Craig of the Creek

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Craig of the Creek
Craig of the Creek title card.png
Genre
Created byMatt Burnett
Ben Levin
Developed byShauna McGarry
Directed by
  • Stu Livingston (Supervising Director, S1 ep.1-18, 21-22)
  • Tiffany Ford (Supervising Director, S2-S4)
  • Charmaine Verhagen (S3 ep.28)
  • Dashawn Mahone (Supervising Director, S4)
  • Najja Porter (Supervising Director, S4)
Voices of
  • Philip Solomon
  • Georgie Kidder
  • Noël Wells
  • H. Michael Croner
ComposerJeff Rosenstock
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes130 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Kelly Crews (S1–3) (Supervising Producer)
  • Susy Campos (S3–)
  • Shauna McGarry (S1)
Running time11 minutes
Production companyCartoon Network Studios
DistributorWarner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original networkCartoon Network
Picture formatHDTV 1080i
Audio formatDolby Surround
Original releasePilot: December 1, 2017 (2017-12-01) (CN App)
Series: February 19, 2018 (2018-02-19) (CN App & Online)
March 30, 2018 (2018-03-30) (TV) –
present

Craig of the Creek is an American animated television series created by Matt Burnett and Ben Levin for Cartoon Network. The show's pilot episode debuted directly on the official app on December 1, 2017.[1] The series premiered online on February 19, 2018, with a double-premiere event airing on March 30, 2018.[2] The series received mostly positive reviews from fans and critics.

On February 17, 2021, the series was renewed for a fourth season which premiered on October 25, 2021.[3] On January 19, 2022, the series was renewed for a fifth season, set to premiere in early 2023.[4] Additionally, a spin-off for Cartoonito, Jessica's Big Little World,[5] and an origin film titled Craig of the Creek: The Movie,[4] are currently in production.

Synopsis[]

In the fictional suburban Baltimore/DC area town of Herkleton, Maryland, a boy named Craig Williams and his two friends, Kelsey Pokoly and John Paul "J.P." Mercer, have their many adventures in the titular creek, described as a kid utopia of untamed wilderness in which tribes of children reign over tree forts and dirt bike ramps.[6]

Characters[]

Main article: List of Craig of the Creek characters

Main[]

  • Craig Williams (voiced by Philip Solomon) – A 9-year-old boy who enjoys playing at the creek with his friends, Kelsey and J.P. He is a natural leader and always tries to help other kids when they need it the most. He has a colorful family that has been the focus of several episodes (such as King Of Camping). Craig typically carries a homemade staff and a satchel, each holding sentimental value. In "Escape from Family Dinner", it is shown that Craig takes advanced math and admits that he likes the class. He also takes on the role of a cartographer as he is constantly making additions to his detailed map of the Creek.
  • Kelsey Pokoly (voiced by Georgie Kidder [pilot, S01 Ep 1–3], Noël Wells [S01 Ep 4–present]) – A ginger-haired, 8-year-old girl who is one of Craig's friends. She is always seen wearing a purple cape and has a pet budgerigar (which she identifies as a falcon) named Mortimor who is usually perched on top of her head. She typically carries a homemade PVC pipe sword which she proudly made herself partly with the help of a blacksmith. She is adventurous, loves books, and tends to be overly dramatic. She often internally narrates her life, for which others are completely aware. She is raised by her single widower father. In "Doorway to Helen", it is revealed that Kelsey is Jewish, and in "Fire and Ice" it is revealed that she is a lesbian.
  • John Paul "J.P." Mercer (voiced by H. Michael Croner) – A tall boy who is another one of Craig's close friends. He wears an oversized red hockey jersey. While not shown to be very bright, he is imaginative and kind to those around him. He is prone to getting very dirty and injuring himself. "J.P." is short for John Paul, as revealed in "You're It". In "Under the Overpass", Craig stated that he and Kelsey "found" J.P. in a previous adventure.

Craig's family[]

  • Jessica Williams (voiced by Dharma Brown (pilot) and Lucia Cunningham (series)) – Craig's younger sister who typically likes to keep everything in check by describing her actions out loud. She is very smart for her age, detail-oriented, and already shows an interest in the stock market.
  • Bernard Williams (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – Craig's smart, no-nonsense, and sometimes snobby, teenage older brother. He looks down on Craig and his misadventures at the creek. He is obsessed with getting good grades and getting into an Ivy League school. He values love and the importance of homework. He used to play Bring Out Your Beast and showed no interest in teaching it to Craig, until they played it together for the first time at the Splintery Butt to win back the Beast Snare.
  • Duane Williams (voiced by Terry Crews) — Craig's understanding father who works as a computer programmer. He sometimes plays retro video games with Craig. He loves dad jokes.
  • Nicole Williams (voiced by Kimberly Hébert Gregory) – Craig's loving mother who works as a school counselor and cares deeply for her children. She is a graduate of Howard University.
  • Earl Williams (voiced by LaMarr [pilot] and Phil Morris [series]) – Craig's grandfather and Duane's father. Craig looks up to him and has inherited his adventurous spirit.
  • JoJo Williams (voiced by Saundra McClain) – Craig's grandmother and Duane's mother who is a city councilwoman and was a civil rights activist back in the 1960s.

