The Weekenders
| The Weekenders | |
|---|---|
| File:TheWeekendersLogo.jpg From left to right: Tino, Tish, Carver, and Lor | |
| Created by | Doug Langdale |
| Starring | Jason Marsden Grey DeLisle Phil LaMarr Kath Soucie |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 39 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Walt Disney Television Animation |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC/Toon Disney |
| Release | February 26, 2000 – February 27, 2004 |
The Weekenders is a Disney animated series about the weekend life of four diverse 7th graders: Tino Tonitini, Lorraine ("Lor") McQuarrie, Carver Descartes, and Petratishkovna ("Tish") Katsufrakis, voiced by veteran cartoon voice-actors: Jason Marsden, Grey DeLisle, Phil LaMarr, and Kath Soucie, respectively. It is stated at least once that the four main characters are each twelve years old.[1] The setting is the fictional town of Bahia Bay, California. The show was created by Doug Langdale.
Premise
Each episode takes place during the weekend. Friday usually sets up the conflict for the episode, Saturday escalates or develops it, and the climactic third act is usually what happens on Sunday. The implied "ticking clock" is used to signify that the problem must be solved before school on Monday. Unlike most children's cartoons and teenager's television programs, The Weekenders rarely touches upon the aspects of school life. Furthermore, because it is the weekend, the characters are not supposed to be in school, and thus they are allowed to partake in activities that are not school-related (such as playing arcade games) without a logical error. Disney's Recess chose to set the episodes during the school's designated hour of playtime for a similar effect. (It should be noted, however, that in The Weekenders, homework is occasionally the instigator of conflict, making some episodes related to the characters' academic lives.)
The episodes either tell one story for the full time duration (as in "Nevermore," a Halloween special) or two stories that each take up half of the episode. Although most of the episodes are told from the character Tino's point of view, making him the de-facto protagonist, the episodes can and do center around the other three. Similarly, although Tino frequently provides an introductory greeting and exposition, à la Greek chorus, the other characters sometimes make the episode's conclusion or will step in for Tino to make the introduction. When this happens at any time, the fourth wall is broken. The main characters seem to be fully aware of the audience and the fact that The Weekenders is a cartoon in production, as when Tino says "Okay, next scene!" or harshly ordering to "Go to Sunday!" or that certain phrases are not allowed by television censors.
Production
The series, created by Doug Langdale, made its debut in 2000 as a part of Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC and later on Disney's One Too on Sunday Mornings and Weekday Afternoons. Later it moved to cable channel Toon Disney and aired on The Disney Channel for a short time. In Canada, it was shown on the Family Channel three times a day on weekdays.[2] In the UK, Disney Channel began airing the show exclusively on Friday Afternoons, Saturdays and Sunday Mornings to fit in with the basic premise (the Latin American version of Disney Channel did the same when airing the show).
The show became popular because of its distinctive animation style, and character movements were fluid. One of the points of deliberate humor by the animation was that the eyes on each character were far apart, similar perhaps to Nickelodeon's cartoon program, Rocket Power.
The show's title theme (performed by Wayne Brady) was written by both Brady and Roger Neill. TV Guide dubbed The Weekenders as "the show that killed Pokémon," because ABC stole the ratings when they aired it at 10:00 am - the same time Pokémon aired on Kids' WB. The Weekenders last aired on Toon Disney in 2008.
Episodes
Main characters
Tino
Tino Tonitini (voiced by Jason Marsden) is the de-facto lead character of the series. He frequently begins each episode by breaking the fourth wall, introducing himself, and describing the situation at hand. As conflict develops during the episode, he usually asks his mother for advice. Of the four main characters, Tino is considered by his friends to be the most neurotic and weird, making his behavior the butt of many jokes. He has an irrational fear of clowns, but is able to develop a certain degree of tolerance towards them. He is also an amateur conspiracy theorist and makes obscure references to things that are bizarre, such as bats being able to breathe underwater.[3] Though he often does things that are considered dorky, such as playing air guitar or laughing maniacally, he has the capacity for intelligent wit and will make remarks that are subtly sarcastic. Tino usually wraps up the episode by stopping after his friends have walked off, turning the camera, and stating the moral of the story. His trademark catchphrase, often delivered as his last line bidding farewell, is "Later days!"
