Cro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article refers to the animated television show. For the show's titular character, see Cro (character).
| Cro | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated series, Educational |
| Running time | Approx. 23 mins. |
| Starring | Max Casella Jim Cummings Charles Adler Ruth Buzzi Candi Milo |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 18, 1993–October 22, 1994 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Cro was an animated television series made by the Children's Television Workshop and Film Roman. It debuted on September 18, 1993 as part of the Saturday morning line-up for fall 1993 on ABC. Cro did not do well with the viewers. The show had an education theme in accordance with FCC-mandated E/I requirements. The show aired the last new episode on October 22, 1994. Cro used to rerun on Noggin before the channel's demographic got changed. This show had three video volumes: Have Mammoths, Will Travel, It's A Woolly, Woolly World, and Adventures in Woollyville.
Contents |
[edit] Premise
Dr. C and Mike go up to the Arctic to thaw something, and get a woolly mammoth. They thaw it, but are shocked to find that it can talk! Whenever a situation that involves physics principles, Phil would always remember when a similar situation occurred long ago in Woollyville with his fellow mammoths and his human friends.
[edit] Topics
Topics covered on "Cro":
- Time Keeping
- Types of Instruments
- Facts About Mammoths
- Weighing Machines
[edit] Characters
- Cro (voiced by Max Casella): As the theme song went: "Cro was a smart boy / He had a lot on the ball / But the family that took him in / Was total Neanderthal." Cro was a fully-evolved 11-year-old Cro-Magnon boy. Cro lives with the Neanderthals. Cro is the smarter one and that was the reason most of the characters hated him.
- Ogg (voiced by Jim Cummings): The big show-off of the Neanderthals, Ogg was the leader and bossed everyone around. He gets into arguments with Nandy and once forced Bobb out of the tribe, causing everyone to leave Ogg all alone (they came back to him because they thought he felt lonely). Ogg's phrases include: "In cases like this, only one thing to say: <something>" and "We gonna die," which is often used by other Neanderthals; Gogg said it once and Nandy said it too, but Ogg told her that it was his line. Ogg is usually used in Phil's and Pakka's examples of something (e.g. Ogg commented that he hated being a unit of measure and Pakka used Ogg to show the signifigance of supports).
- Gogg (voiced by Frank Welker): Gogg is the sensitive one in the tribe. He sticks up for Bobb and mostly translates for him, even though Nandy and Og do occasionally.
- Bobb (voiced by Frank Welker): Bobb is the Neanderthal on the lowest rank in the evolutionary scale, meaning he is still an ape-like creature. He does not speak like the rest of the Neanderthals, but makes monkey-like noises and either Gogg or Nandy translate for him. When Bobb was younger, his previous tribe (before the Neanderthals) either deserted him, got eaten, or some other reason...and Bobb was all alone!
- Nandy (voiced by Candi Milo): If you want to find a Neanderthal with an urban legend to tell or if you want some mung, Nandy, the one-toothed female Neanderthal, is the one you want! Some of her legends include the legend of "Big Thing" and a monster called "Big Skinny Thing with Many, Many Legs." She gets into arguments with Ogg and usually wins; in fact, Nandy thinks Ogg is a big weenie. She is very overprotective of Cro.
- Phil (voiced by Jim Cummings): This is the character that tells the stories in every episode. During the end of the Ice Age, Phil fell into a glacier and got unthawed by Mike and Dr. C 45,000 years later. Even though Phil is smart, he is a little goofy. Phil has red fur and orange flesh. He is friends with Cro and loyal to the mammoths, too.
- Ivanna (voiced by April Winchell): Ivanna, a southern belle mammoth with yellow fur and brown skin with a mole, is Phil's love life. She is the second oldest female mammoth in the herd next to Esmeralda. She usually uses Phil for her experiments.
- Pakka (voiced by Tress MacNeille): Pakka has light orange fur with yellow skin. She is also Cro's friend. She and Cro met when Cro came down from the waterfall after defeating Selene with his lever. When Ogg kicked Cro out of the tribe due to the lever, Cro disguised himself as a mammoth in order to blend in, but he came back to the Neanderthals. She is the third oldest female mammoth next to Ivanna and Esmeralda. She sometimes tells Cro interesting facts about mammoths.
- Steamer (voiced by Charles Adler): Steamer is the youngest mammoth in the herd. He has marroon fur and light purple skin. He is always getting into mischief. He is the most hyperactive mammoth in the herd, which gets him into and trouble and sometimes out.
- Esmeralda (voiced by Tress MacNeille): Esmeralda has light yellow fur, skin colored an odd gray, and is the matriarch of the herd. She is the oldest female in the herd. She makes sure that everything goes to order and that those who have wronged the mammoth society be punished. She doesn't mind the Neanderthals...much.
- Earle (voiced by Frank Welker) and Mojo (voiced by Charles Adler): Earle (gray fur with dark gray-blue skin with a bold spot) and Mojo (gray fur with lighty gray skin) are the brothers in the herd. Unlike the others, Earle and Mojo greatly hate all human things (á lá the Neanderthals) and each other. Sometimes, the mammoths showed some of the hatred apparently passed on from Earle and Mojo.