Music[]

The show's music is composed by Jeff Rosenstock.[7]

Episodes[]

Main article: List of Craig of the Creek episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotDecember 1, 2017 (2017-12-01)
140March 30, 2018 (2018-03-30)March 11, 2019 (2019-03-11)
240March 18, 2019 (2019-03-18)June 11, 2020 (2020-06-11)
340June 21, 2020 (2020-06-21)July 2, 2021 (2021-07-02)
4TBAOctober 25, 2021 (2021-10-25)TBA

Production[]

Development[]

The greenlit announcement publicly made on March 30, 2017 alongside other shows such as Apple & Onion and Summer Camp Island.[8] Matt Burnett also stated on his Twitter account that he and his team had recently begun production around that time.[9]

In August 2021, Trammell told Insider that the show's writing room is full of more than 40 people "all with different backgrounds and different experiences, who are willing to share those experiences."[10] He also said the show is different from shows where there is only one person of color in the writing room, stating that since their writing room is open "it never feels like you're the one representative."

LGBT representation[]

See also: Cartoon Network and LGBT representation

In April 2018, two lesbian characters were confirmed. In their debut episode, "The Curse", Tabitha refuses to go college and wants to spend time with Courtney. Courtney blushes, and they are holding hands in the end.[11] In "The Haunted Dollhouse", they have feelings for each other, which is confirmed, and they kiss.

In December 2019, it was confirmed that they had a non-binary character, named Angel José. Their voice actor, Angel Lorenzana, who also uses they/them pronouns, an agender storyboard artist for the show, confirmed this.[12] In later tweets, they added that their "cartoon self" used they/them before themselves, gave a shout out to the show's crew, and said that while this is a small contribution to LGBTQ+ representation, they hope "fans can take comfort knowing that there's also non-binary people working behind the scenes" on every of the show's episodes. Some praised the show for the number of non-binary characters, comparing it to the number of non-binary characters in Steven Universe, where every Gem is non-binary.[13]

Other LGBTQ characters appear in the show like J.P.'s openly lesbian older sister, Laura. In the episode "Jextra Perrestrial", She is shown to be in a same-sex relationship with a girl named Kat.[14] Laura is voiced by openly lesbian comedian Fortune Feimster. Raj and Shawn, Honeysuckle Rangers from a neighborhood nearby,[15] are implied to have feelings for each other in several episodes.[16] Raj is voiced by openly gay actor Parvesh Cheena. Also, the episode "Cousin of the Creek", Jasmine tells her cousin "I'm texting my girlfriend, mind your business."[17]

The season 4 episode "Fire and Ice" focuses on Kelsey and Stacks' relationship as they confessed their love to each other.[18]

Broadcast[]

On July 15, 2019, it was announced that the series was renewed for a third season which premiered on June 21, 2020.[19] It was later renewed for a fourth season in February 2021, which premiered on October 25, 2021[3] and a fifth season on January 19, 2022, which is expected to premiere in early 2023.[4]

International broadcast[]

The series made its international debut on Teletoon in Canada on May 3, 2018.[20] In most countries in Europe and Latin America, it airs on Cartoon Network.

Home media[]

Craig of the Creek home video releases
Seasons Episodes Release dates
United States
1 2019 13 March 19, 2019
Episodes: "Itch to Explore" – "Lost in the Sewers"
Australia
1 - 3 2021 121 Seasons 1 - 3 DVD:[21] October 6, 2021
Episodes: "Itch to Explore" – "Capture the Flag Part 5: The Game"

Reception[]

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2018 Common Sense Media Common Sense Seal Entire series Won[22]
2019 Annie Award Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production Episode: "Escape from Family Dinner" (Matt Burnett, Ben Levin, Shauna McGarry, Jeff Trammell, Tiffany Ford)[23] Nominated
2020 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Children's Animated Series Nominated[24][25]
2021 GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Kids & Family Programming Nominated[26]
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Children's Animated Series Nominated
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Children's Program Nominated[27]

Spin-off[]

