Molang
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| Molang | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Animated sitcom Comedy Adventure |
| Based on | Molang characters by Hye-Ji Yoon |
| Developed by | Millimages |
| Directed by |
|
| Voices of | Bruno Guéraçague Nathalie Stas |
| Opening theme | La La La |
| Ending theme | La La La (instrumental) |
| Composer | Nicholas Varley |
| Country of origin | France South Korea |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 321 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Roch Lener |
| Running time | 2-3 minutes (seasons 1–3) 4-5 minutes (season 4–present) 6-7 minutes (specials) |
| Production company | Millimages |
| Original release | |
| Network | Piwi+ Canal+ Family |
| Release | November 2, 2015 – present |
Molang is an animated children's television series created by the animation studio Millimages. The titular character, Molang, was designed by the Korean illustrator Hye-Ji Yoon on the platform KakaoTalk. The designer had said that the name originated from the word mallangmallang (말랑말랑) which means soft, squishy, and fluffy.[citation needed]
Plot
[edit]The series chronicles the relationship between roommates and best friends, Molang, an enthusiastic happy and optimistic rabbit, and Piu Piu, a timid but outgoing chick. They pit their wits against numerous occurrences, ranging from everyday problems and sitcom-style situations, to extraordinary adventures that often turn dangerous and/or risky.[1]
The show's animation and art style are heavily inspired by Japanese anime/chibi, with sweat drops on the characters' faces and particular expressions on their eyes, usually whenever they're extremely jovial, perplexed, frightened, or panicked, alongside oversized heads constrasting against short, simplistic bodies.
Molang is defined by its empathy, softness, tenderness, and joy. Molang has no nationality, is ageless, and gender-neutral.[2] The characters of Molang speak Molanguese.
Characters
[edit]- Molang (voiced by Bruno Guéraçague) is a white rabbit that makes every moment of the duo's daily life a unique and wonderful moment, taking special care of each detail, and giving little things an unexpected fresh taste. Molang puts its heart into everything it does, even when it gets it and its friend, Piu Piu, into trouble.
- Piu Piu (voiced by Nathalie Stas) is a little yellow chick. Shy, reserved, and someone who dislikes being the center of attention, it takes great care to keep things under control. When something unexpected arises, Piu Piu can be quickly destabilized.
- The Pincos: Molang and Piu Piu's friends are a group of miscellaneous rabbits that look identical in shape to their counterpart, Molang. They vary greatly in personality: some are friendly and well-meaning (like Molang), while others are soft-spoken and timid (like Piu Piu), while others are easily irritated and short-tempered (the beachgoers from The Coconut, the director from The Extras, etc.).
Episodes
[edit]| Seasons | Episodes | Originally aired |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 52 | 2015 |
| Season 2 | 52 | 2016 |
| Season 3 | 52 | 2017 |
| TV specials | 9 | 2018 |
| Season 4 | 52 | 2019 |
| Season 5 | 104 | 2021 |
Season 1
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Screenplay by | Storyboarded by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Party" | Marie-Caroline Villand | Stéphanie Misiak | TBA | |
|
Molang and Piu Piu dress up for the party. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Bicycle Ride" | Balthazar Chapuis & Marie-Caroline Villand | Frédéric Dybowski | TBA | |
|
Piu Piu learns to ride a bike. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Alone on the Ice Pack" | Balthazar Chapuis & Marie-Caroline Villand | Cécile Lavocat | TBA | |
|
After a shipwreck, our heroes (Molang and Piu Piu) are stranded! | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Camel" | Pierre Olivier | Vincent Guérin | TBA | |
| 5 | 5 | "The Coconut" | Florence Marchal & Marie-Caroline Villand | Stéphane Beau | TBA | |
| 6 | 6 | "The Monster Under The Bed" | Pierre Olivier | Cécile Lavocat | TBA | |
| 7 | 7 | "The Goldfish" | Florence Marchal & Marie-Caroline Villand | Stéphane Beau & Matthieu Cordier | TBA | |
| 8 | 8 | "The Beach" | Florence Marchal & Marie-Caroline Villand | Julien Cayot | TBA | |
| 9 | 9 | "The Fishing Trip" | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
| 10 | 10 | "The Campers" | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
Franchise
[edit]The series first aired on Canal+ France on November 2, 2015. Since then, 5 seasons, 321 episodes, and a music album have been produced and are widely broadcast. The first season has been available since July 1, 2019 on Netflix. In February 2020, Millimages announced the development of Season 5 which consists of 52 episodes with each being 5 minutes long. As of 2020[update], Molang's TV exposure extends to more than 190 countries and has become a cross-media franchise, including merchandising, publishing, music albums, GIFs, digital series, stickers, and others.[3] Season 5 started broadcasting on Canal+ on September 9, 2021.[4]
Social media
[edit]The show has accounts on social media platforms such as YouTube and X (formerly Twitter), most of the content (along with some of the merchandise) posted on their social media is for all ages compared to the show's preschool age range, and promotes South Korean lifestyle and K-pop such as Blackpink and BTS.
