Johnny and the Sprites
A songwriter discovers magical sprites and teaches them about being human.
Johnny and the Sprites is an American children's musical television series that aired on the Playhouse Disney block of Disney Channel. Created by and starring John Tartaglia, the show featured original songs by notable Broadway composers. It began as five-minute shorts in 2005 before expanding into a half-hour series.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- Shorts:
- 5 minutes, Full-length episodes:
- 30 minutes
- Creator
- John Tartaglia
- Writer
- Louise Gikow (head writer)
- Executive producers
- John Tartaglia; Vanessa Amberleigh
- Producer
- Deborah Mayer
- Starring
- John Tartaglia
- Leslie Carrara-Rudolph
- Tim Lagasse
- Carmen Osbahr
- Heather Asch
- Theme music
- Stephen Schwartz
- End theme
- "Heads Up!" (instrumental)
Facts from the source article.
Full series
The full series of Johnny and the Sprites included more elaborate sets such as a reflecting pond and the Sprites' home in Grotto's Grove. Three new Sprites were added: Lily, a water Sprite; Root, a budding earth Sprite; and Sage, the wisest Sprite. Natalie Venetia Belcon played Gwen, a recurring character with a different occupation each episode. Johnny's older sister Tina, played by Sutton Foster, also appeared. Each show consisted of two 10-minute mini-episodes, with the song "Heads Up!" performed between them.
Characters
Johnny, performed by John Tartaglia, is a young composer who moves into his great-uncle's old house to work on his music. Gwen, performed by Natalie Venetia Belcon, is Johnny's neighbor and best friend who tries new jobs each visit; in Season 2 she meets the Sprites. Miss Moldystew, performed by John Tartaglia, is Johnny's cranky neighbor appearing only in the shorts. Ginger, performed by Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, is a pink Air Sprite with a sporty attitude. Basil, performed by Tim Lagasse, is a green Forest Sprite with red glasses who knows about Sprite history and gardening. Lily, performed by Carmen Osbahr, is a blue Water Sprite who speaks Spanish and loves to paint. Root, performed by Heather Asch, is a yellow and red Earth Sprite who can make plants grow by talking; he is the youngest and smallest. Sage, performed by John Tartaglia, is the oldest and wisest Sprite. Seymour, performed by Jim Kroupa, is a purple talking mole called a Schmole who lives under Johnny's backyard. The Fuzzies are small colorful creatures that live with the Sprites and often do work for them.
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