Ella the Elephant
Ella the Elephant is a Canadian animated television preschool series based on the books by Carmela D' Amico & Steven Henry (né D'Amico). The series premiered on TVOKids in Canada on September 2, 2013 and also airs on Knowledge Kids and Tele-Quebec in Canada. The series premiered on Disney Junior in the United States on February 17, 2014. Although this is considered a Disney Channel series, the series is broadcast on Disney Junior and TVOKids. The series was produced by DHX Cookie Jar Inc., in association with TVOKids, Disney Junior and FremantleMedia Kids and Family Entertainment, with animation provided by Atomic Cartoons, with the series' funding provided by The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and The Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit. The series' completion guarantee was provided by Film Finances Canada Ltd.
| Ella the Elephant | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated television series |
| Directed by | Larry Jacobs |
| Voices of | Addison Holley Annick Obonsawin Avery Kadish Devan Cohen |
| Theme music composer | Brent Barkman Earl Torno |
| Opening theme | "Ella Theme", performed by Addison Holley |
| Ending theme | "Ella Theme" (instrumental) |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (52 shorts) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Michael Hirsh Toper Taylor John Vandervelde Sander Schwartz Alyssa Cooper Sapire For TVOKids: Patricia Ellingson |
| Producer(s) | Jonah Stroh Supervising Producer: Terry Rotsaert |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Atomic Cartoons DHX Cookie Jar Inc. FremantleMedia Kids and Family Entertainment |
| Distributor | FremantleMedia International |
| Release | |
| Original network | TVOKids |
| Picture format | HDTV 1080i |
| Audio format | Surround |
| Original release | September 2, 2013 – January 23, 2014 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The series follows the adventures of Ella (voiced by Addison Holley) and her friends on Elephant Island. Ella is a spirited little girl elephant with a big heart, bigger imagination and a magic hat that can transform into almost anything. Everyday, there's a fantastic new adventure as Ella and her friends, Frankie (voiced by Devan Cohen), Belinda (voiced by Annick Obonsawin) and Tiki (voiced by Avery Kadish), get themselves into some tricky situations. With a little determination, teamwork, a few missteps, and a touch of magic, Ella and her friends work to make everything work out in the end.
The first season of Ella the Elephant aired on TVOKids in Canada from September 2, 2013 to January 23, 2014. The first season of the series also aired on Knowledge Kids and Tele-Quebec in Canada. The first season of Ella the Elephant aired on Disney Channel/Disney Junior in the United States from February 17, 2014 to December 13, 2014.
It also aired on Canal Panda, Doordarshan, and Hop! Channel.
Plot
The series follows the adventures of Ella and her friends on Elephant Island. Ella is a spirited little girl elephant with a big heart, bigger imagination and a magic hat that can transform into almost anything. Everyday, there's a fantastic new adventure as Ella and her friends, Frankie, Belinda and Tiki, get themselves into some tricky situations. With a little determination, teamwork, a few missteps, and a touch of magic, Ella and her friends work to make everything work out in the end.
Production
The series was produced by DHX Cookie Jar Inc. for TVOKids and Disney Junior, with animation provided by Atomic Cartoons, and distributed by FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment. The series' funding provided by The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and The Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, with the completion guarantee provided by Film Finances Canada Ltd. Carmela D' Amico & Steven D' Amico are the adapters of the series, while Larry Jacobs is the director. Executive producers includes Michael Hirsh, Toper Taylor, and John Vandervelde for DHX Cookie Jar Inc., Sander Schwartz and Alyssa Cooper Sapire for FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment and Patricia Ellingson for TVOKids. Other staff for the series includes Jonah Stroh as producer and Brad Birch as executive story editor.
Development for the series started in 2012.
On February 7, 2012, Chris Arrant, news editor of Cartoon Brew, announced that the series entered production.[1] Toper Taylor, president and COO of Cookie Jar was pleasantly thrilled for the production of Ella the Elephant and said: "Ella is a magical property about an ever ebullient, optimistic, responsible, compassionate little elephant whose kindred spirit will delight our preschool audience." "We are thrilled to be working with both Disney and Fremantle on the series' global launch."
Sander Schwartz, President, Kids & Family Entertainment, FME, said "We are very pleased to be partnered with Cookie Jar on what we believe will be a hugely successful series. Bringing these wonderful books to life is a labour of love for everyone working on this stunning series".
Characters
Main characters
- Ella (voiced by Addison Holley) is the main character and a young elephant with a red magic hat that she says her grandma gave to her in the theme song. Ella is a problem-solver who is nice and kind to all her friends. Her magic hat transforms into different items depending on what she needs it for.
