Big City Greens Explained

Genre:
Creator:The Houghton Brothers
Voices:
Theme Music Composer:The Mowgli's
Composer:Joachim Horsley
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:4
Num Episodes:89
List Episodes:List of Big City Greens episodes
Executive Producer:
  • Rob Renzetti
  • Chris Houghton
  • Shane Houghton
  • Stephen Sandoval
  • Anna O'Brian
Producer:
  • Mike Coughlin
  • Jason Wyatt
Editor:
  • Nancy Frazen
  • Kevin Locarro
Runtime:22 minutes
Company:Disney Television Animation
Network:Disney Channel
Last Aired:present

Big City Greens is an American animated comedy adventure television series created by The Houghton Brothers that premiered on Disney Channel on June 18, 2018. The series features the voices of Chris Houghton, Marieve Herington, Bob Joles, Artemis Pebdani, Zeno Robinson, and Wendi McLendon-Covey.

Premise

After losing his farm in the country town of Smalton, Bill Green and his two children Cricket and Tilly move in with his mother Alice Green (Gramma), who lives on a small farm in the middle of a city known as "Big City".

By the second half of season three, Bill moves his family back to Smalton after regaining his farm with Cricket's friend Remy coming along for the ride. At the end of season three, Cricket, Tilly, and Bill balance between going back and forth from Big City to Smalton while Nancy manages the farm in Smalton.

Episodes

See main article: List of Big City Greens episodes.

Characters

Main

Recurring

Notable guest stars

Production

On March 8, 2016, Disney XD greenlit the series under the title of Country Club.[8] The series is created by the brothers Chris and Shane Houghton, who originally worked on Nickelodeon's Harvey Beaks. Chris Houghton also worked as a storyboard artist on Gravity Falls with Rob Renzetti.[9] The series was later renamed to Big City Greens on July 21, 2017. The show's animation is done entirely in traditional pen and paper as opposed to digital ink.[10] The theme song was written and performed by The Mowgli's, and on July 28, 2017, a sneak peek of it was revealed at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con and was uploaded to Disney XD's YouTube channel on the same day.[11] On May 17, 2018, it was reported that Disney Channel had ordered a second season of Big City Greens ahead of the series' debut.[12] On October 7, 2019, it was announced that the second season would premiere on November 4, 2019, however, it got pushed back to November 16, 2019.[13] On January 13, 2021, the series was renewed for a third season.[14] On January 21, 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on September 23, 2023.[15] [16] On June 11, 2024, the series was renewed for a fifth season.[17]

During production for the first season, an episode titled "Hands-On History" was in development. The episode was directed by Monica Ray, from a story by Carson Montgomery, also being written and storyboarded by Caldwell Tanner and Cheyenne Curtis. It featured Mark Hamill in the role of Dr. Ponderstein, a sinister curator who ran a museum.[18] The plot focused on Cricket and Remy at odds with one another, over Ponderstein's method of educating children. The episode was shelved when the Houghton Brothers found Remy's behavior in the episode unlikeable - they could not find a way to make the story work so early in the show's run.[19] [20] On cancelling the episode, co-creator Chris Houghton stated, "[W]e killed that episode for the best of reasons: it just didn’t work. We broke and re-broke the story a ton of times. Reboarded it again and again. Sometimes the best course of action is to take your creation out behind the shed, ya know?" The episode's production number, 110, would be given to "Parade Day" and "DIY Guys" instead.[21] [22]

Release

When announced, the series was scheduled to premiere in 2018 on Disney XD; however, on March 26, 2018, it was reported that the series would debut on Disney Channel in mid-2018.[23] On May 17, 2018, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the series would premiere on Disney Channel as part of Disney Channel's GO! Summer on June 18, 2018.[24] The series premiere was made available for streaming via the DisneyNow app and the Disney Channel YouTube channel as of June 8, 2018.[25] Additional new episodes premiered every Monday and Wednesday at 10:00 AM throughout the summer. In addition, Big City Greens shorts began airing on Disney Channel and Disney Channel's YouTube channel on June 4, 2018.

Reception

Critical response

Bekah Burbank of LaughingPlace.com praised the characters of the series, writing, "While the mischief and antics are super silly and completely ridiculous, the characters themselves are quite fun. Just like it is with every family, the quirkiness is what you come to love most about the people you spend time with. The Green family might not be perfect, but they’re positive, supportive, and optimistic no matter the situation. Everyone could benefit from spending a little time with this wacky family."[26] Dave Trumbore of Collider asserted, "The animated series does a solid job of delivering fish-out-of-water laughs alongside some good, old-fashioned heart, making for a refreshing story that has one foot in the country and one in the city."[27]

