Sea Princesses

Sea Princesses (known as Princesas do Mar in Brazil) is a series of children's books created by the Brazilian writer and cartoonist Fábio Yabu. The first book was released in 2004 by publisher Panda Books; due to its success, three other books were made.

Sea Princesses
Genre	Animation Fantasy comedy
Created by	Fábio Yabu
Based on	Princesas do Mar by Fábio Yabu
Directed by	Craig Handley
Voices of	Katherine Cohn, Paige Walker, Di Adams, Mary-Anne Henshaw, Paul Gleeson, Daniel Wyllie, Mathew Whittet, Shannon Murphy, Jamie Croft, Isabella Dunwill, Olivia Pigeot, Alex Cook, Keith Buckley, Jacqui Lofgren, Eliza Logan, Roslyn Oades, Charlotte Gregg
Opening theme	Sea Princesses Theme
Ending theme	Sea Princesses Theme
Composer	Pep Roig
Country of origin	Brazil Australia Spain
Original languages	English Spanish Portuguese
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	104
Production
Executive producers	Cathy Payne, Cristina Brandner, Josep Viciana
Producer	Noel Price
Animators	Gloria Calás, Marta Clapés, Pablo Mendelbaum, Jaume Cullell, Maite Flores
Editor	Marta Capdevila
Running time	11 minutes
Production companies	Southern Star Entertainment Neptuno Films Production Flamma Films
Original release
Network	Discovery Familia Discovery Kids (Latin America) ABC
Release	May 31, 2007 (2007-05-31) – September 25, 2010 (2010-09-25)

In 2007, it was adapted into a cartoon series produced by Neptuno Films from Spain and Southern Star Entertainment from Australia. It was broadcast in 50 countries^{[citation needed]} including France on Piwi+, Germany on KiKa, Spain on Disney Junior, Portugal on RTP2 ZigZag, South Africa on K-T.V., Italy on Rai 2 (On Playhouse Disney block) & Rai Gulp and United Kingdom on Tiny Pop. It aired in the United States in Discovery Familia from 2007 to 2013, dubbed into Latin American Spanish. As of today the show is still available on Amazon Prime Video for streaming and is also on Pluto TV.

Plot

The series is set in a place deep under the sea known as the World of Salacia, a hidden kingdom founded by a goddess named Salacia, home to a race known as the Salinos who lived in harmony with the sea creatures. However, when the sea creatures began to feel threatened, Salacia chose different families to rule over each sea creature, with their own kingdoms and palaces. At the same time, Salacia created a series of laws for the Salinos to follow, the most important of which was to avoid contact with humans from the surface of the Earth, referred to by them as Drylanders, to avoid major conflicts.

The series' main protagonists are the princess trio Polvina, Tubarina, and Ester, three elementary school girls who study at the Sea School under the tutelage of their teacher, Marcia. The trio, along with other princes and princesses, frequently learn new things about the oceans and animals while experiencing adventures, often trying to help sea creatures when they are in danger.

Concept and Production

After the Combo Rangers comic book was canceled in 2004 due to lack of funds to pay the artists, Fábio Yabu decided to create a new series aimed at a completely different audience than his previous series, targeting young girls. According to Yabu, he had never liked the beach and the sea, but that changed when he made a drawing of a girl with octopus-shaped hair who became Polvina. The initial plan was to make an animated series, but due to the difficulty of creating animation in Brazil in the 2000s, he opted for a picture book.^[1] With the popularity of the first book, Yabu expanded the series further, creating a website and writing more books over the years. The franchise was discontinued in 2010, with the final book released that year.

Characters

Main Characters

• Polvina (Pulpita in European Spanish and Pulpina in Latin Spanish) – She is the Princess of the Octopuses. She usually tends to be the leader of the trio, being a calm and kind girl who likes to read, but who doesn't hesitate to risk herself to help her friends. In the books her hair and clothes are red (just like her parents), but in the animation they were changed to pink. She is voiced by Isabella Dunwill.^[2]
• Ester (Estér in Portuguese and Estella in European Spanish) – She is the yellow Princess of the Starfish, and best friend of Polvina. She's been Polvina and Tubarina's best friend since they were babies and always accompanies them on their adventures. She usually tends to be the most mischievous and immature of the trio.^[3] She is voiced by Katherine Cohn Beck.
• Tubarina (Tiburina in European and Latin Spanish) – She is the blue Princess of the Sharks, and daughter of one of the most powerful men in Salacia, King Shark. Tubarina tends to be the most temperamental and temperamental of the trio, sometimes bossy and arrogant, but she often learns from her mistakes. She's almost always with her best friends Polvina and Ester, and she's also Marcello's cousin, with whom she doesn't get along very well.^[4] She is voiced by Paige Walker.

