Kiff (TV series)
Kiff[lower-alpha 1] is an animated musical comedy television series created by Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal and produced by Disney Television Animation in association with Titmouse, Inc.[1] The series premiered on March 10, 2023, on Disney Channel.[2][3]
Kiff | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | |
Directed by | Allison Craig |
Voices of |
|
Theme music composer |
|
Opening theme | "Kiff Main Title Theme" (written by Nic Smal, Brad Breeck, and Lucy Heavens) |
Ending theme | "Kiff End Credit Theme" (written by Nic Smal) |
Composer | Brad Breeck |
Country of origin | United States South Africa[1] |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 23 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producers |
|
Editors |
|
Running time | 22 minutes |
Production companies | |
Animation services | Yearim |
Release | |
Original network | Disney Channel |
Original release | March 10, 2023 – present |
In June 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.
Synopsis
Set in Table Town, an urbanized mountainous island co-habitated by animals and magical creatures, the series centers on the adventures of Kiff, a young optimistic and happy-go lucky squirrel whose best intentions often lead to complete chaos, and her best friend Barry, a sweet and mellow bunny as they take the island by storm with their endless adventures and zest for life with lessons about the importance of acceptance, friendship, selflessness, self-worth, responsibility, sincerity, notoriety, and maturity along the way.[2][4]
Characters
Main
- Kiff Chatterley (voiced by Kimiko Glenn[5]) is a young female optimistic orange squirrel who is the protagonist of the series. She's sometimes reckless but is thankfully never afraid of being responsible, growing up, and taking a stand for what she believes in. Her internet alias is 'Kifftastic4' over on Table Toob. In "Nicknames", it's revealed that "Kiff" is just her nickname, though her real name is currently unknown.
- Barrington "Barry" Augustus Buns III (voiced by H. Michael Croner[5]) is a sweet and mellow male sky blue rabbit who is Kiff's best friend and sidekick.
Kiff's family
- Martin Chatterley (voiced by James Monroe Iglehart[6]) is Kiff's absent-minded and unemployed father who loves popcorn and orange juice. His internet alias is 'SmartyPrance116' over on Table Toob. He secretly wanted to be an ice-skater during his youth.
- Beryl Chatterley (voiced by Lauren Ash[7]) is Kiff's mother, and Martin Chatterly's wife. She works as a college professor.
Barry's family
- Mary Buns (voiced by Rachel House[8]) is Barry's warm and kind mother. She speaks with a New Zealand accent.
- Harry Buns (known professionally as DJ 11:30) (voiced by Josh Johnson[9]) is Barry's older teenage brother and an aspiring DJ.
- Terri Buns (known professionally as Terri Two-Bowls) (voiced by Nichole Sakura[10]) is Barry's older sister and Harry's younger sister, who is a social media influencer and has a job as a pizza deliverywoman.
- Kristophe Buns is Barry's one-eared baby brother, who is usually seen with Farley, a toy robot that once belonged to Harry. He is the youngest in the Buns family.
The Fox family
- Candle Fox (voiced by Vella Lovell) is a popular and rich female fox in Kiff and Barry's class, Roy's daughter, and Kiff's frenemy. In "Two Truths and a Bunny", Candle is revealed to be the leader of her own group called the "Abras" (a pun on candelabra). Her parents are also divorced, as revealed in "Fresh Outta Grandmas".
- Roy Fox (voiced by Eric Bauza) is Candle's father who is the president of Foxhole Productions, as well as a TV producer for reality TV shows such as "Table Town Has Talent", "Table Town's Cringiest Wannabes", "The 5 Jerks", and "Dancing on the Tables".
Table Town Middle School staff
- Principal Secretary (voiced by Nic Smal) is a South African-accented secretary bird who is the principal at Kiff and Barry's school. He aspired to be a principal ever since he was in high school. He, Glarbin Gloobin, Sweepy Steve, and Ms. Moufflé have their own group called "The Table Town Riddler's Society".
- Helen (voiced by Lucy Heavens) is an eccentric, selfish and egotistical 217-year-old witch who is Kiff and Barry's drama teacher.
- Miss Deer Teacher (voiced by Deedee Magno Hall) is a 33-year-old deer who is Kiff and Barry's teacher. She used to be a stand-up comedian before she became a teacher. She still unironically plays with dolls and stuffed animals whenever she's at home.
- Mr. Ri-Peppa (voiced by Eric Bauza) is a somewhat unprincipled skunk and teacher.
- Miss Tulane (voiced by Lucy Heavens) is a German-accented unicorn who is the school's art teacher. She wears white boots and a pink scarf.
- Sweepy Steve (voiced by Kent Osborne) performs janitorial duties at Table Town Middle School. At the beginning of each episode, he is pasting an advertisement on the same bill board as the episode title. He is a member of "The Table Town Riddler's Society" and has been shown to have a love for musical theater. In "Life on the Inside", he is seen running detention. He is prone to suddenly falling asleep under sun beams.
Table Town Middle School students
- Gareth and Darryn (both voiced by Tom Kenny) are Kiff and Barry's bear and giraffe classmates.
