| Babar | | Format | Animated series | | Directed by | Dale Schott | | Starring | Gavin McGrath, Gordon Pinsent, Dawn Greenhalgh, Stuart Stone, Elizabeth Hanna, Stephen Ouimette, Allen Stewart-Coates, Corrine Koslo, John Stocker, Chris Wiggins, Bobby Becken, Benjamin Barrett, Amos Crawley, Lea-Helen Weir, Lisa Yamanaka | | Country of origin |  Canada | | No. of seasons | 6 | | No. of episodes | 78 (Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) | | Production | | Running time | Approximately 23 Minutes | | Production company(s) | Nelvana Limited
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The Clifford Ross Company | | Broadcast | | Original channel | NTV/HBO, 24/7 Digital Network Reruns: Wednesdays on ION, Saturdays on NBC and Telemundo on qubo, and weekdays on Knowledge. (September 2, 2006 – October 5th, 2007), (July 4th, 2008 – September 27, 2008), (April 22, 2009 - present)
24/7 Digital Network (December 3, 2007 to Present) | | Original run | January 3, 1989 – present | Babar is an animated television series produced in Canada by Nelvana Limited and The Clifford Ross Company. It premiered in 1989 on NTV, and HBO, subsequently was rerun on HBO Family and qubo (in America). The series is based on Jean de Brunhoff's original Babar books, and was Nelvana's first international co-production. The series has been broadcast in 30 languages in over 150 countries. New episodes of Babar currently air on NBC during the weekends, via Qubo. Based on the famous books by Jean de Brunhoff and Laurent de Brunhoff, the plot focuses on the story of Babar as it is told by him to his children. Babar is a young elephant who undergoes many challenges and adventures. But Babar always finds the strength to rise above difficulty and search out every cloud's silver lining. Babar is crowned king of the elephants, plans and builds Celesteville, and becomes a father himself. And he learns the greatest lesson of all: despite life's challenges, great things are possible if one never gets discouraged. [edit] Voices of the characters [edit] Characters [edit] Babar's family - Babar: A charming and charismatic elephant. He is also the King of Celesteville. He brought his love of the city back to the great forest and built the beautiful, happy kingdom of Celesteville. However, he is a dedicated ruler and world traveler. Babar is very happy when he picnics at the lake with his family or joining in the antics of his lively children. His elephant mother was shot by a poacher when he was young, so he is very protective and caring of his family, as well as the elephants and others animals of the kingdom in general.
- Celeste: Babar's Wife and Queen of Celesteville. She has also traveled the world and has had many great adventures. She has a regal presence, an engaging manner and a gentle sense of humor.
- Arthur: Babar's mischief-making brother-in-law. He often gets himself (and one or more of the children) involved with practical jokes and stunts. Although the English and French versions of the official characters page lists him as a cousin, this goes against the canon of the show where he is clearly referred to as Celeste's brother, Babar's brother-in-law, and the uncle of Babar and Celeste's children. The Japanese version of the official Babar characters page also refers to him as Celeste’s younger brother. In addition, neither Celeste nor Arthur is ever referred to as a cousin of Babar, in the show. In the book, "The Story of Babar", Celeste and Arthur are shown to have two different mothers and we are told they are Babar's cousin and little cousin, respectively. This difference between the source material (the books) and adaptation (the animated television series) could explain the discrepancy between the English and French character pages and the show's own canon.
- Pom: The oldest of the triplets and the leader of the children. He is the biggest of the bunch and protective of his brother and sisters though he will gladly join in with Alexander in playfully teasing his sisters, Flora and Isabelle.
- Flora: Flora is fun-loving and strong-willed. She can more than hold her own with her two brothers. Whether building tree houses, sliding down the banister at the palace, or preparing a surprise breakfast for their parents, Flora is always immersed in the action.
- Alexander: The smallest of the triplets, is a non-stop ball of entertainment who is into everything and disarmingly naive about the commotion he causes.
- Isabelle: The youngest of the four children. Isabelle was an amazing baby, walking early and talking early. She is a baby at the beginning of the series and a toddler by the end of it.
[edit] Babar's close friends, and royal court - Madame (The Old Lady): From their first meeting in the city, the Old Lady and Babar shared a special friendship. She gave him a home and taught him about life in the city. Though she missed him greatly, she understood his decision to return to the forest. Babar built her a home in Celesteville, where she made the decision to stay and live with her friends, the elephants. In many ways, she's a surrogate mother to Babar.
- Zephir: One of Babar's oldest friends, and is considered one of the family. He is the first to take off with Arthur and the kids on some crazy adventure. But Babar knows that Zephir can always be trusted to look after the children and bring them home safely.
- Cornelius: The oldest and wisest elephant in Celesteville, and the Prime Minister, who takes his job as Babar's chief adviser very seriously, whether accompanying Babar on state visits or organizing numerous Celesteville parades. His catchphrase is "My tusks!"
- Pompadour: Another adviser to Babar, often opposes radical ideas and very adherent to proper protocol. He also serves as the Finance Minister. At times, Pompadour dislikes Celeste because of her "lack of proper protocol."
- Troubadour: Pompadour's assistant, a smaller elephant who does not speak but is very dedicated to helping Babar and his family.
- Truffles: The palace cook, often easily upset by various situations in the palace.
[edit] Rataxes' family - Lord Rataxes: The king of Rhinoland. He is sometimes an antagonist and sometimes an ally. At some point between the flashbacks and the present day events of the show, Rataxes signed a peace treaty with Babar. In the series he is seen as a bumbling and occasionally incompetent oaf, although he is seen in the film as an evil and menacing ruler.
- Lady Rataxes: Rataxes' wife. She is very demanding of her husband, and is also on friendly terms with Babar, Celeste and the elephants, on most occasions. Her real name is Louise [see the episode "No Place Like Home"].
- Victor: Rataxes' son. He is friends with Babar's three eldest children (the triplets). He is also in the same grade and class as them, in school.
- Basil: Rataxes' adviser. He does most of the paperwork, is the Head of Security for the rhino palace, and has also served as Rataxes' travel agent and spy. He is also a self proclaimed fitness nut.
[edit] Alternative Titles - מסיפורי המלך בבר (Misiporai HaMelech Babar, literally "From the stories of King Babar") - Israeli Title
- ぞうのババール (Zou no Babar) - Japanese Title
[edit] References [edit] External links |
