Thursday, November 13, 2008

Henson's "Frances" Comes to DVD

The Jim Henson Company's preschool series "Frances" is coming to DVD. The imaginative television series from The Jim Henson Company and HIT Entertainment debuted on PBS KIDS Sprout this past summer -- and now the show is planning to make its way onto DVD!

The delightful preschool comedy series is based on the popular Russell Hoban books about a high-spirited badger named Frances. Joining Frances in her daily adventures are her little sister, Gloria, her mom and dad, and her best friend Albert. The musical series uses state-of-the-art digital puppetry and animation from the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio, an pioneering technology that allows performers to puppeteer and voice digital characters in real time.

HIT Entertainment will let you get in touch with your inner-Frances, when they release the first set of "Frances" DVDs later next year. The company currently has "Frances" releases on their release schedule for March 2009 and October 2009 releases. I will be sure to keep you updated as more information on these exciting new titles become available.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bleh.
This reeeks of un-henson.
Sorry.

Anonymous said...

I hope Frances fans wait untill the season 4 before they start buying the dvds

Anonymous said...

Ha, very good!

Anonymous said...

Sheesh, what grouches! How can you guys tell it's a bad show before you see it?

Anonymous said...

The first person is talking about Frances.

We two were referring to HIT's lack of a Fraggle Rock Season 4.

Anonymous said...

>>This reeeks of un-henson.<<

Have you seen the show? This show is 100% Henson magic. It reminds me very much of the tone and attitude of Fraggle Rock (i.e. a children's show with perfect fully-rounded characters, wonderful songs, great lessons and, most importantly, it doesn't talk down to kids). This show is everything Henson should be doing - it might not be puppets, but it is 100% Henson at heart. The source material comes from the same creators as Emmet Otter and this show has the same kind of heart and timeless fun that the whole family can enjoy.


>>I hope Frances fans wait untill the season 4 before they start buying the dvds<<
Well there were only six 15-minute episodes of Frances produced, so that shouldn't be a problem. If they put three episodes per release, the whole series will be out with these two DVD titles.

frogboy4 said...

I like the technology of it and it's good to hear there's some Hensony heart in it, but the character design just seems pedestrian compared to all the goodness the company has brought fans over the years. It is mu understanding that they purchased the rights to the character for this project. I know the company is trying to diversify, but this is a little off-putting to fans like me. At least it is initially. Sid is another story. I could see some Henson tones in that from the start.

Anonymous said...

Frogboy4,

Remember that "Frances" is a pre-established franchise. I don't think they wanted to alter the characters too much. Henson's characters look and feel a lot like Hoban's original designs. If they made them too Henson-y the Hoban fans would have rioted. I think it's a good balance of Hoban and Henson - and the writting and spirit of the show are faithful to both Hoban and Henson.

frogboy4 said...

Of course, Al. I agree with you. I just don't think Frances seems like a purchase they should have made in the first place. There are more Hensony ideas out there and certainly enough original ones. I look at the Frances design and kind of feel ICK about it. It isn't something I would watch as a kid and certainly not now either. It seems like much of the creativity is leaving the Henson Company these days and I don't know why. It kind of makes me sad, but then I see something like the Pinocchio project mentioned and I get happy again. Projects like Frances and some of these Henson Presents cheapy DVDs makes it appear like the company has become cynical. This doesn't look bad, I just think there's better stuff they could be doing.

Rori's Grandma said...

I cant wait til the dvd's come out my granddaughter loves Frances and Gloria we watch them over and over on pbs sprouts on demand..

Anonymous said...

My 3 year old daughter loves Frances and I was hoping to be able to buy it for her for Christmas...oh, well, she'll be thrilled when it does come out.

Anonymous said...

My 2 yr old is obsessed with the on demand shows (sprout). I bought the dvd that just came out, but her favorite episode is not on it! Broken Fish (actually called Disaster) is now a family favorite as all of us have memorized it and my daughter sings along with every song. I wish they would expand the franchise. It is an adorable update of a classic I grew up with.