Topo Gigio (2020 TV series)

Topo Gigio
Genre	Comedy[1] Adventure[1]
Created by	Maria Perego Mike De Seve Fabrizio Margaria Davide Rosio Giorgio Scorza
Based on	Topo Gigio by Maria Perego
Directed by	Davide Rosio Giorgio Scorza
Voices of	Roly Gutierrez Jackie Rodriguez Kevin Rodriguez Rosana Smith-Alvarez Daniel Cortes
Theme music composer	Diego Maggi
Composers	Diego Maggi Antonello Aguzzi
Country of origin	Italy
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	52[2][3] (list of episodes)
Production
Producer	Cecilia Quattrini (RAI)
Running time	11 minutes[2][3]
Production companies	Topo Gigio s.r.l. Movimenti Production
Distributor	For Fun Distribution (international)[1] Lacey Entertainment (United States)[2]
Release
Original network	Rai YoYo
Picture format	1080i HDTV
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	October 5, 2020 (2020-10-05)[a] – present
External links
Website
Production website

Topo Gigio is an Italian animated children's television series produced by Topo Gigio s.r.l. and Movimenti Production for Rai Ragazzi. It premiered on Rai YoYo on October 5, 2020. The series is based on the 1958 character of the same name by Maria Perego; this is the last project for the franchise she had worked on, with her husband, before her death in 2019.

This marks the second television series for Topo Gigio to be produced, following the 1988 anime series.

Plot[]

Topo Gigio follows the adventures of the titular witty and heartfelt mouse. Accompanying him are his best friend Zoe, a little girl who helps to make things right, his buddy Bike Bob, who he rides with in the city of Townville, and the G-Team (Mole, Pigeon, Bunny Twins, Turtle, and Toad) — a pair of cute critters who only Gigio can understand — who he can call upon using his Gigio Watch. Together, they make it their mission to solve any problem in the city of Townville, travelling with the help of the G-Bus that Bob built.^[1]

Characters[]

Main[]

• Topo Gigio is a unique, free-spirited mouse. He is very enthusiastic and confident, even when he doesn't have any experience. At the end of each adventure, he has only one request: "Kiss me goodnight and... Hug me 'til I pop!". He is voiced by Roly Gutierrez in English, and Claudio Moneta in Italian.^[1][3]
• Zoe is a 9-year-old girl and Gigio's best friend. She is structured and certain, and has a passion for science and school. She desires to be the best at everything.^[3] She is voiced by Jackie Rodriguez in English, and Stefania De Peppe in Italian.
• Bike Bob, or simply Bob, is a 10-year-old boy, and a buddy of Zoe and Gigio. He rides his bike around Townville all the time. Like Gigio, he is gullible, such as believing that the school principal is a robot. He also invents machines that help his friends on their missions; he is the inventor of the G-Bus. But usually, his inventions don't tend to work.^[1][3] He is voiced by Kevin Rodriguez in English, and Manfredi Mo in Italian.
• The G-Team are Gigio's comical best animal friends. Gigio always enlists them to go on missions with him. He calls upon them using his Gigio Watch, summoning them through ultrasound. They all speak a gibberish animal-language that only Gigio can understand; he acts as their communicator.^[1][3] They are voiced by Rosana Smith-Alvarez, Roly Gutierrez, and Daniel Cortes.
  • The Bunny Twins are never apart from each other. They're clever, cute, and coy, and a bit competitive with each other. The male bunny is orange, and the female bunny is light purple. Their respective names are never disclosed.
  • Mole is Gigio's first mate and sidekick, who is eager to do whatever he asks. He can't stop laughing, and he loves wearing glasses; he tries on any pair that he encounters. He is a fast digger.
  • Pigeon has loads of self-importance, and acts incredibly heroic. He fancies himself a comic-book hero. His strength is flight, but he easily gets sidetracked on his mission for crumbs.
  • Turtle moves really slow. She is only capable of saying one word: "salad". She loves speed and leans her head out of the window of the G-Bus, like a dog.
  • Toad is a clinical narcissist. He believes that he is a handsome prince, and dreams of being showered by kisses from Zoe, who doesn't find him attractive. He is constantly staring at his own reflection. He is strong, which provides great use for the G-Team on their missions. He uses his retractable tongue to point at things, if the situation requires.