- The Dire Wolves: Big Red (voiced by Frank Welker) is the leader of the menacing pack of the bumbling dire wolves. The other dire wolves and his assistant, Murray (voiced by Jim Cummings), fear him, because he uses threats to gnaw on them if the job is failed. They are one of the two antagonists on the show.
- Selene (voiced by Tress MacNeille): Selene is a purple, yellow-eyed sabor-toothed tiger and has sort of a seductive personality. She is the other antagonist on the show.
- Dr. C (voiced by Ruth Buzzi): She is most likely in her 20s. She and Mike were the two people that unthawed Phil and therefore, he tells them his stories. She speaks with a distinct Hispanic accent.
- Mike (voiced by Jussie Smollett): Mike has big glasses. He likes to play basketball and lives with Dr. C for no apparent reason. He and Dr. C were the two people that unthawed Phil and therefore, he tells them his stories. Mike is about 11.
- Sooli (voiced by Cree Summer): Sooli got separated from her tribe and Cro and Pakka help her find her favorite horse. Sooli only appeared in one episode. She was African.
[edit] The Episodes
[edit] Season 1 (September 1993 to December 1993)
- Just A Stone's Throw Away (Airdate: September 18, 1993)
- No Time for Steamer (Airdate: September 25, 1993)
- Destroy All Buckies (Airdate: October 2, 1993)
- It's Snow Problem (Airdate: October 9, 1993)
- Let Me Help (Airdate: October 16, 1993)
- The Legend of Big Thing (Airdate: October 23, 1993)
- Laugh Mammoth, Laugh (Airdate: October 30, 1993)
- Pakka's Cool Invention (Airdate: November 6, 1993)
- Here's Looking At You, Cro (Airdate: November 13, 1993)
- No Way Up (Airdate: November 20, 1993)
- Adventures in Miscommunications (Airdate: November 27, 1993)
- Escape from Mung Island (Airdate: December 4, 1993)
- Pulley for You (Airdate: December 11, 1993)
- Things That Eat Mung in the Night (Airdate: December 17, 1993)
[edit] Season 2 (September 1994 to October 1994)
15. Meal Like A Pig (Airdate: September 17, 1994)
16. What's That Smell (Airdate: September 24, 1994)
17. Play It Again, Cro...Not! (Airdate: October 1, 1994)
18. Lever in a Million Years (Airdate: October 8, 1994)
19. Turn Up the Heat (Airdate: October 15, 1994)
20. They Move Mammoths, Don't They? (Airdate: October 22, 1994)
This episode guide is here thanks to Cro Episode Guide: @ Big Cartoon Database.
[edit] Videos
- Have Mammoths, Will Travel
Episodes: "No Way Up" and "Escape From Mung Island"
- Adventures in Woollyville
Episodes: "Pulley To You" and "A Bridge Too Short"
- It's A Woolly, Woolly World
Episodes: "Lever in a Million Years" and "Play It Again, Cro...NOT!"
The company that released the Cro was Republic Entertainment, Incorporated.
- A Bridge Too Short
Episodes: "A Bridge Too Short" and "Just a Stone's Throw Away"
- Escape From Mung Island
Episodes: "Lever in a Million Years" and "Escape From Mung Island"
- Destroy all Buckies
Episodes: "Destroy all Buckies" and "Things That Eat Mung in the Night"
- Play It Again, Cro...NOT!
Episodes: "Play It Again, Cro...NOT!" and "Laugh Mammoth Laugh"
- It's Snow Problem
Episodes: "It's Snow Problem" and "Here's Looking at you, Cro"
- Pakka's Cool Invention
Episodes: "Pakka's Cool Invention" and "The Legend of Big Thing"
In Australia the company that released the videos was Reel Entertainment.
[edit] External links
[edit] Trivia
- This show was among the first animated series to use a cold open, using the cold open to lead into the storyline.
- The episode "No Way Up" was rarely reran on Noggin due to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The last time this episode aired on Noggin was March 31, 2002 at 10:30 P.M. Eastern Time. That was before Noggin changed its demographic.
- Dr. Gerald Wheeler was on the advisory board for the show. Wheeler later became the executive director of the National Science Teachers Foundation.
- The characters share many similarities to the characters from Shining Time Station and Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. Dr. C is Stacy Jones, Mike is the boy who stays there, Phil represents both Edward and Mr. Conductor, Cro is Thomas, Ogg is James, Gogg is Toby, Bobb is Duck, Nandy is Thomas' coaches, Annie and Clarabel, Pakka is Percy, Steamer is Bill or Ben, Sooli is Trevor, Sooli's Horse is Bertie, Ivanna is Daisy, Esmeralda is Sir Topham Hatt, Earle is Gordon and Mojo is Henry, the dire wolves are the freight cars, and Selene is Diesel.
- Sometimes, the characters refer to the Neanderthals as the Neandies.
