Martha Speaks (TV series)
| Martha Speaks | |
|---|---|
The show's logo
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| Genre | Educational, Comedy |
| Created by | Susan Meddaugh |
| Written by | Ken Scarborough (head writer) |
| Directed by | Dallas Parker Colleen Holub |
| Voices of |
Tabitha St. Germain Madeleine Peters Brian Drummond Alex Ferris (1-4) Valin Shinyei (5-6) Cedric Payne Christina Crivici (seasons 1–3) Michelle Creber (season 4) Vanesa Tomasino Nicole Oliver Kathleen Barr French Tickner Betty Phillips Maxine Miller Matt Hill Samuel Vincent Terry Klassen |
| Narrated by | J.T. Turner |
| Theme music composer | Daniel Ingram |
| Opening theme | "Martha Speaks theme", lyrics by Ken Scarborough, performed by Robert Wilson |
| Ending theme | "Martha Speaks theme (instrumental)" |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 96 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Carol Greenwald Chris Bartlerman Blair Peters |
| Producer(s) | Sarah Wall |
| Running time | 28 minutes (approximately 13 minutes per episode) |
| Production company(s) |
Studio B Productions (2008–11) DHX Media Vancouver (2011–13) Oasis Animation (2013-14) WGBH Boston (2008–09) WGBH Kids (2009–14) |
| Distributor | DHX Media |
| Release | |
| Original network | PBS Kids (2008–14; 2014-present reruns) |
| Picture format | 16:9 HD |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 1, 2008 – November 18, 2014 |
| External links | |
| PBS Kids website | |
Martha Speaks is an American-Canadian animated children's television series based on the 1992 children's book of the same name by Susan Meddaugh, about a talking dog named Martha (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain), who is owned by ten-year-old Helen Lorraine (known in the books as Helen Finney). When Helen feeds Martha some alphabet soup, the soup travels to her brain instead of her stomach, resulting in her ability to speak. The show focuses on synonyms and vocabulary, with each episode featuring an underlying theme illustrated with key words. The show takes place in the fictional town of Wagstaff City, a parody of Flagstaff, Arizona.
The show is produced by WGBH in Boston, along with Vancouver based animation studio DHX Media Vancouver (formerly Studio B Productions), and debuted on September 1, 2008 on PBS Kids stations across the United States. Some episodes of this TV series were available for limited theatrical release on January 3, 2009.
The second season began airing on September 14, 2009. The third season of Martha Speaks premiered on PBS Kids on October 11, 2010, and the fourth season began airing on February 20, 2012. The fifth season premiered on June 24, 2013. The sixth season premiered on March 31, 2014.
The show's executive producer is Carol Greenwald, and it was developed for television by Emmy Award-winning writer Ken Scarborough, the show's head writer. Other writers include Joe Fallon, Peter Hirsch, Raye Lankford, Pippin Parker, Ron Holsey, and Dietrich Smith. Music for the series and the theme song is by Canadian composer Daniel Ingram. Lyrics for the theme song are by Ken Scarborough. The show is animated in Vancouver by Studio B Productions using Adobe Flash. Meddaugh, author of the book, is involved in the show and oversees the production. Despite some concerns over the way word definitions would be incorporated into a television show, she said she is now satisfied that they do not interrupt the flow of the story. Producer Carol Greenwald first contacted Meddaugh when she was involved in the TV series Arthur; the author has also been approached by HBO and Disney.
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