The Life and Times of Juniper Lee is an American animated television series created by former MTV reality star Judd Winick for Cartoon Network and produced by Cartoon Network Studios.[1] It premiered on May 30, 2005, on Cartoon Network and ended its run on April 9, 2007.[2]
| The Life and Times of Juniper Lee | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Main title card featuring main characters (from left to right: Monroe, Juniper, and Ray Ray) | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Judd Winick |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Frank Squillace |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer |
|
| Opening theme | "You Can't Stop the Girl" |
| Composer | Stewart Copeland |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 40 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Judd Winick |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | Cartoon Network Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | Cartoon Network |
| Release | May 30, 2005 – April 9, 2007 |
On April 11, 2017, it was added to Boomerang's streaming app in the United States, making it one of its few series that never aired on the Boomerang channel in the US.[3] While it was only broadcast in full screen 4:3, Juniper Lee is the first Cartoon Network original series to be produced in a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9 in High Definition.
Premise
editThe series centers on the life of a preteen girl named Juniper Lee, who lives in Orchid Bay City. Based on Winick's adopted hometown of San Francisco, California, the city is a hub for magical activity and is filled with various monsters and demons, both good and evil. The magic and human worlds have been separated by an invisible mystical shield, known as "the Veil", which prevents ordinary humans from seeing any magic-related events or the creatures related to them. Juniper has recently been made the new Te Xuan Ze, the protector of the balance between the human and magical worlds.
To accomplish Juniper's task, she has been magically enhanced, making her far stronger and faster than ordinary humans; her abilities include superhuman strength, speed, agility and reflexes. She can also use several different types of spells to assist her. Maintaining the balance often interferes with her personal life, including her schoolwork and her social life, but she always manages to keep everything flowing.
Characters
editMain
edit- Juniper "June" Kim Lee (voiced by Lara Jill Miller)
- Jasmine Lee (voiced by Amy Hill)
- Ray Ray Lee (voiced by Kath Soucie)
- Monroe (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui)
- Dennis Lee (voiced by Alexander Polinsky)
- Jody Irwin (voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey)
- Ophelia Ramírez (voiced by Candi Milo)
- Roger Radcliffe (voiced by Tara Strong)
Supporting
edit- Marcus Conner (voiced by Phil LaMarr)
- Michael and Barbara Lee (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui and Candi Milo)
- Ms. Jill Gomez (voiced by Candi Milo)
- William (voiced by Martin Jarvis)
- Melissa O'Malley (voiced by Tara Strong)
- Cletus and Gus (voiced by Jeff Bennett and Dee Bradley Baker)
- Lila (voiced by Tara Strong)
Episodes
editInspiration
editWinick has stated that Juniper Lee was inspired by both The Simpsons and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, Juniper does follow in the footsteps of Buffy, as stated in the quote below:
Interviewer: We've touched on just about everything else, so hit us with the high concept. Sum up the show for us...
Judd: I'm sounding like a broken record, but it's kind of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets The Simpsons. That's the simplest way to put it. At the end of the day, it's about a little girl who fights monsters. There's a rather massive backstory to the whole thing, which really provides a spine to build from. I've only tapped into it a little in the show, but for me, knowing it's there is important. The show needs a spine, and needs a place to work from...[4]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation | Frederick Gardner for "Adventures in Babysitting" |
Won |
| Annie Award | Best Production Design in an Animated Television Production | Alan Bodner for "Enter Sandman" |
Nominated | |
| 2007 | Annie Award | Best Character Design in an Animated Television Production | Mike Kunkel for "Party Monsters" |
Won |
| Best Production Design in an Animated Television Production | Alan Bodner for "Water We Fighting For?" |
Nominated | ||
| Writers Guild of America[5] | Best Writing in an Animated Program for Television | Marsha Griffin for "Who's Your Daddy?" |
Nominated |
Comics
editStories based on the series were featured in issues of Cartoon Network Action Pack.
References
edit- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 358. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Baisley, Sarah (May 30, 2005). "Life & Times of Juniper Lee Premieres May 30". AWN.com. Animation World Network. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ New This Week | Juniper Lee | Boomerang. Boomerang Official. May 19, 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-09-01. Retrieved 2017-10-05 – via YouTube.
- ^ Brady, Matt (May 27, 2005). "Judd Winick Talks Juniper Lee". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- ^ Thielman, Sam; McNary, Dave (February 9, 2008). "Cody, Coens Bros. Top WGA Awards". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
External links
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