DIC Entertainment (partially found pre-Ulysses 31/Inspector Gadget cartoon series of animation studio; 1975-1980)
This article has been tagged as Needing work due to its lack of concrete references and further expansion.
The original DiC logo from when the company was originally founded. Lasted up until 1987.
Status: Partially Found
DIC Entertainment was a production company started by Jean Chalopin as the production division of Radio Télévision Luxembourg in 1971. The studio would then go on to produce many nostalgic (and sometimes memetic) kids' cartoons, series and cartoon blocks with the most well-known being Inspector Gadget, who also serves as the life-long mascot and spokesperson for the company. The company was acquired by Disney in 1995 through a limited partnership before returning to being independent in 2000. The company was closed, merged and folded in 2008 as the Cookie Jar Group (currently WildBrain), who currently holds the rights to most of DIC's library, while the Walt Disney company currently holds the rights to their pre-1990 library.
Their First Cartoons
Before Ulysses 31 and Inspector Gadget, the first cartoons by DIC are all short form, either educational or gag-based. There's very little information about these cartoons, and finding information about them proves almost impossible.
Les Aventures de L'Energie (1975)
Status: Partially Found
Narrated by Michel Galabru, Les Aventures de L'Energie (The Adventures of Energy) was an educational series of shorts focusing on energy, each running for 3-4 minutes. 13 shorts were aired, and the series was transmitted in 1977 on TF1, with reruns on La Cinquieme in 1995. This was DiC's first ever cartoon.
List of Shorts
| Short No. | French Title | English Translation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | La Bonne Etolie | Lucky Stars | Found |
| 02 | Hommes de Peine et Betes de Somme | The Men of Sorrow and the Beasts of Burden | Found |
| 03 | Dans le Lit du Vent et au Fil de l'eau | In a Wind Bed, Over the Water | Found |
| 04 | Le Mystere de l'Ambre Jaune | The Yellow Amber Mystery | Found |
| 05 | Piles et Poles | Batteries and Poles | Found |
| 06 | Un Cheval-Vapeur dans le Marmite | The Horse Steaming Pot | Found |
| 07 | L'Energie Universelle | Universal Energy | Found |
| 08 | L'Appel du Charbon | The Call of the Coal | Lost |
| 09 | Les Metamorphoses de l'or Noir | The Black Gold Metamorpohses | Lost |
| 10 | Le Gaz de des Villes et les Gaz des Champs | City and Field Gas | Lost |
| 11 | Detonnantes Machines | Amazing Machines | Lost |
| 12 | Genant, l'Infiniment Petit | The Infinitely Small Giant | Lost |
| 13 | Un Combustible Incombustible | An Incombustible Fuel | Lost |
Petrus, Petro, Petrole (1976)
Status: Lost
Petrus, Petro, Petrole was DIC's second attempt at a series. It was produced in 1976 and aired on TF1, but there's little to no information about the cartoon online. It's unknown what year it first aired on TF1, it's unknown how many shorts were made, and no footage is available on the Internet.
Cro et Bronto (1978)
Status: Partially Found
Cro et Bronto (Cro and Bronto) was DIC's third series, produced in 1978. It's thought that it aired in 1980 on Antenne 2 as interstitials in-between shows. Heavily inspired by Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, the shorts chronicle the exploits of a caveman named Cro and his failed attempts to make Bronto the brontosaurus his dinner. 45 shorts were produced, and some have resurfaced online.
List of Surfaced Shorts
| Short No. | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Disguise | |
| 02 | Checkers | |
| N/A | Telephone | |
| N/A | Ticklish | |
| N/A | Underwater | Found (Low quality) |
| N/A | Volcanoes | Found (Low quality) |
| N/A | Plunger | Found |
| N/A | Root Beer | |
| N/A | Sky Surfing | Found (Low quality) |
| N/A | Bridge | |
| N/A | Juggling | |
| N/A | Airplane | |
| N/A | Door | |
| N/A | Mechanics* | |
| N/A | Dynamite Surprise | Found (Low quality) |
| N/A | Boulder |
*Oddly enough, LPDM released the short in separate parts rather than one full short, like the airplane and door shorts.
