64 Zoo Lane
64 Zoo Lane is a British-French children's cartoon created by Belgian-born English author An Vrombaut. The series was produced by Millimages, Zoo Lane Productions, and La Cinquième.[1] The first two seasons aired from 1999 to 2003. After a seven-year break, the show returned in 2010 for another two seasons, ending in 2013. A total of 104 episodes were produced.[3]
64 Zoo Lane | |
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Also known as | Zoo Lane 64, rue du Zoo |
Genre | Fantasy Supernatural Educational |
Created by | An Vrombaut |
Written by | An Vrombaut, Keith Brumpton, John Grace, Jill Brett, Gillian Corderoy |
Directed by | An Vrombaut, Albert Pereira Lazaro, Julien Cayot |
Starring | Lara Wollington Keith Wickham Lewis McLeod Matt Wilkinson Adrienne Posta Bob Saker Anna Bentinck Dan Russell Ciara Janson |
Theme music composer | Rowland Lee (music) An Vrombaut (lyrics) |
Opening theme | 64 Zoo Lane theme song |
Ending theme | 64 Zoo Lane theme song instrumental |
Composer | Rowland Lee |
Country of origin | United Kingdom France |
Original languages | English French |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 104 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Production companies |
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Distributor | Itel[2] |
Release | |
Original network | |
Original release | 18 February 1999 – 28 February 2013 |
Synopsis
The series follows a 7-year-old girl named Lucy who lives next door to a Zoo at 64 Zoo Lane. Each night, she is told a story by the animals. Characters include Georgina the Giraffe, Nelson the Elephant, Tickles and Giggles the Monkeys, Boris the Bear, and Molly the Hippopotamus. The programme emphasizes friendship and responsibility. At the story's end, friendly morals are discussed, then bedtime is declared. Georgina deposits Lucy into bed via the bedroom window (later episodes show Lucy yawning and then sleeping soundly in bed; in the original episodes she would be lulled to sleep by the storytelling itself). The programme has shown on CBBC, CBeebies and CBeebies Bedtime Hour, Noggin, ABC For Kids and lots more Opportunities for learning: exploring language and vocabulary are enhanced by the use of intonation and expression in the character's voices and the themes of the animals' stories support social and emotional issues, including friendships and helping and caring for others.[4] The creator of the TV series, An Vrombaut, also wrote and illustrated six 64 Zoo Lane picture books based on stories from the TV series.
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | ||||
1 | 26 | February 18, 1999 | December 15, 1999 | ||
2 | 26 | January 7, 2000 | December 24, 2000 | ||
3 | 26 | February 6, 2010 | March 3, 2011 | ||
4 | 26 | October 28, 2012 | February 28, 2013 |
Characters
Main characters
- Lucy (voiced by Ciara Janson, later Alice Hearing, later Lara Wollington) – A 7-year-old human girl[5]
- Georgina the Giraffe (voiced by Adrienne Posta in UK[6] and Dian Perry in US) – A yellow giraffe with blue dots.
- Nelson the Elephant (voiced by Keith Wickham) – A green elephant, who has a nephew named Nigel.
- Molly the Hippopotamus (voiced by Anna Bentinck) – A blue hippopotamus.
- Giggles and Tickles the Monkeys (voiced by Adrienne Posta and Anna Bentinck in UK[6], and Emma Tate and Lorelei King in US) – two playful monkeys though their pranks can sometimes cause trouble.
- Boris the Bear (voiced by Lewis McLeod)
African characters
- Nathalie the Antelope (voiced by Megg Nicol) – An antelope who loves to dance and jump around.
- Audrey the Ostrich (voiced by Megg Nicol) – An ostrich who is very wise and often gives advises to other animals.
- Reginald the Lion (voiced by Lewis McLeod) – A lion whose naps would often get disturbed. While not napping, he is often seen licking a boney.
- The Snip Snip Bird (voiced by Bob Saker) – A green bird, who lives at the top of the mountain.
- King Snake (voiced by Keith Wickham)
- Victor the Crocodile (voiced by Keith Wickham) – An grumpy crocodile who acts cruel but deep down he cares about others.
- Kevin the Crocodile (voiced by Dan Russell) – A young green crocodile who is friends with Toby and Doris. He has a completely actual male voice and speaks with an Gain Southern Drawl.
- Doris the Duck (voiced by Adrienne Posta) – A young duck who is friend with Kevin and Toby. She is very helpful but she can also be a bit bossy.
- Toby the Turtle (voiced by Bob Saker) – A blue turtle who is a bit self-conscious because of being slow.
- Isabel the Flamingo (voiced by Adrienne Posta)
- Mirabelle the Flamingo (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Annabelle the Flamingo (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Herbert the Warthog (voiced by Keith Wickham) – A warthog who has a fond of watermelons. He is a great musician and loves bathing in mud.
- Zed the Zebra (voiced by Lewis McLeod) – A zebra who runs very fast.
- Alan the Aardvark (voiced by Keith Wickham) – An aardvark who is usually seen eating ants.
- Ronald the Rhinoceros (voiced by Keith Wickham) – A rhino who likes breaking rocks into pieces.
- The Tic Tic Bird (voiced by Bob Saker) – A bird who is Ronald's best friend.
- William the Weaverbird (voiced by Bob Saker) – A bird who is often seen building a nest.
- Pauline the Pelican (voiced by Adrienne Posta) – A pelican who is fond of fish. She is a bit clumsy but also very nice and friendly.
