The Tofus

Infobox Television
show_name = The Tofus


caption = From left to right: Mom, Lola and Chichi, with Curly the Sheep in the background.
genre = Animation Children's television Comedy
voices = Aaron Grunfeld Brigid Tierney Maria Bircher Marcel Jeannin Sonja Ball Harry Standjofski Pauline Little Daniel Brochu Kayla Grunfeld Michael Yarmush Jesse Vinet
country = flagicon|Canada Canada
language = English, French, Turkish
num_seasons = 2
num_episodes = 26
producer = Danielle Marleau Bruno Bianchi
executive_producer = Olivier Dumont Jacques Pettigrew Jacqueline Tordjman Michel Lemire
runtime = 22 minutes (not including commercials)
network = Teletoon
first_aired = September 1, 2004
last_aired = January 1, 2007
website = http://www.teletoon.com/teletoon3/teletoon.php?language=en&brand=teletoon&init=chunk&func=php|templates/show.php|/tv/tofus/tofus_en.xml&xVar=
imdb_id = 0417369
tv_com_id = 42580

"The Tofus" ( _fr. Les Tofou) is an animated French and Canadian sitcom created by Fabrice de Costil and Bertrand Victor for Teletoon as one of its original productions. It is a satirical parody of the environmentalist lifestyle epitomized by its title family, which consists of Mom, Dad, Chichi, Lola, and Buba. The show is set in the fictional town of Beauvillage, and lampoons many aspects of the environmental movement, including environmental organizations, animal rights, and pacifism.

Since its debut on September 1, 2004, the program has aired twenty-six episodes over two seasons.

Production

"The Tofus" was co-produced by SIP Animation and CinéGroupe.cite web|author=SIP Animation|url=http://www.sipanimation.com/flash/eng/prod-01.html|title=SIP animation|accessdate=2007-05-23|date=] [cite web|author=CinéGroupe|url=http://www.cinegroupe.com/english_v2/filmo/filmo/index.html|title=CinéGroupe - TV series filmography|accessdate=2007-05-22|date=] It was directed by Bruno Bianchi with the assistance of Danielle Marleau and several other executive producers out of Maple Pictures Corp.,cite web|author=Téléfilm Canada|url=http://www.telefilm.gc.ca/04/652.asp?ch=t|title=Téléfilm Canada - Index des productions|accessdate=2007-05-22|date=] and scripted by twenty-six writers, including series creators Fabrice de Costil and Bertrand Victor. Original music was composed by Alain Garcia and Noam Kaniel.cite web|author=AnimeGuides|url=http://animeguides.free.fr/series/tofou/listing.htm|title=AnimeGuides - Les Tofou|accessdate=2007-05-25|date=]

Each episode of "The Tofus" was budgeted at US$230,000,cite web|author=Simon Ashdown|url=http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/magazine/20030601/upnext.html|title=KidScreen Magazine - Up Next: What's Developing in Kids Production|accessdate=2007-05-23|date=2003-06-01] and each thirty-minute time block was divided into two fifteen minute-long episodes. Production of the show began one year before it was incorporated into Teletoon's schedule, first airing in Canada on September 1, 2004. In addition to Teletoon Canada, SIP Animation also presold the series to the France 3, CITV, and Fox Kids Europe networks.

The first episode of France 3's French-language version of "The Tofus" premiered on January 3, 2005. As Fox Kids was sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2002, the program was broadcast under the new brand Jetix when it arrived in other European countries in 2006.

There were five main cast members who voiced "The Tofus". Aaron Grunfeld performed the voice of Chichi, while Brigid Tierney performed the voice of Lola. Maria Bircher played Mom, Marcel Jeannin voiced Pop, and Sonja Ball took the role of Buba. Additional voices were provided by Daniel Brochu, Harry Standjofski, Pauline Little, Kayla Grunfeld, Michael Yarmush, and Jesse Vinet. Script direction was overseen by Florence Sandis.

tory

Environmental activists Mom and Pop Tofu, concerned that their family is suffocating from urban routine, decide to move to a farmhouse in the town of Beauvillage and embrace a more natural way of life, much to the horror of their pre-teen children, Chichi and Lola, who would rather watch TV and go shopping than amuse themselves with Grandma Buba's animals: Curly the Sheep, Crackers the Rooster, and Suzie the Goat. The siblings must cope with their parents' ecology-friendly world vision and the humiliation that results from their efforts to encourage others to protect the environment.

The neighborhood that the family settles in is filled with electronically-able individuals, contrasting the Tofus' all-organic lifestyle. Unlike her mechanical-genius brother Chichi–who believes in peace within the family–Lola is more cynical and averse to being deemed oddballs in their new home, but occupies herself with her attraction to Billy Hubbub, the boy next door, despite his parents objections.

Characters

Chichi: On the surface, he seems meek, but Chichi is a creative and resourceful inventive genius gifted in technical and electronic skills. He can make a mobile phone out of a fixed up walkie-talkie, cleverly concealed to look like a stuffed toy or an ecologically-sound mini-car run on the speeds of farmhouse pets. He's learned to be shrewd and sly, in order to move round obstacles rather than try barreling straight through them. His cunning and craftiness are his talents he uses in everyday life. He's got something of a crush on "Candy" a local teen and classmate of his sister, "Lola" and is good friends with Phil and April. He resembles his mother and has blue eyes.

Lola: More mature and rational minded than her younger brother, who she feels completely grown up by comparison, Lola has been vastly more affected by her parents current decisions and esuring lifestyle. She finds comfort from the humiliations of everyday daily life in hanging out with boy next door "Billy Hubbub" or the understanding "Lily"

Reception

"The Tofus" was generally well-received by viewers. It has been called "a modern gloss on the classic family sitcom [that] aptly skewers the granola-munching righteousness of the eco-hippie archetype," and has been commended for its use of ecology as a unique background theme. "The Tofus" also received top audience ratings among the France 3 Youth Programs in 2005.

Episode list

eason 1

eason 2

References

* [http://www.teletoon.com/teletoon3/teletoon.php?language=en&brand=teletoon&init=chunk&func=php|templates/show.php|/tv/tofus/tofus_en.xml&xVar= Official episode guide @ teletoon.com.] Retrieved May 22, 2007.

External links

* [http://www.teletoon.com/teletoon3/teletoon.php?language=en&brand=teletoon&init=chunk&func=php|templates/show.php|/tv/tofus/tofus_en.xml&xVar= Teletoon's official "The Tofus" page]
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