Lor
Lorraine "Lor" McQuarrie (voiced by Grey DeLisle) is the "jock" of the group. She has shoulder-length blonde-brown hair and often wears T-shirts and jeans. She is of Irish and Scottish descent and has over fourteen brothers.[4] She also is confident and assertive. Lor is an avid sports player, and she excels at both basketball and soccer. She is frequently caricatured as the "dumb jock," as many of the jokes revolve around her inability to understand things. Lor is frequently tough and borderline insensitive, to the group's chagrin. She mock-threatens violence ("I'm going to pound you one!") when she is either offended or upset. Lor also enjoys eating junk food and finds more in common with the guys, Tino and Carver, than with the other female of the group, Tish. However, Lor is unable to speak coherently to boys she likes and has a crush on Thompson Oberman, a boy at school who has blue hair and wears sunglasses. She struggles in school but can earn a decent grade when she sets her mind to it. Lor's hero is her grandmother.
Carver
Carver Rene Descartes (voiced by Phil LaMarr) is the self-proclaimed "cool guy" of the group. He is African American and has a strong interest in clothes and fashion (particularly shoes). Although he appreciates spending time with his friends, Carver desperately wants to be one of the cool kids and, ultimately, to become a celebrity.[5] He is shown to be somewhat self-centered and can be immensely shallow and superficial: he once rejected a girl simply because she was too tall.[6] Thus the more touching moments of the show are when he is altruistic and battles his own insecurity. One of the many recurring jokes about Carver is that he secretly owns and tries on women's clothing.[7] However, he usually (albeit nervously) responds that the clothing is his sister's. Carver also has a younger brother named Todd, a toddler stuck in his terrible twos, who occasionally torments Carver and, by extension, his friends. He goes to his sister, Penny, for advice, but she frequently disregards his questions. Carver's head is often compared to a pineapple for humorous effect. Carver is sometimes noted for his horrible handwriting, which often leads to people reading words much different from his intentions.
Tish
Petratishkovna "Tish" Katsufrakis (voiced by Kath Soucie) is the intellectual of the group. She has medium-length auburn hair, wears glasses, and dresses conservatively. She is also the most considerate of the four, as she frequently points out what is and isn't offensive, and cares about people's feelings. Tish is a straight-A student, but has received at least one "B" grade, which surprised everyone and Tish herself.[8] She is also a perfectionist and a vegetarian. Tish enjoys reading, classical music, art, and solving math problems in her head during her free time. She also greatly admires William Shakespeare. Tish considers herself the most cultured of the four, and she often attempts to convince her friends to participate in high-society activities, such as visiting the museum or an art show. Although it is never stated which country her family comes from, it is implied that she is of Eastern European descent and both of her parents are immigrants to the United States. Her name, "Tish," is short for Petratishkovna—which, according to her parents, means "girl with one nose."[9]
Secondary/Recurring characters
Ms. Tonitini: She is a very easy going mother and tries to give Tino advice when needed. She is very concerned with cooking healthy meals like seaweed casserole, tofu, and other dishes that nobody likes but Tino eats even when it gives him nightmares.
Mr. Tonitini: Tino's father has a full-time job around the east coast. With Tino and his mother living in the west coast, he only has an opportunity to visit his son and ex-wife once a year. He only appears in one episode ("Tino's Dad"). In another episode ("Father's Day"), Tino is upset that his father couldn't come for Father's Day, but still enjoys it with his friends and their dads. He shares the same paranoid and timid nature as his son, claiming everything as a "breeding ground for bacteria", and was known in school as "Screamy Tonitini".
Dixon: Ms. Tonitini's boyfriend shares the interests of Tino and his friends (such as being a Captain Dreadnought fan, a Shakespeare reader, having a degree in literature, being a shoe fanatic, athletic, and a Scottish games champion) and has a childlike personality. Nevertheless, he is a responsible parental figure, especially when bringing up his 14-year-old daughter Moira. He has the tallest head of any of the characters.
Mrs. Katsufrakis: A former roller derby of her unnamed home country, Tish's mother has good advice for her daughter. She is known to have foreign pronunciation in English, as opposed to her husband. Usually when Mrs. Katufrakis says something, Tish and, rarely, her husband, pronounce it properly so Tish's friends, or even they themselves can understand. She is nicknamed "Berschtuki" meaning "She who loves soup".
Mr. Katsufrakis: A college professor, his English is a lot clearer than his wife's. He was nicknamed "The Brain" until he grew a beard and was thus nicknamed "Beardy-man".