- Trevor Angstrom (voiced by Tom Kenny) is a hedgehog in Kiff and Barry's class, who is sometimes portrayed as an antagonist in certain episodes. He becomes friends with Candle in "Friendship in the Time of Cheese Caves".
- Reggie (voiced by Eric Bauza) is a nerdy, but loyal raccoon in Kiff and Barry's class. In "Fresh Outta Grandmas", he is revealed to have 2 moms who both have 2 moms who are both divorced. He also aspires to be a video game programmer, as revealed in "Weird Delivery".
- Billiam (voiced by Eric Bauza) is a young male Billy goat, who is best friends with Candle.
- Patty (voiced by Sophie Kim) is a young female parakeet in Kiff and Barry's class.
- Renée du Bedat (voiced by Mary Mack) is a female warthog in Kiff and Barry's class.
Other recurring characters
- Miss Moufflé (voiced by Aparna Nancherla) is a giraffe-librarian who runs the local library in Table Town. She tends to have a monstrous temper whenever she hears somebody claim that she's a 'villain' or ask her questions that personally offend her such as "Maybe you could take the shushing down a few notches.". She, Principal Secretary, Glarbin Gloobin, and Sweepy Steve have their own group called "The Table Town Riddler's Society".
- Pawva (voiced by Katie Crown) is a mink who is the town's barista.
- Trollie (voiced by Rhys Darby) is a troll who lives under the town's bridge. He speaks with a New Zealand accent.
- Glarbin Gloobin (voiced by Steve Little) is a frog who runs city hall and Table Town's lost and found. He values doing a lot of paperwork before applying an action. He, Principal Secretary, and Miss Mouffle have their own group called "The Table Town Riddler's Society.
- The Pone (voiced by Eugene Cordero) is an alpaca, who lives next door to the Chatterleys.
Guests
- Kim Popularé (voiced by Vella Lovell) is a lemur wearing high heels, and is Candle's friend. She used to study at Tuft Pierre, a private school mostly attended by affluent and insolent pupils, before transferring to Table Town Middle School. She, at first, spoke with a Swedish accent, and went by the pseudonym Kennedy. But after Barry beats her in a game of identifying facts and lies, she disclosed her true name, and began speaking in an American accent.
- Mav (voiced by Kent Osborne) is a sheep in a black jacket, and one of a few students sent to the detention room for delinquency. Kiff met him when she was sent to detention for standing in class trying to keep her classmates in their seats. When Kiff helps him and the other delinquents escape, they reform and become committed to their schooling.
Episodes
No. | Title [11][12][13] | Written by | Storyboard by | Original air date [11][12][13] | Prod. code [11][13] | U.S. viewers (millions) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Thirst to Be the First" | Quinn Scott | Drew Applegate & Allison Craig | March 10, 2023 | 101 | 0.14[14] | |||||
"The Fourth Bath" | James Sugrue & Elena Manetta | ||||||||||
"Thirst to Be the First": Kiff is ready to be the first person to use the school's new water fountain, but a bad case of "droop-tail" ends up ruining her plans. She sets up various schemes to get past her dad and in school, and it almost works - but she ends up falling asleep and misses out. However, Barry creates a photo of a basketball painted with Kiff's face on it drinking the fountain, satisfying Kiff. "The Fourth Bath": Kiff is excited to sleep over at Barry's house until she finds out that the Buns share bath water, and that she will take the fourth bath. Not wanting to bathe in used water, Kiff decides to call "switchies" with the Buns siblings in order to go first but inadvertently causes them to quarrel with each other. Feeling guilty, Kiff apologizes to everyone for her actions, and to make it up to them, she takes the last bath, which goes over surprisingly well. | |||||||||||
2 | "Pool Party" | Kent Osborne | Brett Muller | March 10, 2023 | 102 | 0.12[14] | |||||
"Road Trip" | Claytia Gonsalves | James Sugrue | |||||||||
"Pool Party": The entire class is invited to Candle Fox's pool party, but Barry reveals to Kiff that he can't swim. Kiff asks Helen, a witch at her school, to cast a spell on Barry to help him swim, to which she agrees on the condition that the former helps her meet Candle's dad, Roy, in hopes to get on a TV show. Kiff tries to prevent this from happening when she realizes that Roy's plans are to get the witch on a show making fun of her, which results in Helen revoking the spell. Kiff saves Barry from falling in the water and drowning but simultaneously trashes the place and they get banned for a year. Helen then thanks Kiff for saving her reputation and Kiff promises to help Barry learn how to swim during their one-year ban from Candle's pool. "Road Trip": The Chatterleys and Barry go on a road trip, much to Kiff's dismay, who is not a fan of Martin's tedious rules and rituals. During this, Kiff and Barry tease the leader of a bike gang and are pursued by the group. Kiff and Barry confess to Beryl and Martin about it and they try their best to get away. It's later revealed that the bike gang was really a group of auto mechanics, who were trying to help fix the Chatterlys' car. It also turns out that the road trip was really a test drive for the real one. | |||||||||||
