Madeline (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Madeline
Genre	Children's television series
Directed by	Stanley Phillips
Starring	Andrea Libman Stevie Vallance French Tickner David Morse Tara Strong Britt Irvin Chantal Strand
Narrated by	Christopher Plummer
Composer(s)	Andy Street (score, songs, music) Judy Rothman (lyrics)
Country of origin	United States (Original pilot and TV series) Canada (Original pilot and remaining TV specials) France (Original pilot and remaining TV specials)
Original language(s)	English French
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	59 (and 6 specials)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Andy Heyward Michael Maliani Robby London Saul Cooper Pancho Kohner
Producer(s)	Neil Steinberg Mark Bacino
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	DIC Entertainment, L.P. Cinar (Specials 2–6) France Animation (Specials 2–6)
Distributor	United States DIC Entertainment Internationally ABC Distribution Company (Seasons 1-2) Buena Vista International Television (Season 3)
Release
Original network	United States HBO (Pilot) The Family Channel (Remaining 5 specials and Season 1) ABC (Season 2) Disney Channel (Playhouse Disney) (Season 3) Canada Global Television Network Radio-Canada Canal Famille TFO France Canal+ (Pilot) France 3 (Specials 2–6) TF1
Picture format	4:3 (SDTV)
Original release	September 12, 1993 (1993-09-12) – February 28, 2001 (2001-02-28)

Madeline is a French-Canadian-American television series produced by DIC Entertainment, L.P., part of the Madeline media franchise. It began as a series of six television specials from 1988 to 1991, and then was continued as Madeline and The New Adventures of Madeline from 1993 to 2001.

Background

In 1960, the Madeline stories were adapted to a one-hour color episode for the NBC series The Shirley Temple Show. Madeline was played by Gina Gillespie, child actor Michel Petit played Pepito, and Imogene Coca portrayed Miss Clavel. It was Madeline's first appearance on television. The episode has been released to DVD.

Characters

• Madeline (Tracey Lee Smythe: season 1; Andrea Libman: seasons 2–3; Marsha Moreau: specials)
• Miss Clavel (Judith Orban: specials; Louise Vallance: seasons 1–3)
• Chloe (Anik Matern: specials; Vanessa King: seasons 1–2; Veronika Sztopa: season 3)
• Nicole (Kristin Fairlie: season 1; Veronika Sztopa: season 2; Britt Irvin: season 3; Sonja Ball: specials)
• Marie (Sonja Ball: seasons 1–2)
• Pepito (Julian Bailey: specials; A.J. Bond: season 1; David Morse: season 2; Michael Monroe Heyward: season 3; Kyle Labine)
• Genevieve (Louise Vallance: seasons 1–2)
• Danielle (Liz MacRae: specials; Kelly Sheridan: season 1; Tracey Lee Smythe: season 2; Chantal Strand: season 3)
• Lord Cucuface (French Tickner)
• Narrator (Christopher Plummer: specials; seasons 1–2; Christopher Gaze: season 3)

Cast

Main

• Marsha Moreau as Madeline (Specials), Lulu (Current)
• Tracey-Lee Smyth as Madeline (Season 1), Danielle (Season 2), Yvette (Current)
• Andrea Libman as Madeline (Seasons 2–3), (Current)
• Louise Vallance as Miss Clavel (Current) and Genevieve (Seasons 2–3)
• Kelly Sheridan as Danielle (Season 1-Current)
• Chantal Strand as Danielle (Season 3), Ellie (Current)
• Sonja Ball as Nicole (Specials), Nona (Current)
• Liz MacRae as Danielle (Specials), Anne (Current)
• Anik Matern as Chloe (Specials), Monique (Current)
• A.J. Bond as Pepito (Season 1)
• David Morse as Pepito (Season 2)
• Kyle Labine as Pepito (Season 3)
• Michael Heyward as Pepito (Season 3), (Current)
• Vanessa King as Chloe (Seasons 1–2), (Current)
• Veronika Sztopa as Nicole (Season 2), Chloe (Season 3), Sylvie (Current)
• Kristin Fairlie as Nicole (Season 1), Janine
• Britney Irvin as Nicole (Season 3), (Current)
• French Tickner as Lord Cucuface
• Christopher Plummer as the Narrator (Seasons 1–2)
• Christopher Gaze as the Narrator (Season 3)

Additional voices

Television specials (1988–1991)

In 1988, DIC Enterprises and Cinar (now part of WildBrain) adapted the first book into an animated television special for HBO. The screenplay was written by Judy Rothman, who was writer, lyricist and story editor for nearly all subsequent Madeline animated projects. The special was narrated by Christopher Plummer, and featured original music and songs by veteran Sesame Street songwriter and composer Joe Raposo with lyrics by Judy Rothman. The special was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (One Hour or Less). In 1990, the special was released onto VHS by Hi-Tops Video.

Between 1990 and 1991, CINAR and France Animation produced animated adaptations of the other five original books for The Family Channel, with Christopher Plummer returning as the narrator and Marsha Moreau returning to voice Madeline. Each special featured new songs, with lyrics by Rothman and music by Jeffrey Zahn, who replaced Raposo after his death in 1989. "I'm Madeline", Madeline's theme song from the original special, was reprised. The specials were released on video by Golden Book Video.

