Recess (TV series): Difference between revisions
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[[Category:Children's rights works]] |
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Revision as of 06:27, 5 June 2014
| Recess | |
|---|---|
| File:Recess poster toon.jpg The main characters of the series. From left to right, Vince, Spinelli, Mikey, TJ, Gretchen, and Gus. | |
| Created by | Paul Germain Joe Ansolabehere |
| Starring | Ross Malinger (1997–1998) Andrew Lawrence (1998–2001) Rickey D'Shon Collins Ashley Johnson Pamela Adlon Jason Davis Courtland Mead April Winchell Dabney Coleman Allyce Beasley Ryan O'Donohue Toran Caudell Erik von Detten Blake McIver Ewing Anndi McAfee Helen Slayton-Hughes (1999–2001) |
| Composer | Denis M. Hannigan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (127 segments) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | Walt Disney Television Animation Paul & Joe Productions (Seasons 5&6) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC (ABC Kids) UPN (Disney's One Too) |
| Release | August 31, 1997 – November 5, 2001 |
Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere (credited as "Paul and Joe") and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation.[1] The series focuses on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers. The title refers to the period of time during the school day in which children are not in lessons and are outside in the schoolyard, in North American society. One of the main features of the series is how the children form their own society, complete with government and a class structure, set against the backdrop of a regular school.
Recess first aired on ABC from 1997 through to 2001, and reruns aired on Disney Channel in the United States. The success of the series saw it being distributed to numerous countries around the world, notably the United Kingdom, where it aired on multiple channels including Toon Disney and Disney Channel UK. In 2001, Walt Disney Pictures released the first of two films based on the series, Recess: School's Out, which was distributed theatrically. It was followed by a direct-to-video second film entitled Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street that same year. In 2003, a third film entitled Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade was released, along with Recess: All Growed Down. Both were also direct-to-video. The characters also made an appearance in an episode of Disney's Lilo & Stitch: The Series.
Premise
Recess portrays the lives of six Arkansas fourth graders — mischievous prankster and leader of the little "gang" T.J. Detweiler, hot-headed tomboy Ashley Spinelli, popular jock Vince LaSalle, awkward genius Gretchen Grundler, gentle giant Mikey Blumberg and upbeat yet unlucky military brat Gus Griswald — as they go about their daily lives in a highly clichéd school environment at Third Street Elementary School, where students have set up a microcosm of traditional human society complete with its own government, class system, and set of unwritten laws. They are ruled by a monarch, a sixth grader named King Bob, who has various enforcers to make sure his decrees are carried out. The little society has a long list of rigid values and social norms that imposes a high expectation of conformity upon all the students.
Recess is illustrated to be a symbol of freedom — a time when children can express themselves and develop meaningful relationships. Most episodes involve one or more of the main six characters seeking a rational balance between individuality and social order. They are often defending their freedom against perceived threats by adults and school administration or social norms. The group's leader, T.J. Detweiler, tends to have the most complete vision of this struggle, though even he has times when he inadvertently leads the group too far toward an extreme of conformity or non-conformity, and needs to be drawn back to even ground by his loyal friends.
The show's introductory music, art design and style often evoked the feel of prison escape movies such as The Great Escape, and the playground hierarchy and school administration were often depicted in ways that paid homage to common themes in such films. Additionally, many episodes parody classic films such as Good Will Hunting, 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Few Good Men.
Production
Recess first premiered on ABC on August 31, 1997, as a "sneak preview", and later transmissioned to ABC's Disney's One Saturday Morning programming block on September 13, 1997. Recess's success spawned two direct-to video-titles and one theatrical film, Recess: School's Out, which was released on February 16, 2001.[2]
The series was ended in 2001, and Disney stopped airing new episodes after November 5, 2001, but still continued to show episodes on ABC's One Saturday Morning until 2002 and UPN's Disney's One Too programming blocks until 2003 when both blocks were phased out. Re-runs also aired on ABC Kids until September 2004 (when the block turned into an all Disney Channel line-up), as well as Disney Channel from 2003 to 2006, and then 2009 to 2010, Toon Disney from 2003 to 2009 (when the channel ceased operations), and Disney XD from 2009 to 2012. This show is one of the few Disney television shows to be aired on all three major Disney networks. The show was aired every day on Disney Cinemagic in the UK until the network's closure in 2013. On October 26, 2011, Recess reruns ran again on Disney XD, however reruns only lasted that one week.
