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Author Topic: A Change of Seasons  (Read 612 times)

Muppetfan

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A Change of Seasons
« on: September 24, 2012, 04:03:01 pm »
Recently I've been thinking about seasons in Arthur. I always find it interesting about how they've incorporated winter and autumn into the series. You have to give them credit, they actually try to simulate seasons, unlike some shows that seem to only take place in the springtime.

But something struck me recently: from the previews of the first episode of season 16, it appears it takes place in the winter. It just is interesting that they would place an episode in that time period for no reason, unless part of the plot somehow involves Ladonna never seeing snow before?

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Snowth Woogle

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2012, 04:38:21 pm »
Possibly, considering she's supposed to be from Louisiana, right? Yeah, they rarely, if ever, get any snow down there.

But you're right... I've noticed it seems like a bulk of Seasons Three and Four take place during fall and winter, and some episodes actually make it a focus, like "Buster's Breathless", "The Fright Stuff", "What Scared Sue Ellen", "The Blizzard", "The Rat Who Came to Dinner", among others.

You're right though, I think most TV shows take place during spring or summer, so that way, they don't have to rely on any specifics for a season as far as set decorating or wardrobe is concerned: that's why so many series are filmed in Los Angeles, because of the year-round spring/summer-like weather. Heh, the only exception to the rule is Hogan's Heroes, it was perpetually winter for that entire series.
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Muppetfan

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2012, 05:34:03 pm »
I mean, you really have to give them credit. It would be so easy for them to just keep it spring all the time or just say that Elwood City rarely gets snow and such, but instead they go to the painstaking effort to make it snow or make the leaves change color on certain occasions.

Snowth Woogle

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2012, 05:49:10 pm »
I remember reading an interesting comment on YouTube once that suggest Elwood City is too far south in the country to receive any snow, suggesting that Elwood City would probably be in the deep south somewhere like Louisiana or Mississippi, considering before it became a town, the era was previously swampy and marshland.

I could see that, but snow during winter is simply a better visual for television... like take that Sesame Street Stays Up Late New Year's Eve special... it's the middle of winter, in New York City, and there's no snow to be seen throughout the special... it seems really odd.

Not to mention, there's also some suggestions that Elwood City would be somewhere in the north, if not even Canada (which makes the excessive snow in the winter episodes more believable). The only evidence that would support Canada is the mail carrier and the mail boxes certainly don't look American, lol.
I stretch like a snake, and I shimmy and shake, and I bounce like a ball, and I say something cute when you give me a squeeze!

Sergeant Slink

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2012, 11:05:49 am »
You know, this made me start thinking. How well would the show work if it did take place in the summer?

I know there were summer episodes, but school seems to play a really big part in the show.
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MCCJ

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2012, 07:26:06 pm »
You know, this made me start thinking. How well would the show work if it did take place in the summer?

I know there were summer episodes, but school seems to play a really big part in the show.

I could assume if it did take place in the Summer maybe in places like the beach. Also the park where the kids could do activities with one another. We could also see the kids at other places like the community center kind of like what happened in Popular Girls.

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2012, 04:05:15 pm »
You know, Postcards From Buster (the episode, which happens to be on today), is one episode that actually has snow that doesn't really play a role in the episode, as it has snow in the first half when they are still in Elwood City.

Crossover Dreamer

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2012, 09:39:13 pm »
A major problem with incorporating different seasons on Arthur is continuity. For example, like Ladonna, Sue Ellen moved to Elwood City during the winter when Arthur was in the 3rd grade. But then we see Sue Ellen in episodes that take place prior to that winter ("Arthur's Eyes" is the most obvious).

When it comes to continuity, the summer episodes are the most troublesome. According to "Arthur's Faraway Friend," Buster was supposed to return in August. But most of the episodes where Buster was traveling with his dad, the kids were in school! Oh, yeah, and then there's D.W.'s snowball. In the summer she always checked on it, but with episodes like "The Blizzard" and "Return of the Snowball," the timeline is messed up.

If Arthur were set during the summertime, like Phineas and Ferb, that would be great! But what will become of Mr. Ratburn? Please don't have anyone go through Summer School!
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Muppetfan

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2012, 09:38:09 pm »
That is a good point to bring up.

