Ellen's Acres

*Ellen's Acres*
Ellen's Acres
	Title card featuring the main protagonist.
Created by	Larry Schwarz
Directed by	Stephen Moverley
Starring	Emily Corrao; Marc Thompson; Evelyn Lanto; Vibe Jones; Michael Alston Bailey
Narrated by	Emily Corrao
Composer	John Angier
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	52 (26 unaired)
Production
Executive producers	Larry Schwarz; Christopher Fauci; Micheal Gold; Sean Lahey; Sergei Aniskov
Producer	Andi Defur
Editor	Lauren Krueger
Running time	12 minutes (each episode) approx.
Production companies	Animation Collective; Kanonen & Bestreichen
Original release
Network	Cartoon Network
Release	September 4, 2006 –; February 5, 2007

Ellen's Acres is an American animated television series for preschool-age children,^[1] which exclusively premiered weekly on Cartoon Network and in the United Kingdom, the show airs on Cartoonito. Animation Collective produced the series. It originally premiered on September 4, 2006 on Cartoonito in the UK, and later on January 8, 2007 on Cartoon Network in the US, but was later cancelled on February 5, 2007. The series features a very imaginative five-year-old girl named Ellen who has adventures in a hotel her parents own approximately 40 mi (64 km) from Tonopah, Nevada named the Emerald Acres.^[2]

Format

Each episode begins with Ellen narrating the adventure she had in her imagination, but she says, "Actually...", and the scene changes to a desert area, and Ellen says, "I had just gotten off the bus from school and was saying goodbye to Mateo, my bus driver." She then says goodbye to the unseen driver who closes the bus doors, honks the horn twice, and drives off.

Ellen then says hello to her friend, a tire, and carries a feather duster, two useful props in her adventures, then takes them to the hotel offices, where her parents ask how school was and Ellen explains the first adventure. Ellen then sees what her parents are up to (finding a fossil, fixing a fan because the air conditioning broke, etc.) which leads into further imaginary adventures based on chores she's been asked to do.

Characters

Ellen – The protagonist of the series, a five-year-old girl who moved to Nevada with her parents and has a very vivid imagination. She has orange hair, a gap in her tooth, carries a backpack, wears a light green T-shirt with a daisy, a denim skirt, a pair of mismatched socks (one with two green stripes on her left leg and one with a red and blue stripe on the right leg) and black mary jane shoes. Born in Los Angeles, California, Ellen plays with a Hercules 17 steel-reinforced all-season tire she befriended in nursery school and a mauve-colored hypoallergenic feather duster as her playthings, theatrical company and posse. Emily Corrao is the voice of Ellen.
Ellen's parents – Mom, a sports lawyer and former agent, and Dad, an ex-professional skateboarder and amateur geologist, moved to this bucolic desert location near mines forty miles from Tonopah, Nevada after he completed his career in athletics when they decided to settle down. Together, they run the Emerald Acres Hotel. Evelyn Lanto is the voice of Mom, while Marc Thompson is the voice of Dad.
Cooter and Connie – The heart and soul of Emerald Acres, Cooter is the resident handyman and Connie is the maid in charge of the place. Vibe Jones voices Connie while Michael Alston Bailey is the voice of Cooter.
Mateo – Ellen's unseen bus driver, who drops her off at the hotel at the beginning of every episode.