3 | "Brunch DJ" | Kent Osborne | Allyson Gonzalez | March 18, 2023[lower-alpha 2] | 103 | 0.14[15] | |||||
"Career Day" | Koby Agyeman | Brett Muller | |||||||||
"Brunch DJ": After Kiff and Barry witness the latter's brother, Harry, escaping from school, Principal Secretary tasks the two with finding him. Later, it is discovered that Harry has been working at a café as a DJ. Not wanting to get Harry in trouble for playing hooky, Kiff explains the importance of school with a song when the Principal arrives at the café and tries to expel Harry. When it turns out that having no education would impede Harry from fulfilling his dream, everyone turns against Secretary, so he lets Harry go back to school. "Career Day": Kiff and Barry take a summer job, working at the city hall, even though Barry would rather work as a garbage man. The job is not what they expected, as it's required to fill out lots of paperwork, so Kiff and Barry decide to skip the forms by shredding them and go straight to helping people. This becomes an issue when their boss, Glarbin Gloobin, wants them to file the forms they "filled out". Kiff and Barry trick him into believing that all the paperwork was stolen, but he finds out about the ruse when the paper shredder explodes. But before Glarbin can fire them, the townsfolk inform him of how Kiff and Barry helped them. Then, Glarbin's former employees ask for their jobs back and Kiff and Barry start working as garbage men. | |||||||||||
4 | "The Five Pigeons of the Acapellapocalypse" | Kent Osborne | Allyson Gonzalez | March 18, 2023[lower-alpha 2] | 104 | 0.11[15] | |||||
"Leave a Little Juice" | Quinn Scott | ||||||||||
"The Five Pigeons of the Acapellapocalypse": After finding a pigeon figure at a yard sale, Kiff finds out that there are four more figures to complete the set. After she and Barry collect all five, though, they end up coming to life as "The Five Pigeons of the Acapellapocalypse" and cause havoc around Table Town. The only way to stop them is to separate them, so Kiff and Barry recruit Helen to do so. After being separated, however, the pigeons become very lonely, so Kiff gives Roy Fox (whose shows' ratings had taken a dive) the idea to use them in a reality show, "The Five Jerks", focusing on their lives completely locked up in a mansion on a far-away island together. "Leave a Little Juice": After Barry had finished all of Martin's OJ, which is the latter's favorite drink, Beryl asks Kiff to tell Barry not to do that anymore. However, Kiff cannot bring herself to do that, not wanting to hurt Barry's feelings, so she avoids saying anything about it. This becomes a problem when Barry keeps dropping his glasses of OJ and wasting the drink. Eventually, the whole carton is emptied and Kiff convinces Martin that it wouldn't be right to hurt Barry's feelings. It's then Beryl who asks Barry not to drink all the OJ, to which Barry nonchalantly agrees, much to Kiff and Martin's surprise. Kiff realizes that Barry actually likes it when people tell him the truth. Later, the Chatterlys' neighbor, the Pone, arrives to give the family a carton of OJ (as a repayment for Barry trying to give him some earlier), which Martin turns down just because he dislikes the Pone. | |||||||||||
5 | "Big Barry on Campus" | Claytia Gonsalves | Taylor Curry & Elena Manetta | March 25, 2023[lower-alpha 2] | 105 | 0.12[16] | |||||
"Club Book" | Brett Muller | ||||||||||
"Big Barry on Campus": After noticing an error with her school ID, Helen sends a "computer gremlin" into the Principal's computer to fix it. However, it accidentally causes Barry's name to be mixed in with the high schoolers file, making Principal Secretary think he belongs there. Kiff is despondent over this, so she goes to high school with Barry. However, the two grow to hate high school and try to prove to the Principal that they don't belong there. Just when Secretary is about to send Kiff and Barry to different schools, the computer gremlin is discovered and Helen uses a spell to reboot the computer, sending Kiff and Barry back to Miss Dear Teacher's class where they belong. "Club Book": Kiff finds it unfair that you have to be quiet at the library, so she gains legal ownership of the library to allow people to be loud. However, Kiff quickly discovers the disadvantages of a loud library, especially when a party is thrown in the building. She recruits the former librarian, Miss Moufflé (who now works as a soufflé baker), to turn the loud library quiet again. After the two enter the library through a secret passageway, Kiff puts on quiet music to get everyone to shush and Miss Moufflé closes the loud library for good. Afterward, Miss Mouflé fixes up a room for loud readers to be as loud as they want. | |||||||||||
6 | "Kiff's Mix" | Quinn Scott | Allyson Gonzalez | March 25, 2023[lower-alpha 2] | 106 | 0.13[16] | |||||
"Kiff's on a Plane" | Thomas Hudson | ||||||||||