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave Big City Greens a grade of four out of five stars and complimented the presence of positive messages and role models, writing, "Big City Greens is a quirky but heartwarming animated series about a family that moves from the country to the city and doesn't quite fit in. Despite mining familiar stereotypes of rural dwellers the show has strong family-centric themes and silly, lighthearted laughs."[28] Jaclyn Appelgate of Comic Book Resources ranked Big City Greens 5th in their "Best Currently Airing Kids' Cartoons" list, saying, "Both children and parents alike are entertained by the hilarious comedy and the lighthearted emphasis on family. Although the plot is simple in nature, being about a country family who goes to live in the big city, it's one of those shows viewers can rely on after a long day. Many fans even consider it a PG version of The Simpsons, which would explain why adults enjoy watching it as well."[29]

Accolades

!Year!Award!Category!Nominee(s)!Result!Ref.
2020Annie AwardsOutstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast ProductionMarieve Herington[30]
Daytime Creative Arts Emmy AwardsOutstanding Individual Achievement in AnimationSteve Lowtwait[31] [32]
2021Annie AwardsOutstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Media ProductionKiana Khansmith[33]
2023Children's and Family Emmy AwardsOutstanding Children's or Young Teen Animated SeriesBig City Greens[34]
Outstanding Casting for an Animated ProgramTatiana Bull, Aaron Drown
2024Nickelodeon Kids' Choice AwardsFavorite CartoonBig City Greens[35]

Film

See main article: Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation. Along with a fourth season, a musical film was announced to be in development, with the series' main cast returning.[15] Series director Anna O'Brian will helm the film, with Michael Coughling producing.[36] [15] The film is titled Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation. It premiered on June 6, 2024, on Disney Channel, followed by its release on Disney+ the next day.[37] [38] The events of the film take place during the fourth season of Big City Greens.

Spin-off

Meredith Roberts, EVP of Disney Television Animation, revealed that a spin-off series was being developed, though she did not specify what it would entail.[39]

In other media

Video game

A multiplayer game titled Big City Battle!, where players compete against each other in order to earn a place as a member of the Green family, was released on the DisneyNOW app.

NHL broadcasts

On March 14, 2023, ESPN presented a youth-oriented, Big City Greens-themed telecast of a National Hockey League game between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers—the NHL Big City Greens Classic —on Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney+ and ESPN+.[40] [41] [42] The broadcast leveraged the NHL Edge player and puck tracking system, combined with technology from Beyond Sports, to present a real-time 3D animated recreation of the game; the teams' players were represented by avatars on an outdoor rink, with Vincent Trocheck and Evgeny Kuznetsov being portrayed by avatars of Cricket and Tilly respectively (with their voice actors also using live facial motion capture), and the goalies portrayed by Grandma Alice and Bill Green. Gloria and Remy also joined the game during the last few minutes. Commentators Kevin Weekes and Drew Carter were featured via motion captured avatars, developed by the animation studio Silver Spoon (which had previously worked with CBS Sports and Nickelodeon on similar motion captured avatars for segments of youth-oriented NFL broadcasts).[43] The broadcast on Disney Channel drew approximately 140,000 viewers, while the Disney XD simulcast had roughly 30,000, for a total of 176,000 viewers.[44] [45] In November 2023, it was reported that the simulcast would return in 2024, later specified as a March 9 game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins.[46] [47] The Disney Channel broadcast drew 125,000 viewers.[48]

