LazyTown

LazyTown
This article is about the Icelandic children's TV show. For the 1940s US cartoon, see Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat.
LazyTown
LazyTown logo.png
Format Children's television series
Created by Magnús Scheving
Starring Magnús Scheving
Julianna Rose Mauriello
Stefán Karl Stefánsson
Country of origin Iceland
No. of series 2
No. of episodes 52 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Nickelodeon
Viacom International
LazyTown Entertainment
Distributor Nickelodeon
Broadcast
Original channel Sjónvarpið, RÚV (Iceland)
CBeebies
(United Kingdom)
Nickelodeon
PBS Kids Sprout
(United States)
Picture format HDTV
Original run 16 August 2004 (2004-08-16) – 5 April 2007 (2007-04-05)
External links
Website

LazyTown (Icelandic: Latibær) is a children's television program that was produced in Iceland with a cast and crew from Iceland, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was created by Magnús Scheving, a gymnastics champion and CEO of LazyTown Entertainment, who also stars in the show. The show has been highly successful, airing in over 100 countries in more than a dozen languages.[1]

A total of 52 episodes of LazyTown were produced.

As of 2009, LazyTown continues to generate spin-off projects, including LazyTown Live! (touring stage productions) and a TV series for younger children called LazyTown Extra.

Contents

Premise

The main character is Stephanie (Julianna Rose Mauriello), who arrives in town and urges her new friends Ziggy, Trixie, Stingy, and Pixel to go outside and be active, instead of staying inside and playing video games all day. Her uncle, the bumbling Mayor Milford Meanswell, enlists the help of Sportacus 10 (Magnús Scheving), a self-described "slightly-above-average hero". It is Sportacus' job to inspire the kids to play outside, and to help solve low-key emergencies that occur from time to time. However, all this does not sit well with Robbie Rotten (Stefán Karl Stefánsson), a lazy man who lives in an underground lair hidden just on the edge of town. Most of the episodes involve Robbie Rotten dressing up in one of his numerous costumes and trying to make Sportacus and Stephanie leave town forever so he can encourage the kids to be lazy again.

TV production

LazyTown is part live action, part puppetry, and part CGI animation. The show was filmed and produced entirely at 380 Studios, a purpose-built studio near Reykjavík equipped with high-end HDTV production facilities and one of the biggest green screens in the world. The production floor area is 1,800 square meters (almost 20,000 square feet).[2][3] The budget for each episode was approximately ISK 70,000,000 (1 million US dollars), or about five times the average cost for a children's television programme at the time, making it "the most expensive children’s show in the world", according to Scheving.[4][5]

LazyTown's virtual sets were generated with an Unreal Engine 3-based framework, created by Raymond P. Le Gué, known as XRGen4. According to Le Gué, “We start with the live actors and puppets on a physical set with a green screen behind them as a backdrop. The green screen is replaced in real time with the sets created in XRGen4 using UE3. As we move the camera and actors around the physical set, the backdrop scene also moves in real time in complete synchronization with the movements of the real camera. All of this is recorded, and the director can watch the resulting composition in real time."[6]

Stephanie, Sportacus, and Robbie Rotten were the only human characters on the show until episode 32 ("Dancing Duel"), which was the first to include a fourth live actor to play the role of Rottenella. She was played by Mauriello's stunt double, Kristjana Ólafsdóttir. Later episodes, including "Little Sportacus" and "The Lazy Genie", also extended the live cast. The rest of the characters are depicted as puppets. The show's puppets were made by the Neal Scanlan Studio and Wit Puppets.

Syndication

The original series first appeared on August 16, 2004 in the U.S. on Nick Jr. (when it was a children's block on the U.S. Nickelodeon channel).[7] The series' second season debuted in the U.S. on Nick Jr. on May 15, 2006.[8] It aired again in the U.S. on CBS from September 18, 2004 to September 9, 2006. It began airing in the US as a part of Nickelodeon's Nick's Play Date block on February 2, 2009 but ended on June 26, 2009. As of September 2011, LazyTown is seen in the United States on Nick Jr. and PBS Kids Sprout, and a Spanish-dubbed version on V-me.

