Craig of the Creek

Craig of the Creek is an American animated television series created by Matt Burnett and Ben Levin for Cartoon Network, who had previously served as story editors/writers on Steven Universe as well as former writers of Level Up. The show's pilot episode debuted directly on the official app on December 1, 2017.[1] The series premiered online on February 19, 2018, with a double-premiere event airing on March 30, 2018.[2]

Craig of the Creek
Genre
Created byMatt Burnett
Ben Levin
Directed by
  • Martin Ansolabehere (art)
  • Stu Livingston (supervising, S1)
  • Tiffany Ford (supervising, S3–)
  • Eddy Houchins (supervising animation)
Voices of
ComposerJeff Rosenstock
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes102 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerKelly Crews (supervising)
Running time11 minutes
Production companyCartoon Network Studios
DistributorWarner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original networkCartoon Network
Picture format1080i HDTV
Audio formatDolby Surround
Original releasePilot: December 1, 2017 (2017-12-01) (CN App)
Series: February 19, 2018 (2018-02-19) (CN App & Online)
March 30, 2018 (2018-03-30) (TV) 
present

On August 15, 2018, it was announced that it was renewed for a second season which premiered on March 18, 2019.[3] On July 15, 2019, it was announced that it was renewed for a third season which premiered on June 21, 2020.[4]

Synopsis

In the fictional suburban Baltimore/DC area town of Herkleton, Maryland, a boy named Craig Williams and his two friends, Kelsey Pokoly and John Paul "J.P." Mercer, have their many adventures in the titular creek, described as a kid utopia of untamed wilderness in which tribes of children reign over tree forts and dirt bike ramps.[5]

Characters

Main

  • Craig Williams (voiced by Philip Solomon) – A 9-year-old boy who enjoys playing at the creek with his friends, Kelsey and J.P. He is a natural leader and always tries to help other kids when they need it the most. He typically carries a homemade staff and a satchel. In "Escape from Family Dinner", it is shown that Craig takes advanced math and admits that he likes the class. He also takes on the role of a cartographer as he is constantly making additions to his detailed map of the Creek.
  • Kelsey Pokoly (voiced by Georgie Kidder [pilot, S01 Ep 1–3], Noël Wells [S01 Ep 4–present]) – A ginger-haired, 8-year-old girl who is one of Craig's friends. She is always seen wearing a purple cape and has a pet budgerigar (which she identifies as a falcon) named Mortimor who is usually perched on top of her head. Her hair is very long, leading almost to her ankles, so she keeps it in a large bun, which she only unties before she goes to bed.She typically carries a homemade PVC pipe sword which she proudly made herself. She is adventurous, loves books, and tends to be overly dramatic. She often internally narrates her life, for which others are completely aware. She is raised by her single widower father. In "Doorway to Helen", it is revealed that Kelsey is Jewish.
  • John Paul "J.P." Mercer (voiced by H. Michael Croner) – A tall, 10-year-old boy who speaks in a Southern accent is another one of Craig's close friends. He wears an oversized red hockey jersey. While not shown to be very bright, he is imaginative and kind to those around him. He is prone to getting very dirty and injuring himself. His namesake is short for John Paul, as revealed in "You're It". In "Under the Overpass", Craig stated that he and Kelsey "found" J.P. in a previous adventure.

Craig's family

  • Jessica Williams (voiced by Dharma Brown (pilot) and Lucia Cunningham (series)) – Craig's younger sister who typically likes to keep everything in check by describing her actions out loud. She is very smart for her age, detail-oriented, and already shows an interest in the stock market.
  • Bernard Williams (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – Craig's smart, no-nonsense, and sometimes snobby, teenage older brother. He looks down on Craig and his misadventures at the creek. He is obsessed with getting good grades and getting into an Ivy League school. He values love and the importance of homework. He used to play Bring Out Your Beast and showed no interest in teaching it to Craig, until they played it together for the first time at the Splintery Butt to win back the Beast Snare.
  • Duane Williams (voiced by Terry Crews) — Craig's understanding father who works as a computer programmer. He sometimes plays retro video games with Craig. He loves dad jokes.
  • Nicole Williams (voiced by Kimberly Hebert Gregory) – Craig's loving mother who works as a school counselor and cares deeply for her children.
  • Earl Williams (voiced by LaMarr (pilot) and Phil Morris (series)) – Craig's grandfather and Duane's father. Craig looks up to him and has inherited his adventurous spirit.
  • Jojo Williams (voiced by Saundra McClain) – Craig's grandmother and Duane's mother who is a city councilwoman and was a civil rights activist back in the 1960s.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotDecember 1, 2017
140March 30, 2018March 11, 2019
240March 18, 2019June 11, 2020
3TBAJune 21, 2020TBA

Production

Development

The greenlit announcement publicly made on March 30, 2017 alongside other shows such as Apple & Onion and Summer Camp Island.[6] Matt Burnett also stated on his Twitter account that he and his team had recently begun production around that time.[7]

LGBTQ representation

In April 2018, two lesbian characters were confirmed in Craig of the Creek. In their debut episode, "The Curse", Tabita refuses to go college and wants to spend more time with Courtney, which makes Courtney blush. At the end of the episode, they're holding hands.

Broadcast

The series made its international debut on Teletoon in Canada on May 3, 2018.[8]

Home media

Craig of the Creek home video releases
SeasonEpisodesRelease dates
United States
1 201913Volume 1: Itch to Explore: March 19, 2019
Episodes: "Itch to Explore" – "Lost in the Sewers"

Reception

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2018 Common Sense Media Common Sense Seal Entire series Won[9]
2019 Annie Award Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production Episode: "Escape from Family Dinner" (Matt Burnett, Ben Levin, Shauna McGarry, Jeff Trammell, Tiffany Ford)[10] Nominated
2020 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Children's Animated Series Nominated[11][12]
2021 GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Kids & Family Programming Pending[13]

References

  1. "Head to the Creek for Endless Adventure with "Craig of the Creek" Beginning Monday, Feb. 19 on Cartoon Network" (Press release). Cartoon Network. February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018 via The Futon Critic.
  2. Ramos, Dino-Ray (15 August 2018). "Cartoon Network Renews 'Craig Of The Creek' For Second Season". Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  3. Milligan, Mercedes (15 July 2019). "Cartoon Network Greenlights 'The Fungies!', 'Craig' S3 & 'Victor and Valentino' S2". Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  4. Nordyke, Kimberly (March 30, 2017). "Cartoon Network Greenlights Two New Series as Part of "HolMultiplatHolisti7y70tcufcuf4f5r6tc9fu c" Multiplatform Slate". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  5. Nordyke, Kimberly (March 30, 2017). "Cartoon Network Greenlights Two New Series as Part of "Holistic" Multiplatform Slate". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  6. @Matt___Burnett (March 30, 2017). "Specifically, a TV show we created! CRAIG OF THE CREEK! Coming eventually. Because we just started working on it and animation takes a while". Twitter.
  7. Vo, Ryan (April 16, 2018). "Teletoon: Craig of the Creek Promo (2018) (30 sec)". YouTube. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  8. "Cartoon Network's Craig Of The Creek Awarded A Common Sense Seal - RegularCapital". 9 May 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  9. "46th Annual Annie Awards". annieawards.org. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  10. https://www.animationmagazine.net/events/daytime-emmy-nominees-elena-of-avalor-rapunzels-tangled-adventure-lead-toon-contenders/
  11. https://www.animationmagazine.net/events/daytime-emmy-awards-dragon-prince-ask-the-storybots-last-kids-on-earth-win-key-animation-categories-for-netflix/
  12. https://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/32/nominees
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