External links

Notes and References

  1. . Big City Greens . Disney Channel . 6 March 2021 . 2 . 26.
  2. . Big City Greens . Disney Channel . 19 June 2018 . 1 . 2.
  3. . Big City Greens . Disney Channel . 25 June 2018 . 1 . 6.
  4. . Big City Greens . Disney Channel . 21 October 2023 . 4 . 5.
  5. . Big City Greens . Disney Channel . 23 January 2021 . 2 . 22.
  6. . Big City Greens . Disney Channel . 16 January 2021 . 2 . 21.
  7. . Big City Greens . Disney Channel . 16 November 2019 . 2 . 1.
  8. Web site: Disney XD Announces Billy Dilly and Country Club. Animation Magazine. Mercedes Milligan. March 8, 2016. June 20, 2018. June 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180618175602/http://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/disney-xd-announces-billy-dilly-and-country-club/. live.
  9. Web site: First Look at Disney XD's Big City Greens Opening Credits. CBR. Kevin Melrose. July 21, 2017. June 20, 2018. June 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180618203904/https://www.cbr.com/disney-xd-big-city-greens-opening-credits/. live.
  10. shanehoughton. Shane Houghton. 1195015203361968130. November 14, 2019. Big City Greens is animated traditionally--pencil and pens on paper!.
  11. Big City Greens: Theme Song. Disney XD. YouTube. July 28, 2017. June 20, 2018.
  12. Web site: Big City Greens Renewed for Season 2 Ahead of Disney Channel Premiere. Deadline Hollywood. Erik Pedersen. May 17, 2018. June 20, 2018. June 21, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180621020036/https://deadline.com/2018/05/big-city-greens-renewed-season-2-disney-channel-1202393303/. live.
  13. Season Two of Disney Channel's Big City Greens Premieres Monday, Nov. 4. Disney Channel. The Futon Critic. October 7, 2019. October 10, 2019.
  14. Web site: 'Big City Green' Renewed For Season 3 At Disney Channel As Creators Chris & Shane Houghton Ink Overall Deal. January 13, 2021. Erik Pedersen. Deadline Hollywood. January 13, 2021. January 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210113160123/https://deadline.com/2021/01/big-city-greens-renewed-season-3-creators-chris-houghton-shane-houghton-overall-deal-1234672463/. live.
  15. Web site: D'Alessandro . Anthony . January 21, 2022 . 'Big City Greens' Tunes Up With Disney Channel & Disney+ Movie Musical; Animated Series Lands Season 4 Order . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220121172039/https://deadline.com/2022/01/big-city-green-movie-disney-fourth-season-disney-channel-1234917171/ . January 21, 2022 . January 21, 2022 . Deadline Hollywood.
  16. 1696991182658711591. DisneyTVA. Ready for more big-city chaos? Don't miss season 4 of #BigCityGreens, premiering September 23 at 8p on @DisneyChannel!.... Disney TVA. August 30, 2023. September 6, 2023.
  17. Web site: Lang . Jamie . June 11, 2024 . Disney Unveils 'Moon Girl' Musical Shorts Series, 'Big City Greens' Season 5 Order and First-Look Clip for 'Disney Junior's Ariel' (EXCLUSIVE) . June 11, 2024 . Variety.
  18. @shanehoughton (March 13, 2019). "THE Mark Hamill lent his voice to bringing the episode's villain, Dr. Ponderstein, to life. Dr. Podenrstein was a sadistic museum curator who got his kicks by forcing children to learn things. I can't stress enough how funny @HamillHimself was in this role--sorry Mark!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. @shanehoughton (March 13, 2019). "But, it was too early for Remy to carry an episode where he had to decide between his old life and his new friend. At the darkest moment in the episode, Remy betrays Cricket. Remember, this is very early in the series and it made everyone not like Remy. #BigCityGreens" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. @shanehoughton (March 13, 2019). "So Chris and I ultimately shelved the episode. NEVER TO BE SEEN! @caldy, @Cheyenne_Curtis, and @montiray poured so much work into this episode, it still hurts to think about it, but the reason this episode didn't work falls squarely on mine and Chris's shoulders. #BigCityGreens" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. Web site: Hands-On History Tumblr Post. Chris Houghton. Tumblr. July 2, 2020. March 24, 2021. October 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211022191815/https://chrishoughton.tumblr.com/post/622543846961725440/would-you-ever-consider-remaking-hands-on-history. live.
  22. 1105646591979839488. shanehoughton. Shane Houghton. March 12, 2019. On #BigCityGreens, we only ever threw out one episode. Storyboards were complete, voices recorded, and animatic built. It was one of the toughest calls @chrischoughton and I had to make. Especially because it starred the incredibly talented and funny @HamillHimself!.
  23. Web site: Animation Magazine's Rising Stars of 2018. Animation Magazine. March 26, 2018. June 20, 2018. This summer, a new audience will be introduced to their mad genius when their show Big City Green debuts on the Disney Channel.. June 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180615033414/http://www.animationmagazine.net/people/animation-magazines-rising-stars-of-2018/. live.
  24. Web site: Disney Gets More Big City Greens, Molang. Kidscreen. Alexandra Whyte. May 18, 2018. June 20, 2018. October 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211026025522/https://kidscreen.com/2018/05/18/disney-gets-more-big-city-greens-molang/. live.
  25. 1004085258302599168. BIG NEWS!! The first episode of #BigCityGreens will be available to watch on @DisneyNow THIS FRIDAY!! That's 10 days before the series premiere on @DisneyChannel, June 18th! #GETEXCITE. chrischoughton. Chris Houghton. June 5, 2018. June 8, 2018. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20190908190103/https://twitter.com/chrischoughton/status/1004085258302599168. September 8, 2019.
