The World of Happy Planet

**The World of Happy Planet** (French: *Les Vacances de Piwi*) is a Canadian-French CGI animated musical children's television show for preschoolers, produced by DKP Effects, EnSky Studios, Télétoon/Piwi, and SPARX Animation Studios. It aired on Télé-Québec in Canada and on France 5 in France from 2002 to 2003.

It was also aired on TFO in Canada and on Playhouse Disney and Piwi in France from 2003 to 2004 alongside Drawing Time with Happy Planet and Move with Mimik that they're both seen after the show.

## Main Characters

* **Sunny** (Soleil in French, voiced by Naïke Fauveau in French and Stephanie Beard/Andrea Libman in English) is a 3-year-old female happy planet with sunshine yellow colored body and amber colored rays. She is always cheerful and happy. She represents the color yellow. She is represented by suns.
* **Greedy** (Gourmand in French, voiced by Brigitte Guedj in French and Linda Ballantyne/Tabitha St. Germain in English) is a 6-year-old male happy planet with amber colored body and kiwi green colored bubbles. He is always greedy and silly. He represents the color orange. He is represented by carrots.
* **Sparkle** (Étoile in French, voiced by Caroline Combes in French and Tracey Hoyt/Britt McKillip in English) is a 6-year-old female happy planet with magenta colored body and sunshine yellow colored feathers. She is always cute and pretty with her starry makeup. She represents the color violet. She is represented by stars.
* **Dizzy** (Radar in French, voiced by Valérie Lecot in French and Julie Lemieux/Chiara Zanni in English) is an 8-year-old male happy planet with violet colored body and crimson colored satellites. He is always energetic and silly. He represents the color indigo. He is represented by planets.
* **Stretchy** (Ventouse in French, voiced by Fily Keita in French and Aaryn Doyle/Chantal Strand in English) is a 7-year-old female happy planet with kiwi green colored body and crimson colored suction cups. She is always sweet and gentle. She represents the color green. She is represented by four leaf clovers.
* **Springy** (Ressort in French, voiced by Sauvane Delanoë in French and Alexandra Lai/Janyse Jaud in English) is a 9-year-old female happy planet with crimson colored body and indigo colored springs. She is always adorable and friendly. She represents the color red. She is represented by hearts.
* **Sprayer** (Peinture in French, voiced by Blanche Ravalec in French and Susan Roman/Kathleen Barr in English) is a 5-year-old male happy planet with turquoise blue colored body and sunshine yellow colored spray tanks. He is always creative and imaginative. He represents the color blue. He is represented by rainbows.

