Recess (TV series)
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| Recess | |
|---|---|
 The Recess crew. From left to right: Vince, Ashley Spinelli, Mikey, T.J., Gretchen, and Gus. |
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| Genre | Animated series |
| Running time | 30 minutes with commercials (mostly two 15-minute segments) |
| Creator(s) | Paul Germain Joe Ansolabehere |
| Starring | Ross Malinger Andrew Lawrence Rickey D'Shon Collins Pamela Adlon Ashley Johnson Jason Davis Courtland Mead Allyce Beasley April Winchell Dabney Coleman Ryan O'Donohue Toran Caudell Erik von Detten Blake McIver Ewing Anndi McAfee |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 13, 1997–November 4, 2001 |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Recess was an American animated television series that was created Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere, and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Recess focused on six elementary students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers. The show aired on the ABC network for from 1997 to 2001.
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[edit] History
Recess premiered on ABC’s “One Saturday Morning” programming block on September 13, 1997. Despite coexisting with big-name Disney shows like Pepper Ann and Doug, Recess established itself as one of the most popular and successful shows of its time. Recess’s success spawned two direct to video titles and one theatrical film, Recess: School's Out which was released in 2001.
The series was cancelled in 2001, and its reruns were rerouted to the UPN network and Disney Channel. Later, reruns of their series were aired in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world. Despite the lack of new episodes, two other direct-to-video movies, Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade and Recess: All Growed Down, were created in 2003.
[edit] Setting
Recess is set in an unnamed region of the United States of America. Similar to Springfield from the The Simpsons universe, the creators of Recess have given conflicting information as to the exact whereabouts of the series’ setting. However, it should be noted Recess: School’s Out, was set in California.
Furthermore, the series’ exact timing has drawn skepticism. Although the Recess’ creators have never explicitly stated the time period the show depicts, many fans assume that the show was set in the late 90s, as the show first aired in 1997. Also, various episodes from the series, such as the “The Lost Ball” and “Rumor Mill” have confirmed that the series is set in the late 90s.
Lastly, almost all the characters of Recess attend Third Street Elementary School. Most the series is centered around the time they spend playing outdoors during recess. The outdoor environment of Third Street Elementary School is littered with typical playground equipment, and obscure structures (most notably the Ashley Clubhouse). During this time, the children are governed by a pseudo-monarchy, and required to conduct themselves according to a cliché set of unwritten laws.
[edit] Characters
Along with the six main characters, Recess featured a plethora of other characters from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
- Theodore Jasper "T.J." Detweiler, Jr. - The ringleader of his five best friends. He normally wears a red baseball cap backwards. T.J. usually spends time planning pranks against the teachers. In The Experiment because of "the straws" he was forced to kiss Spinelli. He also has a dance by raising his arms and placing both of hands in a single fist and bouncing it above his head and then punches the air to side. He also has the catchphrase "Tender." He was voiced by Ross Malinger from 1997-1998, and Andrew Lawrence afterward.
- Vincent Pierre "Vince" LaSalle - A very talented athlete, Vince has been referred to as "cool" several times. He is one of the few African American students. He was voiced by Rickey D'Shon Collins.
- Ashley Funnicelo Spinelli - A feisty tomboy who enjoys pro wrestling. Almost always called by her surname, and was outraged when the other kids found out her first name (she refuses to change it though, because she was named after an aunt she admires). The Ashleys attempted to make Spinelli one of their own but ultimately failed. Her father appears Italian American, while her mother appears White American, which means Spinelli seems to be of a diverse cultural background. Her middle name is stated in the episode "More Like Gretchen". Spinelli is an Italian name. In "The Experiment" because of "the straws" she was forced to kiss T.J. Spinelli and T.J. may have had crushes on each other. She was voiced by Pamela Adlon.
- Gretchen P. Grundler - Academically talented and very intelligent. Known as "Smart Girl" to the older kids, such as King Bob. She was admired by a boy named Jeffery in one episode. However she did not return the feelings. She was voiced by Ashley Johnson.
- Michael "Mikey" Blumberg - Large, likes to eat, and very philosophical: writes poetry, performs classical dance, and believes in notions of peace often dismissed by the others. He also loves to sing, though he was initially hesitant to sing in front of others. He was voiced by Jason Davis; his singing voice was provided by Robert Goulet.
- Gustav Patton "Gus" Griswald - The newest kid in the grade. For a while he was known only as new kid in accordance with the playground charter. He is also very short. He was voiced by Courtland Mead.
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[edit] Episodes
The center of every episode revolved around the interaction between the six main characters of the series. Typical plots involved the group banding together in order to unravel government conspiracies, or attempting to outwit their teacher chaperons. Each segment featured two 15-minute episodes, which were divided by several commercials. Until it's cancellation in 2001, Disney produced 65 episodes.
[edit] Outside references
Recess's creators often spliced several pop-culture references into the show. With its barbed-wire enclosed schoolyard and military theme music, Recess is arguably a spoof of Hogan's Heroes. The "Old Folks Home" episode even featured T.J. visiting an aging "Rogan," who reminisces about being trapped in a prisoner of war camp, and performing practical jokes on "Herr Prickley." The prissy "Ashleys", in turn, are arguably a play on the late-1980s teen movie Heathers.
Also, in many episodes, Mikey is heard reciting parts of the famous poem The Tyger by William Blake.
[edit] External links
- Disney's Recess at Toon Disney
- Recess at the Internet Movie Database
- Recess at TV.com
- Recess titles and air dates guide