  26. Web site: Big City Greens TV Review. LaughingPlace.com. 26 June 2018. en. 29 April 2020. 14 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200814024108/https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2018/06/25/big-city-greens-tv-review/. live.
  27. Web site: Trumbore . Dave . June 13, 2018 . Big City Greens: Chris and Shane Houghton on the Disney Series' Inspiration . 2023-08-16 . . en.
  28. Web site: Ashby . Emily . Big City Greens TV Review . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190703164838/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/big-city-greens . 2019-07-03 . 2020-04-29 . . en.
  29. Web site: Appelgate . Jaclyn . December 26, 2021 . Best Currently Airing Kids' Cartoons, Ranked . 2023-08-16 . . en.
  30. Web site: Giardina. Carolyn. December 2, 2019. Annie Awards: 'Frozen 2,' 'Missing Link' Lead Year of Surprises and Snubs. May 12, 2022. The Hollywood Reporter. en-US. January 26, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220126200419/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/2020-annie-award-nominations-complete-list-1258296. live.
  31. Web site: December 3, 2020 . WINNERS IN INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN ANIMATION – The Emmys . 2023-08-16 . . en-US.
  32. Web site: Whyte. Alexandra. December 4, 2020. Emmys Reveals Delayed Animation Award Results. May 12, 2022. Kidscreen. en-US. May 16, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220516051906/https://kidscreen.com/2020/12/04/emmys-announces-long-delayed-animation-award/. live.
  33. Web site: Flores. Terry. March 3, 2021. 2021 Annie Award Nominations: 'Soul,' 'Wolfwalkers' and Netflix Lead. May 12, 2022. Variety. en-US. March 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210304135147/https://variety.com/2021/film/awards/netflix-soul-wolfwalkers-annie-award-nominations-1234920416/. live.
  34. Web site: Coates. Tyler. Children's & Family Emmy Awards: Disney Dominates Nominations. The Hollywood Reporter. November 2, 2023. January 26, 2024.
  35. Web site: Petski. Denise. Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Beyoncé, Timothée Chalamet, Ayo Edebiri Among 2024 Kids' Choice Awards Nominees – Full List. June 4, 2024. June 24, 2024. Deadline Hollywood.
  36. 1484672018205184003. EEE I'm directing the movie!!! ✨. helloitsannao. anna o'brian. January 21, 2022. February 22, 2022.
  37. Web site: Rice . Lynette . February 10, 2024 . Big City Greens Creators Chris Houghton, Shane Houghton Sign Multi-Year Deal With Disney Branded TV . February 10, 2024 . . en-US.
  38. Web site: Valentine . Evan . March 7, 2024 . Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation Reveals Premiere Date, Trailer (Exclusive) . March 7, 2024 . ComicBook . en.
  39. laughing_place . 1797711269216292882 . Did Meredith Roberts, EVP of TV Animation, just say #BigCityGreens spinoff series?! We hope so!.
  40. Web site: Petski. Denise. ESPN & Disney Channel Team Up With NHL For Big City Greens Classic Animated Special. Deadline Hollywood. February 14, 2023. February 14, 2023. February 14, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230214191825/https://deadline.com/2023/02/espn-disney-channel-nhl-big-city-greens-classic-animated-special-1235259694/. live.
  41. Web site: Steinberg. Brian. Disney Will Animate ESPN Coverage for Disney Channel to Get Kids Into Hockey. Variety. February 14, 2023. February 14, 2023. March 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230320135819/https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/disney-espn-animated-nhl-hockey-big-city-greens-1235522327/. live.
  42. Web site: February 14, 2023 . Rangers, Capitals in 'Big City Greens' Classic on ESPN, Disney Channel . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315050903/https://www.nhl.com/news/new-york-washington-to-play-in-big-city-greens-classic-on-espn-disney-channel/c-341043372 . March 15, 2023 . February 15, 2023. . en-US.
  43. Web site: Dachman . Jason . March 14, 2023 . ESPN, Disney Take Next Tech Leap in Kids-Focused Broadcast With Live, Animated 'NHL Big City Greens Classic' . March 15, 2023 . Sports Video Group . en . March 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315043058/https://www.sportsvideo.org/2023/03/14/espn-disney-take-next-tech-leap-in-kids-focused-broadcast-with-live-animated-nhl-big-city-greens-classic/ . live .
  44. Web site: Tuesday 3.14.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals. Showbuzz Daily. Mitch Metcalf. March 15, 2023. March 15, 2023. March 15, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230315202705/https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-tuesday-3-14-2023-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html. live.
  45. Web site: Ratings: March Madness, NHL, WBC and more. Sports Media Watch. Paulsen. March 18, 2023. March 31, 2023. March 31, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230331195425/https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2023/03/march-madness-ratings-first-round-most-watched-nhl-big-city-greens-wbc-fs1-xfl/. live.
  46. Web site: Lemire. Joe. NHL Big City Greens Classic returning to ESPN. Sports Business Journal. November 10, 2023. November 10, 2023.
  47. ESPN, Disney Branded Television and National Hockey League Skate Back to Big City in Second "NHL Big City Greens Classic". ESPN. The Futon Critic. February 16, 2024. February 16, 2024.
  48. Web site: NHL BCG Classic. 9 March 2024 . March 13, 2024. USTVDB.