Toonhound - El Nombre (1994-2003)

      "Adios amigos....
                      ...and keep smiling!"

     "Hola!" and welcome to the little Mexican border town of Santa Flamingo, the
     bright and busy desert home of Little Juan and his best friend Pedro Gonzales,
     Juan's Mama, Maria Consuela Tequilla Chiquita, Little Pepita Consuela Tequilla      Chiquita, Tanto the friendly tarantula spider, El Gelato the ice-cream seller,
     Leonardo de Sombrero the pizza delivery boy, Senior Calculo the Bank Manager,
     and Senora Fedorra. Life in this rustic town of ramshackle stores and haciendas
     would be just idyllic without the continued attentions of 'nasty' Don Fandango.
     Who will rid them of this spiteful bully who cheats at egg and spoon races and
     steals birthday cakes and custard pies? - The townsfolk can't help, but
     Little Juan knows who to call...

        Don Fandango      El Nombre - what a hombre!

     El Nombre is a masked hero in black, a legend, a star. When summoned he
     swings in to frame to rout the bad guy, free the spider, retrieve the escaped bird,
     find the missing birthday cake, foil the egg and spoon cheat, and - oh! - so much
     more besides. He's part Errol Flynn, part Zorro, all Mexican Gerbil and the
     townsfolk simply adore him.

     And you know what? - So does The Hound. "El Nombre" is a fantastic fun series
     from Ealing Animation and former children's tv presenter Christopher Lillicrap.
     It's a hoot. It's beautifully designed and animated, the voices are terrific, the title
     tune instantly memorable. This gentle pastiche of a thousand western movie
     clichés is as complete and as thorough as you could wish for.

     El Nombre first appeared on our screens in 1994, via a series of interstitial
     animations produced for 'Numbertime', the BBC schools program all about
     numbers and mathematics. The first series of short films looked at shapes.
     Later series dealt with numbers and money and calulation. El Nombre still
     appears on the series today. Some of the interstitials from 1998 were
     incorporated into the BBC video of the first series. "El Nombre to the Rescue"
     includes "Learn Your Numbers With Little Juan" in which we witness El Nombre
     from above as he 'walks' a number in the desert dust. The watching youngsters
     call out "Again!" and El Nombre repeats his heroic action. They're great fun.

     The first proper "El Nombre" series reached our screens in 2001, and now,
     in 2004 a second season is being broadcast, together with still more
     interstitial shorts. Don't let yourself be put off by the "schools" accent, though,
     "El Nombre" is perfect anytime viewing for Schoolkids and Big Kids alike.
     Indeed, as if to prove a point, March 2004 saw the release of a fabulous
     "El Nombre" record, called "He's The One" (or is that "Juan"?). That's right,
     our hombre even has a hit single - What a hombre!


     El Nombre - What a hombre!

     • The opening credits to the series include a fab tracking shot taking us through
        Santa Flamingo, from the railway station into the heart of town. Look out for
        poor Leonardo de Sombrero as he loses control of his moped and
        crashes into a barn!...

     • When El Nombre is 'summoned' he swings into frame on his whip from
        out of nowhere, rounds up the business of the day, and swings away again
        just as heroically - just like a real hero should...

     • El Nombre's very fond of corny rhyming couplets, but the townsfolk don't
        mind, they're simply in awe of their hero - cheesy limericks and all...

     • Listen to those voices. That's Janet "Blue Peter" Ellis and Sophie "Dr Who"
        Aldred you can hear on the soundtrack. Like Chris Lillicrap, Janet and
        Sophie are two enduring, popular presenters of children's TV shows...

     • Now listen to Tanto. When he moves he sounds like a balloon being
       squeezed and rubbed - brilliant!

     • Speaking of Tanto, look out for Don Fandango disguised as the spider
        in The Phantom Tanto - ridiculous!

     • The showdown in the The Great Custard Pie Fight is pure Leone. Watch for
        Don Fandango, felled by custard pies with just his right leg twitching...

     El Nombre on DVD

     El Nombre
                 Region 2 / twenty-six eps / Maverick / October 2005

     El Nombre on CD

     El Nombre's 'He's The One'
                El Nombre's single is still available from Amazon.co.uk!

