Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock is an children's musical fantasy comedy puppet television series about interconnected societies of creatures, as a reboot of the original 1983 series Fraggle Rock by Jim Henson. The first season was released on Apple TV+ on January 21, 2022.
| Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock | |
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Promotional poster for Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. | |
| Genre |
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| Based on | Fraggle Rock by Jim Henson |
| Developed by |
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| Starring |
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| Voices of | |
| Composer | Christopher Lennertz |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Ritamarie Peruggi |
| Cinematography |
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| Production companies |
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| Release | |
| Original network | Apple TV+ |
| Original release | January 21, 2022 – present |
A holiday special Night of the Lights Holiday Special was released on November 18, 2022.[1] It was renewed for a second season.[2]
Plot
In the house belonging to a woman named Doc and her pet dog Sprocket, there is a hole that leads into Fraggle Rock. The Fraggles Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, and Red live their lives within Fraggle Rock while experiencing different adventures along the way as well as interacting with Doozers and avoiding the Gorgs while harvesting radishes.
Characters
Episodes
Season 1 (2022)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Paul Fox | Matt Fusfeld & Alex Cuthbertson | January 21, 2022 | |
| Gobo Fraggle tries to prove himself a brave explorer when his Uncle Traveling Matt invites him to explore Outer Space. In Outer Space, Doc and Sprocket settle into their new living quarters. | |||||
| 2 | "Red and the Big Jump" | J. J. Johnson | John Tartaglia | January 21, 2022 | |
| A new Doozer construction proves to be the perfect platform for Red's new diving game. But, when she tries to force Wembley to dive, he literally freezes with fear. Meanwhile, Sprocket feuds with a crab that Doc brings back from the beach. | |||||
| 3 | "The Merggle Moon Migration" | J. J. Johnson | Jocelyn Stevenson | January 21, 2022 | |
| Mokey has a prophetic dream that convinces her she should trust her own intuition rather than facts, which leads her into trouble as the Fraggles make their way to witness the Merggles's one-in-a-generation migration dance. Meanwhile, Cotterpin and Architect Doozer go out looking for new sources of radishes. In Outer Space, Doc and Sprocket use a drone to watch baby sea turtles hatching. | |||||
| 4 | "The Glow" | Paul Fox | Sabrina Jalees | January 21, 2022 | |
| Boober discovers his baloobius is able to glow and tries to hide it from his friends, just as the famed Archivist comes to check out an Outer Space artifact sent by Uncle Traveling Matt. Meanwhile, Junior Gorg also makes friends with a plant. In Outer Space, Doc deals with plastic litter on the beach. | |||||
| 5 | "Four Wembleys and a Birthday" | J. J. Johnson | Maurin Mwombela | January 21, 2022 | |
| Wembley's friends want to celebrate his birthday with different activities. His attempts to participate in all of them end up splitting him into four individual versions of himself. Meanwhile, Cotterpin makes a gooey discovery in a strange vine. In Outer Space, Doc takes to the internet to bring attention to the ocean's plastic problem. Note: The episode's title is a reference to Four Weddings and a Funeral. | |||||
| 6 | "The Legend of Icy Joe" | Paul Fox | Douglas Lyons | January 21, 2022 | |
| Gobo and Wembley discover the recently-unfrozen body of Icy Joe, a legendary Fraggle explorer whose temperament makes it hard to adjust to modern Fraggle society. Meanwhile, Junior Gorg continues work on the Gorg fountain. In Outer Space, Doc tries to stay awake while writing a paper. | |||||
| 7 | "Flight of the Flutterflies" | Jordan Canning | Charley Feldman | January 21, 2022 | |
| The Troubadours come to the rock to celebrate New Day's Day. Boober becomes the unwilling centerpiece of the festivities, where he must give a holiday speech and release a new swarm of Flutterflies. In Outer Space, Doc prepares to propose her plastic-eating bacteria to her professors. | |||||
| 8 | "Craggle Lagoon" | Jordan Canning | Maurin Mwombela | January 21, 2022 | |
