The Weekenders

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the American animated series. For the Reeves and Mortimer sitcom pilot, see The Weekenders (TV pilot).
The Weekenders
Walt Disney Television Animation
Original release
Network
ReleaseFebruary 26, 2000 (2000-02-26) –
February 29, 2004 (2004-02-29)
Related
Project G.e.e.K.e.R.
Dave the Barbarian

The Weekenders (also known as Disney's The Weekenders) is an American

Disney's One Saturday Morning) and UPN (Disney's One Too), but was later moved to Toon Disney.[1]

Premise

The Weekenders details the weekends of four best friends: Tino Tonitini (voiced by

Eastern European
descent (the fictional country where she was born is identified throughout the series simply as "the Old Country"). Every episode is set over the course of a weekend, with little to no mentions of school life. Friday sets up the adventure of the episode, Saturday escalates/develops it, and the climatic third act happens on Sunday. The implied "ticking clock" is used to signify the characters running out of time and the problem must be solved before going back to school Monday.

Tino serves as a narrator of each episode, providing his own insight into what he's experiencing as well as his friends, and will sum up the moral of the story at the end, always ending with a sign off of, "Later days".

A running gag in most episodes is that when the group goes out for pizza, the restaurant they go to has a different theme each time, such as a prison, where each table is its own cell, or the American Revolution, where the waiters look like the Founding Fathers and give rousing speeches about the pizzas.

Production

The show was known for its distinctive animation style, similar to Nickelodeon's shows produced by

Klasky-Csupo such as Rocket Power and As Told by Ginger, and also for being one of the few animated series where characters' outfits change from episode to episode. The series takes place in the fictional city of Bahia Bay, California ("Bahia" is Spanish for "bay"), which is based on San Diego, California where the creator lived.[2]

Theme music

The show's theme song, "Livin' for the Weekend", was performed by Wayne Brady and written by Wayne Brady and Roger Neill.

Episodes

Main article: List of The Weekenders episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
ABC
213September 9, 2000 (2000-09-09)March 17, 2001 (2001-03-17)
313September 9, 2001 (2001-09-09)December 2, 2001 (2001-12-02)UPN
45October 19, 2002 (2002-10-19)February 29, 2004 (2004-02-29)Toon Disney

Broadcast and home media

The Weekenders premiered on February 26, 2000, as part of

Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC. From 2001 to 2002, it also aired as part of Disney's One Too on UPN on Sunday mornings.[3] In September 2002, the series moved to Toon Disney,[4] and new episodes began airing on October 19, 2003,[5]
finishing on February 29, 2004.

Reruns of the series continued to air on Toon Disney from 2004 to 2006, and also on Disney Channel in 2003.

In the United States, the entire series is now available on DVD on two volume sets sold exclusively through the Disney Movie Club,[6] which makes The Weekenders the first Disney animated television show to have a full release on DVD.[7] Due to the first-sale doctrine in the United States, the discs can be legally resold and are regularly available from sellers on eBay and other similar sites.[8] As of February 2024 the series is not available for streaming on Disney+.

DVD name Ep # Release date
The Weekenders: Volume 1 20 March 5, 2013
The Weekenders: Volume 2 19 March 5, 2013

Reception

Critical reception

The Weekenders has received very positive reviews from critics and fans for its solid writing, upbeat energy and multi-dimensional characters.[9]

Ratings

Pokémon", because ABC stole the ratings when they aired it at 10:00 am – the same time Pokémon aired on Kids' WB. In addition, Variety reported that The Weekenders took the number one rating on Saturday morning television, which knocked off Pokémon from its 54 consecutive weeks as the top spot.[10]

References

  1. ISBN 978-1476665993
    .
  2. ^ "Mega Mirror: Hangin' With 4 Friends". The Mirror. 2000-11-11.
  3. ^ DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "Disney's The Weekenders Episode Guide -Disney Studios @ BCDB". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
  4. ^ Godfrey, Leigh (July 1, 2002). "Toon Disney Premieres Eight New Series In Fall 2002". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  5. better source needed
    ]
  6. ^ "OVD Opinion Piece: What "The Weekenders" Means for Disney TV Cartoons on DVD". Disney Afternoon Forever. 2013-02-06.
  7. ^ "NEWS: The Weekenders hits DVD!". Disney Afternoon Forever. 2013-02-04.
  8. ^ "Want to Buy DMC DVDs Without Joining the DMC? Now You Can!". Disney Afternoon Forever. 2013-07-14.
  9. ^ "Disney's The Weekenders". Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  10. ^ Schneider, Michael (2000-05-05). "'The Weekenders' defeats 'Pokemon'". Variety.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to The Weekenders.
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