Ella Bella Bingo – Elleville Elfrid (2020)

Directed by: Atle Solberg Blakseth, Frank Mosvold | 75 minutes | animation | Dutch voice cast: Bo Burger, Rosemarie Voogt, Bert Simhoffer, Ida Verspaandonk, Bo Bellamy, Leo Richardson, Jelle Amersfoort, Paul Donkers, Beatrijs Sluijter, Jantine Van den Bosch, Melise de Winter, Simon Zwiers

Where older generations had Pippi Longstocking as an inspiring free spirit from the far north, the youngest children have to make do with Ella Bella Bingo, or Elleville Elfrid as her original name is. The small, brave and inventive girl was created in 2009 by illustrator Tom Petter Hansen and Hansen conceived the universe in which she hops around together with producer Frank Mosvold and screenwriter Trond Morten K. Venaasen. The cartoon series, aimed at toddlers between four and six years old, scored so well in their home country of Norway that neighboring countries Sweden, Denmark and Finland quickly bought the film. When countries outside Scandinavia also started to show interest, the script for the new episodes had to be overhauled. Or, as Venaasen describes it: “To get a push from Cartoon Network, the script had to stay within certain guidelines.” In practice, this means: not showing situations that are seen as dangerous, not letting the characters eat unhealthy foods too often and too often and – because some North African countries and countries in the Middle East were also interested – not too generous. with Christian symbolism in the Christmas episode. The Norwegians teamed up with Singapore’s August Media Holdings in 2011, which undoubtedly made it easier to make the series more multicultural and ‘more audience-friendly’. Between 2011 and 2014, 104 episodes were produced and broadcast in more than twenty countries.

Although no new episodes have been made for about five years, there is now an animated film about Ella Bella Bingo, which simply bears the name of the central character. For the film, the characters got an extra dimension and Ella and her friends also seem to have aged a few years than the five years for which she had to continue in the series. But Ella has not lost anything in courage, daring, enthusiasm and liveliness. Together with her best friend Henry, she plans to organize a circus in the village; also all the people from the neighborhood participate. The twins Lottie and Lisa make up a juggling act, the elderly Mrs. Berg claims to have been a tightrope walker in Copacabana and wants to revive her old act and Mr. Jackson acts as ringmaster. Ella and Henry practice their magic show when a new boy next door moves into the village. Johnny is from the city and is quite a tough guy with his expensive bike, piles of toys and brand new gadgets. When he lets Henry ride his bike and play with his toys, Ella fears she’ll lose her best friend. She confronts Henry and presents him with the impossible choice: she wants him to choose between her and Johnny. Henry cycles away sad and Ella soon regrets it. Together with the other villagers she goes in search of her best friend.

The central theme is of course friendship, but the young viewers are also confronted with phenomena such as jealousy, regret and loneliness. They will recognize the emotions that Ella and her friends are feeling all too well, because haven’t we all felt jealous because our best friend wants to play with someone else? So the recognisability and the theme are fine. The animations in ‘Ella Bella Bingo’ are not necessarily original, but the characters are funny: we see adults with large torso and narrow legs, enlarged facial features and almost all cheerful expressions. They are a colorful and inclusive company (typically Scandinavian, for example, is the presence of a divorced couple – Henry’s parents; his mother is now dating a biker with a fiery passion for dancing). Here and there the makers come up with nice finds, such as an ice cream man who models his ice creams after the customer and a colorful and inventively designed amusement park where the villagers go in search of Henry. The comic note comes mainly from the animals – a team of chickens, three sheep and a bull – who experience their own adventures in the margins.

‘Ella Bella Bingo’ may not excel with its brilliant animations or an original plot, but it will conquer the hearts of young and old with recognizable emotions, a handful of great finds, sympathetic characters and a heartwarming message. Little Ella may not be a new Pippi, but there’s nothing wrong with her charms!