Other Princesses and Princes

• Marcello (Marcelo in Portuguese) – He is the Prince of Hammerhead Sharks, and cousin to Tubarina. He began living at the Shark Palace after the episode because his parents were away, and has since become a frequent character in the series. He usually doesn't get along well with Tubarina and sometimes acts as an antagonist against the girls, accompanied by his friend Hugo. However, sometimes he shows that he can be a good boy and help the girls, including his cousin. The character was originally from the cartoon, but was later incorporated into the books.
• Bia (Bea in Latin Spanish) – She is the Princess of the Abyssal Kingdom, responsible for maintaining order in Beyondness sea and take care of the throne while her parents are travel throughout the kingdom. She met Polvina and her friends in one of the first episodes of the series, becoming friends with them ever since, and frequently appearing in episodes related to the Abyssal Kingdom. Because she lives in the darkness, she is sensitive to light and usually only leaves the kingdom at night. She is voiced by Roslyn Oades.
• Hugo – The Prince of Turtles, heir to the throne with his twin sister, Tata. He usually appears as Marcello's best friend, often accompanying him, although he appears to be more shy and naive than him. He dresses in a similar way to a cyclist wearing a turtle shell shaped bicycle helmet as his crown. Despite being Tata's brother, he is never seen interacting with her or even the turtles. The character was original to the cartoon.
• Marley (Marli in Portuguese) – She is the Princess of Swordfish. She is usually portrayed as an arrogant and competitive girl who easily picks on other girls, sometimes having been portrayed as Ester's rival in the animation, but deep down she is a good girl. In the books she is basically the opposite being a shy, quiet girl. Her crown is a cheerful swordfish hooked in her hair.
• Leia - The princess of the Whales. Among the princesses, she is the one who is seen most concerned about protecting the animals in her kingdom, constantly trying to stop the Drylanders from harming the whales and often asking her friends for help. She has a baby brother named Lelo. Her crown has the appearance of an orca.
• Tata - Hugo's sister and princess of the Sea Turtles. Similar to Leia, she cares deeply about protecting the turtles from danger and the Drylanders, often even asking her friends for help. Her crown is a helmet shaped like a sea turtle with yellow limbs.
• Isa – The Princess of the Penguins. She and her parents live on the surface of the South Pole, she likes to play with penguins and also shows resistance to the cold. Her crown has the appearance of a sleepy penguin with a Santa Claus hat.
• Sirilo - The prince of the Crabs. Like Hugo, he tends to be a calm, polite, and naive boy. He sometimes appears interacting with Marcello and Hugo when they want to form a trio.
• Eletropaula "Elektra" - The princess of the Electric Eels. An old friend of Polvina, Ester and Tubarina, was introduced in the cartoon returning to Salacia with her family after years away from the kingdom. Because she is the princess of the electric eels, she is able to resist electricity.
• Vivi - The princess of the Jellyfish. She has dark skin and pink clothes. In one of the episodes of the cartoon she is portrayed as a girl who likes to play pranks on others.
• Delfi - The princess of the Dolphins. Similar to Leia and Tata, she is also very close to the animals in her kingdom, always trying to help the dolphins, but also playing with them.
• Julie and Jessie (Juli and Mari) - The twin princesses of the Clown Fish. They are notably always seen doing everything together and are always getting along without ever fighting with each other. Julie wear orange clothes while Jessie wear black clothes.
• Angelica - The princess of the Angelfish. She is the most naive and distracted of the princesses, losing concentration very easily, which makes her not very good at studying.
• Matilda - The princess of the Hawkfish
• Dinho - The prince of the Blowfish
• Mauricio - The prince of the Sea Urchins
• Goldina - The princess of the Goldfish
• Agostina - The princess of the Lobsters
• Socita - The princess of the Grouper Fish
• Carlos - The prince of the Salmon
• Marcela - Marcelo's sister and princess of the Hammerhead Sharks
• Soraya - The princess of the Stingray
• Janue - The princess of the Blue Lyretail
• Vito - Tubarina's brother and prince of the Sharks
• Camerelo - The prince of the Snails
• Lia - The princess of the Lionfish
• Camarina - The princess of the Shrimp
• Duante - A traveler who helps sick fish in need.

Animals

• Tavinho - Polvina's pet purple octopus. In one of the episodes of the show it is revealed that he was a gift from the Octopus Queen to Polvina, having found him near the beach.
• Telo - Ester's pet yellow starfish.
• Dentinho - Tubarina's pet blue baby shark.

Others

• Ms. Marla (Márcia) - The teacher of Salacia's school. She is one of the few inhabitants of Salacia to appear in the series who is not part of royalty. She tends to be very patient with her students. Her hair resembles a blue wave.
• Shark King - Tubarina's father and one of the most powerful men in Salacia. Among the kings, he is the one who appears most during the series, being a serious and severe man, but deep down he is a good person. Many things that happen in Salacia are mostly decided by him.
• Shark Queen - Tubarina's mother and King Shark's wife. Unlike her husband, she makes very few appearances throughout the series.
• Starfish King and Starfish Queen - Ester's parents. They tend to be very patient with their daughter's antics, who often disobeys them.
• Octopus King and Octopus Queen - Polvina's parents. They have very few appearances in the cartoon.