Broadcast
[edit]The show also airs in different countries, such as Tiny Pop in the United Kingdom, Treehouse TV in Canada & Disney Jr. in the United States.
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Number | Title | Artist(s) | Time | Songs | Genre | Release date | Label(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Molang | Molang | 13:21 | 10 | Pop | April 1, 2020 | Millimages |
Singles
[edit]| Number | Title | Artist(s) | Time | Songs | Genre | Release date | Label(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whatever You Want | M4P | 3:30 | 1 | K-Pop | December 8, 2023 | Millimages |
EPs
[edit]| Number | Title | Artist(s) | Time | Songs | Genre | Release date | Label(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Merry Molang Christmas | Molang | 8:28 | 6 | Holiday | November 18, 2020 | Millimages |
On April 1, 2020, the first "music album" called Molang was released on every streaming platform, including Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, Amazon, and more. As of late April 2020, this album has been streamed more than 40,000 times on Spotify and 20,000 times on iTunes. On November 18, 2020, the EP A Merry Molang Christmas was released. There had been speculation regarding the release of the second music album, though this had yet to be confirmed. On December 10, 2020, the official social media account of Molang uploaded the first post introducing A Merry Molang Christmas. On November 27, 2023. Molang posted a video of them making a K-pop song and teasing the title. The song got released on December 8, 2023 on all music platforms as the band M4P, a band with 5 members: Molang, the leader, Sweetie Pinco, Piu Piu, Shiny Pinco and Moody Pinco.
Merchandising
[edit]As a merchandising brand, Molang uses "My Best Friend" as a universal signature for all worldwide licensees, on all packagings. It now represents two master toy licensees (Tomy & Jazwares), over 100 licensees worldwide, and more than 700 different products, including kids and adults apparels, children's books and magazines, stationery, magnets, stickers underwear, sleepwear, etc.[5][6][7]
Books
[edit]In November 2016, the French publisher Flammarion launched a collection of four little square books based on the series episodes and one big album. On Easter 2017, seven new books were released. They were specially promoted by the broadcaster. Among them, four little square books and one album, and also two flap books in which children have to search for hidden characters and animals.[8]
Scholastic Inc., the world's largest publisher of children's books, have published four 8x8 books and one album. All the books include stickers and the album contains a sticker storybook with more than 25 stickers and 4 pages to decorate. They are available to all national retailers, independents, special market channels and through Scholastic Reading Club and Scholastic Book Fairs.[8] In October 2018, the Italian publisher Gribaudo has launched six activity books with games, colouring pages, stickers and different activities.[8]
The publisher Nelson Verlag launched a range of their mini books dedicated to Molang in early 2020 in Germany.[8]
DVDs
[edit]| Title | Region | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Molang – season 1 as seen on Disney Junior | United States | August 15, 2017 |
| Molang – season 2 as seen on Disney Junior | May 1, 2018 | |
| Molang – season 3 as seen on Disney Junior | December 23, 2019 | |
| Molang – season 1 | North America | August 15, 2017 |
| Molang – season 2 | April 3, 2018 | |
| Molang Season 1 – Nel Bosco | Italy | September 6, 2018 |
| Molang Season 1 – Super Star | September 6, 2018 | |
| Molang Season 2 – Safari | 2019 | |
| Molang Season 1 – Vol 1 – The Party | Nordics | June 11, 2018 |
| Molang Season 1 – Vol 2 – The Party | June 11, 2019 | |
| Molang Season 1 – Vol 1 | United Kingdom | TBA |
| Molang Season 1 – Vol 2 | TBA |
References
[edit]- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (September 7, 2017). "Millimages Sells 'Molang' to TF1, season 3 on Track". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
- ^ "About Molang | Molang Official Website". Molang. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (November 29, 2016). "'Molang' Spreads Happiness with New Agents & Licensees". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Belaisch, Galla (September 9, 2021). "Molang revient pour une saison 5 !!!". Canal+ (in French). Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
- ^ "Millimages Scores Mulitiple Deals in China". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ "License to Profit". Animation Magazine. June 12, 2016. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (June 1, 2018). "Camsing & Alibaba Team For Chinese Theme Park, Nordisk Film Sweden Hire — Global Briefs". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Keslassy, Elsa (June 13, 2018). "France Televisions Unveils Dozens of New Animated Series, Features at Annecy". Variety. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Fictional rabbits and hares
- 2010s French animated television series
- 2010s South Korean animated television series
- 2020s French animated television series
- 2020s South Korean animated television series
- 2010s preschool education television series
- 2020s preschool education television series
- French children's animated adventure television series
- French children's animated comedy television series
- French preschool education television series
- South Korean children's animated adventure television series
- South Korean children's animated comedy television series
- Disney Channel original programming
- Disney Jr. original programming
- Cartoonito original programming
- Treehouse TV original programming
- Netflix children's programming
- French anime-influenced animated television series
- South Korean anime-influenced animated television series
- Animated television series about rabbits and hares
- Television series about chickens
- Animated preschool education television series
- Animated television series without speech