The Bellflower Bunnies (season 1)

infobox tvseason
season_name = "The Bellflower Bunnies" - Season 1
headercolour = 87CEFA
show_name = "The Bellflower Bunnies"


caption = The 2003 PAL VHS/Region 2 cover of the original French episodes. From left to right: Pirouette,For the English version of season 2, Pirouette was renamed Violette (as she was called in Gareth Stevens' translations).] Periwinkle, Dandelion, Poppy, and Papa Bramble.
dvd_release_date = flagicon|France Start date|2003|01|23|df=yes
flagicon|USA End date|2003|10|01|df=yes
flagicon|South Korea February 2005
flagicon|Netherlands March 2005 - July 2006
dvd_format =
country = FRA
CAN
LUX
network = flagicon|France TF1
first_aired = Start date|2001|12|24|df=yes
last_aired =
End date|2001|12|28|df=yes
num_episodes = 4
next_season = 2

The first season of "The Bellflower Bunnies", a children's animated series based on the "Beechwood Bunny Tales" books by Geneviève Huriet and Loïc Jouannigot, aired on France's TF1 network during the week of 24 December 2001, at 7:00 a.m. Central European Time.cite news|title=Films d'animation|date=2001-12-23|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/cgi-bin/ACHATS/735156.html|format=Subscription required|work=Le Monde|location=Paris|accessdate=2008-09-26|language=French]

Consisting of only four episodes, it was directed by French animator Moran Caouissin, produced by Patricia Robert, and written by Valérie Baranski. The music was composed by Baranski, along with Daniel Scott.cite episode |title=Carnival |series=The Bellflower Bunnies |serieslink= |credits=Moran Caouissin, director |network=TF1 |airdate=2001-12-27 |season=1 |number=2] A handful of crew members from this season would be carried over for future episodes.

The first season has been broadcast on TF! Jeunesse, the children's service of TF1, as well as South Korea's Educational Broadcasting System (EBS),cite web |url=http://zine.c4uent.com/product/product19.jsp |title= "까르르 토끼 친구들"|accessdate=2008-09-26|publisher=C4U Media|language=Korean] CBBC in the United Kingdom, [cite web|url=http://www.newspaperarchive.com/newspapers1/na0036/6770258/26191222_clean.html|title=CBBC schedule|format=Subscription required|date=2002-05-04|accessdate=2008-10-05|location=Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire|publisher=The Sentinel (accessed via [http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22Bellflower+Bunnies%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&btnG=Search+Archives Google News Search] )] and Germany's Kinderkanal (KI.KA)cite web |url=http://www.kika.de/scripts/fernsehen/a_z/index.cfm?b=d&a=4&i=1007 |title=Episode list for "The Bellflower Bunnies" ("Die Häschenbande") |accessdate=2008-10-05|format=|publisher=KI.KA (kika.de)|language=German] and ZDF [cite web|url=http://www.fernsehserien.de/index.php?serie=7031&seite=7&sender=2|title="Die Häschenbande": Sendetermine der TV-Serie (ZDF, 2006)|language=German|accessdate=2008-10-05|publisher=imfernsehen GmbH & Co. KG] among others. Since early 2003,cite web |url=http://www.dvdcritiques.com/critiques/dvd_visu.aspx?dvd=405 |title=Review of "La Famille Passiflore" |accessdate=2008-09-26 |last=Evrard |first=José |date=2003-01-23 |publisher=DvdCritiques.com |language=French] it has been made available on DVD in the United States, France, Germany and South Korea.

Production

The season was a co-production of France's TF1, its subsidiaries Protécréa and Banco Production, and Canada's TVA International. It was produced in association with France's Sofica Valor 6 and Luxembourg's Melusine, and with the participation of the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC). Production began in autumn 2000cite web |url=http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/magazine/20010501/30855.html?page=3 |title=Bunnies bent on broadcast (Up Next: What's developing in kids production) |accessdate=2008-09-26 |date=2001-05-01 |format= |work=KidScreen Magazine |publisher=Brunico Communications] at a cost of €380,000 (C$610,000) per episode. [cite web|url=http://www.playbackonline.ca/articles/pbi/20010401/cdnanim.html?page=1 |title= Canada at the market - animation|accessdate=2008-09-26 |author=Staff |date=2001-04-01 |work=Playback |publisher=Brunico Communications]

Graphics and Animation of Antwerp, Belgium,The company has since been renamed DeFamilieJanssen (DFJ).] a sudsidiary of Luxembourg's Studio 352, did the layouts for these episodes, [cite web|url=http://www.fourmi.info/Public/Menu.php?ID=5|title=Visual development - About|accessdate=2008-10-08|year=2008|publisher=Sylvie Lacroix] while North Korea's SEK Studio handled overseas animation duties.