Networks that have aired LazyTown

Marathon Media Group distributed the French dubbed version.

Characters

Sportacus

Magnús Scheving as Sportacus on UK Toy Fair 2009
Main article: Sportacus

Played by Magnús Scheving, Sportacus is the super-healthy hero of the show, hailing from "an island in the North Sea" (a reference to Iceland, LazyTown's country of origin) and the main protagonist of the series. Sportacus encourages the kids of LazyTown to eat "sports candy" (his term for fruits and vegetables), and to play outside instead of just sitting around indoors playing video games or eating junk food. He wants to make sure that the citizens of LazyTown are happy, and knows that they have to be healthy and fit to be so.

Sportacus is constantly engaged in physical activity, and even does gymnastics just to get from place to place. Sportacus is always saving people. His crystal beeps to let him know that someone needs his help. The character is patient and understanding. Sportacus doesn't think of himself as a Superhero, but rather, a Slightly-Above-Average Hero. His weakness is that if he ever eats sugary candy, he will have a "sugar meltdown", which makes him lose all of his energy until he eats something healthy.

Stephanie

Main article: Stephanie (LazyTown)

Played by Julianna Rose Mauriello, Stephanie is the character who inspires the citizens (and most importantly, the children) of LazyTown to be active. Her love for being active and playing greatly influences the town. She loves the colour pink; her clothes, hair (presumably dyed, hence the bottle of pink hair dye in her room), and accessories are all pink. She came to town to visit her uncle, the mayor of LazyTown. Stephanie is always encouraging the kids to go outside and play, but on each occasion she must contend with Robbie Rotten's attempts to sabotage her efforts. But when she asked for Sportacus's help, the whole town worked together to make LazyTown the best place to live. Stephanie loves to dance. She dreams of studying dance at a famous dance school.

Robbie Rotten

A scheming Robbie Rotten about to select a costume from his collection to disguise himself

Played by Stefán Karl Stefánsson, Robbie Rotten is the antagonist of the show. He is always trying to get the kids to eat junk food and get rid of Sportacus and keep him out of LazyTown forever. He wants to make sure LazyTown remains quiet and lazy, as it was before the arrival of Sportacus and Stephanie. He despises Sports and anything else to do with Exercise. He doesn't like Fruits or Vegetables(What Sporta-kook calls Sports Candy). Robbie devises all sorts of plans to achieve this, and sometimes comes very close to succeeding, but in the end is always defeated by Sportacus with the help of Stephanie and her friends. The amount of effort that this champion of inactivity puts into his plots is ironic; he may be the most active person in LazyTown because of it.

Although his actions are those of an evil villain, he refers to himself as "a simple, rotten guy who's just misunderstood." He lives in an underground lair, from which he spies on the children of LazyTown through a periscope. His underground lair is discovered by Sportacus, Stephanie and the kids in the episode "Little Sportacus."

Robbie Rotten frequently dresses up in clever disguises to cause mischief and trouble.

His emotional state rapidly swings from one extreme to another throughout an episode, reflecting his vast determination to inflict laziness on Lazytown despite an embarrassing catalogue of previous failings.

