Kabouter Wesley
Encyclopedia
Kabouter Wesley is a series of comics
and short animated cartoon
s about a grumpy and violent kabouter
(gnome
), made by Jonas Geirnaert
. Both the drawing style and the content are purposely made naive and amateuristic and the situations are surreal
and violent. There is also a lot of insulting and toilet humour in the series.
) in 2004. As this film required him to be very perfectionistic and thorough, he drew Wesley the Gnome as a side project and intentionally spent no time on good graphics, interesting plotlines or other recurring characters. In 2008 the comics appeared in the magazine HUMO
. After 27 episodes, Geirnaert decided to quit the series and Wesley since then only rarely appeared in the magazine.
During autumn 2009, Wesley the Gnome was granted new life through an animated short series in the programme Man Bijt Hond. Geirnaert himself does Wesley's voice (after a warming up-session aimed at roughing up his vocal cords through shouting), Jelle De Beule does all the other voices. All the animated episodes are based upon the cartoons that appeared earlier in the magazine and are animated at the Volstok Telefunken studios. However, as the television series plans 37 episodes of Man Bijt Hond, it is assumed that 10 new episodes of Wesley the Gnome will be created.
The comics and especially the animations, have become extremely popular in Belgium
and the Netherlands
which shows in the ratings on YouTube
. As a result, Geirnaert has appeared in several media to discuss the success, in both countries.
The music used in the animations is that of Klaus Wunderlich
playing the Hammond organ
. The numbers used include La Felicidad from the album The Golden Sound of Hammond (aka Hammond Für Millionen), Hasta La Vista, from the album Hammond Pops 10 and the single Tico Tico. Besides of Klaus Wunderlich's music, also Coconut from The Electronic System
was used.
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
and short animated cartoon
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
s about a grumpy and violent kabouter
Kabouter
Kabouter is the Dutch/Afrikaans word for gnome or leprechaun. In folklore, the Dutch Kabouters are akin to the Irish Leprechaun, Scandinavian Tomte, the English Hob or Brownie and the German Klabauter or kobold. The term kabouter was also adopted by a 1970s hippie movement in Amsterdam that sprang...
(gnome
Gnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
), made by Jonas Geirnaert
Jonas Geirnaert
Jonas Geirnaert studied animation at the KASK in Ghent. In May 2004 he won the Short Film Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival with his animated short Flatlife . Of the copy he sent in for selection only the first minute had sound...
. Both the drawing style and the content are purposely made naive and amateuristic and the situations are surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
and violent. There is also a lot of insulting and toilet humour in the series.
History
Geirnaert invented Wesley the Gnome while creating his short animation film Flatlife (winner of the jury prize at the Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
) in 2004. As this film required him to be very perfectionistic and thorough, he drew Wesley the Gnome as a side project and intentionally spent no time on good graphics, interesting plotlines or other recurring characters. In 2008 the comics appeared in the magazine HUMO
HUMO
HUMO is a popular Belgian weekly radio and television magazine, written in Dutch.Originally the magazine was titled Humoradio, a portmanteau of 'humor' and 'radio'....
. After 27 episodes, Geirnaert decided to quit the series and Wesley since then only rarely appeared in the magazine.
During autumn 2009, Wesley the Gnome was granted new life through an animated short series in the programme Man Bijt Hond. Geirnaert himself does Wesley's voice (after a warming up-session aimed at roughing up his vocal cords through shouting), Jelle De Beule does all the other voices. All the animated episodes are based upon the cartoons that appeared earlier in the magazine and are animated at the Volstok Telefunken studios. However, as the television series plans 37 episodes of Man Bijt Hond, it is assumed that 10 new episodes of Wesley the Gnome will be created.
The comics and especially the animations, have become extremely popular in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
which shows in the ratings on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. As a result, Geirnaert has appeared in several media to discuss the success, in both countries.
The music used in the animations is that of Klaus Wunderlich
Klaus Wunderlich
Klaus Wunderlich was a German musician.Wunderlich was born in Chemnitz and died in Engen from a heart attack....
playing the Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
. The numbers used include La Felicidad from the album The Golden Sound of Hammond (aka Hammond Für Millionen), Hasta La Vista, from the album Hammond Pops 10 and the single Tico Tico. Besides of Klaus Wunderlich's music, also Coconut from The Electronic System
Electronic System
Electronic System is a Belgian synthesizer group .Disco Machine is an album of seven original compositions from Dan Lacksman, who’s better known as being part of the group, TELEX. This material was first recorded in 1977.- External links :*...
was used.
Episodes
| # | |Directed by | |Original airdate | Kabouter Wesley on the website of HUMO
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