Characters
Major cast
| Actor(s) | Role |
|---|---|
| Ross Malinger Andrew Lawrence Myles Jeffrey |
T.J. Detweiler |
| Pamela Segall Adlon | Ashley Spinelli |
| Rickey D'Shon Collins | Vince LaSalle |
| Ashley Johnson | Gretchen Grundler |
| Courtland Mead | Gus Griswald |
| Jason Davis Robert Goulet |
Mikey Blumberg |
| April Winchell | Miss Muriel Finster |
| Ryan O'Donohue | Randall Weems, Digger Dave |
| Dabney Coleman | Peter Prickly |
| Erik von Detten | Erwin Lawson |
| Allyce Beasley | Miss Grotke |
| Blake Ewing | Menlo, Douglas |
| Toran Caudell | King Bob |
| Anndi McAfee | Ashley Armbruster |
| Francesca Smith | Ashley Boulet, Swinger Girl, Upside-down Girl |
| Rachel Crane | Ashley Quinlan |
| Camille Winbush | Ashley Tomasian |
| Corey Quebedeaux | Big Kwibbie |
| Klee Bragger | Digger Sam |
| Kath Soucie | Butch |
Minor cast
| Actor(s) | Role |
|---|---|
| Michael Shulman | Hustler Kid (Francis) |
| Aria Curzon | Cornchip Girl (Theresa Levern Lamaize) |
| Klee Bragger | Sam, Phil (Seasons one to five), Guru Kid (Seasons one to four) |
| Ryan O'Donohue | Dave |
| Elizabeth Daily | Sticky, Emma, Rigalli, and Hector (Season three onwards) |
| Eddie Deezen | Knarf (Frank) |
| Pamela Hayden | Evets (Steve) |
| Sam McMurray | General Griswald and Bob Spinelli |
| Jason Davis | Tubby |
| Tress MacNeille | Miss Lemon, Lunchlady Irma, and Bus Driver Bertha |
| John Astin | Superintendent Skinner |
| Patrick Renna | Jerome |
| Ronnie Schell | Mayor Philip Fitzhugh |
| Justin Shenkarow | Jordan |
| Katey Sagal | Flo Spinelli |
| Mayim Bialik | Kurst the Worst |
| Andrea Martin | Lunchlady Harriet |
| Ed Asner | Thadeus T. Third V |
| Paul Willson | Coach, Mr. Kelso, T.J.'s dad |
| Warren Sroka | Mundy |
| Martin Mull | Principal (Peter) Prickly |
| Eric Idle | Galileo |
| Benjamin Diskin | Various |
| Christine Cavanaugh | Library Kid, Greta Grobler, Sue Bob Murphy (Season two only), Female Digger |
| Frank Welker | Various animals |
| Kath Soucie | Butch, Hector (Season two), Cindy, Sue Bob Murphy (Season four onwards) |
| Alex McKenna | C.J. Rotweiler |
| Danny Cooksey | Skeens (Season five onwards) |
| Tara Strong | Becky Benson |
| Kevin Michael Richardson | Vince's Dad (Episode: Me No Know) |
| Sheryl Lee Ralph | Vince's Mom |
| Kenny Blank | Chad LaSalle, Cheay |
Episodes
| Season | Ep # | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 26 | September 13, 1997 | January 17, 1998 |
| Season 2 | 25 | September 12, 1998 | February 27, 1999 |
| Season 3 | 16 | September 11, 1999 | January 22, 2000 |
| Season 4 | 46 | September 12, 2000 | July 17, 2001 |
| Season 5 | 9 | September 9, 2001 | January 6, 2002 |
| Season 6 | 5 | October 31, 2002 | November 5, 2003 |
Reception
The show was generally well received critically and is widely regarded as a cult classic. The show also did well commercially and was one of the longest running shows on the Saturday morning lineup for Disney programming.