On February 17, 2021, it was announced that a preschool spin-off series centered on Craig's little sister Jessica was in development. Titled Jessica's Big Little World, the new series is set to air as part of Cartoon Network's Cartoonito preschool block.[5] On January 19, 2022, it was announced that the series would premiere in 2023.[4]

Film[]

An origin film, Craig of the Creek: The Movie, was announced on January 19, 2022.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ [1][dead link]
  2. ^ "Head to the Creek for Endless Adventure with "Craig of the Creek" Beginning Monday, Feb. 19 on Cartoon Network" (Press release). Cartoon Network. February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018 – via The Futon Critic.
  3. ^ a b "WarnerMedia Expands Kids & Family Offerings on Cartoon Network and HBO Max Under New Tagline Redraw Your World" (Press release). WarnerMedia. February 17, 2021. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e Alexandra Del Rosario (January 19, 2022). "Craig Of The Creek Renewed For Season 5, WarnerMedia Kids & Family Greenlights Spinoff Series & Original Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "WarnerMedia Kids & Family to Debut Cartoonito, New Preschool Programming Block Based on Humancentric Learning to Launch this Fall on Cartoon Network and HBO Max" (Press release). WarnerMedia. February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (March 30, 2017). "Cartoon Network Greenlights Two New Series as Part of "Holistic" Multiplatform Slate". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  7. ^ Yoo, Noah (31 March 2018). "Jeff Rosenstock Soundtracks New Cartoon Network Show "Craig of the Creek"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  8. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (March 30, 2017). "Cartoon Network Greenlights Two New Series as Part of "Holistic" Multiplatform Slate". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  9. ^ Burnett, Matt [@Matt___Burnett] (March 30, 2017). "Specifically, a TV show we created! CRAIG OF THE CREEK! Coming eventually. Because we just started working on it and animation takes a while" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ White, Abbey; Chik, Kalai (August 31, 2021). "LGBTQ characters of color are making animation history — but creatives of color can't escape the industry's discriminatory past". Insider. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021.
  11. ^ Brafman, Joshua (March 20, 2021). "Craig of the Creek: A Modern Classic of Diverse Representation". RGN 99. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  12. ^ Lorenzana, Angel [@glamdoodle] (December 16, 2019). "Wasn't sure whether to speak on this until it aired on TV but yeah! Hi, hello, that's me! I voiced..myself? I'm agender (they/them) and my creeksona is Literally Me so I want it to be clear that they are too, lol" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Rebecca Sun (September 11, 2021). "'Hollywood Remixed': 'Billions' Star Asia Kate Dillon on How Non-Binary Representation Changes Lives". The Hollywood Reporter (Podcast). The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Hysen, Dylan (November 2, 2018). "November Eps Recap – Craig of the Creek". Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  15. ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (May 8, 2019). "Craig of the Creek's World of Summertime Wonder Is Getting More Intense". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  16. ^ Lorenzana, Angel [@glamdoodle] (July 1, 2019). "A quick piece to finish off Pride Month! It didn't feel right to have Raj and Shawn hanging with our crew until after The Other Side aired, so here are my favorite boys now! Here's to having solidarity and good times with your Pals well after Pride is over! @CraigoftheCreek" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ "Meet Craig's Family". Cartoon Network. YouTube. October 25, 2019. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021. See 6:35-6:37 in the video
  18. ^ @GLAAD (January 15, 2022). "We have an exclusive clip from the season premiere of @cartoonnetwork's @CraigoftheCreek. The new season premieres Monday January 17th starting at 1pm ET/PT" (Tweet). Retrieved January 14, 2021 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (15 July 2019). "Cartoon Network Greenlights 'The Fungies!', 'Craig' S3 & 'Victor and Valentino' S2". Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  20. ^ "Craig Of The Creek Premieres On Teletoon Canada On Thursday 3rd May". regularcapital.toonsphere.com. April 17, 2018.
  21. ^ "Craig of the Creek - Season 1-3". Amazon.
  22. ^ "Cartoon Network's Craig Of The Creek Awarded A Common Sense Seal - RegularCapital". 9 May 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  23. ^ "46th Annual Annie Awards". annieawards.org. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  24. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (May 21, 2020). "Daytime Emmy Nominees: 'Elena of Avalor,' 'Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure' Lead Toon Contenders". Animation Magazine.
  25. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (July 26, 2020). "Daytime Emmy Awards: 'Dragon Prince,' 'Ask the Storybots' & 'Last Kids on Earth' Win Key Animation Categories for Netflix". Animation Magazine.
  26. ^ "The Nominees for the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards". glaad.org. 28 January 2021.
  27. ^ Bosselman, Haley (2021-03-28). "NAACP Image Awards 2021: The Complete Televised Winners List". Variety. Retrieved 2022-02-01.

External links[]

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