Aglaé and Sidonie (partially found early episodes of French children's TV show; 1969)

Still from episode 14 of the show

Status: Lost

Tags: france

Aglaé et Sidonie is a French animated television series consisting of 65 five-minute episodes. Created by André Joanny, it premiered on January 27, 1969, on the first channel of ORTF in the children's program Émissions pour la jeunesse. The show was also broadcast in color on the second channel as part of the program Colorix. The series was not translated and was only exported to French-speaking countries.

The animation is created using stop-motion with articulated figurines, similar to the animation style of The Magic Roundabout. For close-up shots, real puppets were used.

One year after Aglaé et Sidonie debuted, a fire broke out in the lab where the film reels for the first season were stored. The fire destroyed everything, including the first 13 episodes of the series. The only remaining record of these episodes is a 33 RPM record released by Adès in 1970, which includes four episodes from the first season, including the one where Aglaé et Sidonie meet. ( Note : all later episodes are available on youtube)

The series, aimed at a young audience, was very popular in France.

The story follows the adventures of two friends, Aglaé the pig and Sidonie the goose, on a farm. The fox, Croquetou, is the antagonist who frequently tries to get close to the two girls using disguises and various tricks.

The plots of the episodes are very short, simple, and quickly resolved.

Each episode includes a musical number, featuring one of the characters singing about the situation they are facing. Sometimes, the series has an educational aspect, offering moral lessons to the viewers or teaching them about life on the farm.

(Some episodes have had different titles across various audio records, television reruns, and VHS and DVD re-releases.) List of lost episodes : 1 - Les Malheurs d'Aglaé et Sidonie 2 - Une mauvaise rencontre 3 - Croquetou se déguise 4 - Le Fer à friser 5 - Un curieux repas 6 - La Déception de Croquetou 7 - Une nombreuse famille (Une famille nombreuse, Une famille trop nombreuse) 8 - Maître Cadichon (Le Problème) 9 - La Ruse de Croquetou 10 - Aglaé a disparu 11 - Le Rêve d'Aglaé 12 - Le Panier percé 13 - Voyage dans la lune