- The company that releases the Cro videos was Republican Studios and Reel Entertainment.
- Ogg, Gogg, and Nandy speak without using words like "are," "I," "am," "is,", etc.
- The "C" in Dr. C means Cecilia.
- Jim Cummings had three dual roles on this show, Frank Welker had four, Tress MacNeille had three, and Charles Adler had two.
- Had any Cro DVDs been released recently (or about to be released), they would've been distributed by Republic's sibling company, Paramount Home Entertainment (in Canada, they would've been distributed by Universal Home Entertainment).
- Cro was a part of The URL With Phred Show.
[edit] Crew
- Executive Producers: Franklin Getchell, Majorie Kalins, Phil Roman
- Executive Producer for CTW: Nina Elias-Bamberger
- Producers: Bob Richardson, Joan Ganz Cooney, Ralph Rogers
- Story Editor and Voice Director: Mark Zaslove
- Coordinating Producer: Catherine Mullally
- Executive in Charge of Production: Bill Schultz
- Studio Production Manager: Anne Luiting
- Executive Editor: Edward G. Atkins, PhD
- Research Director: Susan L. Mendelsohn, Ph. D
- Supervising Director: Dave Brain
- Overseas Supervising Director: James Miko
- Directors: James West, Milt Gray, Kyle James, Swinton Scott, Bob Nelsler
- Music and Main Title Theme by Stacy Widelitz
- Starring: Max Casella as Cro, Charlie Adler, Ruth Buzzi, Jim Cummings, Tress MacNeille, Candi Milo, Laurie O'Brien, April Winchell, Jane Singer, Jussie Smollett, Frank Welker
- Additional Voices: Jeff Bennett, Mary Kay Bergman, Neil Ross, Peter Cullen, Brad Garrett, Kath Soucie, Rob Paulsen, Barry Gordon, Dan Castellaneta, Susan Silo, Greg Burson, Scott Menville, Louise Vallance, Jonathan Winters, Michael Bell, Nancy Cartwright, Townsend Coleman, Danny Mann, Cam Clarke, Cree Summer, Russi Taylor, Cathy Cavadini, Rodger Bumpass, Dean Hagopian, Gary Owens, Ed Gilbert, Alan Oppenheimer, Tim Curry, Brock Peters
- Art Director: Brad Landreth
- Key Backgrounds: Mike Humphries
- Key Layouts: Peter DeLuca
- Additional Backgrounds: Bari Greenberg
- Models: Peter DeLuca, Bill Riling
- Color Design: Libby Reed
- Storyboards: Jim Schumann, Brian Hogan, Gary Graham, Steve Lyonb, Brad Landreth, Gary Hoffman, Bob Boyle, Alberto Demello, Dave Rodriguez, Kevin O'Brien, Martin Archer, Scott Shaw!
- Picture Editors: Don Barrozo, Lee Harting
- Post Production Sound Services: Advantage Audio, Inc.
- Dialouge Editor: Melissa Gentry-Ellis
- Music Editing: Marc Perlman
- Sound Effects Editing and Re-Recording Mixers: Bill Koepnick, M.P.S.E. and Jim Hodson, C.S.A.
- Additional Effects: Robert Duran
- Voice Recording: Screen Music Studios
- Video Production by: Unitel Video
- Animation Production by Sunwoo Animation Co., Inc. and Anivision America
- Main Title Vocals by Bill Trudel and Josef Powell
- Production Manager: John Cawley
- Post Production Manager: Barbara Beck
- Post Production Supervisor: Dennis Graham
- Based on the Original Idea in the Book The Way Things Work by David Macaulay
- Developed for Television by Mark Zaslove
- Advisory Board: Daniel Davis, PhD; Ted Lucas, PhD; Gerald Lesser, PhD; Cary Lu, PhD; Shirley Malcom, PhD; Leona Schauble, PhD; Angel Rivera; Ralph Smallberg; Benjamin Shen, PhD; Gerry Wheelter, PhD; Melissa Franklin, PhD
- Partial Funding by the National Science Foundation
- A Film Roman Production
[edit] External links
- Cro at the Internet Movie Database
- Cro at TV.com
- Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Cro at Epinions.com
- Cro at Big Cartoon DataBase.
- A Pop-Arena Article about Cro.
- Cro @ Toonarific Cartoons.
- Cro at Toontrackers or Download the Cro Theme Song (NOTICE: REAL PLAYER AUDIO REQUIRED)!
- Cro information at Angelfire.com.
- Cro at Blast from the Past
- Cro - ABC Kids TV Guide (Australia)
| Cro | |
|---|---|
| Characters Cro • Phil • Esmeralda • The Dire Wolves • Steamer • Dr. C more... | |
| Episodes Things That Eat Mung in the Night • No Way Up • Lever in a Million Years • Play It Again, Cro...Not! • Pulley for You • more... | |
| Other Woollyville • The Way Things Work • 1993 in television • 1994 in television • 1999 in television • 2002 in television • Sesame Workshop | |
