''Let's Go Luna!'' is an educational animated children's television series created by Joe Murray that aired on

PBS Kids PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS ...

. Murray formerly worked on the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

animated series ''

Rocko's Modern Life ''Rocko's Modern Life'' is an American Television comedy, comedy animated television series created by Joe Murray (animator), Joe Murray for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the surreal life of an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic Australian ...

'' and

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

animated series ''

Camp Lazlo ''Camp Lazlo'' is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray for Cartoon Network. The series follows Lazlo, an anthropomorphic spider monkey who goes to a camp called "Camp Kidney", a Boy Scout–like summer camp in the Pim ...

''. It is co-produced by 9 Story Media Group.

Judy Greer Judith Therese Evans (born July 20, 1975), known professionally as Judy Greer, is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress who has appeared in Judy Greer filmography, a wide variety of films. She rose to prominence for ...

provides the voice of the titular Luna. In the first season, there are 38 half-hour episodes and a one-hour special. The second season has 26 episodes and premiered on May 10, 2021. Each episode consists of two 11-minute story segments, with a short segment of one of the characters telling a folktale, song or poem from that country in between. Unlike ''

'' and ''

'' which are both sitcoms, ''Let's Go Luna!'' marks the first educational series created by Joe Murray. The series aired 64 episodes through November 18, 2022.

Premise

Set in a world populated by

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

animals, ''Let's Go Luna!'' focuses on three kids—Leo, a

wombat Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials of the family Vombatidae that are native to Australia. Living species are about in length with small, stubby tails and weigh between . They are adaptable and habitat tolerant, and are ...

from

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia; Andy, a

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

from the United States; and Carmen, a

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

from

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, Mexico—who travel around the world with their parents' traveling performance troupe "Circo Fabuloso". Along their stops, Luna the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

, depicted about tall with arms, legs, and a face, and wearing a straw hat and red boots, occasionally comes down to Earth to teach them about local languages, music, food, and other customs. Two half-hour episodes, consisting of two segments each and four in total, take place in a single country where the gang stops, learns about, and meets friends around the world. With a team of cultural anthropologists on board, ''Let's Go Luna!'' is "meticulously researched to ensure cities and regions are authentically and respectfully portrayed".

Characters

Main

* Luna (speaking voice by

; singing voices by Erin Fitzgerald and Liane de Lotbinere) is Earth's

herself, who guides Leo, Andy, and Carmen on their trips during the daytime. Luna knows every person in the world and has magical capabilities. Her size gives her a problem with doorways and enclosed spaces, often involving a degree of uncomfortable squeezing to enter. She also has an uncontrollable urge to dance when she hears happy music. * Leo Chockers (voiced by Aidan Wojtak-Hissong in season 1 episode 1a-episode 8b and Shayle Simons in season 1 episode 9a-season 2) is a

from Sydney, Australia who loves food. * Andy Hopper (voiced by Jaiden Cannatelli in season 1 episode 1a-episode 31b and Evan O'Donnell in season 1 episode 32a-season 2) is a

from Rochester, New York who loves art and sports. * Carmen Mariposa (voiced by Saara Chaudry) is a

from Mexico City who loves music. * Magic Globe (voiced by Miku Graham) is a miniature globe of the world that lives in Carmen's pocket and can share information about the places that the children visit.

Recurring

* Señor Moncarlo Fabuloso (voiced by Paul Braunstein) is a

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...

and the ringmaster of the Circo Fabuloso. He speaks with a Spanish accent. * Mr. Hockbar (voiced by David Berni) is a

vole Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a longer, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller eyes and ears; and differently formed molars (high-crowned with angular cusps instead of lo ...

who does many of the 'behind the scenes' jobs such as selling tickets, setting up the Circo's schedule and making certain everything runs smoothly. He is full of energy and has a tendency to get worked up and rush around when many things need doing, which can stress out the other members of the Circo. His full name is revealed to be Hock Thelonious Bar. * Honey (voiced by Zoe Hatz) is Carmen's mischievous yellow pet

hamster Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian ...

. She often escapes from her cage, but it is only because she is curious and wishes to be included. * Maria Mariposa (voiced by Tamara Almeida) is Carmen's single mother, and the conductor of the Circo Fabuloso Band. * Wolfgang (voiced by Paul Braunstein) and Pippa Chockers (voiced by

Linda Ballantyne Linda Anne Hodgins is a Canadian voice actress, who is best known for voicing the title role of Serena Tsukino/Sailor Moon in the second half of the original English version of ''Sailor Moon''. Early life Ballantyne was born to Gloria (née Sawy ...

