear 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.
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 Franklin was 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.
Franklin has 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]
Three educational video games,Franklin's Activity Center,Franklin's Reading World andFranklin Learns Math were published by Sanctuary Woods, Multimedia Corporation and released for PC in 1995 and 1996. In 2000, Nelvana and Knowledge Adventure, Inc. developed two PC games,Franklin the Turtle Goes to School andFranklin the Turtle's Clubhouse. In 2004, Nelvana also developed an educational PC game calledFranklin the Turtle After School. Between 2005 and 2006,The Game Factory releasedFranklin the Turtle andFranklin's Great Adventures in 2005, andFranklin's Birthday Surprise on April 18, 2006.[12]
On September 27, 2010, Nelvana announced that it had begun production on a new all-CGIFranklin series 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. 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 betweenNelvana andInfinite Frameworks Pte. Ltd.
The series officially premiered on Treehouse TV on March 4, 2011.[14] A US release date had been announced on theNick Jr. Channel Franklin webpage for February 13, 2012. It also premiered in Singapore on Mediacorp on February 15, 2012.
From the classic series, Franklin
