''Lulu's Islands'' (, originally ''Lulu la Peste'') is an animated children's series that premiered on 5 October 2009, on the

TFOU TFOU () is a French children's morning programming block on TF1 and TFX. It was launched on 1 January 2007, replacing TF! Jeunesse. TFOU is TF1's children brand, also operating as the SVOD service TFOU MAX. Originally, the brand started as TF1' ...

block of France's

TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...

network. It is produced by Interactive Project 4 You (IP4U) of

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

and Patoon-Animation of Paris. The show uses

cutout animation Cutout animation is a form of stop-motion animation using flat characters, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper, card, stiff fabric or photographs. The props would be cut out and used as puppets for stop motion. The world's ...

for its style, and is targeted to young viewers.

Synopsis

Animals of various species live happily on an untouched

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

called the Wonderlees. One day, everything changes when a kitten named Lulu meets the first human ever to land on their shores: Peppy (or Pépin), a young shipwreck survivor turned

castaway A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a desert island, either to evade kidnapping, captors or the world in general. A person may also be ...

Characters

* Lulu, a mischievous

tomboy A tomboy is a girl or young woman who generally expresses masculine traits. Such traits may include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and engaging in activities and behaviors traditionally associated with boys or men. Origins The w ...

cat, and the show's heroine * Romeo, a baby elephant * Erik (Eric), a maned wolf cub * Simone, a French bulldog * Isabelle, a giraffe, and the teacher of the children * Peppy (Pépin), the boy who gets stranded on the Wonderlees

Cast

* Lizzie Waterworth - Peppy * Jules de Jongh - Lulu and Erik * Joanna Ruiz - Romeo and Simone * Harriet Carmichael - Pipa and Isabelle * Eric Meyers - Daddycat, Badjijaba, Bartolo * Fabrice Ziolkowski - Dr. Button

Production

''Lulu's Islands'' began development at Paris' HLC Productions in 2005 under the title ''Lulu la Peste'', at a cost of €137,000. By 2008, the budget had grown to €2,931,000. Production of the new series involves at least three crew members of another TF1 animated series, ''

The Bellflower Bunnies ''The Bellflower Bunnies'' () is a French animated series based on the ''Beechwood Bunny Tales'' book series by Geneviève Huriet. The show debuted on TF1 with four episodes airing between December 24 and December 28, 2001. It is a co-production ...

'': Eric Berthier, the director of ''Bellflower'''s 2nd and 3rd seasons; screenwriter Valérie Baranski; and producer Patricia Robert, who in March 2008 set up Patoon-Animation exclusively for the new show. Pierre Gillet, from the Belgian music and post-production outlet Dame Blanche, will serve as composer.

Episodes

''Lulu's Islands'' consists of a planned 52 episodes, in addition to a four-minute pilot that was shown as an official selection at the

Annecy International Animation Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...

in June 2008.

Merchandise

There will also be tie-in books based on the series, although further details have not been announced since early 2008.

References

External links

* {{youTube, aVZuXCQO6Ak, 3-minute preview of the show 2009 French television series debuts 2000s French animated television series 2010s French animated television series French children's animated adventure television series Fictional archipelagoes French flash animated television series Animated television series about cats Animated television series about children Animated television series about elephants