Galactiquement vôtre (1978)
Status: Partially Lost
Galactiquement vôtre (Galactic Voyage), also known as Les Iles (The Islands) and Walou-Walou, was an interstitial series involving a spaceman's failed attempts to impress ladies on each space island. Like with Petrus, Petro, Petrole, there's very little information online. What we do know is that there were 230 interstitials produced, and its directors were Bruno Bianchi and Jean Chalopin. The interstitials were aired in RTL and TF1 in 1981. Out of the 230 interstitials, only 2 managed to make their way onto the Internet.
| French Title | English Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | Bridge | Found |
| N/A | Cannon | Found |
Les Aventures de Plume d'Elan (1979)
Status: Partially Lost
A series combining live-action and animation, Les Aventures de Plume d'Elan (The Adventures of Elk Feather) was a series of five minute shorts starring a little Native American boy, aimed at teaching road safety. Notably DIC's only work as an outsource animation studio, and produced by Belokapi and Kid Cartoons. It's unknown how many shorts were produced. They aired on TF1 in 1979, and reran in 1980-1982.
| French Title | English Translation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Signaler un Changment de Direction | Signaling a Change of Direction | N/A |
| Traverser aux Passages Pietons | Using a Pedestrian Crossing | N/A |
| Etre vu la Nuit 1 | Being Seen at Night | N/A |
In the live-action segment of the third short, a father can be seen watching a stop motion series on the TV. It is unknown what that series is, and remains a complete mystery.
Archibald le Magi-Chien (1980)
Status: Partially Found
Archibald le Magi-Chien (Archibald the Magic Dog) was a series co-produced with the French Committee for Health Education in 1980 and aired in 1981 on TF1. Similar with The Adventures of Elan's Feather, which taught road safety, Archibald focused on good oral hygiene and taking better care of their health.
Archibald is a magician who accidentally turned himself into a dog, and cannot remember how to change back to his true form. Along the way, he befriends a young kid named Pierrot and goes on magical adventures, while also teaching him the secrets on how to maintain good physical health.
A total of 46 shorts were produced, but only 7 have been recovered and uploaded to the Internet. It is unknown if more shorts can be resurfaced.
List of Shorts
| Short No. | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Forest of Gracéliande | Found |
| 02 | The King of the Idlers | Lost |
| 03 | Smoking Beard | Lost |
| 04 | Al Sparadra | Lost |
| 05 | Grandgousier | Found |
| 06 | The Stranger of Lorient-Express | Lost |
| 07 | The Tetanic Knights | Found |
| 08 | Gargoyle Against Dynamic | Found |
| 09 | Aldo Grain of Gold | Lost |
| 10 | Hyko Island Wedding | Found |
| 11 | Commander Chicot | Lost |
| 12 | Abd El Loukoum | Lost |
| 13 | Sam, The Pill | Lost |
| 14 | Thomas, Digestion Attaché | Found |
| 15 | Ovide Labarrique | Lost |
| 16 | Let's Beware of the Sun's Rays | Lost |
| 17 | The Slouches | Lost |
| 18 | Bynochos | Lost |
| 19 | Captain Pneumo | Lost |
| 20 | The winners of the Cup | Lost |
| 21 | Crassus I | Lost |
| 22 | Butch Bonneboutanche and Kid Molasson | Lost |
| 23 | Professor Vaccinus | Lost |
| 24 | The Great Hunts of Davy Godiche | Lost |
| 25 | Pipembois I Stops Smoking | Lost |
| 26 | The Prescriptions of Professor Dosafond | Lost |
| 27 | Professor Mégalo and The Mégalobile | Lost |
| 28 | The Bouftomobiles of Professor Calorie | Lost |
| 29 | Beware of Climbing | Found |
| 30 | A cigarette for a Mouthful -en-soot | Lost |
| 31 | In the kingdom of The Three Apples | Lost |
| 32 | The extraordinary garden | Lost |
| 33 | The Lapoche Family | Lost |
| 34 | The King's Archers | Lost |
| 35 | The Tower of Pisa | Lost |
| 36 | The war of Energies | Lost |
| 37 | The Galaxy of Crasmos | Lost |
| 38 | A Drink Too Much for Humphrey Godet | Lost |
| 39 | Nightmare | Lost |
| 40 | The Eaglet | Lost |
| 41 | The Investigations of Inspector Bananax | Lost |
| 42 | Mandible City | Lost |
| 43 | El Capitan, El Castagnette | Lost |
| 44 | The Demands of Alchigor | Lost |
| 45 | The Emperor With The Flowery Beard | Lost |
| 46 | Olaf, The Conqueror | Lost |
Beulebeul Ermite (1980)
Status: Partially Found
Beulebeul Ermite (Beulebeul Hermit) can be best described as "DIC on Drugs," as the shorts chronicles the very surreal, trippy and wacky exploits of a hermit and a creature. Like with their first production, The Adventures of Energy, 13 shorts were produced, each with a runtime of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Similar to Archibald the Magic Dog, only 7 shorts have resurfaced on the Internet from YTV airings, where it was aired as part of the Why TV anthology block.
Gallery
Coming soon!
References
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