Tony Tinotono: A boy who bears a very strong resemblance to Tino, and in one episode becomes Tino's new friend. All he can say is "sure".
Dodie Weems: An elderly woman and regular around the town. She believes that all children are lazy and ungrateful, and unwilling to help others.
Bree and Colby: The two 'cool kids' usually seen hanging around Bahia Bay. Their hobbies include leaning against various things around town. They believe that any form of movement other than walking the way they do is uncool. They are so cool that everybody else is invisible to them.
Bluke & Frances: Two social outcasts who become friends part way through the series. Bluke is a brainless oaf yet friendly and warm-hearted, while Frances (once a normal girl who was Tish's best friend and one day 'just changed') is an insane (yet harmless) little girl obsessed with "pointy things". All she ever says is "I like pointy things."
Mrs. Gloria Duong: The coordinator of Helpers Helping the Helpless. She has an extremely hard time using words other than help, helpful, helping, etc. in phrases. She is on an endless search for her lost thesaurus (which Dixon ends up finding). Mrs. Duong also is seen pregnant throughout the series and was in the same grade as Tino's father.
Tasha: A punk rock girl with purple and yellow hair. She is Tino's crush. She shares his love of Captain Dreadnought comics.
Jan The Man: Local DJ and radio personality. Known for being extremely irritating and for his trademark catchphrase, "Hey, yowzaa!" Tish was once bumped as parade marshal for Jan's cat who could play fetch.
Chum Bukkit: A popular rock band loved by Tino, Tish, Lor and Carver. They are well known for their random and unpronounceable lyrics.
Running Gags
- The constantly changing themes of the pizza place (one weekend it's Pizzamergency, and another it's Pizzanaut).
- Carver's horrible penmanship.
- A reference to Lor's many brothers and Lor never being quite sure exactly how many there are.
- Lor's brothers' constant urge to dog-pile on someone.
- Tino's mom serving foods of highly questionable origin (Such as kelp ravioli and spinach Jell-O cones).
- Chloe Montez's unusual, and often embarrassing predicaments.
- Strange and exotic food exhibits at the anthropology museum (Including ants and putrid shark).
- Whenever Mrs. Katsufrakis says something, Tish says what she means, and Mrs. Katsufrakis then says: "is what I say (That's what I said)." (e.g.: In the episode To Tish, Mrs. Katsufrakis says "I leave you to kitchen my cup." when she really meant "I leave you to kiss and make up.")
- Tino's mom knowing everything about all of the predicaments he's ever gotten himself into. This usually leads to her finishing his sentence for him.
- Tish's obsession with having perfectly trimmed toenails.
- Tino (or someone else in the group) always summing things up and ends an episode with the statement "Later days".
- Frances constantly saying, "I like pointy things." e.g.: The Halloween episode shows her dressed as a pair of scissors.
- Jan "The Man" Testeverde constantly saying, "Hey yowza, dudes!"
- The kids' teacher, Mr. Hossinfeld, referring to something as "a kick in the pants".
- Tino having constant fears and obsessions.
- The charitable duties of Helpers Helping the Helpless, led by the perpetually pregnant Gloria Duong.
- Coach Colson answering the door in his robe (or worse).
- Tino becoming glued to various objects, such as beach towels and trees.
- Carver's obsession with shoes and being cool.
- Tino's fear and lack of coordination with anything sports related (except horseshoes).
- Carver's head resembling a pineapple.
- Tino's head resembling a pumpkin.
References
- ^ As seen in the episode, "Nevermore," when both Carver and Tino's mom cite reasons that they may be too old for trick-or-treating.
- ^ "Weekenders Homepage on Family Channel's Site". Family.ca. 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
- ^ As seen in the episode "Tino's Dad," just after the group had interacted with the waiter at the pizzeria.
- ^ As seen in the episode "Dead Ringer", her brothers are often crowded together for humorous effect.
- ^ In the episode, "Celebrity," Carver resents Tish when she becomes a temporary celebrity, wishing instead that it should've been him.
- ^ As seen in the episode, "Secret Admirer," Carver discovers that his admirer is too tall.
- ^ As seen in the episode, "Celebrity," when Carver finds a dress for Tish, Lor questions why he has it at all.
- ^ As seen in the episode, "Brain Dead," the main focus of the story is how Tish and her friends react to her getting a "B."
- ^ As seen in the episode, "Brain Dead," when Tish's parents describe how they named her. She is also allergic to guavas.