Franny's Feet
Encyclopedia
Franny's Feet is an animated series for children. It is produced by DHX Media
/Halifax Film in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
and created by Cathy Moss and Susan Nielsen. The show follows the adventures of four-year-old Frances "Franny" Fantootsie (a portmanteau of "fantasy" and "tootsie") as she tries on various pairs of shoes and travels to different places in the world. Its very first appearance was on Ask.com
/television in September 2001; it later appeared on CBC Television
on January 1, 2004, then began to air on Family the following September, and was introduced to PBS Kids Sprout
in the U.S. beginning in June 2006. In the U.K., it has aired on Discovery Kids UK, Channel Five
, and Playhouse Disney UK. A fourth season began in September 2009.
. They like to talk about matters until a customer comes. The customer presents the problem shoes to Grandpa, and he gives the pair to Franny to place inside the shoe repair box. Franny tries on the footwear and they take her to a magical place such as a Native American powwow in Wyoming, a sunny beach in Jamaica, or a high mountain in China. At the end of each episode, after Franny solves the problem in a magical place, she receives a treasure and adds it to her shoebox treasure keeper and solves her own problem. In the fourth season, Franny's clothes change into a costume based on where her imagination takes her (for example, a swimsuit in Jamaica, pioneer clothing for a pioneer-time farm, etc.). The opening has also been redone; the theme is the same and shows the same events as the first three seasons but the animation has been redone to show Franny in costume for the events, as opposed to her regular clothes. At the end of each show in seasons one and two on PBS Kids in the United States, comes Music Time with SteveSongs; in season three, it was Dot's Story Factory. In season four and onwards, it was "Who's That Dog?", a segment that shows a live-action child showing the viewers his/her dog and its special tricks.
The show is designed to teach children about the joys of exploring for the first time. It has been praised by critics in the United States and Canada and has been honored as an Outstanding Product of 2006 by iParenting Media Awards.
In 2009, a Franny's Feet movie called Franny's Feet: Arctic Antics was made.
DHX Media
DHX Media Ltd. is a Canadian media production company formed in 2006 by the merger of Halifax Film Company and Decode Entertainment. The DHX name derives from the combination of Decode and Halifax. Studio B Productions was acquired by DHX Media in December 2007...
/Halifax Film in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and created by Cathy Moss and Susan Nielsen. The show follows the adventures of four-year-old Frances "Franny" Fantootsie (a portmanteau of "fantasy" and "tootsie") as she tries on various pairs of shoes and travels to different places in the world. Its very first appearance was on Ask.com
Ask.com
Ask is a Q&A focused search engine founded in 1996 by Garrett Gruener and David Warthen in Berkeley, California. The original software was implemented by Gary Chevsky from his own design. Warthen, Chevsky, Justin Grant, and others built the early AskJeeves.com website around that core engine...
/television in September 2001; it later appeared on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
on January 1, 2004, then began to air on Family the following September, and was introduced to PBS Kids Sprout
PBS KIDS Sprout
PBS Kids Sprout is a U.S. digital cable television channel, video-on-demand service, and website providing PBS Kids shows and original programming for preschoolers and their families...
in the U.S. beginning in June 2006. In the U.K., it has aired on Discovery Kids UK, Channel Five
Channel Five
Channel 5 is a television network that broadcasts in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1997, it was the fifth and final national terrestrial analogue network to launch. The station was branded as Five between 2002 and 2010...
, and Playhouse Disney UK. A fourth season began in September 2009.
Summary
Four-year-old Frances "Franny" Fantootsie visits with her Grandpa every day at his shoe repair shop in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. They like to talk about matters until a customer comes. The customer presents the problem shoes to Grandpa, and he gives the pair to Franny to place inside the shoe repair box. Franny tries on the footwear and they take her to a magical place such as a Native American powwow in Wyoming, a sunny beach in Jamaica, or a high mountain in China. At the end of each episode, after Franny solves the problem in a magical place, she receives a treasure and adds it to her shoebox treasure keeper and solves her own problem. In the fourth season, Franny's clothes change into a costume based on where her imagination takes her (for example, a swimsuit in Jamaica, pioneer clothing for a pioneer-time farm, etc.). The opening has also been redone; the theme is the same and shows the same events as the first three seasons but the animation has been redone to show Franny in costume for the events, as opposed to her regular clothes. At the end of each show in seasons one and two on PBS Kids in the United States, comes Music Time with SteveSongs; in season three, it was Dot's Story Factory. In season four and onwards, it was "Who's That Dog?", a segment that shows a live-action child showing the viewers his/her dog and its special tricks.
The show is designed to teach children about the joys of exploring for the first time. It has been praised by critics in the United States and Canada and has been honored as an Outstanding Product of 2006 by iParenting Media Awards.
In 2009, a Franny's Feet movie called Franny's Feet: Arctic Antics was made.