Episodes

Season 1

Episode Number (Overall)	Episode Number (Seasonal)	Episode Title	Episode Costume(s)
1 (1a)	1 (1a)	Dinosaur Lore	Arctic Explorer Cowgirl Cavewoman Diver
2 (1b)	2 (1b)	Jumpin' Jupiter	Spy Explorer Arctic Explorer Astronaut
3 (2a)	3 (2a)	Chocolate Chip Treasure	Pilot Cavewoman Princess Pirate
4 (2b)	4 (2b)	Kitten Caper	Actress Explorer Egyptian Ringmaster Superhero
5 (3a)	5 (3a)	Eloise	American Indian Mermaid Astronaut Explorer
6 (3b)	6 (3b)	A Mammoth Adventure	Scout Sheriff Arctic Explorer
7 (4a)	7 (4a)	Gold Rush Fever	Pro Wrestler Explorer Mermaid Pirate
8 (4b)	8 (4b)	Mr. Healey	Cowgirl Princess Miner
9 (5a)	9 (5a)	Swamped	Greek Hockey Player Explorer
10 (5b)	10 (5b)	Stinky Situation	Astronaut Pilot Detective
11 (6a)	11 (6a)	Dance Fever	Reporter Explorer Diver Ballet Dancer Disco Dancer
12 (6b)	12 (6b)	Wallpaper Secrets	Astronaut Pilot Explorer Princess
13 (7a)	13 (7a)	Fixing the Shed	Princess Pirate Kung-Fu Expert Explorer
14 (7b)	14 (7b)	Squeaky Scratchy Secret	Princess Astronaut Explorer
15 (8a)	15 (8a)	Pool Monster	Astronaut Egyptian Cavewoman Explorer
16 (8b)	16 (8b)	Martian Mission	Bathing Suit Acrobat Astronaut
17 (9a)	17 (9a)	Movie Night	Photographer Submarine Arctic Explorer Explorer
18 (9b)	18 (9b)	Birdhouse	Mermaid Pilot Farmer Explorer
19 (10a)	19 (10a)	Extreme X-Ray	Astronaut Cowgirl Ringmaster
20 (10b)	20 (10b)	Ant Antics	Hula Dancer Superhero Princess Detective Miner
21 (11a)	21 (11a)	Salad Days	Cowgirl Trench Coat Astronaut Cavewoman
22 (11b)	22 (11b)	Paving the Driveway	Explorer Mermaid Arctic Explorer Princess Sleepwear
23 (12a)	23 (12a)	Poster Perfect	Explorer Greek Gymnast
24 (12b)	24 (12b)	Special Delivery	Egyptian Explorer Pirate Arctic Explorer
25 (13a)	25 (13a)	Happy Birthday	Mermaid Cowgirl Egyptian Explorer
26 (13b)	26 (13b)	Yard Sale	Explorer Astronaut Greek Princess

Season 2 (Unaired)

Episode Number (Overall)	Episode Number (Seasonal)	Episode Title	Episode Costume(s)
27 (14a)	1 (1a)	Spooky Shadows
28 (14b)	2 (1b)	Freeze Tag
29 (15a)	3 (2a)	Dining Out
30 (15b)	4 (2b)	Car Wash	Mechanic
31 (16a)	5 (3a)	Mostly Ghostly
32 (16b)	6 (3b)	Hide and Seek	Pilot Farmer Spy Scout
33 (17a)	7 (4a)	Saltwater Surprise	Viking
34 (17b)	8 (4b)	The Secret Ingredient
35 (18a)	9 (5a)	Future Findings	Astronaut
36 (18b)	10 (5b)	A Royal Rescue	Princess
37 (19a)	11 (6a)	What's that Sound?
38 (19b)	12 (6b)	Order's Up	Chef
39 (20a)	13 (7a)	Finders Sneakers
40 (20b)	14 (7b)	The Pharaoh's Formula	Egyptian
41 (21a)	15 (8a)	Tasty Trails	Robin Hood
42 (21b)	16 (8b)	Mighty Mending
43 (22a)	17 (9a)	Great Games	Coach
44 (22b)	18 (9b)	Toy Troubles
45 (23a)	19 (10a)	Chop Chop
46 (23b)	20 (10b)	Best in Barn
47 (24a)	21 (11a)	Pearl Pursuit	Diver
48 (24b)	22 (11b)	Granting Wishes	Fairy
49 (25a)	23 (12a)	Chalking it Up	Gymnast
50 (25b)	24 (12b)	Toys and Tricks
51 (26a)	25 (13a)	Bunny Blues
52 (26b)	26 (13b)	Puzzle Pieces

Reception

The series was noted for its educational content.^[3] A review describes its style as follows: "The series offers a style influenced by amine, retro graphics and illustrated children's books."^[4]

References

^ TV Guide. Triangle Publications. 2007.
^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 179. ISBN 978-1538103739.
^ Calvert, Sandra L.; Wilson, Barbara J. (2010-12-13). The Handbook of Children, Media, and Development. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4443-3694-8.
^ "Ellen's Acres Debuts on Cartoon Network". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2023-07-03.