Movies
Recess: School's Out
Recess: School's Out is an animated film directed by Chuck Sheetz and is based on the television series where the characters must intercept a gang of anti-recess terrorists plotting to bring about a new ice age to eliminate the institution of recess. The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and was released theatrically nationwide on February 16, 2001.
Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade
Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade is a Disney direct-to-video animated film released on December 9, 2003.
Lilo & Stitch
Lilo & Stitch featured an episode titled Lax, which included the TV series Recess, when T.J. and the gang go on a school vacation to Hawaii.
Disaster strikes when an imprisoned alien called Dr. Hamstervil and his henchman, a giant alien named Gantu try to use an escaped alien experiment to make everyone relaxed while he takes over the world. Luckily, Gretchen (from Recess) saves the day, since she believes work is relaxing.
DVD releases
Recess: School's Out
(Released August 7, 2001)[3]
It is an animated film based on the television series. This film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures, and released to movie theatres in 2001.
Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street
(Released November 6, 2001)[4]
It is a Disney direct-to-video animated film. It compiles four unrelated episodes, including the program's Christmas special "Yes Mikey, Santa Does Shave."
- Episodes
- Principal For a Day
- The Great Can Drive
- Weekend At Muriel's'
- Yes Mikey, Santa Does Shave
Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade
(Released December 9, 2003)[5]
It is a Disney direct-to-video animated film.
Recess: All Growed Down
(Released December 9, 2003)[6]
It is a Disney direct-to-video animated film. It compiles four unrelated episodes.
- Episodes
- The Legend of Big Kid
- Wild Child
- The Kindergarten Derby
- All Growed Down (un-aired episode)
- Bonus DVD Episodes titled as "Fans' 3 Favorite Episodes"
- The Challenge
- The Story of Whomps
- One Stayed Clean
Worldwide media release
- Disney Channel(2003-2010)
- Seven Network 1999-2010
- Disney Channel 2003-present
- Toon Disney 2002-2009
- Disney XD 2011-2013
- Family Channel (1997–2011)
- Disney Channel (2006-2013)
- Toon Disney (2005-2007)
- Disney XD (2009-2012)
- American Broadcasting Company (1997–2001) (re-runs, 2001–2005)
- UPN (1999-2001) (re-runs, 2001–2003)
- Disney Channel (re-runs, 2003–2010)
- Toon Disney (re-runs, 2003–2009)
- Jet X (re-runs, 2009–2010, October 27 2011–October 28, 2012)
- Azteca 7 (as "Recreo")
- Disney Channel (as "Recreo")
- SBT (as "Hora do Recreio" 2000, 2001–2003)
- Disney Channel (as "Hora do Recreio" 2000–2003)
- Canal 13 (as "Recreo")
- Disney Channel (as "Recreo")
- Disney Channel (1997–2011)
- ITV (1998–2005)
- Toon Disney (2000–2006)
- Disney Cinemagic (2007–2013)
- Disney XD (2010-2012)
- The Den (2003-2004)
- SIC (as "Recreio" 2003)
- Disney Channel (as "Recreio" 2001–2008, 2012–present)
- Disney Cinemagic (as "Recreio" 2008–2012)
- TVE1 (as "La Banda del Patio")
- Disney Channel (as "La Banda del Patio")
- Toon Disney (as La Banda del Patio)
- Disney Cinemagic (as "La Banda del Patio")
- TF1 (as La Cour de récré 1999–2006)