- Nigel the Elephant Calf (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Harry the Hyena (voiced by Lewis McLeod)
- Edna the Hyena (voiced by Adrienne Posta)
- Holly and Johnnie the Hyena Pups (voiced by Anna Bentinck and Bob Saker)
- Seamus the Stork (voiced by Jonathan Guy Lewis) – A stork who flies very fast.
- Eddie the Hippopotamus (voiced by Lewis McLeod) – A young and mischievous hippopotamus.
- Henrietta the Hairy Hippopotamus (voiced by Anna Bentinck) – A furry hippotamus who is one of Molly's relatives.
- Cleopatra "Patsy" the Porcupine (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Casper the Chameleon – (voiced by Matt Wilkinson) – Casper is a cheeky chameleon who likes to camouflage. Ignoring Granddad Chameleon's warning, he gets into trouble.
- Granddad Chameleon (voiced by Keith Wickham)
- Dennis the Dromedary (voiced by Keith Wickham) – A young and curious dromedary.
- Gary the Dromedary (voiced by Lewis McLeod) – An uncle of Dennis.
- Dr. Gordon Gorilla (voiced by Keith Wickham) – Dr. Gordon Gorilla is Africa's physician and the uncle of Giggles and Tickles.
- Esmerelda the Snake (voiced by Adrienne Posta) – A snake who collects shells and likes having everything clean.
- Cousin Chuckles the Monkey (voiced by Lewis McLeod)
- Lily the Ostrich (voiced by Adrienne Posta) – A young ostrich, daughter of Audrey.
- Doogal the Ostrich (voiced by Anna Bentinck) – A young ostrich, son of Audrey.
- Rosie the Rhinoceros (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Petula the Parrot (voiced by Adrienne Posta)
North American characters
- Melanie the Moose (voiced by Adrienne Posta) – A female moose with antlers. She is clumsy, but kind.
- Beverley the Beaver (voiced by Anna Bentinck) – A beaver that is often trying to perfect her dam. She speaks with an American accent.
- Randolph the Raccoon (voiced by Dan Russell) – A raccoon who grows a crop of mushrooms. He speaks with an Gain Southern Drawl accent.
- Barbara the Bison (voiced by Anna Bentinck) – A baby bison is a found her family.
- Alfie and Charlie the Chipmunks (voiced by Bob Saker and Matt Wilkinson)
- Mr. and Mrs Bison (voiced by Anna Bentinck and Dan Russell)
South American characters
- Adam the Armadillo (voiced by Keith Wickham) – An armadillo who likes to be a ball.
- Jazz the Jaguar (voiced by Dan Russell)
- Leopoldo the Llama (voiced by Lewis McLeod)
- Taco the Toucan
- Annie the Anaconda
- Duddley the Sloth (voiced by Bob Saker)
- Itchy Quatzel the Mysterious Mountain
- Tallulah the Toucan
Australian characters
- Joey the Kangaroo (voiced by Keith Wickham) – A young kangaroo who had trouble in learning to jump but eventually learnt to do so.
- Jimmy the Kangaroo (voiced by Lewis McLeod and Matt Wilkinson) – A young kangaroo who used to bully Joey, but later they became friends.
- Janet and Elvis the Kangaroos
- Janice the Kangaroo (voiced by Adrienne Posta)
- Wally the Wombat (voiced by Keith Wickham)
- Mr. Platypus (voiced by Lewis McLeod)
- Julie the Kangaroo
- Ribbit the Frog
- Phoebe the Koala (voiced by Adrienne Posta) – A young koala who is friends with Jimmy and Joey. She is very shy and self-conscious.
- Carrie the Cockatoo (voiced by Adrienne Posta)
North Pole characters
- Snowbert the Polar Bear (voiced by Dan Russell) – A polar bear who is Boris' northern cousin. He used to live alone until he met Sidney the Seal. He likes making ice sculptures.
- Sidney the Seal (voiced by Keith Wickham) – A seal that befriended Snowbert.
Mossy Bay island characters
- Jamie the littlest Puffin (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Thomas, Sharon and Lewis the Puffins (voiced by Lewis McLeod (Thomas), Bob Saker (Lewis), and Anna Bentinck (Sharon))
- Hercule Moustache the Walrus
- Thelma the Whale (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Gunnar the Seagull (voiced by Dan Russell)
- Jack Big Claw the Crab
Asian characters
- Bao Bao the Giant Panda
- Gertie the Goat
- Cassandra the Crane (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Horace the Hare (voiced by Keith Wickham)
- Confuse-us the Carp
Broadcast
- TFO still airs it.[7] It is part of the Club Junior lineup.
- The series also aired in the United States on Fox Family Channel (during It's Itsy Bitsy Time)[8] and was later shown on Noggin and PBS Kids Sprout.
References
- "Preschool TV series". Millimages. Millimages. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- "Georgina the Giraffe". 64 Zoo Lane. Season 1. Episode 9. 11:00 minutes in. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 285. ISBN 9781476672939.
- "64 Zoo Lane". Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
- "64 Zoo Lane". Retrieved 5 February 2014. "Meet Lucy, a 7-year-old girl..."
- "64 Zoo Lane Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.
- https://www.tfo.org/fr/univers/64-rue-du-zoo
- https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2000-02-11/the-itsy-bitsy-entertainment-company-and-entertainment-rights