Puppets

  • Ziggy (puppeteered and voiced by Guðmundur Þór Kárason) loves to eat candy and sweets—particularly taffy. After Stephanie came along he found that there is more to childhood than sugary treats. He is now active and participates in any sport the gang plays, but still enjoys candy. He can usually be seen holding a lollipop.
  • Stingy (puppeteered and voiced by Jodi Eichelberger) is a greedy and possessive character, as his name implies. He still plays with the gang, but he will always care about his stuff: especially his car and his prized piggy bank. He often says "It's mine!" and has his own song by that name (which names everything in LazyTown as his). He can also play the harmonica and recorder.
  • Trixie (puppeteered and voiced by Sarah Burgess) is a troublemaker, though she does like to play with everyone else. Trixie refers to Stephanie as "Pinky" when trying to get her attention. She also likes to draw moustaches on the mayor's posters.
  • Pixel (puppeteered by Ron Binion and voiced by Julie Westwood, Kobie Powell, and Chris Knowings) plays too much on the computer. He fixes up all sorts of gadgets to help him avoid doing something himself, such as a machine to tie his shoes or a remote that "does everything for you." He loves anything to do with computers, technology and gadgets. He has a crush on Stephanie.
  • Mayor Milford Meanswell (puppeteered and voiced by David Matthew Feldman) is a nervous wreck who has a crush on Ms. Busybody. He loves his niece Stephanie very much and calls Sportacus if she feels sad or depressed. He is also famous for saying "Oh my!" all the time if something is wrong. In the episode "LazyTown Goes Digital," the Mayor is seen to be continually perplexed by modern technological terms and has to be corrected when foolishly trying to send a "b-mail" using a recently installed computer system.
  • Bessie Busybody (puppeteered and voiced by Julie Westwood) is an adult resident of LazyTown. Although patronizing, she tries her best to be motherly with the children. She is aware of every new trend, and is pompous but fashionable; she loves to talk on her cell phone.

Others

  • Sportacandy (Sweetacus in UK versions) is Ziggy's superhero alter-ego who is patterned after Sportacus, but he only saves candy (sweets). He is seen for a short time in some episodes, but he stars in the episode "Hero For A Day."
  • Number 9 (not seen, only referred to) was a superhero from an island in the North Sea who served as LazyTown's protector and resident role model in times past. He had a big number 9 on his chest, whereas Sportacus is number 10. When Stephanie was trying to think how to get the kids to play outside, Mayor Meanswell told her about Number 9 and how they could send messages to him through a tube that Robbie Rotten had plugged up. Stephanie tried it and Sportacus got her letter asking for help.
  • Genie appears in a episode called "The Lazy Genie", in which Robbie Rotten is visited by a magical genie who grants him three wishes.

Episodes

Main article: List of LazyTown episodes

LazyTown Extra

On September 15, 2008, a spin-off television series called LazyTown Extra debuted in the UK on CBeebies. This series, conceived as a "magazine format style show" for 3 to 6-year-olds, features characters from LazyTown in an assortment of short sketches.[9] 26 episodes of LazyTown Extra have been produced, each between and 11 and 15 minutes in duration.[10][11] Several characters are voiced by different actors from those who performed in the original LazyTown series. As of February 2011, LazyTown Extra has not been broadcast in the United States but is coming to PBS Kids Sprout this fall along with LazyTown.

Live shows

Prior to producing the LazyTown television series, Magnús Scheving created two theatrical shows in Iceland. Áfram Latibær! ("Onward LazyTown!", produced in 1996) had Scheving as an energetic elf who encouraged the townspeople to exercise and lead healthier lives. The show had a Stephanie-like character who was an out-of-shape dancer, but the Robbie Rotten character did not yet exist. Most of the secondary characters (puppets) seen in the television series also appeared in this show, although in human form. The second show, Glanni Glæpur í Latabæ ("Robbie Rotten in LazyTown", produced in 1999), introduced Stefán Karl Stefánsson playing his Robbie Rotten character, while Scheving's role changed from elf to hero in an airship.

The 2007-08 LazyTown Live show at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham.

From January 28 to November 29, 2009, a live stage production entitled LazyTown Live! The Pirate Adventure toured throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The live show featured characters and songs from the LazyTown TV series performed by a new cast.[12][13]

A Spanish-speaking version of the live stage show is scheduled to launch in the United States in the first quarter of 2010 and will visit markets across the country, supported by the V-me national broadcast network and local affiliates. The stage production will be the first live family entertainment show to tour the US exclusively in Spanish.[14]

New productions of the LazyTown Live show had their premiere in November 2009 in Portugal and in March 2010 in Spain by producers Lemon Entertainment.