"Kiff's Mix": While playing at Trevor's house, Kiff, Barry, and Trevor create an amazing cereal mix by combining many different kind together. However, when the three to make it again, they forget which kinds of cereal they used. Kiff calls the science lab to get the cereal's milk analyzed so they'll remember the ingredients they used. The scientist at the lab finds that the cereal contains one unknown ingredient, later revealed to be Barry's tears, which are triggered by commercials on TV. However, Trevor lets making the cereal go to his head, revealing to the other two his plans to form a corporation with them, which Kiff doesn't want. However, when everybody finds out about the secret ingredient, they get disgusted and leave. At Kiff's house, Trevor apologizes for his actions as he, Kiff, and Barry eat Kiff's Mix and cry at a commercial. "Kiff's on a Plane": Beryl's old college friends, Meryl, Deryl, and Cheryl, visit her. Wanting to appear grown up to Beryl and her friends, Kiff decides to go to pilot school to prove that she's just as cool as them. Barry soon arrives to find Kiff and gets enrolled too. After lots of practice, Kiff invites Beryl and her friends to her junior pilot test. At the test (which is much simpler than was wished for), Kiff appears to be doing well, but she gets distracted by a fantasy and is hit by a volleyball, suffering a humiliating fail. Kiff then reveals the true reason why she had joined pilot school and leaves the school with her mom and friends on good terms. | |||||||||||
7 | "Farley" | Kent Osborne | Adam Bohorquez & Taylor Curry | April 1, 2023 | 107 | 0.15[17] | |||||
"Two for One Hot Dogs" | Sarah Lloyd | Taylor Curry | |||||||||
"Farley": While babysitting Kristophe, Kiff accidentally makes a mess of Farley (Kristophe's doll). To fix the situation, Kiff pretends to be Farley while Barry enlists the help of Helen's sister, Agnes (a drycleaner) to wash the real doll. When Kristophe is about to pull a stunt with "Farley", Kiff pretends that Farley has come to life and the two spend a fun day together, while Barry tries to counsel Helen and Agnes over their sibling rivalry. In the end, Barry returns with the real Farley and Kiff comes to realize how Kristophe really is on the inside. "Two for One Hot Dogs": After enjoying two for one hot dogs, Kiff and Barry notice a billboard that reads "It doesn't get any better than this" and misinterpret the message as saying that their best days are behind them. Despondent, the two move into a retirement home. Soon after, Kiff and Barry find the people at the retirement home throwing a party and realize that the message on the billboard was simply an ad that wasn't really true. | |||||||||||
8 | "Halfway There Day" | Sarah Lloyd | James Sugrue | April 1, 2023 | 108 | 0.16[17] | |||||
"Be Still My Harp" | Jacob Ospa & Elena Manetta | ||||||||||
"Halfway There Day": Halfway through the year, Kiff prepares dinner for Halfway There Day (Table Town's take on Christmas), which is about giving 50% in preparation. Beryl tells Kiff the story of Beverly, a woman who prepared a big fancy dinner for Halfway There Day and was kicked out of the "dinner crawl". After Kiff encounters Beverly from the story, the latter sabotages the dinner, but Centaur Claus (a spoof of Santa Claus) scolds everyone for missing the true meaning of Halfway There Day, which is not about giving 50%, but just not being pressured to give 100%. Beverly is then let back in the dinner crawl. "Be Still My Harp": While watching a movie, Barry gets stuck in a harp that causes people who hear the music to suddenly get stuck in their memories. When this happens to Kiff, she learns to look forward and escapes her memories. She then pulls Barry out of the harp forward instead of backward, which not only frees him, but snaps everyone out of their trances. | |||||||||||
9 | "Friendiversary" | Kobe Agyeman | Brett Muller | April 8, 2023 | 109 | 0.11[18] | |||||
"Totally Table Town" | Claytia Gonsalves | Thomas Hudson | |||||||||
"Friendiversary": On the day of Kiff and Barry's "friendiversary", the two reminisce on when they first met. When Barry gives Kiff one more gift than she did him, Kiff sets out to find another gift for him, but can't seem to find a gift good enough for him. Meanwhile, Trevor tries to be Barry's new best friend. Thinking she's failed, Kiff runs away, but learns from a train robber that the best present is a hug. Barry tells Kiff that all he wanted was the feeling of giving her a gift and they decide to go on a tractor ride, even inviting Trevor to come along (though it appears he hasn't given up on stealing Barry from Kiff). "Totally Table Town": After someone who posts a comment on "Table Toob" doubts Table Town's awesomeness, Kiff and her friends film a movie to prove him wrong. While filming the last scene, the gang gets attacked by the Ghost Wolf. After a long chase, it turns out that the Ghost Wolf was really giving their speaker back and herding them to safety. After Kiff posts the movie to the person who commented, it gets a positive reaction, with the commenter turning out to be Martin. | |||||||||||
10 | "Hat" | Lucy Heavens, Nic Smal & Kent Osborne | Nic Smal | April 15, 2023[lower-alpha 3] | 111 | 0.19[20] | |||||
"Lost and Found" | Sarah Lloyd | Thomas Hudson | |||||||||