Television series (1993–2001)

In 1993, DIC produced a Madeline television series, which also aired on the Family Channel. Twenty episodes were produced for the first series. Christopher Plummer reprised his role as narrator again and "I'm Madeline" was the series' theme song, but most of the voice actors were replaced. The series was rerun on Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney and Toon Disney in the U.S. It features new songs with music by Andy Street (who replaced Jeffrey Zahn) and lyrics by Rothman, but compared to the previous TV specials, the first series onwards would only feature one song per episode in addition to the aforementioned theme songs.

In 1995, an additional 13 episodes were produced by DIC for ABC under the title The New Adventures of Madeline. A new theme song, called "Hats Off to Madeline", was used as the new opening theme, with the music by Andy Street with lyrics by Judy Rothman. although some early airings of those episodes however featured "I'm Madeline" but sung by the new voice cast. The new voice cast included Andrea Libman as the title character, S. Louise Vallance as both Miss Clavel and Genevieve, and David Morse from Maple Ridge, Canada as Pepito.

Between 2000 and 2001, DIC produced 26 episodes for Disney Channel. "Hats off to Madeline" was re-sung by the cast and was used as the intro theme again (the Lions Gate VHS's and DVDs from 2001, alongside both Sing-a-Longs, had a different song titled "Our Madeline"). Christopher Gaze took over from Christopher Plummer as narrator. The show won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program.

Madeline was shown on KOL Secret Slumber Party on CBS between Fall 2006 and 2007.

Broadcast and home video rights to all of the DIC/CINAR Madeline episodes/specials/telefilm/direct-to-video film are owned by WildBrain, as of September 23, 2019.

The series aired on Qubo from October 6, 2018 to February 22, 2021.

Episodes

Season 1 (1993–1994)

Season 2 (1995)

Season 3 (2000–2001)

Films (1999–2005)

Madeline: Lost in Paris (1999)

On August 3, 1999, Buena Vista Home Video through Walt Disney Home Video released the feature-length movie Madeline: Lost in Paris. featuring Madeline being drawn into a scam by her supposed "Uncle" Horst and finding the true meaning to the word "family". As with Season 2 and eventually Season 3 of the series, Andrea Libman reprised her role as Madeline.

The movie was later released on DVD in 2010 by Shout! Factory.

My Fair Madeline (2002)

In 2002, as part of the DIC Movie Toons series of Television films, DIC produced My Fair Madeline, where Madeline is falsely accused of misbehavior on a trip to the Louvre and is sent to a London Finishing School, while attempting to foil the plot of two thieves. The voice cast was almost entirely replaced for the movie, with Chantal Strand voicing Madeline and most notably featuring Whoopi Goldberg as Miss Clavel.

The movie originally aired on November 17, 2002 on Nickelodeon and was later released onto VHS and DVD by MGM Home Entertainment followed on with international airings on Disney Channel, Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney.

Madeline in Tahiti (2005)

In 2005, DIC produced another film, titled Madeline in Tahiti, which is the final Madeline production to have been created. The movie features Madeline and her friends going on a vacation to Tahiti to stop Miss Clavel from retiring, with Pepito sneaking along, as well as stopping a villainess plot to erupt the Tahiti-nui Volcano. Chantel Strand reprised her role as Madeline while other characters were recast or reprised their roles from My Fair Madeline.

The movie was originally going to be released on DVD in the United States by Walt Disney Home Entertainment in 2006, but this release never saw the light of day. It was, however, released on DVD in some regions in 2007 through other distributors, and was eventually released in the United States on iTunes and Amazon Video in 2015.

Sing-a-Longs

In 2001, DIC produced two Direct-to-Video releases which featured songs and clips from Season 3 of the series akin to Disney's Sing-Along Songs series, which were titled Sing-a-Long with Madeline and her Friends and Sing-a-Long Around the World with Madeline.

They were originally released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment and Trimark Home Video on September 25, 2001 and March 25, 2002 respectively, and later reissued together by Mill Creek Entertainment as Madeline's Merry Musical Melodies on September 10, 2013 as well as being available for digital download.

Home media releases

The 1993 series was originally released by Golden Book Video on all single VHS volumes, and Sony Wonder on both VHS and DVD. The DVD versions contained 2 episodes each, sometimes with the original specials.

The 2000 series was released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment and Trimark Home Video in 2001 and 2002 on all VHS and DVD sets.

In 2008, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released 2 DVDs titled "Next Stop, America" and "Meet Me in Paris", each containing 3 episodes.

In 2010, Shout! Factory released 5 single-disc collections of the series.

On September 10, 2013, Mill Creek Entertainment released 3 single disc collections featuring content from the animated series as well as the original TV specials. The New Adventures of Madeline- Adventures in Paris contains 6 episodes from the 2000 series, while Madeline's Merry Musical Melodies features various musical interludes from the animated series. Bonjour Madeline contains all 6 original TV specials.

On May 13, 2014, Mill Creek re-released the three single disc collections together in one three-pack set.

On August 4, 2015, Mill Creek Entertainment released Madeline: The Complete Collection on DVD in Region 1 for the first time. This six-disc collection features all six original specials produced by DIC Entertainment and CINAR between 1988 and 1991, as well as all 59 episodes from the Madeline TV series (1993, 1995, 2000–2001).