Charlie and Lola

I have been buying the Charlie and Lola books for my children since they first appeared.

Now I'm thrilled to see that they've been brought to the screen with every bit as much imagination, visual flair and originality as the books.

Everything from the theme tune to the children's voices is spot on perfect.

I have bought a DVD for my 3 year old, but my 7 and 9 year olds will happily forgo Tracy Beaker to watch it, and I'll quite happily sit through the odd episode too! Well done to the team who made it.

This cartoon really is a little gem. My 2 year old son and 5 (and three quarter) year old daughter both really enjoy it. I find this very funny too, which is not the usual case for kids' cartoons. Lola's speech, e.g. excessive use of the word "completely", or Blossom trying to wangle the word "actual" into every sentence, ring very true. So does their 180 degree change of stance once they understand situations better; we experienced the "I Do Not Ever, Never Want My Wobbly Tooth to Fall Out" recently, and even our 5 year old saw the similarity and laughed about it. The surreal, imagination scenes like flying on a bird's back, are always well done and hold our 2 year old's attention, which is not easy.

I'm always slightly wary when a show is described as "good clean family fun" because that usually translates as "incredibly boring for adults", but in this case it really doesn't. Highly recommended for all ages.

For starters, Lola Sonner is one of the most realistic characters ever devised for a children's cartoon, and maybe even for TV shows in general. Based on an actual Danish girl who writer Lauren Child met on a train, she might feel eerily familiar for anyone who ever dealt with kids - and that's due to both small, simple acts such as "typing" a letter and then "reading" individual letters out loud as if they meant anything, and to her attitude and personality in general. As for Charlie, well, Mr. and Mrs. Sonner should thank all deities daily for having him, heh heh.

Now, onto the show itself. The two title characters form the very core of the show, Lola being the 4-year-old sister of 7-year-old Charlie. He narrates the stories, which are almost all built out of very banal, commonplace, "house held" topics. The trick lies on everything that surrounds the stories. The animation mixes childlike drawings with fancy montages of real pictures, and through any episode, you'll never know if, the next minute, you'll be watching a simple scene depicting children talking or a delightfully abstract montage mixing imagination with true visual symphonies. Charlie narrates the stories, though the narration only pops up once in a while. Most of the time, we're focused on the characters - which includes their neighbour Marv and his dog Sizzles, Lola's classmate and best friend Lotta, and Lola's imaginary friend, the cleverly named Soren Lorenson. They are all insanely realistic, special, likable and fun to watch, so the "banal" stories really do turn into something else entirely - a very rich, profound and gentle kind of entertainment and storytelling which is enlightening and constructive for people of all ages.

Another interesting aspect of the show is that the voices are done by actual children. The actors are different for each season, but the changes aren't really too noticeable. The British accents are extreme, and for fans of British accents (like me), that's a thrill and a half. And the music is exceptional - not only the eccentric, catchy theme tune by Tom Dyson and Søren Munk, but most incidental tunes, which sometimes form the backing of choreographies and "mini musicals" within the stories. Basically, everything works here. Let this be a recommendation for parents, kids, and everyone else. And if Lauren Child's books are available to you, get them too.

"I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny." These are the words that Charlie uses to introduce each episode of Charlie and Lola, a fifteen minute cartoon from Britain currently airing in the USA on The Disney Channel, but he might as well be describing the show itself. This charming, lighthearted romp, based upon a series of picture books by Lauren Child is about Charlie, a wise, kind and very responsible boy of perhaps seven or eight years and his tiny adventures being big brother to quirky, determined, demanding and adorable Lola, age five. A typical episode concerns Charlie convincing fussy eater Lola to eat the foods on her list of things she "absolutely will never not ever eat." Rarely do we see a depiction in modern pop culture of such a healthy and loving sibling relationship as offered here. Charlie may at times be exasperated by his little sister, but he is always caring and respectful of her as he gently guides her through life, and most episodes end with the happy laughter of two children enjoying each other's company. Technically the animation is not much more advanced than that of South Park (to which this in no other way can be compared!) but is more imaginative and finely detailed. And the superb voice cast of actual children (usually child characters in animation are played by adult women, i.e. Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson) lifts this up to a whole other level. Pure delight.

The Cast:

Charlie: Jethro Lundie-Brown, Lola: Maisie Cowell, Lotta: Morgan Gayle, Marv: Ryan Harris

This is a GREAT show! The animation is strange, but delightful. I think it promotes a great relationship between a brother and a sister. Whilst some of the situations Charlie and Lola find themselves in seem somewhat mundane (i.e. going to a birthday party, playing in the snow for the first time, etc.), I experienced a similar daily relationship with my younger sister when we were children. It is good clean fun for young children. It is drawn very simplistically with a "crayonesque" type of animation, but the real draw is the voice talent behind the characters and the creative dialogue. Though she is not part of the intended audience, our 6-month-old daughter loves the bright colours used in the animation. Many of today's kids' shows are tainted with PG humour that goes over their heads. This show is just good clean fun. Kids are safe to watch this one without parents worrying about them picking up on any vulgarities or rude behaviors displayed in other animated series that are presently on TV. I wish there was more attention given to it here on IMDb.