- Belinda (voiced by Annick Obonsawin) is an elephant who is lucky enough to have Elephant Island's mayor for her father, as well as a friend to Ella. Belinda loves to dance and is a total diva.
- Tiki (voiced by Avery Kadish) is a smart female elephant who loves reading books and riding her bike. She has a pet monkey named Lola.
- Frankie (voiced by Devan Cohen) is a friend of Ella's who is a young elephant as well and is the only male of the group. Frankie's catchphrase is "Great Wolly Mammoth!"
Recurring characters
- Lola (voiced by Rob Tinkler) is a pet monkey who is owned by Tiki.
- Mrs. Briggs (voiced by Helen Taylor) is Ella, Belinda, Frankie, Tiki, Ada, and Ida's teacher who likes interpretive dancing.
- Ada and Ida (voiced by Sophia Ewaniuk) are twin elephants who sometimes say things at the same time. When they do, they high-five and say "Jinx!" followed by a giggle. Ada and Ida are a little hard to tell apart, but they both love to sing.
- Captain Kelp (voiced by Neil Crone) is an elephant who works in a lighthouse.
- Mrs. Gray (voiced by Stacey DePass) is Ella's mother who is a baker.
- Captain Seamus Grey (also voiced by Neil Crone) is Ella's father who is captain of the sea.
- Mrs. Harriet Melba (voiced by Shoshana Sperling) is Frankie's mother who owns a bakery.
- Mr. Mercer (voiced by Phil Williams) is an elephant who sells lots of items. Ella and her friends visit him often. He can be grumpy sometimes.
- Georgie (voiced by Jaxon Mercet) is a little elephant who is Frankie's little brother.
- Mayor Jeremiah Blue (voiced by Danny Wells) is an elephant who is Belinda's father. The mayor of Elephant Island.
- Grandma Grey (voiced by Catherine Disher) is an elephant who is Ella's grandma and the original owner of the magic hat. She appeared in the episode "Grandma's Visit".
- Old Lady (voiced by Julie Lemieux) is a lady elephant with an unknown name who appeared in the episode "Hello Dolly", where Frankie accidentally sold Ella's doll to the lady.
- Jasper (also voiced by Julie Lemieux) is a little mouse who causes trouble with Ella and her friends.
- E.L. Weathers (voiced by Alyson Court) is an elephant who writes books. She appeared in the episode "Tiki's Quest".
- Mrs. Everheart (voiced by Helen King) is an elephant who is a librarian. She also appeared in the episode "Tiki's Quest".
- Mrs. Potter (voiced by Susan Roman) is an elephant who carves pumpkins in Halloween time. She appeared in the episode "Frankie's Perfect Pumpkin".
- Sammy (voiced by Peter DaCunha) is an elephant who does newspaper deliveries in Elephant Island. He appeared in the episode "Ella's Special Delivery".
- Mikey (voiced by Gage Munroe) in an elephant who helps Sammy do newspaper deliveries. He also appeared in the episode "Ella's Special Delivery".
- Caretaker (voiced by John Stocker) is an elephant who operates the museum. He appeared in the episode "Jurassic Sleepover".
- Mayor's Assistant (voiced by Catherine Disher) is an elephant who helps Belinda's dad. She appeared in the episode "Mayor Belinda".
- Mrs. Brim (voiced by Linda Ballantyne) is an elephant who works at a hat store. She appeared in the episode "Ella's Haywire Hat".
- Max von Mastodon (voiced by Juan Chioran) is an elephant who is a famous filmmaker. He appeared in the episode "Lights, Camera, Ella".
Episodes
All episodes were directed by Larry Jacobs.
