64 Zoo Lane (French: 64, rue du Zoo) is a children's animated series created by Belgian-born English author An Vrombaut. The series is co-produced by French animation studio Millimages and British-based Zoo Lane Productions in association with ZDF and ZDF Enterprises (Series 1-2). La Cinquième, The Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Co. (Series 2), Sofica Cofanim and CBeebies (Series 3-4), with the participation of France 5 (Series 3)/France Televisions (Series 4).[1]
| 64 Zoo Lane | |
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 Title card for the third and fourth series | |
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| Created by | An Vrombaut |
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| Opening theme | 64 Zoo Lane theme song |
| Ending theme | 64 Zoo Lane theme song (Instrumental) |
| Composer | Rowland Lee |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 104 (list of episodes) |
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| Release | 18 February 1999 – 28 February 2013 |
The first two seasons aired from 1999 to 2003. After a seven-year hiatus, the series returned in 2010 for another two seasons, ending in 2013. A total of 104 episodes were produced.[3]
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). 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
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) – A giraffe with blue-coloured dots.
- Nelson the Elephant (voiced by Keith Wickham) – A green-coloured elephant, who has a nephew named Nigel.
- Molly the Hippopotamus (voiced by Anna Bentinck) – A blue-coloured hippopotamus.
- Monkeys Giggles and Tickles (voiced by Adrienne Posta and Anna Bentinck) – two playful prankster monkeys though their practical jokes can sometimes cause trouble.
- Boris the Bear (voiced by Lewis McLeod)
African characters
- Nathalie the Antelope (voiced by Adrienne Posta) – An antelope who loves to dance and jump around.
- Audrey the Ostrich (voiced by Anna Bentinck) – An ostrich who is very wise and often gives advice 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 bone.
- The Snip Snip Bird (voiced by Bob Saker) – A green-coloured bird, who lives at the top of the mountain. He resembles peacock because of his big, beautiful tail.
- 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 Anna Bentinck) – A young crocodile who is friends with Toby and Doris.
- 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 little bossy.
- Toby the Tortoise (voiced by Bob Saker) – A blue-coloured tortoise who is a little 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 rhinoceros who likes breaking rocks into pieces.
- The Tic Tic Bird (voiced by Bob Saker) – A colourful bird (possibly oxpecker), 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 little 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)
- Hyena Pups Holly and Johnnie (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 curious young 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 a US accent.
- Randolph the Raccoon (voiced by Dan Russell) – A raccoon who grows a yield of mushrooms. He speaks with a Southern drawl.
- Barbara the Bison (voiced by Anna Bentinck) – A baby bison is a found her family.
- Chipmunks Alfie and Charlie (voiced by Bob Saker and Matt Wilkinson)
- Mr. and Mrs. Bison (voiced by Anna Bentinck and Dan Russell) – The parents of Barbara.
South American characters
- Adam the Armadillo (voiced by Keith Wickham) – An armadillo who likes to roll.
- Jazz the Jaguar (voiced by Dan Russell)
- Leopoldo the Llama (voiced by Lewis McLeod)
- Taco the Toucan (voiced by unknown)
- Annie the Anaconda (voiced by unknown)
- Duddley the Sloth (voiced by Bob Saker)
- Itchy Quatzel the Mysterious Mountain (voiced by unknown)
- Tallulah the Toucan (voiced by unknown)
Australian characters
- Joey the Kangaroo (voiced by Keith Wickham) – A young kangaroo who had trouble in learning to jump but finally 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.
- Kangaroos Janet and Elvis (voiced by unknown)
- Janice the Kangaroo (voiced by Adrienne Posta)
- Wally the Wombat (voiced by Keith Wickham)
- Mr. Platypus (voiced by Lewis McLeod)
- Julie the Kangaroo (voiced by unknown)
- Ribbit the Frog (voiced by unknown)
- 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.
Overseas characters
- Jamie the Baby Puffin (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Puffins Thomas, Sharon and Lewis (voiced by Lewis McLeod (as Thomas), Bob Saker (as Lewis), and Anna Bentinck (as Sharon))
- Hercule Moustache the Walrus (voiced by unknown)
- Thelma the Whale (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Gunnar the Seagull (voiced by Dan Russell)
- Jack Big Claw the Crab (voiced by unknown)
Asiatic characters
- Bao Bao the Giant Panda (voiced by unknown)
- Gertie the Goat (voiced by Adrienne Posta)
- Cassandra the Crane (voiced by Anna Bentinck)
- Horace the Hare (voiced by Keith Wickham)
- Confuse-us the Carp (voiced by unknown)
Broadcast
The series has aired on CBBC, Disney Channel, CBeebies and Sky Kids in the UK. Internationally, the series was aired on Fox Family (now Freeform), Noggin (now Nick Jr.) and Sprout in the United States, ABC for Kids in Australia, and France 5 in France. In Canada, TFO still airs it.[6] It is part of the Club Junior lineup.
On April 26, 2012, BBC Worldwide acquired the worldwide licensing rights to the series outside France from Millimages.[7]
Home media
France
DVDs of the series have been released by companies like France Télévisions Distribution (through Warner Home Video) and Millimages themselves (through Paramount Home Entertainment).
United Kingdom
A VHS release from Buena Vista Home Entertainment was planned for release in 2001, but was cancelled for unknown reasons.[8]
In 2004, Maverick Entertainment signed a UK home video agreement with Millimages, and released three VHS/DVDs of the series.[9]
On August 26, 2013, Abbey Home Media released a DVD called "The Story of the Jungle Ball", containing nine episodes from the fourth season.[10]
United States
From 2008-2009, PorchLight Home Entertainment released three DVDs of the series, each containing 8 episodes.[11]
References
- ^ a b "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, rue du Zoo - Tous les épisodes de la série".
- ^ "BBC Worldwide to rep 64 Zoo Lane".
- ^ "Image Video wrap for Zoo Lane programme for Disney by Nicola Gaughan".
- ^ "Investegate |Maverick Enter. GRP Announcements | Maverick Enter. GRP: Final Results". Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "64 Zoo Lane - the Story of the Jungle Ball". Amazon UK. 26 August 2013.
- ^ "PorchLight moves into 64 Zoo Lane".
External links
- 64 Zoo Lane at BBC Online
- Author's website
- Information on Millimages
- HuffPost TV Episode Guide Archived 15 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- BBC Programme Information