| Inspired by the latest correspondence from Uncle Traveling Matt, the Fraggle Five decide to take a vacation at Craggle Lagoon. They discover that all the water has gone missing and Inspector Red helps the Craggles figure out what happened to it. Meanwhile, the Doozers try to find a way to use the mysterious pink goo Cotterpin discovered, and Junior Gorg looks for the perfect place to sun his plant. In Outer Space, Doc and Sprocket take a "staycation". | |||||
| 9 | "The Giggle Gaggle Games" | Jordan Canning | Sabrina Jalees | January 21, 2022 | |
| Part 1 of 5. To help the Craggles fit in, Mokey Fraggle uses her supposed knowledge of Craggles to come up with a plan: the Fraggles will play all sorts of games with the Craggles. The Craggles do not enjoy Mokey's pandering, and Mokey learns that there's far more to understanding someone then meets the eye. Near the end, Pa Gorg tells Junior to drain all of the water causing Barry Blueberry to declare (and become) a cliffhanger. In Outer Space, Doc tries to contact her landlady and ends up hearing a message from Cotterpin Doozer. | |||||
| 10 | "Wembley the Spokesfraggle" | Jon Rosenbaum | Charley Feldman | January 21, 2022 | |
| Part 2 of 5. The Doozers use the pink goo in their Doozer stick recipe, but the Fraggles loathe the taste and avoid eating them. In order to construct more towers, famed and persuasion expert Jack Hammer recruits Wembley to promote them. In Outer Space, Doc creates a robotic replica of herself to take care of Sprocket while she's at work. | |||||
| 11 | "Deep Dive" | Jon Rosenbaum | Douglas Lyons | January 21, 2022 | |
| Part 3 of 5. With the Merggles now residing in Fraggle Rock with goo-induced hiccups, Red tries to fix all the problems that have been piling up, but injures herself in the process. Gobo, Wembley, and Boober Fraggle find a way to cure the Merggles while Mokey tries to find an outlet for Red's anxiety. Meanwhile, Cotterpin continues finding a way to get rid of the goo which has now made its way to the Gorgs (with mixed reactions). In Outer Space, Doc tries to get Sprocket to take his medicine among other problems. | |||||
| 12 | "Into the Trash" | Adam Stein & Zach Lipovsky | John Tartaglia | January 21, 2022 | |
| Part 4 of 5. Boober feels insignificant amid the growing chaos of Fraggles, Craggles, and Merggles when all he's tasked with is making soup. He is soon recruited to help an ailing Marjory the Trash Heap by going into her trash pile to find a cure. Meanwhile, Junior Gorg is forced to give up his plant and Cotterpin finds a solution to the goo problem in Outer Space. In Outer Space, Doc studies her new bacteria for potentially eating microplastics. Note: The Foo Fighters make a special appearance during Uncle Traveling Matt's postcard. | |||||
| 13 | "All of Us" | Adam Stein & Zach Lipovsky | Matt Fusfeld & Alex Cuthbertson | January 21, 2022 | |
| Part 5 of 5. Gobo has a dream that inspires him to get everybody including Junior Gorg to solve the mounting problems in Fraggle Rock. In Outer Space, Doc puts her bacteria to the test and Uncle Traveling Matt gets trapped by Sprocket. | |||||
Special (2022)
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Night of the Lights" | Jon Rosenbaum | John Tartaglia and Matt Fusfeld & Alex Cuthbertson | November 18, 2022 | |
| It’s the Night of the Lights, the most Fraggily holiday of the year, and the Rock is filled with songs and cheer. When Jamdolin (voiced by Daveed Diggs) encourages Wembley to make a special wish, the Fraggles head out on an adventure to find the brightest light and, maybe, the true meaning of the holiday. Jim Henson’s fun-loving and musical Fraggles — Gobo, Red, Wembley, Mokey, Boober, and new Fraggle friends — have returned for all new adventures about the magic that happens when we celebrate and care for our interconnected world. | ||||
Cast
- Lilli Cooper as Doc
Puppeteers
- John Tartaglia as Gobo Fraggle, Sprocket, Architect Doozer, Gunge, Barry Blueberry, and Lyle Craggle (puppetry only)
- Karen Prell as Red Fraggle, Icy Joe, and Merggle Queen (puppetry only)
- Donna Kimball as Mokey Fraggle, Cotterpin Doozer, and Storyteller Fraggle
- Jordan Lockhart as Wembley Fraggle, and Murray the Minstrel
- Frank Meschkuleit as Boober Fraggle (puppetry only), Uncle Traveling Matt (puppetry only in select episodes), The World's Oldest Fraggle (puppetry only), Pa Gorg (face and voice performance), Large Marvin Fraggle, and Mantivore
- Aymee Garcia as Ma Gorg (face and voice performance), Archivist (puppetry only), Marjorie the Trash Heap, Brool the Minstrel, Henchy Fraggle, Bongo, and Styles Craggle
- Dan Garza as Junior Gorg (face and voice performance), Philo, and Kyle Craggle
