| Tabaluga | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Cartoon series |
| Starring | Peter van Hoof |
| Country of origin | Germany Australia |
| Original languages | German English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 78 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Flying Bark Animation |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
Flying Bark Animation (previously known as Yoram Gross Films) produced an animated cartoon series of Tabaluga. In this series, Tabaluga is the last of the dragons and the crown-prince of Greenland, a magical place inhabited by talking animals of many different species. Tabaluga must defend his home from two rival kingdoms on either side of Greenland; a frigid arctic tundra, ruled by the evil snowman Arktos and a searing desert, ruled by an evil sand-spirit named Humsin.
Characters[]
Residents of Greenland[]
- Tabaluga: A small green dragon who is main protagonist of the series. He is the king of Greenland. Son of Tyrion.
- Happy: A Snow hare who lives in Greenland and is one of Tabaluga's best friends.
- Digby: A mole from Greenland who wears glasses and one of Tabaluga's good friends.
- Nessaja: A giant turtle who acts as a mentor and advisor to Tabaluga.
- Buzz: A bee and one of Tabaluga's good friends.
- Bilingua: A snake and a minor villain. She had shown in at least one episode that she had the power of hypnosis.
- Shouhu: An owl, who has a magic crystal ball. He is a prisoner to Arktos for his foresight. After his release, he helps advise the young dragon alongside Nessaja.
- Tyrion: The previous ruler of Greenland and father of Tabaluga. When he died, he turned into a star, like all dragons.
Iceworld[]
- Arktos: The main antagonist. He is an evil snowman who aims to make Greenland a frozen wasteland. He is king of Iceworld. He has a hall containing animals who have been frozen by him, and is fond of ice-cream.
- James: The polite and gentle penguin who serves Arktos and pilots his master's transport, The Arktoplane. When the penguins of Iceworld temporarily left the evil snowman, James was the only one who remained at his side.
- Attila the walrus: Arktos' cook.
- Vultur: A reconnaissance spy and messenger for Arktos, but then changed allegiance to Humsin. Afterwards he turns back to Arktos.
- Fritz: Arktos' pet shark, who often tries to eat his carrot nose.
- Lilly (or Lilli): A sculpture created by Arktos. When Tabaluga saw Lilly for the first time, he immediately had a strange but wonderful emotion he couldn`t explain to himself - all he could think or dream about was Lilly.
Desert Realm[]
- Humsin: Ruler of the desert realm, willing to make Greenland into a desert. He appears as a whirlwind of sand.
- Kayo: An accident prone Chameleon who worked for Humsin, but later works for Arktos.
- Hyena: A Spotted Hyena who has a tendency to laugh at Kayo's misfortunes and other things that aren't funny.
Episodes[]
Season 1[]
| # | Title | Summary | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Last of His Kind | As Arktos spoils Greenland's tranquility, Digby stumbles on an egg, out of which hatches the last dragon Tabaluga. Tabaluga escapes Arktos, then learns of his destiny. | |
| 2 | Happy Without Ending | Tabaluga tumbles into the Iceworld and releases his newfound friend Happy, and they escape and rescue a defecting Fox Dandy, who leads them to Greenland. | |
| 3 | A Very Hot Thing | Vultur starts a fire in the Greenland forest, forcing the inhabitants to evacuate to safe haven. All the birds and bees fan the fire and then Arktos extinguishes it. | |
| 4 | Servant of Two Masters | Vultur takes Digby to Iceworld. The Greenlanders create a diversion, while Tabaluga and Happy rescue Digby along with some others, learning Shouhu's purpose in addition. | |
| 5 | Dubious Dealings | A worry arouses in Greenland when night is longer than normal. Arktos takes advantage of this, but Tabaluga catches wind of Arktos' deception and reveals the darkness was an eclipse. | |
| 6 | One Dragon Too Many | Arktos sends a frilled lizard to impersonate Tabaluga and stir things up in Greenland. Tabaluga outdoes the imposter when he rescues Happy and helps him to fit in. | |
| 7 | The Wiser Head Does Not Give Up | Arktos has developed a new weapon to spread his ice. Tabaluga has a dilemma to prepare for the worst, but decides to give himself up in order to infiltrate Ice Town and put the new weapon out of action. | |
| 8 | Two Birds With One Stone | Tabaluga volunteers to rescue Queen Elisabeth XXI's ant army from the clutches of Arktos. Tabaluga infiltrates Ice Town with unexpected help from Happy and forces Arktos to release the ants. | |
| 9 | Moonstruck | Tabaluga is intrigued to go to the moon. Arktos' offer to bring him there proves to be an attempt to dispose of him. In an unconscious dream, Tabaluga learns plenty about the moon. | |
| 10 | Dragons Do not Cry | Tabaluga and Happy and Arktos are enjoying themselves. But a new kind of fruit Happy and Arktos ate has poisoned them. With effort Tabaluga provides a cure for Happy then passes it on to Arktos. | |
| 11 | The Big Cloud | Arktos unleashes a volley of ice clouds to blot out the sun. With help from Prince Ighor, Tabaluga persuades the volcano ant queen to erupt the volcano. It works, but only too well. | |