A one-minute promotional pilot, in which a little mouse tells of the show's premise and introduces its main characters, was produced early in the show's production. [cite web
url=http://www.zdf-enterprises.de/de/die_haeschenbande.67.htm?template=d_zdfe_program&skip=3&sort=headline_de&order=asc&from=67&l=de
title=Promo clip of "The Bellflower Bunnies"|format=RealPlayer required|year=1999|accessdate=2008-10-08|publisher=ZDF.de|language=German (site)/English (video)] [cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20010210080740/www.tvfi.com/anime/programming.htm|title=Programme 2000: List of the projects|quote=The Bellflower Bunnies (Protecreasic)|year=2001|accessdate=2008-10-08|publisher=TV France International]

This season represented TF1 International at the NATPE conferences in early 2001 and 2002,cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb305/is_200101/ai_hibm1G186051373|title=TF1 International. (NATPE 2001 Profiles)|format=Suscription required|date=January 2001|accessdate=2008-10-08|publisher=Television Europe (accessed via Business Library at BNET's FindArticles)] cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-24996782_ITM|title=Natpe 2002.(National Association of Television Program Executives)|format=Free registration required with library card|date-2002-01-02|accessdate=2008-10-08|publisher=Television Asia (accessed via AccessMyLibrary)] and MIP-TV in April 2001.cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb305/is_/ai_hibm1G186065548|title=TF1 International. (MIP-TV 2001 Profiles)|format=Subscription required|date=April 2001|accessdate=2008-10-08|publisher=Television Europe (accessed via Business Library at BNET's FindArticles)] For both events, the four episodes were promoted as "specials".

The first two episodes of the series were planned to air on TF1 in November 2001, with the next two to follow in December. [cite web|url=http://www.alapage.com/-/Fiche/Livres/9782841138050/|title=Product information for "En ballon, les Passiflore!"|language=French|accessdate=2008-10-08|publisher=alapage.com|quote=Pour mémoire, les deux premiers dessins animés de 26 minutes des aventures de la famille Passiflore seront diffusés fin novembre sur TF1. Deux autres suivront fin décembre.] Ultimately, all four premiered in late December on TF! Jeunesse.

Cast and crew

The first season's English voice cast included Tom Clarke Hill, Tom Eastwood, Regine Candler, Joanna Ruiz Rodriguez, and Rhonda Millar (who played two characters, Periwinkle and Pirouette). Their voices were recorded at Ten Pin Alley, a company based in Gloucestershire, England. [cite web|url=http://www.mylocalservices.co.uk/Gloucestershire/Recording_Studios/694340/Ten_Pin_Alley_Ltd.html |title=Ten Pin Alley Ltd. business information|year=2008|accessdate=2008-10-05|publisher=My Local Services/Lowi Ltd.]

The crew roster included Moran Caouissin, who was previously involved in "", [cite book |last=Beck |first=Jerry |authorlink=Jerry Beck |title=The Animated Movie Guide |origyear=2005 |origmonth=October |accessdate=2008-03-24 |publisher=Chicago Reader Press |location=Chicago, Ill. |isbn= 1-55652-591-5 |pages=p. 68 |chapter=DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp] and Josette Zagar, from the trace and paint department of "The Twelve Tasks of Asterix". [cite video |people=René Goscinny, Henri Gruel, Albert Uderzo and Pierre Watrin (directors) |date2= |month2= |year2=1976 |title=The Twelve Tasks of Asterix |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072901/fullcredits |format= |medium=Animated film |publisher=Dargaud Films / Les Film René Goscinny / Studios Idéfix |location= |accessdate=2008-10-06 |time= |quote= ]

