Ellen's Acres
Ellen's Acres is a short-lived American animated television series for preschool-age children,[1] which exclusively premiered weekly on Cartoon Network and in the United Kingdom, the show airs on Cartoonito. Animation Collective produced the series. It originally premiered on January 1, 2007 on Cartoon Network, but was later cancelled on February 5, 2007. The series features a very imaginative five-year-old girl named Ellen who has adventures in a hotel her parents own approximately 40 mi (64 km) from Tonopah, Nevada named the Emerald Acres.[2]
| Ellen's Acres | |
|---|---|
 Title card featuring the main protagonist. | |
| Created by | Larry Schwarz |
| Directed by | Stephen Moverley |
| Starring | Emily Corrao Marc Thompson Evelyn Lanto Vibe Jones Michael Alston Bailey |
| Narrated by | Emily Corrao |
| Composer | John Angier |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 52 (26 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Larry Schwarz Christopher Fauci Micheal Gold Sean Lahey Sergei Aniskov |
| Producer | Andi Defur |
| Editor | Lauren Krueger |
| Running time | 12 minutes (each episode) approx. |
| Production companies | Animation Collective Kanonen & Bestreichen |
| Release | |
| Original network | Cartoon Network |
| Original release | January 1 – February 5, 2007 |
Format
Each episode begins with Ellen narrating the adventure she had in her imagination, but she says, "Actually...", and the scene changes to a desert area, and Ellen says, "I had just gotten off the bus from school and was saying goodbye to Mateo, my bus driver." She then says goodbye to the unseen driver who closes the bus doors, honks the horn twice, and drives off.
Ellen then says hello to her friend, a tire, and carries a feather duster, two useful props in her adventures, then takes them to the hotel offices, where her parents ask how school was and Ellen explains the first adventure. Ellen then sees what her parents are up to (finding a fossil, fixing a fan because the air conditioning broke, etc.) which leads into further imaginary adventures based on chores she's been asked to do.
Characters
- Ellen – The protagonist of the series, a five-year-old girl who moved to Nevada with her parents and has a very vivid imagination. She has orange hair, a gap in her tooth, carries a backpack, wears a light green T-shirt with a daisy, a denim skirt, a pair of mismatched socks (one with two green stripes on her left leg and one with a red and blue stripe on the right leg) and black mary jane shoes. Born in Los Angeles, California, Ellen plays with a Hercules 17 steel-reinforced all-season tire she befriended in nursery school and a mauve-colored hypoallergenic feather duster as her playthings, theatrical company and posse. Emily Corrao is the voice of Ellen.
- Ellen's parents – Mom, a sports lawyer and former agent, and Dad, an ex-professional skateboarder and amateur geologist, moved to this bucolic desert location near mines forty miles from Tonopah, Nevada after he completed his career in athletics when they decided to settle down. Together, they run the Emerald Acres Hotel. Evelyn Lanto is the voice of Mom, while Marc Thompson is the voice of Dad.
- Cooter and Connie – The heart and soul of Emerald Acres, Cooter is the resident handyman and Connie is the maid in charge of the place. Vibe Jones voices Connie while Michael Alston Bailey is the voice of Cooter.
- Mateo – Ellen's unseen bus driver, who drops her off at the hotel at the beginning of every episode.
Episodes
Season 1
Unaired
| Episode Number (Overall) | Episode Number (Seasonal) | Episode Title | Episode Costume(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 (14a) | 1 (1a) | Spooky Shadows | |
| 28 (14b) | 2 (1b) | Freeze Tag | |
| 29 (15a) | 3 (2a) | Dining Out | |
| 30 (15b) | 4 (2b) | Car Wash | |
| 31 (16a) | 5 (3a) | Mostly Ghostly | |
| 32 (16b) | 6 (3b) | Hide and Seek | |
| 33 (17a) | 7 (4a) | Saltwater Surprise | Viking |
| 34 (17b) | 8 (4b) | The Secret Ingredient | |
| 35 (18a) | 9 (5a) | Future Findings | Astronaut |
| 36 (18b) | 10 (5b) | A Royal Rescue | Princess |
| 37 (19a) | 11 (6a) | What's that Sound? | |
| 38 (19b) | 12 (6b) | Order's Up | Chef |
| 39 (20a) | 13 (7a) | Finders Sneakers | |
| 40 (20b) | 14 (7b) | The Pharaoh's Formula | Egyptian |
| 41 (21a) | 15 (8a) | Tasty Trails | Robin Hood |
| 42 (21b) | 16 (8b) | Mighty Mending | |
| 43 (22a) | 17 (9a) | Great Games | Coach |
| 44 (22b) | 18 (9b) | Toy Troubles | |
| 45 (23a) | 19 (10a) | Chop Chop | |
| 46 (23b) | 20 (10b) | Best in Barn | Farmer |
| 47 (24a) | 21 (11a) | Pearl Pursuit | |
| 48 (24b) | 22 (11b) | Granting Wishes | |
| 49 (25a) | 23 (12a) | Chalking it Up | |
| 50 (25b) | 24 (12b) | Toys and Tricks | |
| 51 (26a) | 25 (13a) | Bunny Blues | |
| 52 (26b) | 26 (13b) | Puzzle Pieces |
Reception
The series was noted for its educational content.[3] A review describes its style as follows: "The series offers a style influenced by amine, retro graphics and illustrated children's books."[4]
References
- TV Guide. Triangle Publications. 2007.
- Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 179. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- Calvert, Sandra L.; Wilson, Barbara J. (2010-12-13). The Handbook of Children, Media, and Development. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4443-3694-8.
- "Ellen's Acres Debuts on Cartoon Network". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2023-07-03.