Ellen's Acres is an 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 September 4, 2006 on Cartoonito in the UK, and later on January 8, 2007 on Cartoon Network in the US, 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 byLarry Schwarz
Directed byStephen Moverley
StarringEmily Corrao
Marc Thompson
Evelyn Lanto
Vibe Jones
Michael Alston Bailey
Narrated byEmily Corrao
Opening theme"Acres of Fun" by Emily Corrao
ComposerJohn Angier
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes52 (26 unaired)
Production
Executive producersLarry Schwarz
Christopher Fauci
Micheal Gold
Sean Lahey
Sergei Aniskov
ProducerAndi Defur
EditorLauren Krueger
Running time12 minutes (each episode) approx.
Production companiesAnimation Collective
Kanonen & Bestreichen
Original release
NetworkCartoon Network
ReleaseSeptember 4, 2006 (2006-09-04) –
February 5, 2007 (2007-02-05)

Format

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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

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  • 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 Janes. Born in Los Angeles, 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

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Season 1

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Episode Number (Overall) Episode Number (Seasonal) Episode Title Episode Costume(s)
1 (1a) 1 (1a) Dinosaur Lore Arctic Explorer
Cowgirl
Cavewoman
Diver
2 (1b) 2 (1b) Jumpin' Jupiter Spy
Explorer
Arctic Explorer
Astronaut
3 (2a) 3 (2a) Chocolate Chip Treasure Pilot
Cavewoman
Princess
Pirate
4 (2b) 4 (2b) Kitten Caper Actress
Explorer
Egyptian
Ringmaster
Superhero
5 (3a) 5 (3a) Eloise American Indian
Mermaid
Astronaut
Explorer
6 (3b) 6 (3b) A Mammoth Adventure Scout
Sheriff
Arctic Explorer
7 (4a) 7 (4a) Gold Rush Fever Pro Wrestler
Explorer
Mermaid
Pirate
8 (4b) 8 (4b) Mr. Healey Cowgirl
Princess
Miner
9 (5a) 9 (5a) Swamped Greek
Hockey Player
Explorer
10 (5b) 10 (5b) Stinky Situation Astronaut
Pilot
Detective
11 (6a) 11 (6a) Dance Fever Reporter
Explorer
Diver
Ballerina
Disco Dancer
12 (6b) 12 (6b) Wallpaper Secrets Astronaut
Pilot
Explorer
Princess
13 (7a) 13 (7a) Fixing the Shed Princess
Pirate
Kung-Fu Expert
Explorer
14 (7b) 14 (7b) Squeaky Scratchy Secret Princess
Astronaut
Explorer
15 (8a) 15 (8a) Pool Monster Astronaut
Egyptian
Cavewoman
Explorer
16 (8b) 16 (8b) Martian Mission Bathing Suit
Gymnast
Astronaut
17 (9a) 17 (9a) Movie Night Photographer
Submarine
Arctic Explorer
Explorer
18 (9b) 18 (9b) Birdhouse Mermaid
Pilot
Farmer
Explorer
19 (10a) 19 (10a) Extreme X-Ray Astronaut
Cowgirl
Ringmaster
20 (10b) 20 (10b) Ant Antics Hula Dancer
Superhero
Princess
Detective
Miner
21 (11a) 21 (11a) Salad Days Cowgirl
Trench Coat
Astronaut
Cavewoman
22 (11b) 22 (11b) Paving the Driveway Explorer
Mermaid
Arctic Explorer
Princess
Sleepwear
23 (12a) 23 (12a) Poster Perfect Explorer
Greek
Gymnast
24 (12b) 24 (12b) Special Delivery Egyptian
Explorer
Pirate
Arctic Explorer
25 (13a) 25 (13a) Happy Birthday Mermaid
Cowgirl
Egyptian
Explorer
26 (13b) 26 (13b) Yard Sale Explorer
Astronaut
Greek
Princess

Season 2 (Unaired)

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Episode Number (Overall) Episode Number (Seasonal) Episode Title Episode Costume(s)
27 (14a) 1 (1a) Spooky Shadows Sleepwear
28 (14b) 2 (1b) Freeze Tag Arctic Explorer
29 (15a) 3 (2a) Dining Out Waitress
30 (15b) 4 (2b) Car Wash Mechanic
31 (16a) 5 (3a) Mostly Ghostly Scientist
32 (16b) 6 (3b) Hide and Seek Pilot
Farmer
Spy
Scout
33 (17a) 7 (4a) Saltwater Surprise Viking
34 (17b) 8 (4b) The Secret Ingredient Baker
35 (18a) 9 (5a) Future Findings Astronaut
36 (18b) 10 (5b) A Royal Rescue Princess
37 (19a) 11 (6a) What's that Sound? Musician
38 (19b) 12 (6b) Order's Up Chef
39 (20a) 13 (7a) Finders Sneakers Runner
40 (20b) 14 (7b) The Pharaoh's Formula Egyptian
41 (21a) 15 (8a) Tasty Trails Robin Hood
42 (21b) 16 (8b) Mighty Mending Plumber
43 (22a) 17 (9a) Great Games Coach
44 (22b) 18 (9b) Toy Troubles Firewoman
45 (23a) 19 (10a) Chop Chop Karate
46 (23b) 20 (10b) Best in Barn Farmer
47 (24a) 21 (11a) Pearl Pursuit Diver
48 (24b) 22 (11b) Granting Wishes Fairy
49 (25a) 23 (12a) Chalking it Up Gymnast
50 (25b) 24 (12b) Toys and Tricks Magician
51 (26a) 25 (13a) Bunny Blues Ballerina
52 (26b) 26 (13b) Puzzle Pieces Human Cannonball

Reception

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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

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  1. ^ TV Guide. Triangle Publications. 2007.
  2. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 179. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Ellen's Acres Debuts on Cartoon Network". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
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