Louis Fournier, a former member of CINAR, [cite news|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-strategy/5850746-1.html|title=CINAR Continues Restructuring Program, Louis Fournier Rejoins Company as Head of Distribution|author=Business Editors|date=2002-01-10|accessdate=2008-10-08|publisher=Business Wire] was a co-producer along with Dominique Mendel, who is now Vice President of Montreal's Spectra Animation. [cite web|url=http://www.spectraanimation.ca/spip.php?article38|title=Profile of Dominique Mendel|accessdate=2008-10-08|publisher=Spectra Animation] Daniel Scott, a Canadian composer who created the theme for "Wimzie's House", [cite web|url=http://www.danielscott.net/final.swf|title=Information on composer Daniel Scott (under "Credits")|format=Flash required|language=English/French|accessdate=2008-10-08|publisher=danielscott.net] teamed up with Valérie Baranski to write the score and songs. [cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20010921081613/www.danielscott.net/production.htm|title=Film and Series|year=c. 2001|accessdate=2008-10-08|publisher=danielscott.net] Several more would return for the following two seasons: screenwriter Baranski, producer Patricia Robert, and story editor Fabrice Ziolkowski to name a few.

Reception

Linda Eagle, a Dove Foundation reviewer, praised season one of "The Bellflower Bunnies" as "an adorable piece of animation", and gave both Region 1 DVDs four stars out of five.cite web |url=http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=3949 |title=Review of "The Bellflower Bunnies", Vol. 1 |accessdate=2008-09-26 |last=Eagle |first=Linda |year=2003 |publisher=Dove Foundation] cite web |url=http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=3948 |title=Review of "The Bellflower Bunnies", Vol. 2 |accessdate=2008-09-26 |last=Eagle |first=Linda |year=2003 |publisher=Dove Foundation]

Episodes

This season, based entirely on books in the "Beechwood Bunny Tales" series, runs approximately 92 minutes in length. In each episode, the Bellflower children perform a song whose title does not appear in the credits.

"Note: O = Corresponds to the official order as listed by Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA) and AnimezVous.com. B = Corresponds to TF1's broadcast schedule."

Netherlands

Under the series title "De Knuffel Konijntjes", Dutch FilmWorks B.V. released the first four episodes individually in the mid-2000s; all of these were put together in a box set on 21 March 2006.cite web |url=http://www.beslist.nl/dvd-video/d0000086912/Knuffelkonijntjes_Dvd_-_Box_4dvd.html |title="Knuffel Konijntjes Avonturenbox" product information |accessdate=2008-09-26 |publisher=beslist.nl |language=Dutch] The third volume in this version, "Hoog in de Lucht" ("Balloonatic Bunnies"), came out several months before #2, "Carnaval" ("Carnival").

Region 3

The first season was released on DVD and VHS by South Korea's C4U Entertainment in February 2005.cite web |url=http://www.internaru.co.kr/video/view.asp?code=10843 |title= "까르르 토끼 친구들" product description |accessdate=2008-09-26 |publisher=Internaru (인터나루) |language=Korean] There, they are titled "이사가는 날" ("Room to Move"), "축제는 즐거워" ("Carnival"), "열기구 대소동" ("Balloonatic Bunnies") and "달려라, 썰매야!" ("Slide On").

Notes

References

General

*cite web|url=http://inatheque.ina.fr/SEARCH/BASIS/dltv/dlweb/dl/SDW?W%3DITOUSTI+PH+LIKE+%27Famille+Passiflore%27|title=Search results for "La Famille Passiflore" airdates|language=French|year=2008|accessdate=2008-09-26|publisher=Institut National de l'Audiovisuel
*cite web |url=http://www.animezvous.com/liste/permalink/id_da/2515/nom/famille-passiflore-la/ |title="La Famille Passiflore" episode list |accessdate=2008-09-26 |publisher=AnimezVous.com |language=French
*cite web |url=http://www.kika.de/scripts/fernsehen/a_z/index.cfm?b=d&a=4&i=1007 |title=Episode list for "The Bellflower Bunnies" ("Die Häschenbande") |accessdate=2008-10-08|format=|publisher=KI.KA (kika.de)|language=German

pecific

External links

*fr [http://lachaine.tf1.fr/lachaine/jeunesse/0,,3394132,00-tfou-famille-passiflore-.html "The Bellflower Bunnies"] at TF1.fr
*imdb title|id=1185090|title=The Bellflower Bunnies
*Official sites for this season's distributors:
**flagicon|USA [http://familytv.com/ Feature Films for Families]
**flagicon|France [http://tf1video.fr/ TF1 Vidéo]
**flagicon|Germany [http://edelkids.de/ edelkids]
**flagicon|Netherlands [http://dfw.nl/ Dutch FilmWorks]
**flagicon|South Korea [http://www.c4uent.com/ C4U Entertainment]