A previous LazyTown Live! stage production toured the UK and Ireland between October 2007 and August 2008. This production introduced a new LazyTown cast to the UK, including Julian Essex-Spurrier as Sportacus.[15][16][4]

Awards

2005:

  • LazyTown won the EDDA award (the Icelandic equivalent of the BAFTA or Oscar) for Production Design. It also received EDDA nominations in four other categories: Costume Design, Cinematography and Editing, Screenplay, and TV Drama/Comedy of the Year.[17][18]

2006:

  • LazyTown won the BAFTA Children's Award in the international category.[19]
  • Julianna Rose Mauriello was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role in LazyTown as Stephanie.[18][20]
  • Magnús Scheving received the lifetime achievement award at the Icelandic EDDA ceremonies for his work as founder and creator of the LazyTown franchise. The president of Iceland presented the award to Scheving.[21]
  • LazyTown received a German EMIL award.[22]

2007:

  • LazyTown received two Daytime Emmy nominations – the first of which recognised Magnús Scheving and Jonathan Judge for Outstanding Directing In A Children's Series. The second went to composer Mani Svavarsson for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction & Composition.[23]
  • LazyTown was nominated for the BAFTA Children's Award in the international category.[24]

2008:

  • LazyTown was nominated for the BAFTA Children's Award in the international category.[25]
  • LazyTown was nominated for 5 EDDA awards. The nominations were for: Best TV Show, Best Costumes, Best Makeup, Best Sound, and Best Stage Design.[26]
  • Magnús Scheving received the PROTOS Award from the Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City.[27]

Music

Stephanie performs "Bing Bang" at the end of each episode.

The soundtracks and songs of LazyTown are composed by Máni Svavarsson, whose history with the company goes back to the original Icelandic theatre plays. The popularity of LazyTown's songs and music has led to the production of soundtrack albums that feature music from the show. These soundtracks have been released in a number of countries and in a number of different languages, including LazyTown in the United States, Líttu inn í Latabæ in Iceland, Los geht's! in Germany, ¡Bienvenidos a LazyTown! in Latin America and LazyTown - The Album in the United Kingdom. A second UK soundtrack, titled LazyTown - The New Album was released on October 15, 2007.

The song "Bing Bang (Time to Dance)" was released as a single in the UK, and peaked at #4 in the UK Singles Chart on December 10, 2006.

Merchandise

In the United States, Fisher-Price has produced a line of toys including an activity mat, and Stephanie and Sportacus items. There is also a soundtrack, along with books and videos.

Over 50 LazyTown DVDs have been released worldwide. For a current list, see LazyTown DVDs.

All the LazyTown DVDs in Region 1 are now discontinued including its soundtrack. There are no plans for releasing the complete seasons on DVD.

In the UK, a monthly magazine launched in March 2007. Each issue boasts a free cover-mounted gift, a large poster inside, along with various ideas for games, comic strips and dance instructions. Many features come with an inset explaining to parents the value of the activities being promoted.

