''Ellen's Acres'' is an American
animated television series for
preschool
A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary scho ...
-age children, which exclusively premiered weekly on
Cartoon Network and in the United Kingdom, the show airs on
Cartoonito
Cartoonito is a brand name used by Warner Bros. Discovery for a collection of television networks and programming blocks that target preschool-age children. The name combines the "cartoon" with the Spanish suffix "ito", meaning "small".
As o ...
.
Animation Collective
Animation Collective was an American internet and television animation studio based in New York City, best known for its internet and television series using Adobe Flash, Maya and other software. Founded and owned by Larry Schwarz in 2003, Anima ...
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 from
Tonopah, Nevada
Tonopah ( , Shoshoni language: Tonampaa) is an unincorporated town in, and the county seat of, Nye County, Nevada, United States. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95, approximately midway between Las Vegas and Reno. In ...
named the Emerald Acres.
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
A feather duster is a cleaning tool that is typically made from a wooden dowel handle onto which ostrich feathers are wound with a wire. The feathers are most often long. Some dusters have a retractable casing instead of a dowel handle and the ...
, 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
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
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 denim skirt, sometimes referred to as a 'jean skirt' or 'jeans skirt', is a skirt made of denim, the same material as blue jeans. Denim skirts come in a variety of styles and lengths to suit different populations and occasions. For example, fu ...
, 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
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...
, 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
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, alt ...
, 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
Shannon Conley (also credited as Sonny Dey, Holly Bobbit, Ursula Conlon, Vibe Jones, Candi Washington and Deborah Zane) is an American voice actress and musician based in New York City. She has done voice work in English dubs of Japanese anime fo ...
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
Season 2 (Unaired)
Reception
The series was noted for its educational content. A review describes its style as follows: "The series offers a style influenced by amine, retro graphics and illustrated children's books."
References
External links
*
{{Former Cartoon Network original programming
2000s American animated television series
2000s American children's television series
2000s preschool education television series
2007 American television series debuts
2007 American television series endings
Cartoon Network original programming
Cartoonito original programming
American children's animated adventure television series
American children's animated fantasy television series
American flash animated television series
American preschool education television series
Animated preschool education television series
Animated television series about children
English-language television shows
Television shows set in Nevada