Recurring[]

• Laura is Zoe's pragmatic mother. She is a hard-working scientist who is always getting things done at work, but is sweet, caring, and motherly at home.^[1][3] She is voiced by Rosana Smith-Alvarez in English, and Renata Bertolas in Italian.
• Gregory is Zoe's emotional father. He is sensitive and artistic, which helps with his professional magazine photographing job. He works at home, and is prone to emotional reactions when things don't go his way.^[3] He is voiced by Travis Ring in English, and Marcello Cortese in Italian.
• Emilia, Emy to all of her friends, is Zoe's best friend. She is shy, but has a great vocal talent. She has a female cat, Meowie, who become's Gigio's friend.^[1][3] She is voiced by Andrea Villaverde in English, and Laura Cherubelli in Italian.
• Twyla is an African-American fashionista. She is always on top of the trends. She is often competitive with Zoe, but is still good friends with her. She loves her cute-but-scary dog, Dogzilla.^[1][3] She is voiced by Angeline Fontaine in English, and Ludovica De Caro in Italian.
• Tatum is a school bully that everyone is afraid of. He loves his Granny, who dotes on him and has no idea that he is a bully. Eventually, he becomes one with Zoe's friend group.^[1][3] He is voiced by Michael Mena in English, and Paolo De Santis in Italian.
• Jo is a know-it-all guy. He likes science, like Zoe, and also has a crush on her; he always says "hello" to her and offers to Zoe his healthy and organic lunch that his mother packed for him.^[1][3] He is voiced by Daniel Cortes in English, and Mosè Singh in Italian.

Production[]

Topo Gigio is an animated adaptation of the character of the same name that was created by Italian artist Maria Perego, and her husband Federico Caldura, in 1958. It was produced entirely in Italy between Milan and Florence by Topo Gigio s.r.l. and Movimenti Production, in collaboration with Rai Ragazzi. Both Perego and Caldura had worked on this show, the former also being a creator of it, up until her death on November 7, 2019.^[4] The show is now dedicated in "loving memory" of her, as shown by a card at the end of each episode.

Early promotional material reveal that the show was originally titled "Topo Gigio: The New Animated Series". Zoe and her parents underwent severe design changes, although Gigio remained the same. Just as well, the G-Team had completely different members, including that of a flamingo, a panda, a toucan, a wolf cub, a cat, and a beaver.^[4][5]

Despite being produced in Italy, the original version of the show is English, as opposed to Italian. The English version was produced by Centauro Comunicaciones in their Miami, Florida division.

The series is distributed worldwide by For Fun Distribution, and in the United States by the New York-based Lacey Entertainment.^[2]

Episodes[]

Release[]

Topo Gigio first premiered in Italy on Rai YoYo on October 5, 2020,^[6] with an Italian dub, although 13 episodes were released prior to RaiPlay on April 8, 2020,^[4] in order to cheer up Italian families during wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[7]

The original English version was first broadcast on Canal Panda's Spanish feed, on its English-language audio track,^[8] on July 1, 2021.^[9] It will also air on the English-language audio track^[10] of Discovery Kids in Latin America on October 18, 2021.^[11]

Two episodes were released prior to ForFun Entertainment's Vimeo channel on October 1 and October 3, 2019 ("Journey to Mars" and "Bob the Bomb" respectively). These two episodes have a different opening sequence for the show that was not used in the finalized version; the footage of it still remains remotely the same. Another episode was uploaded on July 2, 2020, "The Hiccup", now using the proper intro.^[12]

Notes[]

References[]