The ZhuZhus (formerly known as Polly and the ZhuZhu Pets) is an animated children's television series developed by Hugh Duffy. The series is based on the American toy franchise ZhuZhu Pets. It is the second animated adaptation starring the Fab Four; Pipsqueak, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, and Chunk, following Quest for Zhu in 2011.
The series is about Frankie Pamplemousse, a young girl who owns four talking hamsters. It debuted on Disney Channel in the United States on September 12, 2016.
Video The ZhuZhus
Plot
The ZhuZhus is about 8-year-old Frankie Pamplemousse, who lives in Anytown with her parents who run a plumbing home business called Pamplemouse Plumbing. She owns four talking hamsters called the ZhuZhus; Pipsqueak, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, and Chunk, as they have adventures in their town.
Maps The ZhuZhus
Characters
Main
- Frankie Pamplemousse (formerly named Polly Pamplemousse; voiced by Jenna Warren) is the 8-year-old owner of the ZhuZhus. She likes sports and hanging out with her friends, the ZhuZhus. She has blonde hair and blue eyes.
- Pipsqueak (voiced by Tajja Isen) is Frankie's first ZhuZhu, and the unofficial leader of the ZhuZhus who loves adventure. She'll do anything to help Frankie and the team out. She is fearless, energetic, and very loyal to Frankie. She is yellow and her birthmark, which are located on the Zhus' backs, is a shooting star.
- Mr. Squiggles (voiced by Richard Binsley) is a ZhuZhu, and the oldest. He is smart, resourceful, and likes science. He also invents machines that help the team out when in need. He is orange, has wrinkles under his eyes, wears a belt, and his birthmark is a spiral.
- Num Nums (voiced by Stephany Seki) is a ZhuZhu. She is shy and a cautious thinker, and unlike her best friend Pipsqueak, she isn't as daring as the rest of the team, but will also do anything to help them out. Despite this however, she still has a tough side whenever she or the team is insulted. She is purple, wears pink glasses, and her birthmark is a heart.
- Chunk (voiced by Robert Tinkler) is a ZhuZhu. As his name suggests, he is very chunky. He is also very strong. He is stylish and always admires himself, and usually serves as the comic relief. His cousins are Jilly and Bean, two mischievous twins. He is light blue and his birthmark is a sun. He is the tallest Zhu.
Recurring
- Ellen Pamplemousse or "Mom" (voiced by Stacey DePass) is Frankie's mother and a professional plumber for Pamplemouse Plumbing. She used to be a part of the Power Badge Girls.
- Stanley Pamplemousse or "Dad" (voiced by Zachary Bennett) is Frankie's father and also a professional plumber for Pamplemouse Plumbing. He loves music and was previously a Wilderness Teen Ranger. Thus, he knows a lot about nature.
- Wilfred P. Kerdle or Mr. Kerdle (voiced by Patrick McKenna) is the cranky janitor of Frankie's school. He tries to stop the Zhus from coming into the school and insults them.
- Cindy and Mindy Gelato (voiced by Rebecca Brenner and Samantha Weinstein) are twins and Frankie's friends.
- Madge (voiced by Brianna D'Aguanno) is Frankie's neighbor and worst enemy. She always tries to beat Frankie at everything. She has blue hair and brown eyes and a cat named Princess Tickyboo.
- Whendy Sails (voiced by Nicole Stamp) is a celebrity and news reporter for Channel 5.
- Jessica Beeker (voiced by Addison Holley) is Frankie's favorite popstar.
- Dr. Phelmholz (voiced by Rob Rubin) is an Austrian doctor from Vienna.
Production
The ZhuZhus is produced by Nelvana and Cepia LLC, in association with Corus Entertainment. The series is animated using Toon Boom Animation and recorded in Studio 306 Inc. It was first announced on February 12, 2015 by Kristin Musulin of USA Today as a Nelvana production, with a planned release of 2016. The show was originally referred to as ZhuZhu Pets, but the actual title was revealed to be Polly and the ZhuZhu Pets. The last episode to air on Disney Channel with that title was "Fur-Vivor/Zhuper Girl," which premiered on October 21, 2016, and the show went on a hiatus. After its hiatus the series gained a new name and Polly's name was changed to Frankie for the rest of the series' run. Eventually all seven episodes that were previously broadcast on Disney Channel were redubbed to say Frankie instead of Polly.
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2016-17)
Zhu's News (2017)
A webseries called "Zhu's News" was released to YTV's YouTube channel starting July 17, 2017. Each episode stars Whendy Sails of Channel 5 recapping moments in the series.
Broadcast
The ZhuZhus debuted on Disney Channel in the United States on September 12, 2016 with the Polly and the ZhuZhu Pets title. After the show went on a hiatus and changed its name, the first episode to premiere was "Zhu Years Eve/Lookies for Cookies," which premiered on January 7, 2017, and the show was added to the Get Animated! block. On August 29, 2016, Denise Petski of Deadline.com announced that Disney Channels Worldwide acquired both multi-territory broadcast and on demand rights to The ZhuZhus in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Central and Eastern Europe, Germany, Luxembourg, the Middle East, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Switzerland. The series aired on Disney Channel in Australia and New Zealand on February 13, 2017, Disney Channel in South Africa on March 6, and Boomerang in the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 2. The series was scheduled to premiere on YTV in Canada in December 2016, but eventually it premiered on July 4, 2017.
Reception
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated The ZhuZhus a 3 out of 5 stars, stating "the series does well to stand on its own entertainment merit, but it can't avoid commercial tie-ins altogether." Bruce Katz of Cepia feels that "the animation further enhanced the personality of the characters," and says that "they've captured the essence of what ZhuZhu Pets is all about."
Media information
Two online games are available on The ZhuZhus website called Tube Racers and Costume Couture, and an app released on April 18, 2017 and available to play on iTunes and Google Play called The ZhuZhus: Zhuniverse.
Notes
References
External links
- Official website
- The ZhuZhus on IMDb
- The ZhuZhus at TV.com
- The ZhuZhus at TheTVDB.com
- The ZhuZhus on Disney Channel
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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