Little Bear (TV series)
| Maurice Sendak's Little Bear | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Family Children's animation |
| Format | Children's series |
| Created by | Else Holmelund Minarik Maurice Sendak Jeff Goode |
| Written by | Nancy Barr |
| Starring | Kristin Fairlie (Little Bear) Jennifer Martini Elizabeth Hanna Janet-Laine Green Andrew Sabiston Dan Hennessey |
| Country of origin | Canada China United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Running time | approximately 26 mins |
| Production company(s) | Nelvana |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Nickelodeon |
| Original airing | April 3, 1995-October 2003 |
Maurice Sendak's Little Bear is a Canadian children's television series starring a Little Bear voiced by Kristin Fairlie. Originally produced by Nelvana for Nickelodeon, it currently airs on Treehouse TV in Canada and Nick Jr. in the United States. A direct-to-video full-length feature film was also created after the series ended. In The Little Bear Movie, Little Bear and his friends help a bear named Cub to help find his parents.
It is based on the Little Bear series of books which were written by Else Holmelund Minarik, and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.
Most of the characters are moderately anthropomorphic animals, exhibiting both animal and human behaviors, but generally dealing with human problems and concerns. However, Little Bear's friend, Emily, and her grandmother are human and Tutu, their dog, is mostly a normal pet. Other characters in the series include Little Bear and his parents Mother and Father Bear, his paternal uncle Rusty, his two grandparents, the eponymously named animals Duck, Cat, Owl and Hen, in addition to many recurring characters.
Reruns of Little Bear can currently be seen on Nick Jr.
Characters
Little Bear (voiced by Kristin Fairlie) - Little Bear is a small grizzly bear cub. Throughout the series, he has grown somewhat, as his voice is slightly deeper, and he doesn't take naps as often. He is the only character whose parents are shown with the exception of Ducks mother in one show. Little Bear lives in a stucco, timber, plaster, and brick house. He is always kind and loves to explore. He and all his other animal friends are, and always play barefoot and without clothes, while the adult characters such as Mother and Father Bear are usually seen wearing shoes and clothes. Despite this, He has worn clothes on certain occasions, like a scarf and winter hat when the weather is cold, a fishing hat when taken fishing or hiking, and finally on one occasion a black dress suit with a red necktie and black shoes.
Emily (voiced by [Jennifer Martini) - Emily is Little Bear's seven-year-old friend. In the summer, she vacations with her parents by the river near Little Bear's home. Emily carries around a doll named Lucy everywhere she goes and is very attached to her. Emily gave Little Bear Lucy when she was leaving to go back to school but then took her back, saying that she just remembered that "Lucy has to go to school", too. Emily eventually moves to the forest permanently and lives there with her grandmother.
Hen (voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) - Hen is a fussy, feisty chicken who lives in a large chicken coop. She is classy and sophisticated and enjoys cleanliness, though her several nieces and nephews often mess up her spotless house. However, she never turns down the opportunity for fun. Hen has also been shown to be fond of opera, but it seems that she isn't good at it.
Mother Bear (voiced by Janet Laine-Green) - Mother Bear is Little Bear's mother. She seems to enjoy cooking and is always there to help Little Bear if he needs it. She also seems to be very tidy and does not like it when the house becomes messy. She normally wears a pink shirt and a blue skirt with a white apron.
Cat (voiced by Andrew Sabiston) - Cat is a laid back, slothful feline who enjoys prowling at night, playing tricks on passersby, and eating. When he and his friends must get to a certain place in the woods, Cat often leads them through one of his shortcuts.
Father Bear (voiced by Dan Hennessey) - Father Bear is Little Bear's father and Mother Bear's husband. His occupation is a fisherman and sometimes takes Little Bear out fishing. He has been to many places and likes to keep things that are old, even if they have to be thrown away. He usually wears a blue suit with a purple tie and brown shoes.
Owl (voiced by Amos Crawley) - Owl is someone who is sometimes pompous, but very wise. He lives in a treehouse. Although Owl enjoys fun games, he'll only participate if the gameplay is sensible. Reading is his hobby.
