publication date: Mar 8, 2010
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author/source: Alex Bell
Tinga Tinga Tales is CBeebies' latest cartoon, set in the world of traditional
African folktales. The main characters are
Lion, Tortoise,
Elephant, a trio of cheeky
monkeys, Hippo and Crocodile, but a host of
other animals crops up in every episode. The
show features imaginative re-telling of
traditional animal origin stories including
why Lion roars, why Tortoise has a broken shell,
why Elephant has a trunk, why Hippo has no hair, why
Tickbird sits on Hippo's back,
The
characters are bright, friendly, cheeky and fun, and
each episode zips along with a
fun soundtrack that includes musical contributions from various
birds and beasts. Brightly, bold, loud and colourful, the series has a
unique visual style, a contemporary
update of the work of 60s-era Tanzanian artist
Eduardo Tingatinga that is still
widely popular in
East Africa.
The
animal characters are built up with solid colours and
geometric patterns, all hand-drawn by a
team of artists in a new studio in
Nairobi, Kenya, then scanned into a computer and
animated. British production company
Tiger Aspect, led by series creator
Claudia Lloyd (the woman behind
Charlie and Lola's TV career), have set up a fully functional
studio in Nairobi, with 50 people overseeing all areas of the
show's production.
"I really like the
voices and songs, let's watch one more episode," was five year old
Toby's comment on the show. The
expansive cast includes the established talents of
Lenny Henry, Maureen Lipman, Miriam Margolyes, Meera Syal, Penelope Keith and Ruth Madoc, as well as music by
Eric Wainaina, a celebrated Kenyan singer-songwriter.
The very
authentic African feel of
Tinga Tinga Tales is a very
welcome addition to the
CBeebies line-up.