- Ali J. Eisner as Turbo Doozer, Jack Hammer Doozer (puppetry only), Joogie the Inkspot, and Balsam the Minstrel
- Kira Hall as Brio the Minstrel
- Kanja Chen as Pogey
- Kevin Clash as Uncle Traveling Matt (puppetry only in select episodes)
- Andy Hayward as Pa Gorg (in-suit performance), Wrench Doozer, Jamdolin (puppetry only), Rupert Fraggle, and Giant Talking Radish
- Ingrid Hansen as Ma Gorg (in-suit performance), and Skitter Stone
- Ben Durocher as Junior Gorg (in-suit performance)
- Anna Cummer as Additional puppeteer
Voices
- Dave Goelz as Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt and The World's Oldest Fraggle
- Daveed Diggs as Jamdolin
- Cynthia Erivo as Archivist
- Ed Helms as Lyle Craggle
- Patti LaBelle as Merggle Queen
- Kenan Thompson as Jack Hammer Doozer
Production
The title cards of the original Fraggle Rock TV series states the puppet characters as "Jim Henson's Muppets". After The Jim Henson Company sold the Muppet franchise to The Walt Disney Company in 2004, the Fraggle Rock characters, which Henson retained, stopped being referred to as Muppets (though Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock was co-produced by Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Studios's subsidiary New Regency, owned by The Walt Disney Company following its acquisition of 21st Century Fox's assets on March 20, 2019).[3]
On May 26, 2020, following the success of the Fraggle Rock: Rock On! shorts that were released in April 2020, Apple TV+ announced a deal with The Jim Henson Company to produce a full reboot of Fraggle Rock, consisting of half-hour episodes, in addition to exclusive streaming rights to the original series and specials.[4] In January 2021, The Jim Henson Company announced that production had officially started on a reboot of the show. The show is filmed at the Calgary Film Centre.[5] Each episode features original songs, and reprises of songs from the original series.
Pre-production on the series began in late 2020 with the working title Raphanis (derived from the Latin word for "radish"). Filming commenced on January 25, 2021, in-studio at the Calgary Film Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada[6][7] and wrapped in June.[8]
In November 2020, a trailer revealed the Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock title, and the January 21, 2022 premiere date.[9]
Several original characters return, and new characters are voiced by celebrity guests, including Patti LaBelle, Cynthia Erivo, Daveed Diggs, Ed Helms, and Kenan Thompson. Foo Fighters make a cameo in one episode.[10]
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a score of 100% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Back to the Rock gives Jim Henson's beloved production a brand new fleece that fits just right, sure to delight longtime fans while enthralling a whole new generation."[11] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 based on eight critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[12]
The show won Outstanding Art Direction at the 1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards and received three additional nominations for Best Children's or Family Viewing Series, Outstanding Cinematography and Outstanding Editing.
References
- ^ "Apple TV+ Rings in the Season with New Specials & Peanuts Classics". 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock (Season 2)". Production List. 19 September 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela; Bond, Paul (February 6, 2019). "Anxiety, AWOL Executives and "Bloodshed": How Disney Is Making 21st Century Fox Disappear". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ Vulture "Dance Your Cares Away, a Fraggle Rock Reboot Is Coming to Apple TV+" by Josef Adalian, May 26, 2020
- ^ Ahearn, Victoria (January 25, 2021). "Fraggle Rock children's puppet series reboot starts production in Calgary".
- ^ Calgary Herald "Fraggle Rock reboot to begin production at Calgary Film Centre in mid-January" by Eric Volmers, November 24, 2020
- ^ Edmonton Journal "Cameras to roll next week on Calgary-based Fraggle Rock reboot" by Eric Volmers, January 22, 2021
- ^ Donna Kimball on Instagram, June 4, 2021
- ^ Heldman, Breanne L. (November 15, 2021). "Dance Your Cares Away! Apple TV+'s Fraggle Rock Reboot Teaser Recreates the Original Intro". people.com. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ^ Happy New Year, silly creatures from outer space! “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock” to debut January 21, 2022 on Apple TV+ Apple, January 5, 2022
- ^ "Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 5, 2023.