Ruby Gloom
Ruby Gloom is a Canadian animated television series based on the Mighty Fine apparel line of the same name created by illustrator Martin Hsu. The series was produced by Nelvana and began airing on October 13, 2006 in Canada on YTV. It has the voices of Sarah Gadon, Stacey DePass, Emily Hampshire, Peter Keleghan, Scott McCord, David Berni, Jeremy Harris, and Adrian Truss. 40 episodes were produced. History. Franchise. In 2001, Ruby Gloom began as a drawing on a piece of paper by illustrator Martin Hsu and was then spawned into a franchise by the U.S. company Mighty  Fine three years later. "Ruby Gloom" began as a stationery line, and was featured on pencil cases, backpacks, clothing, key chains, and plush toys which were sold through Doeworld, a subsidiary of Mighty Fine. Television series. In early 2005, Martin Hsu sold the TV rights to Ruby Gloom to Canadian animation studio Nelvana. In May 2005, the series was announced on the 2005 issue of "Animation Magazine". Episodes. These are the episodes that have aired on television. Most of the episodes contain a short skit at the beginning and end of the episodes ("Gloomer Rumor", the first episode of the  series, is the only episode to only have one at the end). Broadcast. "Ruby Gloom" premiered on YTV in Canada on October 13, 2006. In the United Kingdom, the series aired on Pop and Pop Girl in 2008. Channel RTÉ Two in Ireland broadcast the series in 2010. It also aired on 2x2 in Russia, Super RTL in Germany, Rai Gulp in Italy, RTP2 in Portugal, Pakapaka in Argentina, K-T.V. in South Africa, and Australian channels ABC1 and ABC3 in 2008. More recently, as of 2020, the series has become available on demand via YouTube. Awards and honors. "Ruby  Gloom" was nominated for a Gemini Award in the category of "Best Animated Program or Series." The script for episode "Yam Ween", written by Carolyn Bennett, was a finalist in the 2007 Canadian Screenwriting Awards. Reception. "Ruby Gloom" received generally positive reviews from both critics and audiences, praising it for its characters, writing, soundtrack, and plot. It would go on to garner a cult following. Common Sense Media gave the series a rating of four stars out of five, saying: "A nice mix of sweet-and-sour, Ruby Gloom's dark gothic setting underscores all the cooperation and kindness. Adults  will enjoy jokes that kids may miss, such as when it's revealed that Ruby eats Glum Flakes cereal for breakfast. And all but the most sensitive kids will be too enraptured by fantastic elements like talking pictures and a school for ghosts to be unnerved by dark elements like Misery's constant talk of disasters and death". The series was nominated for Gemini Award for Best Animated Program or Series in 2014. Telecast and home media. "Ruby Gloom" premiered on YTV in Canada on October 13, 2006. In the United Kingdom, the series aired on Pop and Pop Girl  in 2008. Irish Channel RTÉ Two aired the series in 2010. It also aired on 2x2 in Russia, Super RTL in Germany, Rai Gulp in Italy, RTP2 in Portugal, Pakapaka in Argentina and Australian channels ABC1 and ABC3 in 2008. DVD releases. Region 1. Canada – There are two DVDs available from Nelvana (in association with the television network YTV). The DVDs present the episodes in NTSC (16x9) anamorphic widescreen, with English Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and French Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. There are no subtitles or closed captions. The opening title sequence on the DVDs is the full version, and  not the edited version that airs on YTV. The DVDs in release order are: Following this, a third DVD entitled "Ruby Gloom: Pet Poepulation" was scheduled for release on September 9, 2009, but became unavailable. U.S. – In 2013, kaBoom! Entertainment and Phase 4 Films released six Ruby Gloom DVDs in the U.S. Each disc contains four episodes, arranged as a continuous show, with the repeated opening songs and individual mini-episodes edited out. All of the mini-episodes are included separately as a bonus feature, instead of being incorporated in their main episode as originally broadcast. The discs are as  follows: As with the Canadian release, the DVDs present the episodes in NTSC (16x9) anamorphic widescreen, with English Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, but they have Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 sound instead of French. Brazil – Seasons one and two were released on three-disc DVD box sets; however, the box sets do not include all of the episodes from each season (despite the DVD covers indicating this). Both box sets are presented in NTSC (4x3) (the sides of the widescreen image are cut to create the ratio, also known as pan and scan) with Portuguese and English Dolby Digital 5.1 sound . The opening title sequence is the edited version that airs on most television networks (such as the Canadian YTV). Neither the box set includes any special features. The box sets are: "Ruby Gloom: Full season 1" – Contains the first thirteen episodes from season one. "Ruby Gloom: Full season 2" – Contains thirteen episodes (the remaining eight episodes from season one plus the first five episodes from season two). Region 2. France – "Ruby Gloom: 1" is available from France Télévisions Distribution (in association with the television network France 3) and contains the first six episodes of the series (as listed above). The  episodes are presented in PAL (4x3) (the sides of the widescreen image are cut to create the ratio, also known as pan and scan) with French Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. Germany – Two DVDs were made available from SPV GmbH (in association with the television network Super RTL) containing the first eight episodes of the series (as listed above), with each DVD consisting of four episodes. The episodes are presented in PAL (4x3) (the sides of the widescreen image are cut to create the ratio, also known as pan and scan) with German Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. On October 15, 2010 , Edel Germany GmbH released "Ruby Gloom – Willkommen in Gloomsville" (Ruby Gloom – Welcome to Gloomsville), which contains the first seven episodes of the series (as listed above). Japan – A DVD box set entitled "Ruby Gloom's Bible" is available from Sony Music Entertainment and contains 20 of the series' first 24 episodes (as listed above) in random order on five DVDs. The episodes are presented in NTSC widescreen with Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. United Kingdom – In the United Kingdom, Platform Entertainment Ltd. released an DVD in the future, Region 4. Australia – There are four DVD volumes available from Magna Pacific  containing the first 16 episodes of the series (as listed above), with each volume consisting of four episodes. The episodes are presented in PAL (4x3) (the sides of the widescreen image are cut to create the ratio, also known as pan and scan) with English Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. Online streaming. Currently, the series is now streaming on both FilmRise Kids and Tubi, but more recently, as of 2020, the series has become available on demand via YouTube.