"Hat": After a hat that Barry brings to "Bring a Thing" proves popular (so much that everyone in the school tries to steal it), Kiff tries to keep it safe for Barry to show everyone at an event later. A strong wind causes a series of misadventures for Kiff on trying to retrieve it, including Helen, who wants the hat for herself. After accidentally shredding the hat, Kiff pretends to be the hat, but realizes that everyone actually likes Barry, not the hat. "Lost and Found": While taking a walk, Kiff and Barry discover a journal. They try to find its owner before Glarbin, who is in charge of the Lost and found department, gains ownership of it at the end of the business day. While trying to find clues, Kiff and Barry end up having more and more of the journal's contents revealed, before it's revealed that it belongs to a unicorn named Slent. However, the poems become very popular and Slent gives the money he earned to Kiff and Barry to show his appreciation for them returning the journal. | |||||||||||
11 | "Principal Dance Socks" | Sarah Lloyd | Adam Bohorquez, Thomas Hudson, Taylor Curry, Elena Manetta & James Sugrue | April 22, 2023[lower-alpha 3] | 110 | 0.09[21] | |||||
In order to prove that Table Town School is just as good as the fancy, rich, and prestigious Tuft Pierre School, Kiff and the gang compete Principal Secretary with Tuft Pierre's principal, Swan, in a dance-off. Since Secretary's dancing is less than perfect, Helen and the kids give him magic dance socks to make him appear much better (with Helen controlling Secretary's moves). After Secretary wins, the snobby big kids from Tuft Pierre School give the credit to Swan, who was on Roy Fox's "Dancing with the Tables", for winning. The kids decide to put Principal Secretary on the show to prove that he won. However, Helen is upset that she hasn't been given credit for controlling Principal Secretary's dancing and ends up sabotaging the show by lousing up his moves. Kiff and the gang then confess that they cheated and say that they are proud of their school, touching everyone's hearts to the point that Swan even decides to quit her job as Principal for Tuft Pierre School. | |||||||||||
12 | "Two Truths and a Bunny" | Claytia Gonsalves | Taylor Curry | April 29, 2023 | 112 | 0.24[22] | |||||
"Nicknames" | Koby Agyeman | Brett Muller & Adam Bohorquez | |||||||||
"Two Truths and a Bunny": When Liz K. (one of the members of Candle's "Abra" group) gets droop-tail, Kiff and Barry both take their place in a slumber party in order to find out why Candle calls her group "Abra". At the sleepover, the group plays Two Truths and a Lie, which Barry isn't good at because of his inability to lie. Since Candle can't trust Kiff and Barry to keep the secret about why the group is called the "Abras", Barry seeks advice from his sister, Terri, on how to lie. However, the Abras don't find Barry's lies exciting enough, not even when he reveals that one of the group members, seemingly named "Kennedy", is actually named "Kim". Kiff and Barry later deduce that the group was named after the candelabra (since the first part of the word is Candle's name) before leaving. "Nicknames": At a movie theater, Kiff and Barry realize that the ticket ripper, Nick Namé gives people at the theater nicknames because of their actions, and they decide that they want nicknames of their own. After Kiff tries (and fails) to earn the nickname, "Showtime", Beryl reveals that she already has a nickname (as "Kiff" is not her real name) and that everyone likes her, whether she has a nickname or not. | |||||||||||
13 | "The Sound of Helen" | Hannah Jost | Allyson Gonzalez | May 6, 2023 | 113 | 0.14[23] | |||||
"Weekly Grocery Shop" | Quinn Scott | James Sugrue | |||||||||
"The Sound of Helen": Helen "convinces" Principal Secretary to let her create a musical. While the class is excited at first, they are surprised to find that the play, entitled "The Sound of Helen", is all about her. When they protest to this, Helen accuses them of ruining her musical and quits as director. The class decides to use how Helen had worked to get the Principal to accept the production as the new plot and rename it "My Fair Helen", which receives praise from Helen and everyone else (except for Secretary). "Weekly Grocery Shop": The Chatterlys go grocery shopping. Kiff decides to go to the free sample station, Beryl tries to collect 20 coupons to play a crane game, and Martin tries to remember which groceries to buy after he forgets the shopping list. Kiff's delight is spoiled when the new sample station worker, Gordon, only allows paying customers, not kids, to get free samples, so she, Barry, Reggie, and Candle try to trick him into giving them some. Meanwhile, after the last coupon falls into Helen's shopping cart, Beryl tries to get it without Helen noticing, and Martin gets the same groceries that another customer bought, only to find that all the groceries he bought are of a different brand that the Chatterlys normally get. When Beryl uses a fishing pole to sneak the last coupon out of Helen's cart, Helen notices and prepares to curse Beryl into mushroom form for bothering her, but accidentally curses Gordon into a child, who allows free samples for everyone. Afterwards, Kiff finally gets a free sample and Beryl wins a 50-year-old kazoo from the claw machine. | |||||||||||
14 | "Friendship in the Time of Cheese Caves" | Sarah Lloyd | Thomas Hudson | May 13, 2023 | 114 | 0.11[24] | |||||
"Soup Opera" | Claytia Gonsalves | Taylor Curry | |||||||||