Duck (voiced by Tracy Ryan) - Duck is a domesticated duck with yellow feathers, an orange beak and a long neck. Slow and smart at the same time, Duck is one who gets herself into comical situations. She lives in a nest, although in one episode, she expressed longing for a house and tried to live in a house boat. It floated downriver filled with frogs and Duck lived happily in her nest. She loves playing "princess" and pretend. She was hatched in a nest of chicks, because "some eggs got mixed up", and Little Bear taught her to fly when she was a duckling. She never has any ducklings of her own, but she is sometimes seen babysitting a group of them, the youngest named Little Peep.
Mermaid - Mermaid is a mermaid who Little Bear occasionally meets when he goes to the lake, she is friendly and takes Little Bear to see places underwater.
Frog - Frog is a frog that dispenses zen-like wisdom between his meditations.
Moose (voiced by Ray Landry) - A Moose who sometimes helps Little Bear and his friends when they're in need.
Grandfather Bear (voiced by Sean McCann) - Grandfather Bear is Little Bear's grandfather and Mother Bear's father. He once worked at a circus with his wife and sister. He wears a green suit but with khakis and a dark-red tie with brown shoes.
Grandmother Bear (voiced by Diane D'Aquila) - Grandmother Bear is Little Bear's grandmother and Mother Bear's mother, and Grandfather Bear's wife. She likes to cook and tell stories.
Lucy - Lucy is a doll who belongs to Emily. She has short blond hair and wears a red dress and bonnet with brown shoes. In one episode, Lucy fell from a tree and her porcelain arm was broken. Little Bear fixed it with tape. Another time, Duck sat on Lucy mistakenly and they had a funeral, where she was proved to be "alive" in the end. Emily is the only one who can "understand" and "talk" to Lucy.
Otters - Four silly siblings that appeared in a few episodes resided in the local river.
No Feet (voiced by Rick Jones) - No Feet is a friendly, gentle and green gardener snake (hence the name) that lives in Mother Bear's garden.
Rusty Bear - Rusty is Father Bear's younger brother. He mentions that he lives in the woods, and that he would prefer to live there because it is quiet and peaceful. He is a very big bear, slightly taller and huskier than Father Bear. He has a deep voice, wears overalls, and has a red handkerchief around his neck. He is seen in only a few of the Little Bear episodes. Little Bear is fascinated with Rusty's outdoor ethic, and whenever he shows up, Little Bear is tempted to emulate his rustic character.
Granny - Emily's Grandmother, who she lives with in the summer and then permanently, has traveled the world and has many odd pieces of furniture. She is the owner of Tutu.
Tutu (voiced by Tara Strong) - Tutu is Granny's dog. She acts very hyper and she can understand humans. According to Granny, she only speaks French, yet she understands English.
Little Ick - Little Ick is a baby raccoon and only appears in an episode where his mother went to visit his grandmother and dropped him off with Mother Bear. Little Bear and Little Ick form a bit of a sibling relationship together like Little Bear feeling left out because Mother Bear seems to be paying more attention to Little Ick. Little Ick is the baby raccoon's nickname from Little Bear because "Ick" is the only thing the baby can say.
Mitzi (voiced by Ashley Taylor) - Mitzi is a mischievous, sometimes rather unthoughtful tomboyish monkey who lives in a tree house in the forest around Little Bear's home. She feels bad after slighting somebody's feelings or misleading them (as when she played for keeps by declaring "keepsies" too fast to be understood, and won all of Little Bear's marbles). She somtimes has green or white eyes.
Marshmallow - Marshmallow is a baby albino skunk. She is found by Owl and Little Bear in an episode and plays with Duck, Little Bear, Owl, and Cat in the episode "Little Footprints".
Episodes
Series 1: 1995-1996
Series 2: 1997-1998
Series 3: 1998-1999
Series 4: 1999-2000
Series 5: 2000-2001
Movie
In 2001 Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies decided to create The Little Bear Movie.
See Also
Media release
United Kingdom
New Zealand
Australia
Asia
Canadian Live and New York Musical Theatrical Version
In Canada, Little Bear has been turned into a live theatrical show, "Little Bear: Winter Tales" which originally toured across Canada in 2007. The show is due to tour Canada again in late 2009.
Both tours are presented by Paquin Entertainment, and were produced by Koba Entertainment.
References
External links
Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Little_Bear_(TV_series)&oldid=463252803#ep3