| Episode # | Title | Directed by | Written by | TVOKids (Canada) air date | Disney Junior (U.S.) air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Soapbox Squabble" | Larry Jacobs | Christin Simms | September 2, 2013 | February 19, 2014 | 101b |
| Ella and Frankie compete in the Soapbox Derby. | ||||||
| 2 | "Girls' Club" | Larry Jacobs | Christin Simms | September 3, 2013 | February 19, 2014 | 101a |
| Belinda starts a club for girls. | ||||||
| 3 | "Trunk Troopers" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelia Dinsmore Teleplay by : J.D. Smith | September 4, 2013 | February 18, 2014 | 102a |
| Ella and Belinda get lost in the forest while trying to earn a Butterfly Badge. | ||||||
| 4 | "Ella in Charge" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelia Dinsmore Teleplay by : Dave Dias | September 5, 2013 | February 18, 2014 | 102b |
| Ella and Frankie's Mom fill in for Ella's mom at the bakery. | ||||||
| 5 | "Ella Bakes a Cake" | Larry Jacobs | Shelia Dinsmore | September 6, 2013 | February 21, 2014 | 103a |
| The kids compete in the Junior Cake-Baking Contest. | ||||||
| 6 | "Camp Ella" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelia Dinsmore Teleplay by : Ben Joseph | September 9, 2013 | February 21, 2014 | 103b |
| Tiki goes camping in Ella's backyard. | ||||||
| 7 | "Ella's Got Talent" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelia Dinsmore Teleplay by : J.D. Smith | September 10, 2013 | February 17, 2014 | 104a |
| Ella has trouble coming up with an act for the talent show. | ||||||
| 8 | "Safety First" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelia Dinsmore Teleplay by : Kim Thompson | September 11, 2013 | February 17, 2014 | 104b |
| Ella takes on the responsibility of being a playground safety officer. | ||||||
| 9 | "Ella Sheds Some Light" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelia Dinsmore Teleplay by : Robert Ardiel | September 12, 2013 | February 27, 2014 | 105a |
| Ella and Frankie take care of Captain Kelp's lighthouse. | ||||||
| 10 | "Stylish Ella" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelia Dinsmore Teleplay by : Ben Joseph | September 13, 2013 | February 27, 2014 | 105b |
| Belinda is excited for her school's Picture Day. | ||||||
| 11 | "Ella's Top 100" | Larry Jacobs | Hugh Duffy | September 16, 2013 | March 6, 2014 | 106b |
| The 100th day of the school year is here. | ||||||
| 12 | "Hat Mishap" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelia Dinsmore Teleplay by : Franklin Young and Kim Thompson | September 17, 2013 | March 6, 2014 | 106a |
| Tiki's starring in the school play, and races to get to the theatre after an outing. | ||||||
| 13 | "Treasure Hunters" | Larry Jacobs | Jamie Wease | September 18, 2013 | February 20, 2014 | 107a |
| Ella, Frankie, Belinda and Tiki discover a treasure map. | ||||||
| 14 | "Ella Borrows Trouble" | Larry Jacobs | Karen Moonah | September 19, 2013 | February 20, 2014 | 107b |
| Ella loses Frankie's toy helicopter. | ||||||
| 15 | "Ella on the Ball" | Larry Jacobs | Christin Simms | September 20, 2013 | February 24, 2014 | 108a |
| When a member of the soccer team gets hurt, Ella's friends beg her to fill in. | ||||||
| 16 | "Up, Up and Away" | Larry Jacobs | Bernice Vanderlaan | September 23, 2013 | February 24, 2014 | 108b |
| Elephant Islands is having a Kite contest, where teams have to make a unique kite. | ||||||
| 17 | "Tea Party Trouble" | Larry Jacobs | Dale Schott Scott Albert | September 24, 2013 | February 25, 2014 | 109a |
| Ella has a tea party. | ||||||
| 18 | "Home Again" | Larry Jacobs | Jamie Waese | September 25, 2013 | February 25, 2014 | 109b |
| The kids participate in their school's Open House. | ||||||
| 19 | "Stormy Mom Day" | Larry Jacobs | J.D. Smith | September 26, 2013 | May 5, 2014 | 110a |
| A rainstorm causes Ella and Frankie's to rethink their Mother's Day plans. | ||||||
| 20 | "Team Spirit" | Larry Jacobs | Karen Moonah | September 27, 2013 | May 5, 2014 | 110b |
| Mrs. Briggs' class designs a scoreboard. | ||||||
| 21 | "Monkey Business" | Larry Jacobs | Shelley Hoffman Robert Pincombe | September 30, 2013 | February 26, 2014 | 111b |
| Ella has to look after a pet monkey. | ||||||
| 22 | "Ella's Carnival" | Larry Jacobs | Karen Moonah | October 1, 2013 | February 26, 2014 | 111a |
| Ella and her friends go to a carnival at town. | ||||||
| 23 | "Hello Dolly" | Larry Jacobs | Jason Hopley | October 2, 2013 | December 6, 2014 | 112b |
