tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473567231876929483.post3766331125247149120..comments2024-03-18T11:33:30.968+00:00Comments on Signore Studios: Paddington Bear - His Story So FarChris Signorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12308489347614565068noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473567231876929483.post-90502460328199952322014-03-08T20:06:45.110+00:002014-03-08T20:06:45.110+00:00"In 1997, co-produced by Protécréa, Cinar / C...<i>"In 1997, co-produced by Protécréa, Cinar / Cookie Jar brought forth another animated series of Paddington, which first aired in the States via HBO before it made its way to British Airwaves shortly after."</i><br /><br />That meant we had to pay more to watch it first! Probably not a big deal anymore but in those days anything exclusive to those channels often meant you couldn't watch them anywhere else for years unless you were lucky to find it outside your country like a few shows I use to see on Disney Channel that were aired up in Canada on CBC (The Raccoons is a good example).<br /><br /><i>Later on down the line, FilmFair's television properties were bought out by Canadian-based Cinar (later re-branded as the Cookie Jar Group), and they did the whole world a favour by releasing nearly all its shows to DVD, Paddington included, digitally restored and everything.</i><br /><br />At present the current rightsholders to the FilmFair/Cinar/Cookie Jar properties is DHX Media.<br /><br /><i>"it's very interesting to see Cookie Jar's own personal touches while staying as faithful as possible to the original source. Even if wholly original material pops up, the air of Michael Bond is quite present throughout this series."</i><br /><br />Do recall one of the episodes where Paddington visited Japan with Mr. Gruber and only really noticed the word "Otaku" printed on a sign in the background like nobody was goign to notice!<br /><br /><i>Why, Paddington is even the face of Marmalade in the UK!</i><br /><br />And yet I hardly ever had the stuff! I do see it on the shelves but never thought to try it personally. There was one commercial where Paddington made a fateful decision to switch for the worst.<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBY5epc8BS0Chris Sobieniakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09838106041175506925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2473567231876929483.post-40762833090029496152014-03-08T20:05:48.313+00:002014-03-08T20:05:48.313+00:00"Many will believe, as they will, that you wi...<i>"Many will believe, as they will, that you will truly become a star once you make it big in America. Don't believe everything you hear, I say, but all the same it seems that even US audiences (or producers, one or the other) saw some appeal in this little bear from Darkest Peru - especially through animation."</i><br /><br />Well, I did see the FilmFair series long before H-B had the idea to try it themselves if that matters. The character had appeal I'm sure.<br /><br /><i>Next to being a hit in the UK, the series also aired as a segment in various kid's shows for PBS and HBO respectively.</i><br /><br />Apparently HBO even partially funded the later Paddington Bear specials FilmFair made in the 80's I noticed like "Paddington's Birthday Bonanza", possibly the most highly budgeted of them all simply because the 2D characters were so well-animated and actually had mouth movements too! It was a shock just noticing the differences clearly from the very start.<br /><br /><i>"And through those little segments, on such shows as Calliope, that Paddington's fame in the US began to grow - though not as far or wide as he had already become in his true home, the United Kingdom."</i><br /><br />Not when you're being allocated to odd hours of the morning on cable TV I suppose. The FilmFair episodes also use to appear on Nickelodeon's "Pinwheel" series and several versions of "Romper Room". 16mm prints were also available for school use oddly through a simialrly titled "FilmFair Communications" (perahps a US subsidiary). Of course I also noticed VHS tapes of episodes were releaed through several companies like Walt Disney Home Video (the later specials through HBO Video too).<br /><br /><i>"More incredible still that the titular character in this adaptation was voiced by Charlie Adler - more famous for his voice over work on Tiny Toon Adventures, Cow and Chicken and Space Goofs...great surprise indeed!"</i><br /><br />At least you're happy!<br /><br /><i>"The only "major" change here is the addition of an American Cousin for Jonathan and Judy Brown.</i><br /><br />Well you know, 'merika!"<br /><br />In fact, Bill and Joe also tried adapting another British Bear, SuperTed...but that's another story!<br /><br />Seemed like the studio went through a period in the 80's when they often landed many foreign IP's to develop/co-produce shows for (many either made it here stateside or not). Of course The Smurfs would be a very familiar one though we also had Lucky Luke, SuperTed, Snorks, Cantinflas and so-on.Chris Sobieniakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09838106041175506925noreply@blogger.com