| 12 | The Visitors Who Came In From The Cold | Arktos' penguins are going on strike except for James. While Tabaluga helps the penguins last in Greenland, Iceland falls into disarray. Eventually Arkto's persuades the penguins to return and makes it up to them. | |
| 13 | A Fatal Present | Arktos sends a plague of locusts to Greenland. With all options failing, Tabaluga beseeches the help of the giant Black Widow spider Tarantula. Her siren song works, with all Greenlanders evading it. | |
| 14 | A Ruined Premiere | To stifle his boredom, Arktos sends James to capture some dolphins for a circus. With the aid of Sawbones the swordfish, Tabaluga and his friends intercept and rescue the dolphins. | |
| 15 | A Matter Full of Seeds | There is a shortage of sunflower seeds for Tabaluga thanks to James' harvest. Tabaluga slips into Ice Town to get back some seeds to enjoy in future. | |
| 16 | Someone Is Cheating | Greenland is holding a sports tournament. Arktos plans to use this tournament to win the land as his own. The Greenlanders win the tournament, thanks to Maurice, a polar whom Arktos outcast. | |
| 17 | Mister Nice Guy | After increased attacks on Greenland, Arktos sends James as a clown to steal some fruit. His heist fails, but the Greenlanders lend him a hand, while Tabaluga spreads cheer and happiness in Iceworld. | |
| 18 | Too Much Salt Is Detrimental To The Health | James builds a dam to get water for ice-cream production. The dam causes a lot of flooding and is contaminated by a salt mine. The beavers manage to destroy the dam and restore the river. | |
| 19 | The Tree Of Life | Arktos is intent on destroying the Tree of Life, disregarding the consequences of Water cycle imbalance. Tabaluga manages to defrost the Tree of Life and save both Greenland and Iceworld. | |
| 20 | A Splendid Couple | Today is Happy's Birthday. Arktos sends a snow hare Leon, to befriend Happy, which makes Tabaluga feel lonesome. Both hares and Tabaluga make up, getting captured by Arktos, but the trio make their escape. | |
| 21 | A Fiery Encounter | Tabaluga meets the wild honey bees and learns about their ways of living. Arktos sends James to raid the hive for honey. Tabaluga helps the bees repel the next raid and sends James off. | |
| 22 | Tabaluga and Lilli | Tabaluga is captivated by Arktos' beautiful girl statue, he calls Lilli, which is haunting him with passion. Happy helps Tabaluga through his dangerous ordeal and Tabaluga fulfills his love for Lilli. | |
| 23 | The Abducted Scamp | James takes Happy's bullying cousin Billy to Ice Town for Arktos' gallery. Billy is as troublesome to Arktos as he was back in Greenland, so Vultur persuades the Greenlanders to take him back. | |
| 24 | The Flow of Time | Tabaluga sees a past vision in the River of Time, but has to take care of a river blockage would spell eternal time freeze for the Greenlanders. After that Shouhu finally has his freedom. | |
| 25 | Queen For One Day | ||
| 26 | Chocolate Ice for Everybody | Arktos gains the power to spread an early winter to Greenland. With the aid of the giant octopus Tentaculus, Tabaluga brings Arktos to his knees and brings Iceworld and Greenland together. |
Season 2[]
| # | Title | Summary | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prince Tabaluga | After Tabaluga's coronation, Arktos starts up an ice-cream factory in hopes of overshadowing the new prince. However his business is clearfelling the forests, forcing Tabaluga to rescue everyone from a landslide. | |
| 2 | Humsin | Humsin takes advantage of the homeless Greenlanders and spreads a desert in Greenland and Vultur defects to Humsin. Arktos attacks Humsin and the Iceworlders assist Greenland to put Humsin's sand pipeline out of action. | |
| 3 | Dangerous confidence | Humsin attacks Greenland with a sand blaster. Arktos nabs the spying Vultur, leaving Tabaluga in a difficult position to save Vultur's life. Arktos uses this opportunity to become Prince, but Vultur exposes his treachery. | |
| 4 | Big Freeze | Arktos makes an early winter in Greenland, but the Greenlanders prepare for it. Then Arktos collaborates with Humsin to attack Greenland, but Vultur warns Tabaluga, giving him a chance to repel the attack. | |
| 5 | Prophecy | Kayo steals Shouhu's crystal ball to give Humsin some advantage. Artkos leaves thinking he has no future, but James renews his hope. Tabaluga boosts Greenland's morale to thwart Humsin's attack. | |
| 6 | Digby, The Hero | Humsin tricks Tabaluga with mirages, giving him the moment to cast a sandstorm over Greenland. Digby feeling discontented with himself rescues Tabaluga the helps him to make rain to wash away Humsin's sand. | |
| 7 | Potato Festival | Ther Greenlanders are hard at harvesting potatoes. Humsin capitalises Greenland of its potato supply. Tabaluga tricks Arktos to start an early winter day to drive Humsin and his lot out of Greenland. | |
| 8 | A Spiny Danger | Digby becomes Shouhou's apprentice. A folly in the works, turns Digby into a weremole monster. Digby procures the vital ingredient to cure himself, while Arktos and Humsin fight for the Shouhou's power potion. | |
| 9 | Flood | ||
| 10 | The Day of the Cactus | ||
| 11 | The Big Change | ||