"Friendship in the Time of Cheese Caves": Candle and Trevor form a friendship, which is short-lived. On a field trip to the Cheese Caves, Candle enlists the help of Kiff to patch things up with her and Trevor. When Candle and Kiff get trapped in the caves, the former admits that their friendship was ruined when she sent a chunky text to him. Trevor eventually forgives Candle for the chunky text and they reconcile, while Kiff is furious to find that Candle and Trevor's friendship was formed when Candle made fun of her new shorts. "Soup Opera": Kiff becomes interested in a soap opera. When she finds that Miss Deer Teacher has been unlucky in love, Kiff uses scenes from the soap opera to help her reconcile with a date. After watching a plot twist in the soap opera with the protagonist's boyfriend revealed to have used her to steal her identity, Kiff and Martin try to stop Miss Dear Teacher's date from doing the same, but it turns out that he was only helping her with taxes, and that Miss Deer Teacher feels that he's not the man she wants to marry. Kiff apologizes to Miss Dear Teacher for meddling in her personal life and she forgives her. | |||||||||||
15 | "Mall Leader" | Lucy Heavens & Nic Smal | Miyako Molinelli & Brain Muelhaupt | May 20, 2023 | 115 | 0.15[25] | |||||
"Ghost Wolf's Art" | Hannah Jost | James Sugrue | |||||||||
"Mall Leader": Upon finding out that she can get a free pretzel from bringing ten people to the mall, Kiff hypnotizes her classmates (excluding Barry) to follow her to the mall, but she quickly regrets this when everyone keeps following her around and won't let her eat her pretzel in peace. She gives the leading duties to Helen, who becomes a slave driver to Kiff's classmates. Realizing she has done wrong, Kiff learns the importance of selflessness, gives her pretzel to Helen, and encourages everyone to just follow themselves. "Ghost Wolf's Art": Following on from the events of "Totally Table Town", Kiff is determined to learn more about Ghost Wolf, and she and Barry go to his home, where they learn that he has a passion for painting. Barry helps Ghost Wolf get inspiration by painting pictures of other people's personal lives. At the museum, the people are initially embarrassed and furious to find that Ghost Wolf turned their personal moments into entertainment, but when others empathize by revealing that they have the same embarrassing traits, the art becomes a hit. | |||||||||||
16 | "Fresh Outta Grandmas" | Koby Agyeman | Allyson Gonzalez | June 17, 2023 | 116 | 0.14[26] | |||||
"Maybe-sitting" | Quinn Scott | Thomas Hudson | |||||||||
"Fresh Outta Grandmas": After Kiff, Candle, and Reggie brag about their grandmothers, a competition begins on who can "collect" the most grandmas, with a piece of candy being collected for each grandma. When Kiff and Reggie are tied with the amount of grandmas they have, they set out to break the tie by collecting Lady Lorriane, who hates children; Kiff manages to win by calling the other grandmas who are Lady Lorraine's friends, and win the competition. But when the grandmas realize that the kids were spending time with them just for a game, the gang realizes that they've been selfish and return all the pieces of candy to the grandmas and apologize to them (excluding Lorraine). However, what Kiff and the gang didn't notice is that those grandmas were also being selfish by spending time with them just for a game. "Maybe-sitting": Wanting to join the Babysitting Society, Kiff visits the Bunses' house, where Harry and Terri are babysitting Kristophe, in order to learn about babysitting. To her dismay, Harry and Terri are only interested in reading magazines, so she tries to get them to be more attentive by pretending that Kristophe is missing, which actually happens right after Harry and Terri had realized Kiff's ruse. Not knowing where to find Kristophe (who is hiding in the closet under the stairs), Kiff forces a reluctant Barry to act as Kristophe while the members of the Babysitting Society to observe Kiff's babysitting, but is eventually forced to tell the truth and is disallowed from joining the club. Mary, however, is so impressed with how Kiff took care of Kristophe that she hires her as Kristophe's permanent babysitter. | |||||||||||
17 | "Everyday I'm Riddlin' Riddlin'" | Sarah Lloyd | Taylor Curry | June 24, 2023 | 117 | 0.16[27] | |||||
"Life on the Inside" | Claytia Gonsalves | Miyako Molinelli | |||||||||
"Everyday I'm Riddlin' Riddlin'": Kiff and Barry meet a troll named Trollie, who likes telling riddles, but is depressed, because he lives under a bridge where nobody passes, so the two take him the most used bridge in Table Town, where he makes up riddles that nobody can get the answer to. In order to get him to stop this, Kiff and Barry enlist the help of the Table Town Riddler's Society (consisting of Principal Secretary, Glarbin Gloobin, Ms. Moufflé, and Sweepy Steve) in giving Trollie a riddle that will stump him. When that doesn't work, Trollie resolves to build a second bridge so people can pass without having to guess a riddle. "Life on the Inside": After Kiff is accused of breaking a school rule in an attempt to get her classmates to obey it, she is sent to detention along with Barry (after he unsuccessfully tried to stand up for her). Kiff and Barry team up with the other kids who got sent to detention and they eventually manage to break out. The students who got sent to detention then reform, impressing Principal Secretary. | |||||||||||