| Frankie accidentally sells Ella's doll. | ||||||
| 24 | "That's Swellaphant!" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelley Hoffman and Robert Pincombe Teleplay by : Atul Rao | October 3, 2013 | December 6, 2014 | 112a |
| Ella and her friends participate in the festivities of Swellaphant Day. | ||||||
| 25 | "Ella for Class President" | Larry Jacobs | Bernice Vanderlaan Jason Hopley | October 4, 2013 | March 3, 2014 | 113b |
| Belinda, Tiki and Frankie run for class president. | ||||||
| 26 | "Ella's Sleepless Sleepover" | Larry Jacobs | Betty Quan | October 7, 2013 | March 3, 2014 | 113a |
| Ella and Tiki go to Belinda's house for a sleepover. | ||||||
| 27 | "Ready, Set, Go... Slow?!" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelley Hoffman and Robert Pincombe Teleplay by : Brian Hartigan | October 8, 2013 | March 4, 2014 | 114a |
| Ella replaces Frankie in a race after he hurts his leg. | ||||||
| 28 | "Ella's Antics" | Larry Jacobs | Steve Wright Diana Moore | October 9, 2013 | March 4, 2014 | 114b |
| Ella has built an ant farm, but the farm collapsed when she didn't take her time. | ||||||
| 29 | "Tiki's Snow Fun" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Shelia Dinsmore Teleplay by : Dave Dias | October 10, 2013 | December 13, 2014 | 115b |
| Ella, Belinda, Tiki and Frankie go to Snowy Island for a day of fun. | ||||||
| 30 | "Parade Problem" | Larry Jacobs | Story by: Jonah Stroh and Phil McCordic Written by: Scott Albert | October 11, 2013 | December 13, 2014 | 115a |
| Ella and friends get lost on the way to a parade. | ||||||
| 31 | "Ella's Hiccups" | Larry Jacobs | Diana Moore | October 14, 2013 | March 10, 2014 | 116a |
| Ella gets a bad case of the hiccups. | ||||||
| 32 | "Queen Tusk's Treasure" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Jonah Stroh Teleplay by : Jason Hopley | October 15, 2013 | March 10, 2014 | 116b |
| There's a new exhibit at the museum. | ||||||
| 33 | "By Invitation Only" | Larry Jacobs | Scott Albert | October 16, 2013 | March 17, 2014 | 117a |
| Ella's friends begin to act strange when it's her birthday. | ||||||
| 34 | "Seashell Serenade" | Larry Jacobs | Atul Rao | October 17, 2013 | March 17, 2014 | 117b |
| Ella and friends attempt to revive the conch orchestra. | ||||||
| 35 | "Tiki's Moving Day" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Jonah Stroh Teleplay by : Alan Resnick | October 18, 2013 | March 24, 2014 | 118b |
| Tiki is moving away and Ella wants her to stay. | ||||||
| 36 | "Trunk Your Record" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Jonah Stroh Teleplay by : Brian Hartigan | October 21, 2013 | March 24, 2014 | 118a |
| Frankie wants to break a record, like everyone in his family did. | ||||||
| 37 | "Super Helpful Elephant Heroes" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Jonah Stroh Teleplay by : Dave Dias | October 22, 2013 | April 14, 2014 | 119a |
| Ella and Frankie become helpful heroes after reading a comic book. | ||||||
| 38 | "Ella Goes to the Birds" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Jonah Stroh Teleplay by : Brian Hartigan | October 23, 2013 | April 14, 2014 | 119b |
| Ella finds an old instrument acts as a call for birds.. | ||||||
| 39 | "Picture This" | Larry Jacobs | Atul Rao Brian Hartigan | October 24, 2013 | April 21, 2014 | 120b |
| Ella goes to take pictures around the island. | ||||||
| 40 | "Ella's Dance Off" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Jonah Stroh Teleplay by : Dave Dias | October 25, 2013 | April 21, 2014 | 120a |
| Belinda and Frankie have a dance contest. | ||||||
| 41 | "Tiki's Quest" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Brad Birch Teleplay by : Brian Hartigan | October 28, 2013 | May 19, 2014 | 121b |
| Tiki has to complete a challenging quest. | ||||||
| 42 | "Frankie the Brain" | Larry Jacobs | Stephen Sender | October 29, 2013 | May 19, 2014 | 121a |
| Frankie and Belinda's assignments have accidentally been switched by Ella. | ||||||
| 43 | "Frankie's Perfect Pumpkin" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Jonah Stroh Teleplay by : Brian Hartigan | October 30, 2013 | October 3, 2014 | 122a |
| Frankie makes the best Jack-o-Lantern ever. | ||||||
| 44 | "Ella's Special Delivery" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Jonah Stroh Teleplay by : Patrick Granleese | October 31, 2013 | October 3, 2014 | 122b |
