Mio Mao (pronounced me-o mow [ˈmiː.o mɑu̯]), also known as Mio and Mao, is a stop-motion animated children's television series created by Francesco Misseri in the 1970s, produced using Claymation animation.[1]
Mio Mao | |
---|---|
Genre | Animation, claymation, family, preschool, children's television series |
Written by | Francesco Misseri |
Directed by | Francesco Misseri |
Voices of | Derek Griffiths (Channel 5) |
Theme music composer | Piero Barbetti |
Opening theme | Mio Mao |
Ending theme | Mio Mao |
Country of origin | Italy United Kingdom (series 2 and 3) |
Original language | Onomatopoeia/gibberish (no language spoken) |
No. of series | 3 |
No. of episodes | 78 |
Production | |
Running time | 4-5 minutes |
Production companies | 1974 series: P.M.B.B. 2005 series: Misseri Studio, Associati Audiovisivi |
Original release | |
Network | Programma Nazionale (series 1) Channel 5 (Milkshake!) (series 2 and 3) |
Release | 1974 2007 | –
The original series was produced by P.M.B.B. and aired on Programma Nazionale in 1974. After Francesco Misseri's production company Misseri Studio acquired Mio Mao in 2000 and remastered series 1 in 2003, Misseri Studio and Associati Audiovisivi created two more series for Channel 5's Milkshake! block in 2005 and 2007. In the United Kingdom, the episodes are narrated and the characters are voiced by Derek Griffiths. Mio Mao airs on BabyFirst in the United States.
Each episode is approximately five minutes long and focuses on the kittens Mio and Mao. As the episode progresses, they discover a variety of mysterious animals and objects on the other side. The garden changes appearance depending on the theme of the episode, or the animal or object featured.
The kittens go to investigate alone, they sometimes forget about the animal or object and wander off to look at the scenery. After a while, they get there but return scared, before watching from a distance and discovering that the scary item was either a friendly animal or a fun object.
Often, near the end of the episode, the animal or object will need help, and Mio and Mao come to their rescue, then invite the animal or object to come play with them. Gracious, the animal or object follows them as they squish and bounce back to the other side of the toy store, posing together and looking at the viewers as the episode draws to a close, with the words “THE END”.
Brazil
Italy
United Kingdom
France
Finland
United States
Asia
Poland
Turkey
Germany
Japan
Czech Republic
China
Israel