18 | "Weird Delivery" | Kent Osborne | Allyson Gonzalez | July 1, 2023 | 118 | N/A | |||||
"No Dad Ideas" | Koby Agyeman | James Sugrue | |||||||||
"Weird Delivery": After spending time with Reggie at his house, Kiff and Barry leave to be taken home by Barry's sister. However, she has to make a pizza delivery to a man who made money off of catapults. When Kiff and Barry are forced to deliver the pizza themselves, Kiff accidentally offends the man, who sends the two sends them both flying off a giant catapult. As it turns out, Kiff and Barry's entire trip home was all part of a virtual reality system that Reggie has been developing. "No Dad Ideas": Realizing Kiff does not know what his job is, Martin shows her all the ideas he has as an inventor but isn't confident enough to show them to the public. In order to boost Martin's confidence, she has Terri pretend to be the CEO of her own company, who likes Martin's unique ideas. It works until he realizes the truth about Terri and loses confidence, but Kiff encourages him to keep going. As he advertises his invention idea, the Double Trucker (which is a cap with two bills), everyone leaves except for two birds that he had been feeding, who buy his Double Trucker for a million nuts just so they can repurpose it as a snack holder. | |||||||||||
19 | "Faculty Lounge" | Hannah Jost | Adam Bohorquez & Thomas Hudson | July 8, 2023 | 119 | N/A | |||||
"Personal Assistant" | Quinn Scott | Taylor Curry & Brain Muelhaupt | |||||||||
"Faculty Lounge": Kiff and Barry are curious about the teacher's faculty lounge, so with Barry's help, Kiff manages to get into the lounge but struggles to get out due to the presence of Mr. Ri-Peppa, who steals Miss Deer Teacher's sandwich. Eventually, she manages to fool everyone in the lounge by posing as Ms. Foodcake, a new staff member, but her integrity gets the better of her and exposes Mr. Ri-Peppa as the sandwich thief. As punishment, he is sent to collect frogs all over the playground. Meanwhile, the real Ms. Foodcake is still at the airport waiting to be picked up. "Personal Assistant": Kiff is made Helen's personal assistant after taking a test, which she is not too thrilled about. She makes many attempts to get fired so that she can retake the test but to no avail. With Barry's advice, she decides to help Helen get the humanitarian award, which she ends up succeeding in as well. But despite this, Helen was revealed to have sabotaged the results of the test so she could have a personal assistant and steals the award after it was revoked from her. Barry tells Kiff that her success as a personal assistant just meant she was naturally good at it and can do more. | |||||||||||
20 | "Trevor's Rockin' Halloween Bash" | Lucy Heavens, Nic Smal & Kent Osborne | Allyson Gonzalez & Miyako Molinelli | September 29, 2023 | 120 | 0.10[28] | |||||
Kiff and Barry have their own movie night but Barry is too scared to watch horror movies. They are both invited by Trevor to his party which Candle and her invitees eventually join due to ordering real spiders instead of rubber ones. Kiff sneaks off from Trevor and Barry so she can take part. Barry feels alienated until finding some guests with a book he reads releasing a demonic being in the process. | |||||||||||
21 | "I Like to Move It!" | Quinn Scott | Adam Bohorquez & James Sugrue | October 7, 2023 | 121 | 0.12[28] | |||||
"Hive Got an Idea" | Sarah Lloyd | Brain Muelhaupt | |||||||||
22 | "You Can't Handle the Tooth!" | Claytia Gonsalves | Taylor Curry | October 14, 2023 | 122 | 0.11[28] | |||||
"Blooper Quest" | Koby Agyeman | Miyako Molinelli | |||||||||
23 | "When You Mow You Mow" | Kent Osborne | Adam Bohorquez, Brain Muelhaupt & James Sugrue | October 21, 2023 | 123 | 0.19[28] | |||||
"Harry's Maturity Crisis" | Hannah Jost | Allyson Gonzalez | |||||||||
24 | "Silly Moods" | TBA | TBA | October 28, 2023 | 124 | TBD | |||||
"Chatterley vs Chatterley" | |||||||||||
25 | "Hungee Squirrel" | TBA | TBA | November 4, 2023 | 125 | TBD | |||||
"Foreverangees" | |||||||||||
26 | "Snow More Ketchup" | TBA | TBA | November 11, 2023 | 126 | TBD | |||||
"Kiff and Barry Go To Prom" | |||||||||||
Shorts
How NOT To Draw
No. | Title | Original release date |
---|---|---|
1 | "How NOT To Draw: Kiff" | April 22, 2023[29] July 2, 2023 (Halfway There Day Version)[30] |
Chibi Tiny Tales
No. | Title | Original release date | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Super Slide" | June 10, 2023[31] July 2, 2023 (Halfway There Day Version)[32] | |
Bored with the park's mediocre water slide, Kiff pours mineral oil on herself to take sliding to the next level. | |||
2 | "Toilet Flood Pool Party" | June 17, 2023[33] July 2, 2023 (Halfway There Day Version)[34] | |
When the Chatterlies' air conditioner breaks down, Kiff and Barry use the bathroom's toilet to create a swimming pool right inside the house, with disastrous results. | |||
3 | "Shock and Claw" | September 9, 2023[35] | |
When Kiff and Barry try to win a stuffed animal from the arcade's claw machine, they find themselves face-to-face with a troublemaking troll! |
Broken Karaoke
Part of the Broken Karaoke series that was started by Big City Greens.
