| Bernard | |
|---|---|
 Poster ofBernard | |
| Also known as | Backkom |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Jose Luis Ucha Enriquez Claudio Biern Lliviria |
| Developed by | RG Animation Studios |
| Written by | Iñaki San Román Sergio V. Santesteban |
| Directed by | Claudio Biern Lliviria José Luis Ucha Aaron Lim (animation director) |
| Creative director | Toni García |
| Composer | Oscar Maceda Rodríguez |
| Country of origin | South Korea Spain France |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 156(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Carlos Biern |
| Producers | Claudio Biern Boyd Javier Robles de Acuna Kang-Deok Kim Kwang-Hoi Kim Natalie Altmann Gilles Romele |
| Running time | 3 minutes |
| Production companies | BRB Internacional EBS Productions M6 Métropole Télévision RG Animation Studios Screen21 Synergy Media (seasons 2 and 3) SK Broadband (season 3) |
| Original release | |
| Network | EBS M6 CBBC AnimaKids |
| Release | 3 January 2006 (2006-01-03) – 21 November 2008 (2008-11-21) |
Bernard, known asBackkom (Korean: 빼꼼) in South Korea andBerni in Spain, is a Korean-Spanish-French animated television series produced by RG Animation Studios, with the investment of the French broadcasterM6.[1] The animation style is of a combination of computer-generated andcel animation. The stories are written by the creative studioScreen21, the directors are José Luis Ucha Enríquez and Claudio Biern Lliviria. The music was written by Oscar Maceda Rodríguez.Bernard also was a part ofCartoon Network'sSunday Pants.
In South Korea, season 1 aired onEBS TV in January-December 2006 and consists of 52 episodes. Season 2 aired in May-December 2007, and it also consists of 52 episodes.[2] Season 3 aired in November 21, 2008, and it also consists of 52 episodes ofsports.
The show centers on a curiouspolar bear named Bernard, whose bumblingslapstick antics and clumsiness typically result in Bernard being knocked unconscious or being severely injured near the end of an episode. Bernard almost doesn't speak, but he does communicate through guttural sounds. Bernard's friends include Lloyd and Eva thepenguins, Zack thelizard, and Goliath thechihuahua.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 52 | January 3, 2006 (2006-01-03) | December 30, 2007 (2007-12-30) | |
| 2 | 52 | 2008 (2008) | 2009 (2009) | |
| 3 | 52 | 2009 (2009) | 2010 (2010) | |
| 4 | 51 | 2010 (2010) | 2011 (2011) | |
| 5 | 49 | 2011 (2011) | 2012 (2012) | |
| 6 | 5 | 2020 (2020) | TBA | |
A feature film based onBernard, titledMug Travel in South Korea andMy Friend Bernard in English, was first released in South Korea on 22 March 2007. It was directed by Aaron Lim and produced by RG Animation Studios.
Another film, titledBackkom Bear: Agent 008, was released in China on 13 January 2017 and South Korea on 3 May 2017.
A third film, titledAgent Backkom: Kings Bear, was released in China and South Korea on 23 July 2021.
A fourth film, titledBackkom Bear: Mars Mission, was released in China on 28 September 2023.
Bernard has been nominated for a number of awards, includingBest Animation series at the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film (2006), Mipcom Jr. Licensing Challenge Award (2004), Prize inChildren and Education at the Dong-A International Festival of Cartoon & Animation (2004) and was a finalist at theAnnecy International Animation Festival (2003).[citation needed]