## Secondary Characters

* **Brooklyn** (Béthanie in French, voiced by Naïke Fauveau in French and Stephanie Beard/Andrea Libman in English) is a 5-year-old girl with fair skin, sunshine yellow hair in two pigtails, and turquoise blue eyes. She wears a magenta t-shirt, a violet skirt, and magenta shoes.
* **Bailey** (Billy in French, voiced by Brigitte Guedj in French and Linda Ballantyne/Tabitha St. Germain in English) is a 5-year-old boy with tanned brown skin, chocolate hair, and chocolate eyes. He wears a sunshine yellow t-shirt with short amber sleeves, an amber pairs of shorts, and sunshine yellow shoes with amber on the sides.
* **Emily** (Éloïse in French, voiced by Caroline Combes in French and Tracey Hoyt/Britt McKillip in English) is a 5-year-old girl with fair skin, chocolate hair, and turquoise blue eyes. She wears a kiwi green t-shirt, a sunshine yellow skirt, and kiwi green shoes.
* **Jonah** (Joël in French, voiced by Valérie Lecot in French and Julie Lemieux/Chiara Zanni in English) is a 5-year-old boy with fair skin, chocolate hair, and kiwi green eyes. He wears a violet t-shirt, indigo pairs of shorts, and violet shoes.
* **Angie** (Alice in French, voiced by Fily Keita in French and Aaryn Doyle/Chantal Strand in English) is a 5-year-old girl with tanned brown skin, chocolate hair, and kiwi green eyes. She wears a turquoise blue t-shirt, a magenta skirt, and turquoise blue shoes.
* **Savannah** (Samantha in French, voiced by Sauvane Delanoë in French and Alexandra Lai/Janyse Jaud in English) is a 5-year-old girl with fair skin, fiery red hair, and kiwi green eyes. She also wears an amber t-shirt, a crimson skirt, and amber shoes.
* **William** (Willy in French, voiced by Blanche Ravalec in French and Susan Roman/Kathleen Barr in English) is a 5-year-old boy with fair skin, chocolate hair, and turquoise blue eyes. He wears a white t-shirt with short turquoise blue sleeves, turquoise blue pairs of shorts, and white shoes with turquoise blue on the sides.
* **Maureen Straub** (Maïa Claire in French, voiced by Lucile Boulanger in French and Anna Cummer/Kelly Metzger in English) is a teenage girl with fair skin, chocolate hair, and kiwi green eyes. She also wears a scarlet and sunshine yellow t-shirt, kiwi green and sunshine yellow pairs of shorts, and scarlet and sunshine yellow shoes.
* **Mimik** is a female adult with fair skin, black hair, and kiwi green eyes. She wears a sunshine yellow t-shirt, scarlet overalls, sunshine yellow pairs of shorts, and scarlet socks.
* **The Great Soul** (La Grande Âme in French, voiced by Magali Barney in French and Venus Terzo/Lenore Zann in English) is the majestic humanoid rainbow queen of Happy Planet surrounded with all the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet). She makes the happy planets come to life with her great powers.
* **Mecha Boom Heroes** (Héros Mécha Boum in French, voiced by Magali Barney in French and Stevie Vallance/Saffron Henderson in English) are the seven superhero clones that they can transform into vehicles.
* **Little Gelatos** (Petits Gélatos in French, voiced by Lara Saarbach in French and Katie Griffin/Brittney Wilson in English) are the six humanoid ice cream toddlers with sweet scented flavors. Their names are Belle (strawberry), Mireille (cherry), Leon (pistachio), Simeon (mango), Camille (vanilla), and Marie (chocolate).

## Guest Stars

* **Little Christmas Gelatos** (Petits Gélatos de Noël in French, voiced by Lara Saarbach in French and Katie Griffin/Brittney Wilson in English)
* **Santa Claus** (Père Noël in French, voiced by Roger Carel in French and Rick Moranis/Brian Drummond in English)
* **Mrs. Claus** (La Mme Claus in French, voiced by Annabelle Roux in French and Rebecca Brenner/Nicole Bouma in English)
* **Coco the Little Fairy** (Coco la petite fée in French, voiced by Naïke Fauveau in French and Stephanie Beard/Andrea Libman in English)
* **Little Prince Henry** (Petit prince Hénri in French, voiced by Brigitte Guedj in French and Linda Ballantyne/Tabitha St. Germain in English)
* **Sophie the Little Mermaid** (Sophie la petite sirène in French, voiced by Caroline Combes in French and Tracey Hoyt/Britt McKillip in English)
* **Don the Little Seahorse** (Don le petit hippocampe in French, voiced by Valérie Lecot in French and Julie Lemieux/Chiara Zanni in English)
* **Molly the Little Unicorn** (Molly la petite licorne in French, voiced by Fily Keita in French and Aaryn Doyle/Chantal Strand in English)
* **Little Princess Penelope** (Petite princesse Pénélope in French, voiced by Sauvane Delanoë in French and Alexandra Lai/Janyse Jaud in English)
* **Jordan the Little Dragon** (Jordan le petit dragon in French, voiced by Blanche Ravalec in French and Susan Roman/Kathleen Barr in English)
* **Aikka the Little Bee** (Aikka le petit abeille in French, voiced by Roger Carel in French and Rick Moranis/Brian Drummond in English)