References

  1. ^ "LazyTown on air in 103 countries". LazyTown Entertainment. http://www.lazytown.com/partners/. Retrieved 2009-11-25. [dead link]
  2. ^ 380 Studios - About Us
  3. ^ "Icelandic Eurovision song‘s video 'Is it true' filmed in the LazyTown studios". Lazytown.com. May 18, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  4. ^ a b "Action man: The world of Sportacus". London: The Independent. 2007-07-03. http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/features/article2730667.ece. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  5. ^ Moran, Caitlin (2006-11-04). "Mr Motivator". London: Times Online. http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article623382.ece. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  6. ^ "Unreal Engine 3 Powers Critical and Commercial Success LazyTown". Unreal.com. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  7. ^ "LazyTown wows the US as it debuts on Nick Jr. to very healthy ratings". 2004-09-20. http://www.lazytown.com/News.aspx?ID=4. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  8. ^ Bryson, Carey. "LazyTown Premieres New Second Season on Monday, May 15". About.com. http://kidstvmovies.about.com/b/2006/05/14/lazytownpremieres-new-second-season-on-monday-may-15.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  9. ^ "CBeebies out and about with LazyTown Extra". BBC Press Office. 2008-05-21. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/05_may/21/extra.shtml. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  10. ^ "LazyTown Entertainment Gives You Extra". Lazytown.com. June 9, 2008. http://www.lazytown.com/News.aspx?ID=29. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  11. ^ "BBC - CBeebies Programmes - LazyTown Extra". http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00drqn5. Retrieved 2009-11-25. 
  12. ^ "LazyTown Live". LazyTown Entertainment. http://www.lazytownlive.co.uk/. Retrieved 2009-01-09. 
  13. ^ "Facebook - LazyTown Live! The Pirate Adventure". http://www.facebook.com/pages/LazyTown-Live-The-Pirate-Adventure/54362190069. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  14. ^ Roberts, Katie. "US: Lazytown Live to hit the stage." Licensing.biz. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  15. ^ Fletcher, Damien. "Suffering with Sportacus". Mirror.co.uk. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/09/10/suffering-with-sportacus-89520-19761895/. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  16. ^ Dyball, Richard (2007-07-14). "Yes, I’m the real Sportacus". London: Times Online. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article2055496.ece. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  17. ^ "LazyTown won an EDDA for Production design". LazyTown Entertainment. http://www.lazytown.com/News.aspx?ID=58. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  18. ^ a b ""LazyTown" (2004) - Awards". The Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396991/awards. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  19. ^ "BAFTA win icing on the cake of a stellar week in the UK for LazyTown". LazyTown Entertainment. http://www.lazytown.com/articles.aspx?file=301220081007343&cat=5. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  20. ^ "Awards and Nominations". LazyTown Entertainment. http://www.lazytown.com/articles.aspx?file=30122008100734&cat=5. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  21. ^ ""YouTube - Edda 2006 - Magnús Segment (Subtitled)". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wrcNARJnzA. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  22. ^ "LazyTown welcomes a prestigious German EMIL award". LazyTown Entertainment. http://www.lazytown.com/News.aspx?ID=45. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  23. ^ "LazyTown announces not one but two Daytime EMMY award nominations". LazyTown Entertainment. http://www.lazytown.com/articles.aspx?file=301220081007342&cat=5. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  24. ^ "LazyTown nominated for their second prestigious UK Children's BAFTA". LazyTown Entertainment. http://www.lazytown.com/articles.aspx?file=301220081007341&cat=5. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  25. ^ "Children's Awards Winners in 2008 - Children's - Awards - The BAFTA site". http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/nominations-childrens-awards-in-2008,593,BA.html. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  26. ^ "LazyTown nominated for 5 EDDA awards". LazyTown Entertainment. http://www.lazytown.com/News.aspx?ID=12. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 
  27. ^ "LazyTown Creator Scheving Awarded in Mexico". Iceland Review. http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/search/news/Default.asp?ew_0_a_id=312705. Retrieved 2009-04-19. 

External links

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Barney & Friends · Caillou · The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! · Curious George · Dinosaur Train · Franny's Feet · LazyTown · Martha Speaks · Sesame Street · Super Why! · Sid the Science Kid · Thomas and Friends · Wild Animal Baby Explorers
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See also

PBS network shows · Educational television
v · Sportacus | Stephanie | Robbie Rotten
Episodes
Music
First season's soundtrack | Second season's soundtrack | "Bing Bang (Time to Dance)"

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