1001 Nights (TV series)

1001 Nights
1001 Nights's logo
Genre	Cartoon, Animation, Family
Created by	Aly Jetha & Shabnam Rezaei
Directed by	Chad Van De Keere Eddie Soriano
Voices of	Tabitha St. Germain Colin Murdock Trevor Devall Cathy Weseluck Peter Kelamis Scott McNeil
Country of origin	Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	52
Production company(s)	Big Bad Boo Studios
Broadcast
Original channel	Teletoon (Canada) Radio Canada (Canada) Disney Channel (United States)
Original run	December 25, 2011 (2011-12-25) – present

1001 Nights is a Canadian animated television series developed and produced at Big Bad Boo Studios in Vancouver, based on stories from One Thousand and One Nights.^[1] The show is created and co-directed by Shabnam Rezaei and Aly Jetha.^[2] Borrowing from the original premise of the classical tales of One Thousand and One Nights, the TV series features Shahrzad, the storyteller, in a Persian court with her sister Donyazad, King Shahryar, Prince Shahzaman and a playful monkey named Maymoon. The show premiered on Teletoon in Canada on December 25, 2011 and on Radio Canada in French-speaking Canada. In the United States, the show premiered on Disney Channel on January 2, 2012. This is the first time a media company has serialized the books of One Thousand and One Nights into an animated TV series for children.^[3]

Premise

Another day at King Shahryar’s court and another problem presents itself. Does Shahryar have a toothache? Is Maymoon “borrowing” Shahzaman’s pistachios? Shahrzad always has a delightful story that will entertain and teach everyone a great lesson. She will often use the court characters in her stories. There are also a number of recurring characters such as Sinbad and Dina, Mujab and Samir and Harun al-Rashid. A red herring is presented in each episode such as a flying carpet which leaves room for the stories to continue.

Characters

Shahrzad

Voiced by Nicole Oliver

Confident and older than her years, Shahrzad is savvy, quick-witted, and no nonsense in her dealings with Donyazad and Shahzaman. She serves the role of mother, educator and peace-keeper and it is through her that we are told many captivating stories. Shahrzad lives in the palace and is the daughter of Majid, Shahryar’s vizier.

King Shahryar

Voiced by Colin Murdock

Shahryar is slightly older than Shahrzad and has little experience or knowledge of what it takes to make a good king. He is unintentionally selfish, arrogant, pompous, and spoiled. He is also innocent and childlike because he is a prince who has been catered to his entire life. He says whatever is on his mind, no matter how bumbling or stupid it might sound. Often when Shahrzad is telling a story to the kids, Shahryar is listening in and will draw the wrong message.

Donyazad

Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain

Donyazad is Shahrzad's younger sister. She is ten years old, bright, independent, and feisty. She loves and respects her older sister who has essentially become her mother figure. Donyazad often tussles with Shahazman. Although they are not related, they have a typical brother-sister relationship. They are close to one another but are often at odds. Of the two, Donyazad is the smarter. She’s also more sensitive and aware.

Shahzaman

Voiced by Cathy Weseluck

Shahzaman is Shahryar's eleven-year-old brother and therefore, he is a prince. He is a younger version of Shahryar, i.e. spoiled with a sense of entitlement. Even though he’s a prince, he is like any other a boy who loves sports, games, sweets, and play time. He gets into mischief and he endlessly teases Donyazad. He’s a practical joker and often insensitive to other people’s feelings. Still, he’s loveable and when faced with issues, he and Donyazad make a good team.

Majid

Voiced by Peter Kelamis

Majid is Shahryar's vizier, i.e. high counselor. He is also Shahrzad’s father. He is about fifty years old and supposedly the wise and learned man of the court. Majid frequently finds himself trying to calm Shahryar down when the king is throwing a temper tantrum. He is sycophantic towards Shahryar whereas Shahrzad is smarter and subtler in her approach. She’s often able to change Shahryar’s behavior just by telling him a story. Whereas Majid is often afraid of Shahryar, Shahrzad has no trouble standing up to him.

Maymoon

Voiced by Scott McNeil

Maymoon is a mischievous pet monkey who belongs to Shahzaman. He is playful and loving and is a regular member of the court. He often outwits Shahryar and like all the other characters is used often as a character in Shahrzad’s stories.

Production history

The idea for the show came to co-creator Shabnam Rezaei in a dream. Her father read stories from One Thousand and One Nights in her native country Iran. Together with partner Aly Jetha, Series and Creative Director Chad Van De Keere, story editor Randy Rogel as well as the Big Bad Boo team, they formulated the 1001 Nights TV series, which would be appropriate for a modern audience.^[4]

Reception

“1001 Nights” came in the # 1 show at the 2011 at the Mip Junior awards among 1027 other children’s properties. It was a finalist in the 2010 Mip Junior Licensing Challenge and # 6 in the Top 30 that year.^[5]

Awards & Nominations (2010)

1001 Nights was nominated for four awards in 2010.^[6]

Year	Association	Award Category	Notes	Result
2010	Leo Awards	Best Animation Program or Series		Nominated
2010	Leo Awards	Best Direction/Storyboarding in an Animation Program or Series	Chad Van De Keere for episode "What’s Yours Is Mine"	Nominated
2010	Leo Awards	Best Screenwriting in an Animation Program or Series	For episode "What’s Yours Is Mine"	Nominated
2010	Leo Awards	Best Overall Sound in an Animation Program or Series	For episode "Sinbad and the Valley of Serpents"	Nominated

Awards & Nominations (2011)

1001 Nights was nominated for two awards in 2011.^[7]

Year	Association	Award Category	Notes	Result
2011	Leo Awards	Best Screenwriting in an Animation Program or Series	For episode "Sinbad in Solitude"	Nominated
2011	Leo Awards	Best Direction/Storyboarding in an Animation Program or Series	Chad Van De Keere for episode "The Boy Who Cried Science"	Nominated

Awards & Nominations (2012)

1001 Nights was nominated and won three Leo Awards in 2012.^[8]

Year	Association	Award Category	Notes	Result
2012	Leo Awards	Best Screenwriting in an Animation Program or Series	Shabnam Rezaei for episode "Sinbad & The Black Diamond"	Won
2012	Leo Awards	Best Animation Program or Series	Producers Aly Jetha & Shabnam Rezaei	Won
2012	Leo Awards	Best Overall Sound	For episode "Abu Hassan's Legendary Wedding"	Won

Awards & Nominations (2013)

1001 Nights was nominated for two Leo Awards and won one in 2013.^[9]

Year	Association	Award Category	Notes	Result
2013	Leo Awards	Best Screenwriting in an Animation Program or Series	Shabnam Rezaei and Aly Jetha for episode "The Tale of the Mountain & The Valley"	Won
2013	Leo Awards	Best Animation Program or Series	Producers Aly Jetha & Shabnam Rezaei	Nominated

International release

Country/Region	Channel
Canada	Teletoon
Canada	Radio Canada
United States	Disney Channel
Azerbaijan	Lider TV
Austria	ORF (broadcaster)
Finland	MTV3
Israel	Kids Channel 8, Noga Communications
Brazil	Gloob
Portugal	RTP2, Canal Panda
India	Disney Channel, Disney XD, Discovery Kids
Bangladesh	Disney Channel
Bhutan
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Singapore	Okto
Arab League	JeemTV, E-Junior, Cartoon Network Arabic
Indonesia	Global TV