| Ella does a newspaper route around town. | ||||||
| 45 | "Jurassic Sleepover" | Larry Jacobs | Jason Hopley | November 1, 2013 | June 2, 2014 | 123a |
| Ella and friends go on a sleepover at the museum. | ||||||
| 46 | "Grandma's Visit" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Jonah Stroh Teleplay by : Patrick Granleese | November 4, 2013 | June 2, 2014 | 123b |
| Ella and her grandmother try to find the one and only troop stamp they didn't earn. | ||||||
| 47 | "Mayor Belinda" | Larry Jacobs | Brad Birch | November 5, 2013 | July 14, 2014 | 124a |
| Ella and friends help Mayor Blue at his office until he is called away and Belinda takes over for him. | ||||||
| 48 | "Ella's Haywire Hat" | Larry Jacobs | Story by : Jonah Stroh Teleplay by : Brian Hartigan | November 6, 2013 | July 14, 2014 | 124b |
| Ella's hat begins to act strange. | ||||||
| 49 | "Lights, Camera, Ella" | Larry Jacobs | Patrick Granleese | January 20, 2014 | August 18, 2014 | 125a |
| Ella becomes an accidental film star after a famous filmmaker arrives on the island. | ||||||
| 50 | "Ella's Island" | Larry Jacobs | Jonah Stroh | January 21, 2014 | August 18, 2014 | 125b |
| A fog strands Ella's dad, her, and her friends on an undiscovered island during a day of sailing. | ||||||
| 51 | "Ella Elephant Sits" | Larry Jacobs | Dale Schott | January 22, 2014 | September 8, 2014 | 126a |
| Ella has to babysit Frankie's little brother, Georgie. | ||||||
| 52 | "Ella's Pet Problem" | Larry Jacobs | Shelia Dinsmore | January 23, 2014 | September 8, 2014 | 126b |
| Ella conquers her fear of Jasper, a little mouse and they become friends. | ||||||
Distribution
Broadcast
Ella the Elephant premiered on TVOKids, Knowledge Kids and Tele-Quebec in Canada on September 2, 2013. The series premiered on Disney Channel and Disney Junior in the United States on February 17, 2014. Other broadcasters includes Tiny Pop in the UK, ABC 4 Kids in Australia and RTÉjr in Ireland. Since June 23, 2014, Disney Junior (Latin America) started airing the show. TiJi (France), Clan (Spain), MiniMini+ (Poland) and MTV3 Juniori (Finland) had recently acquired the show and will add it to their lineup in 2014.[2]
Home media
Episodes of Ella the Elephant are available for digital download through the iTunes Music Store, which are split into two volumes.[3] FremantleMedia Home Entertainment released a 154-minute Region 4 DVD of the show on August 6, 2014.[4] In 2014, Warner Home Video has released Volume 1 on DVD for Canada and the US.[5] As of February 28, 2015, the series became available for streaming on the American Netflix.[6]
Toys and merchandising
DHX Media and FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment have appointed Jazwares Inc. as the global master toy partner on preschool property Ella the Elephant for the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Latin America, Middle East, Australia, Spain and Norway. The deal will enable Jazwares to launch worldwide Plush, Dolls Figures and Play Sets, Vehicles, Role Play and Musical Instruments, based on the animated preschool series about an adventurous elephant and her magic hat.[7] In December 2014, it was announced that DHX Brands and Penguin Young Readers were developing a series of books based on the series, which were released in late 2015.[8]
Critical reception
Common Sense Media rated the show 4 stars out of 5, with the review stating that "Strong messages of friendship and kindness are central to each story, and the young characters use their imaginations to solve the little troubles they and their neighbors face.".[9]
References
- ""Ella The Elephant" Book Series Set for Animated TV Series".
- "FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment announces that Ella the Elephant will roam across Disney Junior Channel Latin America". Archived from the original on 2015-11-17.
- "Ella the Elephant, Season 1, Pt. 1 on iTunes".
- "Ella the Elephant [Region 4] - Fishpond".
- "Ella the Elephant: Season One - Vol One".
- "New On Netflix USA - Timeline - Facebook".
- "DHX MEDIA ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF JAZWARES INC. AS GLOBAL MASTER TOY PARTNER FOR ELLA THE ELEPHANT - DHX Media".
- "DHX BRANDS AND PENGUIN YOUNG READERS TEAM UP FOR ELLA THE ELEPHANT PUBLISHING PROGRAM - DHX Media".
- "Ella the Elephant - TV Review".
External links
- Ella the Elephant at TVOKids.com
- Ella the Elephant at DisneyJunior.com