- France 4 (as "La Cour de récré")
- Disney Channel (as "La Cour de récré")
- Toon Disney (as "La Cour de récré")
- Disney Cinemagic (as "La Cour de récré")
- Disney Hour on Sony Channel (2000–2004)
- Disney Channel (2004–2011)
- Disney Channel (as "RicreAzione")
- RTL (as "Große Pause")
- Super RTL (as "Große Pause")
- Disney Channel (as "Große Pause")
- Toon Disney (as "Große Pause")
- Kabel eins (as "Große Pause")
- Disney XD (as "Het Speelplein")
- Disney Channel (as "Het Speelplein")
Denmark
- Disney Channel (as "Frikvarter")
- Toon Disney (as "Frikvarter")
- Disney XD (as "Frikvarter")
Sweden
- Disney Channel (as "Rasten")
- Toon Disney (as "Rasten")
- Disney XD (as "Rasten")
Norway
- Disney Channel (as "Friminutt")
- MTV3 (as "Disneyn Välitunti")
- Toon Disney (as "Disneyn Välitunti")
- Disney XD (as "Disneyn Välitunti")
Poland
- Disney Channel (as "Byle do przerwy" 2006–2009, 2012–present)
Hungary
- Jetix (as "Szünet")
- Disney Channel (as "Szünet")
Czech Republic
- ČT2 (as "Přestávka" 2012–present)
- Disney Channel (as "Přestávka" 2012–present)
Russia
- Channel One (as "Переменка" ("Peremenka"), 2001)
Bulgaria
- BNT 1 (as Голямото междучасие)
- Disney Channel (as Голямото междучасие)
Greece
- ET1 (as "Το διάλειμμα")
- Disney Channel (as "Το διάλειμμα")
Turkey
- TRT 1 (as "Disney'in Teneffüs Zili")
- Disney Channel (as "Disney'in Teneffüs Zili")
Taiwan(Republic of China)
- Disney Channel (as "下課後")
Japan
- Disney Channel (as "リセス ・ ～ぼくらの休み時間～")
- Toon Disney (as "リセス ・ ～ぼくらの休み時間～")
- Disney XD (as "リセス ・ ～ぼくらの休み時間～")
Asia Pacific
See also
References
- ^ Mifflin, Lawrie (August 11, 1997). "Cable Chief Tries to Bring Cool Into Disney Children's TV". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ^ Mitchell, Elvis (February 16, 2001). "As Seen on TV: Making the World Safe for Vacations". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ^ Amazon.com: Recess - School's Out: Rickey D'Shon Collins, Jason Davis, Ashley Johnson, Andrew Lawrence, Courtland Mead, Pamela Adlon, Dabney Coleman, Robert Goulet, Melissa Jo...
- ^ Amazon.com: Recess Christmas - Miracle on Third Street: Andrew Lawrence, Rickey D'Shon Collins, Jason Davis, Ashley Johnson, Courtland Mead, Pamela Adlon, Allyce Beasley, Apri...
- ^ Amazon.com: Recess - Taking The Fifth Grade: Ross Malinger, Andrew Lawrence, Justin Shenkarow, Elizabeth Daily, Andrea Martin, Tress MacNeille, Katey Sagal, Kath Soucie, Joel ...
- ^ Amazon.com: Recess - All Growed Down: Ross Malinger, Andrew Lawrence, Justin Shenkarow, Elizabeth Daily, Andrea Martin, Tress MacNeille, Katey Sagal, Kath Soucie, Joel Morgan,...
External links
- ABC Kids
- Jetix
- Disney XD shows
- Television shows set in the United States
- Television shows set in California
- 1997 American television series debuts
- 2003 American television series endings
- 1990s American animated television series
- 2000s American animated television series
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- Disney animated television series
- Television series by Buena Vista Television
- Television series by Disney
- Disney Channel shows
- Family Channel shows
- Recess (TV series)
- American children's comedy series
- First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
- UPN network shows
- Children's rights works