The Amazing World of Gumball
The Amazing World of Gumball | |
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Created by | Ben Bocquelet |
Directed by | Mic Graves |
Voices of | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Composer(s) | Ben Locket |
Country of origin | United Kingdom United States Ireland |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 144 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Producer(s) | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Running time | 11 minutes[1] |
Production company(s) | Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe Boulder Media Limited Studio SOI Dandelion Studios |
Release | |
Original network | Cartoon Network |
Picture format | 1080i (16:9 HDTV) |
Original release | May 3, 2011[2] – present |
External links | |
Website |
The Amazing World of Gumball (known also as Gumball) is a British-American-Irish children's animated television series created by Ben Bocquelet for Cartoon Network. Produced primarily by Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe, it first aired on May 3, 2011.[2] The series revolves around the life of Gumball Watterson, a 12-year-old[3] cat who attends middle school in the fictional city of Elmore. Accompanied by his adoptive goldfish brother Darwin, he frequently finds himself involved in various shenanigans around the city, during which he interacts with his other family members—sister Anais and parents Nicole and Richard—and an extended supporting cast of characters.
Bocquelet based several of the series' characters on rejected characters from his previous commercial work and making its premise a mixture of "family shows and school shows", which Cartoon Network was heavily interested in. He pitched The Amazing World of Gumball to the network and Turner Broadcasting executive Daniel Lennard subsequently greenlit production of the series. It is the first series to be produced by Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe, and is currently co-produced with Studio SOI and Great Marlborough Productions. One unique feature of the series is its lack of stylistic unity. Characters are designed, filmed, and animated using different styles and techniques (stylised traditional animation, puppetry, photo-realistic CGI, stop motion, Flash animation, live action, etc.)[4]
Contents
Production
When Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe was created in 2007, Ben Bocquelet was hired to help people pitch their projects to the network. However, when the studio decided to have its employees all pitch their own ideas,[5] he decided to take some rejected characters he had created for commercials and put them together in one series set in a school.[6] Daniel Lennard, vice president of Original Series and Development at Turner Broadcasting System Europe, was impressed by the premise and approved production of the series.[7] The first series to be produced by Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe,[8] thirty-six episodes were produced for its first season in collaboration with Studio SOI, Dublin-based Boulder Media Limited,[9][10] and Dandelion Studios.[11]
Premise
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The series revolves around the life of a 12-year-old cat named Gumball Watterson (Logan Grove, seasons 1–2 and season 3 episode: "The Kids"; Jacob Hopkins, rest of season 3–present) and his frequent shenanigans in the fictional American city of Elmore, accompanied by his adopted goldfish brother/best friend Darwin (Kwesi Boakye, season 1–2 and season 3 episode: "The Kids"; Terrell Ransom, Jr., rest of season 3–present). Gumball's other family members—his intellectual sister Anais (Kyla Rae Kowalewski) and stay-at-home father Richard (Dan Russell), both rabbits, and workaholic mother Nicole (Teresa Gallagher), a cat—often find themselves involved in Gumball's exploits. Gumball attends school with his siblings at Elmore Junior High, where throughout the series he interacts with his various middle school classmates, most prominently his crush Penny Fitzgerald (also Gallagher).
Episodes
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Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
Pilot | May 8, 2008 | |||
1 | 36 | May 3, 2011 | March 13, 2012 | |
2 | 40 | August 7, 2012 | December 3, 2013 | |
3 | 40 | June 5, 2014 | August 6, 2015 | |
4 | 40 | July 7, 2015 | TBA |
The first season of The Amazing World of Gumball premiered on May 3, 2011 with the episode "The DVD" and ended on March 13, 2012, with "The Fight".[12] A 40-episode second season was announced on March 17, 2011, prior to the premiere of the series' first season.[13] Speaking of the renewal, executive producer Daniel Lennard stated: "Commissioning a second series before the first show has aired shows our absolute commitment and belief in the series and we're hoping audiences the world over will embrace this show as much as we have."[13] The Amazing World of Gumball was renewed for a third season consisting of 40 episodes in October 2012. In February 2013, the series was put on hiatus, but returned in June 2013.[14]
Crossover
On September 17, 2015, series creator Ben Bocquelet announced on his Twitter page that a crossover episode with another Cartoon Network show would air as part of Season 5.[15]
Comic
On June 18, 2014, a comic book adaptation of the series, written by Frank Gibson, was released. Art for the collection of works is handled by Boom! Studios.[16]
Reception
Critical reception
In a favourable review, Brian Lowry of Variety described the series as "mostly a really clever spin on domestic chaos" and "first-rate silliness."[17] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly was also positive, writing: "There are few examples of mainstream children's programming as wildly imaginative, as visually and narratively daring, as The Amazing World of Gumball."[18] Reviews from the Daily Mail praised The Amazing World of Gumball as a "gloriously surreal chunk of fast and funny telly"[19] and "the kind of clever children's comedy that parents can also enjoy."[20]
