Talking Friends Explained

Runtime:3 minutes
Director:Dylan Coburn
Composer:Alfred Montejano[1]
Language:English
Num Episodes:10
Related:Talking Tom & Friends
Num Seasons:1

Talking Friends is an American animated mini-series that premiered on June 8, 2012 on Disney.com and YouTube. Based on the popular app franchise of the same name by Outfit7 Limited, it is the first television installment in the Talking Tom & Friends franchise, and would be the only one to be produced in association with The Walt Disney Company. The series ended on August 31.

Characters

Additionally, Talking Gina appears as a plush toy.

Production

Development

According to The New York Times, various studios including DreamWorks Animation, 20th Century Fox (later acquired by Disney in 2019) and Nickelodeon had the chance to adapt the franchise in film or television before passing on the opportunity, until Disney Interactive took the offer.[2]

Music

The show's soundtrack was composed by Alfred Montejano,[1] while two additional songs were released by Walt Disney Records. The first, titled You Get Me was released on the iTunes Store on June 12, 2012 to promote Tom Loves Angela,[3] and the second, titled That's Falling in Love, was released to promote Talking Angela. The music video for You Get Me was produced by ARX Anima, Walt Disney Interactive Media Group and Outfit7 and released on June 12, 2012, by Walt Disney Records.[4] The scenes featured were originally produced for the music video and were not taken from any existing clips in the series. The music video was, however, was animated in the same style as the series. A teaser video for That's Falling in Love was also later released by Disney Music on December 6, 2012.

Release

The series premiere and remaining episodes were released on Disney.com, as well as onto Disney's official YouTube channel, serving as their debut series on the platform. The series finale aired two months later on August 31, 2012.[5] [6] [7] [8]

Marketing

To help promote the series, Outfit7 created an app exclusive to iOS devices known as Talking Friends Cartoons that featured all ten episodes, as well as additional content including descriptions of the characters and downloable wallpapers. The app, however, garnered controversy with some of the advertisements. For instance, a banner displayed at the bottom of the screen while the app was launched directed users to take part in quizzes that included prizes such as a 64GB iPad, which were unable to be completed unless users would spend monthly fees for a membership service. This ultimately resulted in many people feeling upset over the product as well as leaving many parents frustrated over the concerns.[9]

A live performance event also took place in Hollywood that featured DJs from Radio Disney, plush toy giveaways and performers dressed and wearing makeup to portray the characters to promote the Talking Friends Superstars toyline.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Music Credits. www.alfredmontejano.com. May 22, 2023. May 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230522230101/https://www.alfredmontejano.com/music-credits.
  2. Web site: Barnes. Brooks. Dicey Path From App to Hit Show. The New York Times. September 16, 2012. May 22, 2023. May 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230522230547/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/business/media/hollywood-ponders-a-path-from-app-to-hit-show.html.
  3. Web site: Talking Tom to sing for Disney . musically.com . June 11, 2012 . May 22, 2023 . May 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230522231924/https://musically.com/2012/06/11/talking-tom-to-sing-for-disney/.
  4. Web site: Outfit7 Launches First App That Lets Users Have Conversations with Talking Friends Characters. Benzinga. June 8, 2012. May 22, 2023. May 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230522232419/https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/12/06/b2655438/outfit7-launches-first-app-that-lets-users-have-conversations-with-talk.
  5. Web site: De Vere. Kathleen. Outfit7 teams with Disney for animated Talking Friends web series. Adweek. April 24, 2012. May 22, 2023. May 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230522233011/https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/outfit7-teams-with-disney-for-animated-talking-friends-web-series/.
  6. Web site: Duryee. Tricia. Outfit7's Talking Friends Apps to Star in Disney Web Series. All Things Digital. April 24, 2012. May 22, 2023. May 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230522233949/https://allthingsd.com/20120424/outfit7s-talking-friends-apps-to-star-in-disney-web-series/.
  7. Web site: Jordan. Jon. Forget Angry Birds. Disney signs up Talking Tom Cat for original animated web series. Pocket Gamer. April 24, 2012. May 22, 2023. May 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230522234353/https://www.pocketgamer.com/outfit7-news/forget-angry-birds-disney-signs-up-talking-tom-cat-for-original-animated-web-ser/.
  8. Web site: Arrant. Chris. Disney Partners with Outfit7 To Produce Webseries Based on "Talking Friends" Apps. Cartoon Brew. April 28, 2012. May 22, 2023. May 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230522235714/https://www.cartoonbrew.com/biz/disney-partners-with-outfit7-to-produce-webseries-based-on-talking-friends-apps-3-61933.html.
  9. Web site: King. Mark. iPhone app 'could have landed parents with £200 bill'. The Guardian. February 15, 2013. May 23, 2023. May 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230523002838/https://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/feb/15/iphone-app-parents-bill.
  10. Web site: Talking Tom Friends Play Live In Hollywood. Techtaffy. December 21, 2012. May 23, 2023. May 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230523003548/https://www.techtaffy.com/talking-tom-friends-play-live-in-hollywood/.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Talking Friends".

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