Additional voices
- Juan Chioran
- Stacey DePassStacey DePassStacey DePass is a Canadian voice actress that lives in Toronto with her husband and fellow actor Jeremy Harris. She has starred in various animated television series.-Career:...
- Tajja IsenTajja IsenTajja Isen is a Canadian actress and singer-songwriter who is best known for voicing the titular character in the television series Atomic Betty...
- Annick Obonsawin
- Luca Perlman
- Mark RendallMark RendallMark Rendall is a Canadian actor, perhaps best known for starring in the title role of the 2004 film, Childstar, as well as Mick in Season 1 of the Canadian television drama series ReGenesis. He played Bastian Bux in the TV series, Tales from the Neverending Story, and the title character in The...
- Susan RomanSusan RomanSusan Roman is a Canadian voice actress best known for voice acting the role of Lita/Sailor Jupiter in the North American DiC dub of the anime, Sailor Moon. She is one of the few voice actors to remain throughout the entire run of the series...
- Ron RubinRon RubinRon Rubin is the name of:*Ron Rubin , Canadian voice actor known for Artemis in Sailor Moon*Ron Rubin , American bridge player...
- Rob Tinkler
- Jonathan WilsonJonathan WilsonJonathan Wilson is the name of:* Jonathan Wilson , American Psychedelic Folk musician* Jonathan Wilson, former member of the band Eisley* Jonathan Wilson , British sports journalist and author...
- Emma Tate
- Alyson CourtAlyson CourtAlyson Stephanie Court is a Canadian actress who first appeared in the 1985 children's film Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird, and played summer camper Dawn in the animated film Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation the following year...
Episodes
- Note: This list is of the 30 minute episodes. Each 30 minute episodes is made up of two 15 minute episodes, each with their own opening.
Season one
- 101 Jingle Dress/A Home for Herman
- 102 The Colossal Fossil/Lighthouse Lily
- 103 Pilot Project/Not Yeti
- 104 Double Trouble/Bedtime for Bears
- 105 Birds of a Feather/Yummy in My Tummy
- 106 Paper Presents/You Bug Me
- 107 Hop to It/Night Time
- 108 Arctic Antics/Octopus’s Garden
- 109 Armadillo Allergy/Fowl Weather
- 110 Say Jamaica/Pink Flamingos
- 111 Reindeer to the Rescue/It’s a Big Job
- 112 Bright Idea/Iguana Play Paddleball
- 113 Happy Halloween/Snowy Jamaica
Season two
- 201 Puppet Pals/Sweet Mystery
- 202 The Lonely Library/Wonderful Woolies
- 203 Paint Job /Visit to the Vet
- 204 Fancy Footwork/Mischievous Magpies
- 205 Shiver Me Timbers/Ride 'em Cowboy
- 206 Swamp Thing/Franny's Manners
- 207 Lost in Mexico/No Place Like Home
- 208 The Fais Do Do/A Stand Out Performance
- 209 Make Them Laugh/Bear Facts
- 210 Mount Do It Later/A Pony Tale
- 211 Egg Sitting/Bee Patient
- 212 Chez Lou Lou/Under the Sea
- 213 Long Stories/A Little Moose Music
Season three
- 301 Monkey Stuff/Small Is Beautiful
- 302 Jumbo Hi Jinx/Princess Tia
- 303 Whiz Kid/Best in Show
- 304 Season's Greetings/Opening Night Jitters
- 305 Granny Nanny Goat/Franny and Five-Pin
- 306 The Great Museum Caper/It's Snow Small Feat
- 307 Tunnel Vision/Greece Is the Word
- 308 Like Magic/Light in the Night
- 309 Nat The Yak/ The Big Race
- 310 Westward Ho/Messy Monkey
- 311 Scatterbrained Squirrel/What's So Funny?
- 312 A Pirate's Treasure/Game Over
- 313 Unhappy Hippo/Net Worth
Season four
- 401 Stargazing/Tower Power
- 402 Slippery Sandcastle/Butterfingers
- 403 Picture This/Sound Advice
- 404 Rainforest Games/Shake Those Beans
- 405 Flight of Fancy/Totem Trouble
- 406 Papa Penguin/Ballroom Bugaboo
- 407 Wedding Day Woe/A Perfect Fit
- 408 On Your Toes/It Figures
- 409 Iwi the Kiwi/Clothes Call
- 410 Lots of Space/Tulip Parade
- 411 Pandamonium/So to Speak
- 412 Sweet Talk/Old Friends, New Friends
- 413 Going Ape!/Halloween Harvest
External links
- The Official Franny's Feet Website
- Franny's Feet at PBS Kids
- Franny's Feet at the Internet Movie Database
- Franny's Feet page at iParenting Media Awards
- CommonSense Media Reviews and Ratings