## Episodes

### Season 1 (2002)

1. *Be My Friend* (*Sois mon amie* in French; July 9, 2002)
2. *Super Rangers to the Rescue!* (*Les Super Rangers à la rescousse !* in French; August 11, 2002)
3. *Sunny and the Green Ghost* (*Soleil et le Fantôme vert* in French; August 25, 2002)
4. *The Dance Show* (*Le Spectacle de danse* in French; September 8, 2002)
5. *The Happy Dance Party* (*La Fête de danse heureuse* in French; September 22, 2002)
6. *The Love of Springy and Greedy* (*L'Amour de Ressort et Gourmand* in French; October 10, 2002)
7. *The Happy Love of Sparkle and Dizzy* (*L'Amour heureux d'Étoile et Radar* in French; October 19, 2002)
8. *The Firefly Dance* (*La Danse des lucioles* in French; October 25, 2002)
9. *The Life of Lemons* (*La Vie des citrons* in French; November 3, 2002)
10. *Super Rangers are Striking Back!* (*Les Super Rangers ripostent !* in French; November 17, 2002)
11. *The Life of Bananas* (*La Vie des bananes* in French; November 31, 2002)
12. *Doctor Angie* (*Docteur Alice* in French; December 12, 2002)
13. *Bailey's Canoe* (*Le Canoë de Billy* in French; December 14, 2002)

### Season 2 (2003)

1. *Greedy's Chocolate Cake* (*Le Gâteau au chocolat de Gourmand* in French; January 10, 2003)
2. *Yippee! Maureen is Here!* (*Youpi ! Maïa est là !* in French; January 20, 2003)
3. *Echo, Echo* (*Écho, Écho* in French; February 10, 2003)
4. *William's Books* (*Les Livres de Willy* in French; February 20, 2003)
5. *Emily's Shadow* (*Le Ombre d'Éloïse* in French; March 10, 2003)
6. *Jonah's Rainbow* (*L'Arc-en-ciel de Joël* in French; March 20, 2003)
7. *Hide-and-Seek Game* (*Jeu de cache-cache* in French; March 30, 2003)
8. *Little Gelatos' Sunset* (*Le Lever de Soleil des Petits Gélatos* in French; April 10, 2003)
9. *Mecha Boom Heroes to the Rescue!* (*Les Héros Mécha Boum à la rescousse !* in French; April 20, 2003)
10. *Savannah's Dream* (*Le Rêve de Samantha* in French; May 10, 2003)
11. *A Symphony for Maureen* (*Une symphonie pour Maïa* in French; May 20, 2003)
12. *Goodbye, Mecha Boom Heroes!* (*Adieu, Héros Mécha Boum !* in French; May 30, 2003)
13. *You're Always With Me* (*Tu es toujours avec moi* in French; June 8, 2003)

## Music

**Opening Themes**

1. "Le Monde de Piwi (Instrumental)" (Season 1; eps 1-13)
2. "Le Thème de Piwi" by AKAD pour Five Music (Season 2; eps 14-26)

**Ending Themes**

1. "Sautecroche (Instrumental)" (Season 1; eps 1-13)
2. "Le Danse de Piwi" by AKAD pour Five Music (Season 2; eps 14-26)

## Production

Created in late 2001 and aired in mid-2002 in Quebec and France, it was the Canadian-French CGI animated musical children's TV show for preschoolers.

The show was produced by DKP Effects in Toronto, Canada, EnSky Studios in Montreal, Quebec, and SPARX Animation Studios in Paris, France.

The show was created in LightWave 3D, Discreet 3ds Max, Messiah, Alias Wavefront Maya, Kaydara MotionBuilder, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, RealFlow, Discreet Logic Flame, Discreet Logic Inferno, Discreet Logic Lustre, Video Toaster, Avid DS, Discreet Logic Smoke, and Butterfly Net Render for CGI animation and visual effects.