TV series

In 2007, an animated TV series was produced co-produced by the Australian production company Southern Star and the Spanish studio Neptuno Films, in partnership with the Brazilian production company Flamma Films being supervised by Fábio Yabu. In Brazil, as well as in the rest of Latin America, the cartoon premiered on the channel Discovery Kids in March 24, 2008.^[5] The series later aired on TV Cultura on July 12, 2010, broadcasting only the first season.^[6]

The series also aired in dozens of other countries around the world.^[7] The series made its debut in the United States on Discovery Family and Discovery Junior (syndication). In 2010, the series debuted on Nick Jr. in Australia before being rerun on free-to-air television by the Seven Network. It has been confirmed than the series will also debut on Treehouse. In 2017, the series debuted on Tiny Pop and Disney Junior in United Kingdom. All characters speak in American accents despite being played by Australian actors.

Differences between the cartoon and the books

In the cartoon Polvina, Ester and Tubarina are revealed to have been friends since they were babies as shown in the episodes "Best Friends" and "The Guilty", however in the first book it is shown that Polvina and Ester only met Tubarina on their first day of school at the Sea School. Polvina and Ester, by the way, were the only princesses who knew each other and were friends before entering school, to the point of referring to each other as cousins (what doesn't happen in the TV series), however, in the first episode it is shown that they already knew the other princesses before the first day of school. In the books it is shown that in the World of Salacia there is technology with people watching TV and reading magazines sharing many similarities with the Drylanders, however in the TV series it is not shown that there is any technology or media stuff in this world. Royal families also have servants in the books, but in the TV series they behave like more traditional families without any servants working for them. The cartoon also very rarely shows commoner Salinos, the only recurring exception being Marcia. Polvina also has slightly different clothes, in the books they are red, her bra is shaped like two hearts and the octopus on her head is mentioned to be a crown and not her hair (not even being a real octopus either) whose face changes according to Polvina's expressions, however in the animation her clothes are pink and her bra is rectangular, in addition to that in the episode "The Makeover" it is revealed that the octopus on her head is in fact her hair and the face does not move at any point in the cartoon. It was originally planned that Tubarina would have a cousin named Marcela representing the hammerhead sharks, although she was never mentioned in the books, but appeared on the back cover along with the other princesses, but in the TV series she was recreated as a boy named Marcello with a completely different personality than the one proposed for the girl in the books.

Episodes

Season 1

1. Lost
2. The Pearl
3. The Boy
4. The Golden Penguins
5. The Royal Ball
6. The Biggest Fish
7. The Diary
8. The Toy
9. The Missing Crown
10. The Babysitters
11. The Return
12. Homeless
13. The Monster
14. The Party
15. Art
16. The Picture
17. The New Pet
18. Stage Fright
19. The Argument
20. The Silence
21. The Excuse
22. The Race
23. The Rescue
24. Who's Who
25. Sharing
26. Tubarina Almighty
27. The Ticklish Octopus
28. Shooting Star
29. The Trick
30. The Big Game
31. One Too Many
32. The Hammerheads
33. Big Brother
34. The Lost Kingdom
35. The Gift
36. The Crush
37. The Head Top
38. The Dingleberry Mystery
39. The Makeover
40. The Doll
41. Best Friends
42. The New Teacher
43. The Big Chill
44. A Weighty Problem
45. The Brave Turtle
46. The Dare
47. The Great Escape
48. The Carnival
49. The Missing Princess
50. Lunch Power
51. The Angel Fish
52. Ester's Fear

Season 2

1. The Matchmaker
2. The New Princess
3. The Dancing
4. Bad Vibrations
5. Rumours
6. Battle of the Bands
7. The Runaway Grandmother
8. The Bad Princess
9. The Sick Dolphin
10. Size Matters
11. Polvina the Teacher
12. The Pirates
13. A Little Help
14. A Big Mess
15. Marcello's Friend
16. The Mural
17. The Forbidden Reef
18. The Accident
19. The Birds
20. The Ring
21. The Whale Watchers
22. The Guardians
23. Friends Forever
24. The Secret Admirer
25. Princess Poutalot
26. The Piano Lesson
27. Shark Love
28. The Twins
29. The Treasure
30. The Giant Starfish
31. Magic
32. The Seaweed Potion
33. The Itchy Wrists
34. The Bite
35. The Surprise Party
36. Grow Up
37. What's Cooking
38. The Ester Breakout
39. The Ungrateful Fish
40. The Too-Playful Shark
41. The Scare
42. Deep Freeze
43. The Sweet Talker
44. The Sea Quake
45. The Spidercrabs
46. The True Princess
47. The Crack of Doom
48. The Healer
49. The Guilty
50. The Number Crunchers
51. Beauty
52. The Last One