Hi guys,
I haven’t been frequently posting lately and won’t be for the next few more weeks. (Is that anywhere close to grammatically correct?) I’m prepping a show bible for Heartwood and it’s taking all my spare time. I’ll update you when I can!
Shane
I think the wave is starting. TV is finally catching on to the fact that kids (and their parents) are looking for green programming. Case in point: Hulala Girls
Christy Hui, creator of Xiaolin Showdown, has completed a pilot episode for a show targeted at girls six to 12.
Tapping into Hawaiian mythology positing that hula experts can spiritually connect with the forces of nature when they dance, Hui uses this mechanism to infuse her characters with the special powers they need to thwart enviro-offenders.
Another cool thing - the show has already launched an interactive site to advance the show.
I like this too:
A limited number of promotional plush dolls have also been manufactured, and Hui has hooked up with eco-group American Forest to cover the cost of planting of a tree when someone buys one of the dolls.
Planetpals, a long running Web site with animated eco-heroes, looks like it’s expanding to Japan. According to Cynopsis,
Sanrio Far East (Sanrio F.E.), a unit of Sanrio Group, inks a licensing deal to exclusively represent Planetpals in Japan. Under the deal Sanrio F.E. will introduce the kid-targeted environment-centric Planetpals website and property through a multi-platform effort as well through various partnerships.
I reconnected with an old friend (the real reason people join Linked In) and he pointed me to his older brother’s Web site and I found a song that is either a Michael Crichton inspired screed against global warming alarmists or a tongue in cheek reminder to the reality based community not to get too hyper about this stuff. I report, you decide.
Global Warming song (3.4MB .mp3)
So much for global warming / I’m freezing, I’m freezing
So much for global warming / I’m freezing, I’m freezing
So much for global warming / I’m freezing, I’m freezing
It’s coldBut we have to believe them, they’re scientists
We have to believe them, they’re scientists
We have to believe them, they’re scientists
With PhD’sLet’s fill up the hole in the ozone with what’s down here
We’re choking
Let’s fill up the hole in the ozone with what’s down here
We’re choking
Let’s fill up the hole in the ozone with what’s down here
We’re choking / We’re doomed, we’re doomed
…
So let’s give them all the money they ask for
Let’s give them all the money they ask for
let’s give them the billions and billions of dollars they ask for
They must be rightSo much for global warming / I’m freezing, I’m freezing
If you’re free around 730pm eastern today, I’ll be talking about Heartwood USA, kids media and green cartoons on the Journey Home show’s Sustainable Tuesday segment.
It streams live on the Web at KSFR.org. Not sure if they archive the show.
Cute cartoon about paying attention to the little things - like shopping bag use:
Spirit of the Forest stars Sean Astin and Giovanni Ribisi as 2 gophers whose home…
…is threatened when an evil businesswoman plans to tear down their forest to build a highway. With the help of an old oak tree, the animals and their friends fight back with a vengeance.
The feature film community gets that there is a BIG audience for green themed content. Why not television?
Look for Spirit to bow this fall. via ecorazzi.
Just heard about this cartoon from Keep America Beautiful, Inc - a network of 1000+ affiliates that work on litter prevention, waste reduction and beautification.
Click on the image below to open their video player:
I love the realistic writing and the voice over talent but it feels a little too Bob Newhart for kids to enjoy. And IMO, it takes too long to get to the threat/message. What about starting with a theme-setter? A visual of the the problem and a call to action?
I totally forgot about this Simpsons episode till the folks at Grist reminded me:
One of the all-time great episodes of The Simpsons is “Marge vs. the Monorail,” written by Conan O’Brien. The EPA fines Mr. Burns for dumping nuclear waste, leading to an unexpected cash windfall for Springfield. Marge suggests spending the money to repair the town’s tattered infrastructure.
But just as her proposal is about to pass, a fast-talking charlatan named Lyle Lanley arrives and sells the ever-gullible people of Springfield on a plan to build a monorail, climaxing with the monorail song (sung to the tune of “Trouble” from The Music Man). As the monorail plan passes, Marge remains unconvinced:
Marge: I still think we should have used the money to fix Main Street.
Homer: Well, you should have written a song like that guy.
As always, feel free to check out our take on Green kids media:
Natalie Angier, science wrtiter for the New York Times, among other titles:
No. Mostly it’s a question of trying to quiet the dybbuks — all the voices that tell you you’re no good, you can’t do it, every kind of criticism you can come up with. You’re just trying to shut them up and let yourself go. I’d say I spend 50 percent of my time trying to get them out of the way. There are times when I do enjoy writing, but they are definitely in a minority.
If she has this much trouble, what about mere mortals like me and you? This quote is posted prominently on my wall.