      Series One Episodes

      Where's That Spider?            The Giant Cactus
      Free as a Bird                      The Great Custard Pie Fight
      Sports Day                          When the Balloon Goes Up
      All the Fun of the Fair           The Great Escape
      The Great Train Robbery        The Ghost of Santa Flamingo
      The Phantom Tanto               Match of the Day
      The Missing Birthday Cake

      Series Two Episodes

      Going for a Song                  Beside the Sea
      Runaway Train                     The Last Dance
      The Tent                            Saved by the Whale
      Stuck at the Top                 Up, Up and Away
      The Great Bank Robbery        A Very Important Visit
      The Great Sand Race            Winter Wonderland
      The Lemon Tree

      an Ealing Animation production for BBC World-wide

      producer:           Jilly Joseph, Richard Randolph
      exec prod:          Theresa Plummer-Andrews
      directors:            Chris Mendham, Geoff Walker
      writer:                 Christopher Lillicrap
      orig designs:       Ealing Animation
      models:               Fin Leadbitter, Humphrey Leadbitter,
                                Katy Maxwell
      props:                 Graeme Owen, Fin Leadbitter,
                                Sophie Brown, Katy Maxwell
      sets:                   Graeme Owen, Colin Armitage,
                                Sophie Brown, Humphrey Leadbitter
      animation:           Humphrey Leadbitter, Tim Allen,
                                Chris Mendham, Dan Sharp
      editing & fx:        David Brylewski
      facilities:             Oasis Television
      theme tune
       composer:           Christopher Lillicrap
      music & effects:   Steve Marshall
      sound:                 Adrian Sear
      voices:                Steve Steen (El Nombre / El Gelato)
                                 Kate Robbins (Pedro / Don Fandango)
                                 Sophie Aldred (Little Juan)
                                 Janet Ellis (Maria)

      On the web

        El Nombre
        This "Juan"s the official series "Juan", with info and fun, including
        a Custard Pie Fight game...

        Ealing Animation
        Here's another "Juan" you'll like.... It's Ealing's own "Juan"...

