Roary the Racing Car

Roary the Racing Car is a proud new addition to theRoary the Racing Car is the runaway hit that it is
venerable tradition of children's television showstoday. Still though there was always the chance that
designed to teach young children a valuable lesson inthis show might never have made it; children's
each installment; and like other successful memberstelevision is no different from any other form of
of this selective genera Roary the Racing Car makestelevision, and there is always the chance that a
use of a celebrity voice, Peter Kay, to bring one offickle audience will turn on a dime finding new and
the main characters to life; both on screen and inmore entertaining content to watch. The nail in the
children's hearts. Peter Kay is also responsible forcoffin of success for Roary the Racing Car however
singing the Roary the Racing Car theme song playedwas its master captain Ken Chapman. Chapman is
at the top of each show. Though not well known inresponsible for the success of not only Thomas the
the US Peter Kay is a hugely successful comedian inTank Engine, but also Bob the Builder. Clearly he has
the UK with a career spanning more than a fewthe formula worked out well enough that Roary the
years. In the same tradition as Ringo Starr lending hisRacing Car can reap the benefits.
voice to the Thomas the Tank Engine series PeterAlthough Roary the Racing Car seemed like a sure
Kay gives Roary the Racing Car a sense of longevityfire hit to all involved there were problems along the
and high minded class that takes the series fromway, television shows are expensive to produce, and
ordinary Saturday morning fodder to a place muchthe special blend of stop action filming and CGI work
more fitting.was even more expensive than normal, the cost of
Roary the Racing Car also makes use of the timelesscreating one episode approached $1 million dollars.
effect of stop motion photography. Over the yearsClearly this was a problem because few networks
stop motion photography as a science and techniquecould afford to pay millions per episode for a
has advanced to the point where it can rival some ofchildren's TV show, even one that had all the marks
the best CGI work in terms of clarity andof success.
smoothness; and Roary the Racing Car is prettyFortunately for Roary the Racing Car and its soon to
much at the top of the game. It is easy to see thebe devoted fans Chapman had an idea and more
enormous work put in to each and every episode;than a little perseverance. By marketing the show
the fluid camera work, the detailed models, and theboth in the UK and in the US he could generate
high quality voice work all mesh in to something farrevenues from two networks instead of just one.
greater than the sum of its parts. Because stopAdditionally (though this is now common) the product
motion photography is seen as a timeless technique itsales from Roary the Racing Car toys and
is cleat that Roary the Racing Car will be with us foraccessories would help to offset the cost of
quite some time to come. No one can say weather ittelevision production. When you consider the size of
will have the longevity of Thomas the Tank Engine,the market for children's branded toys and
but drawing parallels between the two is definitelyaccessories it is hard to believe that this idea met
easy.with some resistance. Before Roary the Racing Car
The moral stories of Roary the Racing Car also lendhit the airwaves Bob the Builder was one of the
to its timelessness factor. Like a goof fable or fairyhighest selling toys at Christmas time ever.
tale the plot lines of each Roary the Racing CarRoary the Racing Car has driven his way in to the
episode revolve around an issue of honor or moralityhearts and minds of a generation spanning the globe,
lending credence to the "do the right thing" mantra inwe can all be pleased that children are turning to this
a way that a parents speech to a young child neverbright red car and receiving messages about equality,
could. An additional benefit to this do the right thingrespect, and love. With people like Ken Chapman at
message, beyond making the content timeless, isthe reigns we can be sure that at least a small
that it makes parents feel better about letting theirsegment of children's television is out there doing
children watch television.some good.
With all of these stars aligning it is little wonder that