Beat Bugs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beat Bugs |
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| Created by | Josh Wakely |
| Written by | Thomas Duncan-Watt Kate Mulvaney Cleon Prineas John Armstrong Katherine Thompson |
| Directed by | Josh Wakely |
| Voices of |
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| Opening theme | "All You Need Is Love" performed by Andy Bull, Gossling, iOTA, Lisa Mitchell and Sullivan. |
| Ending theme | "All You Need Is Love" |
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| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 52, 1 special (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Running time | 12 minutes |
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| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Surround |
| Original release | August 3, 2016 – November 9, 2018 |
Beat Bugs is a fun animated TV show for kids from Australia and Canada. It was created by Josh Wakely and started in 2016. You can watch it on Netflix.
The show is about five young bug friends who live in a big, wild backyard. They go on exciting adventures and learn important life lessons. What makes Beat Bugs special is that it uses songs by the famous band the Beatles! Josh Wakely got permission to use a huge collection of Beatles songs in the series. Different famous singers today perform new versions of these classic songs, and they are woven into the stories.
Beat Bugs was made with help from other companies like Beyond Entertainment and Atomic Cartoons. It first came out on Netflix around the world on August 3, 2016. In Australia, it premiered earlier on 7TWO on July 25, 2016. It also plays on the CBC Kids channel in Canada.
The show has won several awards, including an AWGIE Award for its script in 2016 and an AACTA Award for Best Children's Television Series in 2016. It also won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2017. A second season came out in November 2016, and a special episode was released in November 2017. There's even a live musical show called Beat Bugs: A Musical Adventure that started in theaters in 2018!
Contents
Meet the Beat Bugs: Story and Songs
Beat Bugs is made for kids aged five to seven. It takes place in a big, overgrown backyard that the bug friends call "Village Green." The five main bug characters explore this world and have many adventures.
Songs by the Beatles, like "Come Together" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", are a big part of each episode. These songs are sung by popular artists such as Pink and Sia. The songs often help the young bugs learn important lessons about friendship, problem-solving, and growing up.
Josh Wakely, the creator, said he wanted the show to teach kids in a fun way, without being boring. He especially wanted to share the message of the song "All You Need is Love".
Who Are the Beat Bugs?
Let's meet the main characters and some of their friends!
Main Characters
- Ashleigh Ball as Jay: He's a curious and energetic beetle who loves skateboarding and music. He wears a blue cap and dark blue pants.
- Lili Beaudoin as Crick: An intelligent and creative grasshopper who loves science and math. He's also an inventor! He wears a brown hat, a gray t-shirt, beige pants, and yellow shoes.
- Charles Demers as Walter: A slug with a big heart, but he can be a bit scared sometimes. His singing voice is by iOTA and Daniel Johns.
- Rebecca Husain as Buzz: An optimistic and excited fruit fly who is the youngest of the group. Her singing voice is by Gossling.
- Erin Mathews as Kumi: A confident and imaginative ladybug who loves life and protects her friends. Her singing voice is by Lisa Mitchell.
Other Friends in the Backyard
- Lucy the Dragonfly: A dragonfly with amazing kaleidoscope eyes. She helps bugs sleep.
- Boris the Frog: A frog who loves all the things nature provides.
- Postman Bee (Brian Drummond; singing Wesley Schultz): A bee who delivers mail. He's always on time unless he's feeling sad.
- Doris the Spider (Gwynyth Walsh): An older spider who fills her garden with beautiful art made from her webs. She teaches the bugs to see beauty everywhere.
- Geoff the Cockroach (Peter Kelamis; singing Dave Faulkner): A cockroach who acts like a sneaky business person, often selling homes.
- Alex the Stinkbug (Fred Ewanuick): A funny bug whose farts are so powerful they can even power Crick's machines!
- Dr. Robert (Ian Hanlin): A friendly praying mantis who is a doctor and always knows the best way to help.
- Katter (Britt McKillip; singing Frances): A shy caterpillar who later turns into a beautiful butterfly.
- Morgs (David Paul Grove; singing James Corden): A very nervous stick bug who wishes he wasn't "just a stick."
- Millie Pede (Maryke Hendrikse; singing Tori Kelly): A kind millipede who learns to dance with her friends' help.
- Mr. Sun (Michael Caton; singing Robbie Williams and Yusuf Islam / Cat Stevens): The big, all-seeing sun during the day. He can talk to the bugs!
- Mr. Moonlight (Robert Alexander and Charles Demers): Mr. Sun's nighttime friend. He likes to play with the bugs.
- Blackbird (Bethany Brown; singing Sia, Regina Spektor, and Jennifer Hudson): A bird who often has her head in the clouds. The bugs helped her injured wing.
- Mr. Mudwasp (Andrew Hansen; singing Daniel Johns): A busy wasp who is always fixing up his hive. He has many wasp children.
- The Ants (Kyle Rideout): The hard-working ants of the backyard. They all think and act as one group.
- Freda (Shannon Chan-Kent; singing Kate Miller-Heidke): Walter's long-lost sister, a ditzy slug who moves in next door.