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			El Nombre (1994 - 2003) producers: Ealing Animation for the BBC animation: stop-motion animation EL NOMBRE SERIES: 2000 / 13 x 5mins 2003 / 13 x 5mins EL NOMBRE ON NUMBERTIME: 1994 / 5 x 3.5mins 1999 / 5 x 4mins 1997 / 10 x 4mins 2000 / 10 x 4.5mins 1998 / 10 x 2mins 2001 / 10 x 4mins 5 x 4mins 2003 / 13 x 2mins 10 x 4mins
		"Adios amigos.... ...and keep smiling!" "Hola!" and welcome to the little Mexican border town of Santa Flamingo, the bright and busy desert home of Little Juan and his best friend Pedro Gonzales, Juan's Mama, Maria Consuela Tequilla Chiquita, Little Pepita Consuela Tequilla Chiquita, Tanto the friendly tarantula spider, El Gelato the ice-cream seller, Leonardo de Sombrero the pizza delivery boy, Senior Calculo the Bank Manager, and Senora Fedorra. Life in this rustic town of ramshackle stores and haciendas would be just idyllic without the continued attentions of 'nasty' Don Fandango. Who will rid them of this spiteful bully who cheats at egg and spoon races and steals birthday cakes and custard pies? - The townsfolk can't help, but Little Juan knows who to call... El Nombre is a masked hero in black, a legend, a star. When summoned he swings in to frame to rout the bad guy, free the spider, retrieve the escaped bird, find the missing birthday cake, foil the egg and spoon cheat, and - oh! - so much more besides. He's part Errol Flynn, part Zorro, all Mexican Gerbil and the townsfolk simply adore him. And you know what? - So does The Hound. "El Nombre" is a fantastic fun series from Ealing Animation and former children's tv presenter Christopher Lillicrap. It's a hoot. It's beautifully designed and animated, the voices are terrific, the title tune instantly memorable. This gentle pastiche of a thousand western movie clichés is as complete and as thorough as you could wish for. El Nombre first appeared on our screens in 1994, via a series of interstitial animations produced for 'Numbertime', the BBC schools program all about numbers and mathematics. The first series of short films looked at shapes. Later series dealt with numbers and money and calulation. El Nombre still appears on the series today. Some of the interstitials from 1998 were incorporated into the BBC video of the first series. "El Nombre to the Rescue" includes "Learn Your Numbers With Little Juan" in which we witness El Nombre from above as he 'walks' a number in the desert dust. The watching youngsters call out "Again!" and El Nombre repeats his heroic action. They're great fun. The first proper "El Nombre" series reached our screens in 2001, and now, in 2004 a second season is being broadcast, together with still more interstitial shorts. Don't let yourself be put off by the "schools" accent, though, "El Nombre" is perfect anytime viewing for Schoolkids and Big Kids alike. Indeed, as if to prove a point, March 2004 saw the release of a fabulous "El Nombre" record, called "He's The One" (or is that "Juan"?). That's right, our hombre even has a hit single - What a hombre! El Nombre - What a hombre! • The opening credits to the series include a fab tracking shot taking us through Santa Flamingo, from the railway station into the heart of town. Look out for poor Leonardo de Sombrero as he loses control of his moped and crashes into a barn!... • When El Nombre is 'summoned' he swings into frame on his whip from out of nowhere, rounds up the business of the day, and swings away again just as heroically - just like a real hero should... • El Nombre's very fond of corny rhyming couplets, but the townsfolk don't mind, they're simply in awe of their hero - cheesy limericks and all... • Listen to those voices. That's Janet "Blue Peter" Ellis and Sophie "Dr Who" Aldred you can hear on the soundtrack. Like Chris Lillicrap, Janet and Sophie are two enduring, popular presenters of children's TV shows... • Now listen to Tanto. When he moves he sounds like a balloon being squeezed and rubbed - brilliant! • Speaking of Tanto, look out for Don Fandango disguised as the spider in The Phantom Tanto - ridiculous! • The showdown in the The Great Custard Pie Fight is pure Leone. Watch for Don Fandango, felled by custard pies with just his right leg twitching... El Nombre on DVD El Nombre Region 2 / twenty-six eps / Maverick / October 2005 El Nombre on CD El Nombre's 'He's The One' El Nombre's single is still available from Amazon.co.uk! Series One Episodes Where's That Spider? The Giant Cactus Free as a Bird The Great Custard Pie Fight Sports Day When the Balloon Goes Up All the Fun of the Fair The Great Escape The Great Train Robbery The Ghost of Santa Flamingo The Phantom Tanto Match of the Day The Missing Birthday Cake Series Two Episodes Going for a Song Beside the Sea Runaway Train The Last Dance The Tent Saved by the Whale Stuck at the Top Up, Up and Away The Great Bank Robbery A Very Important Visit The Great Sand Race Winter Wonderland The Lemon Tree an Ealing Animation production for BBC World-wide producer: Jilly Joseph, Richard Randolph exec prod: Theresa Plummer-Andrews directors: Chris Mendham, Geoff Walker writer: Christopher Lillicrap orig designs: Ealing Animation models: Fin Leadbitter, Humphrey Leadbitter, Katy Maxwell props: Graeme Owen, Fin Leadbitter, Sophie Brown, Katy Maxwell sets: Graeme Owen, Colin Armitage, Sophie Brown, Humphrey Leadbitter animation: Humphrey Leadbitter, Tim Allen, Chris Mendham, Dan Sharp editing & fx: David Brylewski facilities: Oasis Television theme tune composer: Christopher Lillicrap music & effects: Steve Marshall sound: Adrian Sear voices: Steve Steen (El Nombre / El Gelato) Kate Robbins (Pedro / Don Fandango) Sophie Aldred (Little Juan) Janet Ellis (Maria) On the web El Nombre This "Juan"s the official series "Juan", with info and fun, including a Custard Pie Fight game... Ealing Animation Here's another "Juan" you'll like.... It's Ealing's own "Juan"... index » previous » next »

© Ealing Animation / Christopher lillicrap / BBC Worldwide / F2006