| 12 | Sand Fleas | ||
| 13 | The Lost Dragon | ||
| 14 | My baby | ||
| 15 | The Ice Beast | ||
| 16 | Double Trouble | ||
| 17 | Peace Play | ||
| 18 | Genie | ||
| 19 | Kidnapped | ||
| 20 | Sweet Dreams Hamsin | ||
| 21 | The Thundwerbird | ||
| 22 | Bully for You | ||
| 23 | The Scrying Game | ||
| 24 | Dragon Mountain | ||
| 25 | The Sands of Doom | ||
| 26 | Majority Rules |
Season 3[]
| # | Title | Summary | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Dragon Pendant | On a new spring season, Tabaluga starts his quest for the dragon pendant. Knowing about it from Kayo, Arktos plans to get the pendant first. Tabaluga narrowly manages to finish the first stage of his quest. | |
| 2 | The Quest | Vultur returns to Arktos' service. As Tabaluga starts his quest, Arktos freezes Greenland, but Happy and Digby bring Tabaluga back to send Arktos back before taking Happy and Digby on his quest. | |
| 3 | Scary Story | Arktos follows Tabaluga, Happy and Digby on their quest. During a campout strange noises scare Arktos, Tabaluga and their friends as they run into each other. They eventually find Kayo and a woodmouse are the unwitting monsters. | |
| 4 | Tabaluga's Challenge | During an invitation to Ling Yan's village, Tabaluga is prompted to race Ling Yan, but then they have to rescue panda twin boys from the river. With that Tabaluga and his friends continue the quest. | |
| 5 | Fire Stone | Tabaluga and his friends enter the an underground land inhabited by fiery people, who do not approve of the Fire Sign being taken, until Tabaluga replaces it to save the land from destruction. | |
| 6 | Little Wonder | Happy accidentally shrinks Tabaluga with one of Shouhou's potions. Kayo gets that potion and shrinks James and Arktos, but the shrinking effects eventually wear off. | |
| 7 | Arktos The Good | Hoping to get information on Tabaluga's leave, Arktos tries to be nice for Nessaja's birthday party, managing unwittingly. Later though Kayo and a giant snake crash the party, but the party proceeds. | |
| 8 | The Gloomy Forest | Tagaluga, Happy and Digby enter the Gloomy Forest in order to reach the Valley of the Winds, Arktos and James following. Tabaluga helps the lonesome living trees find company and save them from Arktos. | |
| 9 | Mother Arktos | ||
| 10 | Eye in the Sky | ||
| 11 | Do not Forget to Remember | ||
| 12 | Fool's Gold | ||
| 13 | Where is Winter? | ||
| 14 | Whale of a Tale | ||
| 15 | Last Gasp | ||
| 16 | Troubled Waters | ||
| 17 | Hidden Treasures | ||
| 18 | Wish Upon a Star | ||
| 19 | Who's Who | ||
| 20 | The Hidden Chamber | ||
| 21 | Ready, Set, Go! | ||
| 22 | Digby's Promise | ||
| 23 | Kayo: Friend or Foe? | ||
| 24 | Menace in the Mountains | ||
| 25 | Dragon World | ||
| 26 | Lost Pendant |
Animated Movie[]
Following the conclusion of the third season in 2004, a Christmas cartoon film, "Tabaluga und Leo" (engl. "Tabaluga and Leo"), based on the TV cartoon series aired in 2005, serving a sequel to the animated series.
Plot[]
It is a celebration of Greenland Day for Greenland and Christmas Eve for humans. An orphaned boy named Leo who is having no luck getting a foster family decides to run away and enters a portal into Iceworld. During a search for some mountain roses to complete the Greenland festival, Tabaluga rescues Leo from Arktos and takes him to join the festival. Arktos and James intensify Leo's clumsiness in order to swipe his toy to develop a new automated weapon. The damage Leo caused to a green crystal forces Tabaluga to go on an urgent quest for a new one, Leo by his side. When Tabaulga procures the new green crystal, Arktos kidnaps Leo to complete the essential part of his new weapon. Tabaluga slips into Ice Town, rescues Leo and returns in time to save the Greenland festival. Arktos launches his new automated weapon on Greenland, but Tabuluga and Leo repel it. Finally Tabaluga persuades Leo to go back to his world and join his new foster parents.
Broadcast History[]
The cartoon series of Tabaluga originally shown on ZDF in Germany is presently being shown in the UK on the following channels:
| Country | Channel(s) |
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| Germany |
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| UK |
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| Iran |
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| Ireland |
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| Poland |
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| Portugal |
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| USA |
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| Romania |
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| Czech Republic |
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| France | |
| Russia |
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| Ukraine |
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| Finland |
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| Indonesia |
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| Slovenia |
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| Australia |
External links[]
- Tabaluga at the Internet Movie Database
- Tabaluga at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Tabaluga at TV.com