Tiny Planets

I stumbled upon this show surfing one afternoon. Even though it is intended for a preschool age audience, I found myself recording it every day.

The show is a wonderful platform teaching children about how to deal with things from anger to the basic principles underlying science.

I wish there were more shows like this when I was a kid. I may have done better in math and science. The show does a good job of explaining simple ideas in an entertaining manner.

As animator I have a few issues with the production of the show but I can imagine the deadlines they are under to crank these out quickly. With that in mind, I'm impressed with what they are able to deliver.

A great little show that shows children a great deal about the world around them. The stories have a similar setup, Bing and Bong (the hero's) sit on their sofa and a giant catapult throws them to a different tiny planet where they have an adventure before returning back home and going to bed.

Within this basic frame work many different areas are explored. Science, nature, music, even conflict resolutions are shown among many others. These stories are never condescending but easy to follow and great for kids.

The program is cgi based with vivid backdrops and some inventive camera work. Rather than staying with the traditional side on camera angle, common to animation, the show sometimes puts in tracking or doll shots to place the kids in the middle of the action.

Go in with an open mind, sit down with your children and enjoy.

This program is beautifully animated and subtly addictive. I started tivoing the program on Noggin for my five year old, but soon found the whole family regularly gathering around the DVR to watch the antics of the show's heroes Bing and Bong. Not only are the characters lovable and the animation rich and complex, but each of the four or so "missions" packed in every episode has an educational theme as well. Our child can't get enough of this show.

There are many many episodes "in the can" - I've been watching daily for weeks and we've never seen the same one twice. I'm very surprised this British-American project with Sesame Street's producer isn't better known among educators and parents in the states.

Now if I could only find a Bong t-shirt!

This is, undeniably, a very colorful cartoon. (In fact, "Tiny Planets" could not possibly be more colorful than it is. But, although the crew behind this computer-animation cartoon seem to make a very good effort at putting together something very special, the result is--in a word-- monotony.)

Here is the premise: Bing and Bong are two furry white aliens who live on a planet together. Everyday, after they've washed and had breakfast, they fly through space on their living room sofa--visiting the planets, and helping out the inhabitants in one way or another. (They might help to build a wall; or they might set up a show. Other times, they'll just explore the planets--and the "blockers" just wonder what in heck Bing and Bong are doing there.)

Bing is rather tall, pot bellied and has no mouth. He hums, grunts and sometimes groans. Bong is a cute little four-legged creature. He's got one buck tooth; he is always smiling. He can squeak and scream.

Bing carries around a brown bag, strapped onto his right shoulder. Just like Felix the Cat's "bag of tricks," Bing is able to whip out of this bag any and/or everything that he and Bong might need: anything from a long ladder to a record player.

Following them around on their journeys is a little robot by the name of Holly. Not only does she narrate their adventures, but she also tells them which planet to go to next, and what their mission is.

There are six tiny planets: the tiny planet of Nature, Technology, Light and Color, Stealth, Sound and the tiny planet of Stuff.

The exact moment Bing and Bong are finished with whatever they're doing, a crystal on Bing's wrist watch blinks and beeps. That means it's time to get back on their sofa. They buckle their safety belts, cut a rope with a big pair of scissors, and off they go... back into space--only to be stopped by robots directing traffic.

And, here we come to the most ludicrous part: these robots--first, we meet up with a green one, then a red one, then a blue one--are spheres with mechanical arms. They wear brown gloves. Propellers twirl on their heads. Although they can't speak, they're able to tell Bing and Bong that there's more work to be done by simply pointing in one direction or the other. ("This away, or that away?" we'll hear Holly say. Her mouth never moves, by the way. "Oh! It's the other way! That's where we've got to go!") What these robots are also doing is waiting for a trio of ... you guessed it... blockers, who're riding an asteroid over towards them so that a family of asteroid fish can cross. Personally... I feel like I must be missing something, there. Oh, well.

The most creative part of this cartoon is that sofa: when Bing and Bong make a departure from their home planet, the sofa soars upward, through a golden chute; then it goes down a big silver slide and drops into a giant golden hand. Next, a huge hook attaches itself to the sofa--and the hand catapults the sofa into space; we then see a long, thick rope reeling off of a giant golden spool.

When they return home, it's up the slide and down the chute. (Finally, the sofa plops down onto the living room floor, and the sofa becomes a bed; a mechanical arm comes out of nowhere to brush Bong's one tooth; a night cap is placed on Bing's head. A colorful quilt floats down as the odd couple lie down and close their eyes. The room darkens.)

"Don't worry," we hear Holly say. "They'll be back for more adventures tomorrow. Good night, Bing. Good night, Bong."

Time to roll the credits, folks. Interestingly enough, they go sideways across the screen. They go by quickly--but one certain name, you're not too likely to overlook because, for one thing, it appears thrice. And for another, it is a rather unusual name. (Kim Goody: a very talented young lady with a light, somewhat musical voice; perfectly cast as the voice of Holly and Bong. She also sings the "Tiny Planets" theme song.) Don't bother looking for the voice of Bing, though. You won't find it.

"Tiny Planets" is entertaining. It's mildly amusing. Quite well done. But, all that being said, here's a cartoon which could easily be seen as being a turkey. (Because it's also very overdone.)

This kid's show is geared toward stimulating the senses while teaching very basic scientific principles to young children. I think it does a nice job as the music is very upbeat and techno, and unlike in so many other children's shows, it is easily tolerable and even enjoyable by the adults.

I also like the fact that this show addresses scientific principles, though simply, better than other children's shows that I have seen. Most of them hit you over the head with it, but "Tiny Planets" takes a fresh approach of having two friendly little aliens solving problems in every episode by learning about science. Examples of the lessons consist of story lines that detail changing of the seasons, how a rainbow is formed, how sound waves travel or even the importance of following a recipe (or formula) precisely to get to a desired outcome.

While there are some "ludicrous" parts of the show (as another reviewer pointed out), it is a kid's show and not meant to be presented as reality (first clue: they are little aliens in outer space flying around on a spring-controlled couch). It is computer-animation and it does stretch reality in the presentation as well as the story lines. However, my two-year-old daughter loves the show and actually tells other people what she has learned from it. And I can tolerate watching this show with her much better than many other ones that kids like to watch!

The only problem I have with the show is that the creatures that are native to the tiny planets are called "Flockers," and when a two-year old tries to say that, it can come out pretty shockingly (like a very nasty curse word). However, we just worked with her on her diction and eventually she got it very clearly. But the first time she was telling her grandparents about the flockers they were in shock for a moment or two.

All in all I highly recommend "Tiny Planets" for kids of all ages!