) are Leo's parents who work at the Circo. Wolfgang is the Circo's chef (who loves Dad jokes) and Pippa is the Circo's carpenter. * Mathilda Chockers is Leo's baby sister who can be destructive, but Leo finds in one episode it takes a special kind of glockenspiel to make her happy. * Wrinkles is Leo's pet

tortoise Tortoises ( ) are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin for "tortoise"). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like o ...

. * Lucie Hopper (voiced by Carolyn Scott) is Andy's mother, and the Circo's costume designer. She speaks with a Midwestern accent. * Sam Hopper (voiced by Dan Chameroy) is Andy's father and Circo's prop-maker. * Bonjour and Au Revoir (both voiced by Peter Cugno) are twin brothers who work as clowns. Bonjour's mask is purple and Au Revoir's is green. They both speak with French accents. * Ingrid Svenson-Benson (voiced by Brigitte Solem) is a centipede and the Circo's contortionist. She speaks with a Swedish accent. * Salami Strong (voiced by Paul Braunstein) is an

alligator An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...

and the Circo's strongman. He speaks with an Italian accent. * Pablo (voiced by

Cory Doran Cory Doran (born February 7, 1982) is a Canadian voice actor and director. He is known as the voice of Dabio & Rex in the PBS Kids animated series '' Wild Kratts'', Jimmy in the Breakthrough Entertainment animated show '' Jimmy Two-Shoes'', and ...

) is an

armadillo Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...

who performs with the Melvinis, a group of six living

bowling pins Bowling pins (historically also known as skittles or kegels) are upright elongated solids of rotation with a flat base for setting, usually made of wood (esp. maple) standing between 9 and 16 inches (23 and 41cm) tall. Some have interior voids to ...

. * The Acronauts are a trio of acorn-shaped bears who perform as acrobats. * The Fearless Shrews (all three voiced by David Berni) are a trio of shrews who perform as trapeze artists. They speak with Peruvian accents. * Wally is a gray walrus wearing brown pants, a red shirt, and a battered brown hat, with a camera around his neck. The character often appears as a tourist, as he makes an appearance as a background character in every story, usually taking photographs and infrequently has a speaking role.

Episodes

Season 1 (2018–20)

Television film (2018)

Season 2 (2021–22)

Production and distribution

The show was first announced on July 31, 2017, as part of the PBS TCA presentation. PBS broadcasts the show on its stations and also airs on the 24-hour PBS Kids channel, as well as the PBS Kids video app. ''Let's Go Luna!'' offers digital content for kids, parents and teachers, debuting from its PBS Kids website and a ''Luna'' app was also confirmed and would have been released shortly after the series' debut. However, the app ceased development and is on the PBS Kids video and games apps. There was also an ''

Elinor Wonders Why ''Elinor Wonders Why'' is an animated television series created by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson. The series premiered on September 7, 2020 from PBS Kids. The series is animated using Toon Boom Harmony. Overview The exploration-themed show en ...

'' app, but the series was placed on the PBS Kids video and games apps as well. 9 Story International Distribution owns managing and merchandising rights to the show outside Canada. It is also one of a few shows for preschoolers and PBS' first storyboard-driven show where storyboard artists work with the writers, in order to create "visually-driven narratives that highlight each city's distinctive landscape and features". It was originally going to be titled ''Luna Around the World'' but was changed to ''Let's Go Luna!''.

International broadcast

The show aired on Nat Geo Kids in Latin America and streaming on

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

in the same region. In Spain, the show airs on Canal Panda. In Italy, it airs on Rai Yoyo. In Turkey, the show will air on TRT Çocuk. In the half-hour broadcast of ''Let's Go Luna!'' on TVOKids, the short segment that occurs between the two 11-minute story segments of the show is kept in the broadcast instead of being removed.

Home video

Five episodes were released on DVD on February 11, 2020. Episodes were also released on PBS Kids compilation DVDs in 2020.

Reception

Critical response

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' wrote that the program is "Teaching tolerance, kindness and friendship."

Awards and nominations

Merchandise

On May 18, 2022, Mighty Mojo released plush toys of the main characters throughout its show.

References

External links