And on that note, I am still trying to figure out why they had to set "Based on a True Story" in the winter. I guess its so they could do the hat plot, but that would be easily interchangable with something else, and also so she could experience snow for the first time?

Snowth Woogle

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2013, 11:11:26 pm »
Again, just watch any episode of Hogan's Heroes: it was winter all six seasons on that show, and yet, all the trees were lush and green, no one's breath could be seen, the actors are sweating in their caps and coats, crickets can be heard at night, etc.

But I wouldn't generalize the entire U.S., it DOES snow quite often in the northern half of the country, not so much in the southern half.
I stretch like a snake, and I shimmy and shake, and I bounce like a ball, and I say something cute when you give me a squeeze!

Dark Bunny

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #10 on: January 19, 2013, 10:45:25 pm »
Recently I've been thinking about seasons in Arthur. I always find it interesting about how they've incorporated winter and autumn into the series. You have to give them credit, they actually try to simulate seasons, unlike some shows that seem to only take place in the springtime.

But something struck me recently: from the previews of the first episode of season 16, it appears it takes place in the winter. It just is interesting that they would place an episode in that time period for no reason, unless part of the plot somehow involves Ladonna never seeing snow before?

This is an interesting topic. Most of the kids animated series take place in summer at daytime (usually around noon, because of the shadows). In Arthur, the script writers tried to mixt seasons up to create the illusion of real life. It give more substance to the everyday life of the characters. What I can tell you, is when a winter episode came up to the design team, it was like: "here's comes overtime blues!" because of the adapting of the reuse locations; Taking the leaves off te trees and putting them in a natural fashion on the ground, adding snow on the streets, rooftops and yards. It was hard work but to this day I believe Arthur was the best serie ever! That is part of the reason young boys and girls and older too can relate so much to these fabulous normal kids that lives in the Arthur universe.

MCCJ

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #11 on: January 20, 2013, 12:08:16 am »
Recently I've been thinking about seasons in Arthur. I always find it interesting about how they've incorporated winter and autumn into the series. You have to give them credit, they actually try to simulate seasons, unlike some shows that seem to only take place in the springtime.

But something struck me recently: from the previews of the first episode of season 16, it appears it takes place in the winter. It just is interesting that they would place an episode in that time period for no reason, unless part of the plot somehow involves Ladonna never seeing snow before?

This is an interesting topic. Most of the kids animated series take place in summer at daytime (usually around noon, because of the shadows). In Arthur, the script writers tried to mixt seasons up to create the illusion of real life. It give more substance to the everyday life of the characters. What I can tell you, is when a winter episode came up to the design team, it was like: "here's comes overtime blues!" because of the adapting of the reuse locations; Taking the leaves off te trees and putting them in a natural fashion on the ground, adding snow on the streets, rooftops and yards. It was hard work but to this day I believe Arthur was the best serie ever! That is part of the reason young boys and girls and older too can relate so much to these fabulous normal kids that lives in the Arthur universe.

That is so true.

LovingBeagles

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Re: A Change of Seasons
« Reply #12 on: April 13, 2013, 06:08:07 am »
I remember reading an interesting comment on YouTube once that suggest Elwood City is too far south in the country to receive any snow, suggesting that Elwood City would probably be in the deep south somewhere like Louisiana or Mississippi, considering before it became a town, the era was previously swampy and marshland.

I could see that, but snow during winter is simply a better visual for television... like take that Sesame Street Stays Up Late New Year's Eve special... it's the middle of winter, in New York City, and there's no snow to be seen throughout the special... it seems really odd.

Not to mention, there's also some suggestions that Elwood City would be somewhere in the north, if not even Canada (which makes the excessive snow in the winter episodes more believable). The only evidence that would support Canada is the mail carrier and the mail boxes certainly don't look American, lol.

I think I read somewhere (Wikipedia, maybe?) that reminded me that Arthur and Buster's families flew to New York, but Arthur's family merely had to drive to Washington, D.C. So that could possibly suggest that they live in the Virginia/Delaware/Maryland area. Unless the family flew to New York only to take advantage of some flyer miles or something like that (I forgot the real reason why they flew there).