The A.V. Club's Noel Murray graded the DVD release of the series' first 12 episodes a B+, writing that "what sets [The Amazing World of Gumball] apart from the many other super-silly, semi-anarchic cartoons on cable these days is that it features such a well-developed world, where even with the eclectic character designs, there are recognisable traits and tendencies."[21] Wired writer Z noted that the series "manages to have genuine heart even as the plots themselves transition from well-worn TV tropes to all out madness."[22]
Ratings
The May 3, 2011, series premiere of The Amazing World of Gumball was watched by 2.120 million viewers in the United States.[23]
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Annecy International Animated Film Festival | Best Television Production[24] | "The Quest" | Won |
British Academy Children's Awards | Animation[25] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Won | |
Writer[25] | Jon Foster and James Lamont | Won | ||
Royal Television Society Awards | Children's Programme[26] | "The Quest" | Nominated | |
2012 | Annie Awards | Best Animated Television Production for Children[27] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Won |
Directing in a Television Production[27] | Ben Bocquelet and Mic Graves | Nominated | ||
Music in a Television Production[27] | Ben Locket | Nominated | ||
Voice Acting in a Television Production[27] | Logan Grove | Nominated | ||
ASTRA Awards | Most Outstanding Children's Program or Event[28] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Won | |
British Academy Children's Awards | Animation[29] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Won | |
BAFTA Kids' Vote – Television[29] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Nominated | ||
Writer[29] | Ben Bocquelet, Jon Foster and James Lamont | Won | ||
Broadcast Awards | Best Children's Programme[30] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Nominated | |
International Emmy Kids Awards | Kids – Animation[31] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Won | |
Irish Film & Television Awards | Children's/Youth Programme[32] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Nominated | |
2013 | Annie Awards | Best Animated Television Production For Children | "The Job" | Nominated |
British Academy Children's Awards | Animation[33] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Nominated | |
BAFTA Kids' Vote – Television[33] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Nominated | ||
Writer[33] | The Amazing World of Gumball writing staff (Ben Bocquelet, Jon Brittain, Tom Crowley, Jon Foster, Mic Graves, Chris Garbutt, James Lamont and Tobi Wilson) |
Won | ||
2014 | British Academy Children's Awards | Animation[34] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Nominated |
BAFTA Kids' Vote – Television[34] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Nominated | ||
Writer [34] | The Amazing World of Gumball writing staff | Nominated | ||
Hall of Game Awards | Best Cartoon Boogie | Richard Watterson | Won | |
2015 | British Academy Children's Awards | Animation[35] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Won |
2016 | British Animation Awards | Best children’s series and Children’s choice Award[36] | The Amazing World of Gumball: The Shell | Won |
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Cartoon[37] | The Amazing World of Gumball | Nominated |
Possible film
In an interview with The Times Magazine, series creator Ben Bocquelet mentioned plans for a feature film based off the series.[38] While a synopsis and release date are unknown, it can be presumed that the film will be worked on by the crew working on the show (including Bocquelet himself).
Home media
Region | Set title | Season(s) | Aspect ratio | Episode count | Time length | Release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The DVD[39] | 1 | 16:9 | 12 | 132 minutes | August 28, 2012 (re-released on October 7, 2014) |
1 | The Mystery[40] | 1 | 16:9 | 12 | 132 minutes | January 15, 2013 |
1 | The Party[41] | 1 | 16:9 | 12 | 132 minutes | August 13, 2013 |
1 | The Amazing World of Gumball: Volume 4[42] | 2 | 16:9 | 12 | 144 minutes | November 4, 2014 |
Broadcast
The first and second seasons have been released on Cartoon Network channels in over 126 countries, with the third season rolling out through 2014.[43]
On December 1, 2014, The Amazing World of Gumball began airing on Boomerang in the United States, alongside its broadcasts on Cartoon Network.[44]
References
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- ↑ Interview with Ben Bocquelet in Toonzone
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- ↑ https://mobile.twitter.com/benbocquelet/status/644526986308780032
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- ↑ http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/tv-radio/article4599656.ece
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External links
- Official website
- Official page for The Amazing World of Gumball at Cartoon Network
- The Amazing World of Gumball at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). The Amazing World of Gumball at IMDb
- The Amazing World of Gumball at TV.comLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- 2010s American animated television series
- 2011 American television series debuts
- American children's television series
- Boom! Studios titles
- 2010s British television series
- 2011 British television programme debuts
- British animated television series
- British children's television programmes
- Television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters
- Television shows set in the United States
- Television series about families
- American children's comedy series
- Middle school television series
- Cartoon Network Studios series and characters
- Cartoon Network original programs
- Computer-animated television series
- Flash cartoons
- Flash television shows
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television
- Television series with live action and animation
- Annie Award winners