- Glowies: Glow bugs that provide light for everyone. They can be a bit grumpy because they are always being used!
- Octopus (Jay Brazeau): A talking sprinkler toy that looks like a purple octopus. He sprays water to comfort the bugs.
- Bulldog (Colin Murdock; singing James Bay): A big, friendly dog who becomes adopted by the humans.
- Mee-Yow (Ashleigh Ball): A cat owned by the humans. He can be dangerous to the bugs as he likes to play with them.
- The Man (JR Bourne and Ian Hanlin) and Julia's Mom (Erin Mathews): The "Gigants" (humans) who live in the "Big House."
- Julia (Rebecca Husain): The humans' first daughter. Jay feels a connection to her.
How Beat Bugs Was Made
Creating the Show
Josh Wakely came up with the idea for Beat Bugs. In 2014, his company, Grace, got the rights to use a huge collection of the Beatles' songs. This was a big deal because the Beatles' music is very famous! The songs were chosen to tell stories about young bugs learning life lessons. The music publishers liked Wakely's idea of sharing these classic songs with a new generation of kids.
Wakely, who grew up loving the Beatles, said he never thought about using any other band's music. He believes people will talk about the Beatles like they talk about Shakespeare for many years to come. He spent three years planning the show and creating all the characters and episodes before he even got the music rights.
Daniel Johns, the former singer of the band Silverchair, helped arrange and produce the music for the show. He said it was a "dream job" to work with the Beatles' music. Over 1000 people worked on the show, including writers and animators from Australia, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. Atomic Cartoons in Vancouver created the 3D animation.
When Beat Bugs Was Released
The first group of 52 episodes was split into two seasons. Season 1 became available on Netflix in the US on August 3, 2016. Before it even came out, the show was so popular that Netflix ordered a second season! In Australia, Season 1 first aired on 7TWO on July 25, 2016.
Season 2 was released on Netflix on November 18, 2016, and on 7TWO on November 16, 2016. A special 48-minute episode called Beat Bugs: All Together Now came out on Netflix on November 21, 2017. The third season premiered in November 2018.
Where to Watch Beat Bugs
After its first release, Beat Bugs was added to the Australian Netflix library in February 2017. It also started airing on the pay-TV channel Nick Jr. in Australia in May 2017. Later, the free TV broadcasts moved to 7flix in 2017.
In Canada, the show began airing on the CBC Kids block on CBC on February 26, 2018.
Awards and Recognition
Beat Bugs has won several awards for its great stories and animation:
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
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| 2016 | AWGIE Awards | Animation | "Hey Bulldog" – Kate Mulvany | Nominated | |
| "Ticket to Ride" – Erica Harrison | Nominated | ||||
| "Yellow Submarine" – Josh Wakely | Won | ||||
| AACTA Awards | Best Children's Television Series | Beat Bugs | Won | ||
| 2017 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Animated Program or Series | Beat Bugs | Nominated | |
| Logie Awards | Outstanding Children's Program | Beat Bugs | Nominated | ||
| Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Preschool Animated Program | Beat Bugs – Josh Wakely, Joshua Mapleston, Cleon Prineas | Won | ||
| Outstanding Directing in a Preschool Animated Program | Beat Bugs – Josh Wakely | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Main Title and Graphic Design | Beat Bugs – Directed by Josh Wakely, Storyboard by Mark Appleby, Animation Director Pablo De La Torre, Director Jon Mead, Animation Supervisor Fredrick Fasse, Animation/Layout Supervisor Alexandru Nagy | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing in a Preschool Animated Program | Beat Bugs – Brent Clark, Sam Hayward, Wes Swales, Bob Mothersbaugh | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing in a Preschool Animated Program | Beat Bugs – Jared Dwyer, Sam Hayward, Blair Slater | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Kidscreen Awards | Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie | Nominated | ||
| Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Mixing in a Preschool Animated Program | Won | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing in a Preschool Animated Program | Nominated | ||||
| 2019 | AWGIE Awards | Animation | "Lady Madonna" – Kate Mulvany | Nominated | |
| "You Won’t See Me" – Thomas Duncan-Watt | Won |
Other Beat Bugs Fun
Soundtracks
You can listen to the songs from Beat Bugs! The first soundtrack, "Beat Bugs: The Complete Season One," was released on Apple Music on August 3, 2016. It had all the songs sung by the guest artists from the first season. Later, a new album called "Beat Bugs: The Best of Seasons 1 & 2" came out on November 4, 2016. This was the first time you could buy a selection of the songs. "Beat Bugs: The Complete Season Two" was also released on iTunes on November 18, 2016.
There are also two apps based on the show!
Beat Bugs: A Musical Adventure
A live musical stage show, Beat Bugs: A Musical Adventure, started playing in theaters in the United States in October 2018. The show is about 60 minutes long and features the characters trying to save Strawberry Fields from a stinkbug. It includes popular Beatles songs like "All You Need Is Love," "Come Together," and "Yellow Submarine."
See also
In Spanish: Beat Bugs para niños