It was then dubbed into two English language releases; one for first version in mid-2004, and one for the second version in mid-2006.

## Dubbing

The first Canadian English version was recorded in Toronto. It was first aired on Canadian television on Kids' CBC and Treehouse TV.

For the second Canadian English version, the script was re-written; characters kept the same names, and different dialogue was used. Segments and references specific to European children's culture were also used.

## Fun Facts

In mid-2004, Disney Store began to have merchandise and to show clips from the television show, mostly products and clips on TV. They were only shown in Europe, Australia, Latin America, and Canada.

## Trivia

* Adorable LightWave CGI animation, for 2002 standards, which is wonderfully animated by Sean Maynard.

* The mascots and the kids are all very cartoony, different, realistic and likable characters that they work very well together as a quintet in Season 1 and a septet in Season 2.

* Anime-esque, cute and original character designs.

* Promotes creativity and imagination for preschoolers.

* The inventive plot of five friends pretending to be whatever they want in their own planet.

* Catchy songs, such as the theme songs, the original songs, the character songs, and uses unique genres of music for each seven of them. Including cheerful, yodel, lullaby, cha-cha-cha, Russian, waltz, Arabian, Chinese, tango, melancholy, Christmassy, swing, fox-trot, ragtime, March, rock-n-roll, Celtic, South American, tarantella, Bossa nova, pop, Gypsy, gospel, Hawaiian, Cajun, operetta, Mexican, side story, hip-hop, electronic, ballad, country, salvo, Charleston, salsa, Greek, classical, jazz, and even samba which are all accurately represented by the dancing and the movements.

* Typical for a show that focuses on imagination, the show holds a lot of very creative and inventive episodes, including "The Life of Lemons", where the two mascots and the two kids pretend that they're in the Wild Wild West and is a reference to Cowboy Bebop.

* Beautiful and colorful background designs in all the episodes and two made-to-TV movies, such as the the Butterfly Garden, the Tropical Island, the Wild Wild West, the Tropical Jungle, the North Pole, and even ten countries around the world.

* Great voice acting, especially for the two Canadian English versions from Canada.

* A troupe of real dancers learned each dance choreography and was filmed for the Canadian animators to watch, creating very realistic dances and movements.

* Some character development. Dizzy and Jonah were initially strong, (since they recently fell in love with Sparkle and Emily) but they got tougher and more confident over time, taking on the roles of the villains in the stories.

* There are some cool guest appearances like Nathalie Hougay (Alias Mimik) and Maureen Straub.

* Properly utilizes pop culture references. The episode title of "The Life of Bananas" is a reference to One Piece and Haré+Guu.

* Funny jokes and running gags, such as Sprayer and William constantly freaking out and panicking of the bees and the six characters have to calm them down.

* Christmas Miracle and The Hidden Treasure are great made-for-TV movies.

* The Little Gelatos are very cute and adorable.

* Unlike Passe-Partout, the way the fourth wall is broken in this show is pretty cool and it's not annoying for older children or adults making this one of the few educational preschool shows that is entertaining for all ages.

* It stays true to the original Canadian French version.

## Goofs/Errors

* Much like Butt-Ugly Martins, the LightWave CGI animation can either look stiff or creepy.

* Sometimes, the mascots and the kids' singing voices are irritating.

* Springy and Savannah's attitudes can get very annoying.

* Many people got confused about Sunny and Brooklyn's species.

* The excessive/prolonged/repetitive singing can be annoying.

* The running gag that a character's pleading and sobbing can get rainy inside.

* The Albanian, Arabic, Dutch, Georgian, Hebrew, Hindi, Polish, Romanian, and the Turkish dubs were complete disasters.

* There is no reason to buy this on VHS and DVD anymore. As you can find this television show on Dailymotion.