No. | Title | Original release date |
---|---|---|
1 | "Born To Be Strange" | July 29, 2023[36] |
Production
Development
In 2017, creators Nic Smal and Lucy Heavens first met each-other when they were animators for Triggerfish Animation Studios, as the duo claimed that they 'spoke the same comedy language'.[37][38] Conception for the series began in December 2017,[38] and was eventually optioned by Disney five months later.[37] On June 17, 2021, during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, it was announced that Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal were developing the series, entitled Kiff.[2][4] According to the duo, the series is inspired by their experiences growing up in Cape Town,[2] while Heavens described it as a series "about a kid who lives with her parents and goes to school" whose comedy focuses on the world and characters featured.[1] Senior vice-president for Disney Channel's animation Meredith Roberts said, "Lucy and Nic are a brilliant creative team who produced a fresh and funny series with vibrant visuals that help bring the friendship between a squirrel and a bunny to life in a unique way".[2] The series is produced by Disney Television Animation and Titmouse, Inc., with Kent Osborne serving as co-producer and story editor,[2][1] and Winnie Chaffee producing.[5] It consists of 22-minute episodes, composed of two 11-minute segments.[2][4] Edward Mejia, a Disney executive, oversees the series.[39]
On June 13, 2023, Disney Television Animation announced that the series was renewed for a second season.[40]
Release
Kiff premiered simultaneously on Disney Channel and Disney XD on March 10, 2023, with the show's first 6 episodes releasing on Disney+ a day later.[3][43] In June 2022, it was announced that the first season of the series would have 30 22-minute episodes.[41]
Reception
Matthew Aguilar of ComicBook.com asserted, "Those who watch will soon find themselves transported to a delightful animated world full of hilarious scenarios that always find a way to also be relatable."[44] Joel Keller of Decider wrote, "Kiff is lots of surreal fun, with a warm friendship at its center. Most of all, parents will enjoy it for its smart humor almost as much as their kids will enjoy the colors, sounds, and pratfalls."[45] Ashley Moulton of Common Sense Media gave the series a grade of four out of five stars, praised the depiction of positive messages and role models, citing the presence of characters demonstrating kindness, and said, "Quirky buddy comedy celebrates kid friendships."[46]
Notes
References
- Lang, Jamie (June 17, 2021). "New African Series 'Kizazi Moto' and 'Kiff' Headline Disney EMEA's Annecy Presentation". Variety. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021.
- Del Rosario, Alexandra (June 17, 2021). "'Kiff': Disney Channel Greenlights Animated Series From South African Creators Lucy Heavens & Nic Smal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- Thompson, Avery (January 24, 2023). "Lauren Ash & More Stars To Recur In Disney Channel Series 'Kiff': Exclusive Theme Song Reveal". Hollywood Life. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- "Disney Channel Is Nuts for 'Kiff,' New Original Animated Buddy-Comedy From South African Creators Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal Gets Series Greenlight" (Press release). Disney Branded Television. June 17, 2021. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2022 – via Disney General Entertainment Content.
- Michael Schneider (October 6, 2022). "Kimiko Glenn, H. Michael Croner to Voice Disney's New Animated Series Kiff (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- "Voice Of Martin - Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - "Voice Of Beryl – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - "Voice Of Mary Buns – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - "Voice Of Harry Buns – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - "Voice Of Terri Buns – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - "Kiff Episode Listings". The Futon Critic.
- "Kiff Episode Guide". Zap2it.
- "Kiff Episodes". Disney General Entertainment Content Press.
- Mitch Metcalf (March 13, 2023). "Friday 3.10.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- Mitch Metcalf (March 21, 2023). "Saturday 3.18.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- Mitch Salem (March 28, 2023). "Saturday 3.25.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- Mitch Salem (April 4, 2023). "Saturday 4.1.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- Mitch Metcalf (April 11, 2023). "Saturday 4.8.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- Struss, Jason (March 16, 2023). "Everything coming to Disney+ in April 2023". Digital Trends. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- Mitch Salem (April 18, 2023). "Saturday 4.15.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- Mitch Metcalf (April 25, 2023). "Saturday 4.22.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- Mitch Salem (May 2, 2023). "Saturday 4.29.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- Mitch Metcalf (May 9, 2023). "Saturday 5.6.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- Mitch Salem (May 16, 2023). "Saturday 5.13.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- Mitch Metcalf (May 23, 2023). "Saturday 5.20.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- Mitch Salem (June 21, 2023). "Saturday 6.17.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- Mitch Metcalf (June 27, 2023). "Saturday 6.24.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- "Kiff". USTVDB. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- Kiff Cartoon Comes to Life! 🖌 | How NOT To Draw: Kiff | @disneychannel. Disney Channel. April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Kiff Cartoon Comes to Life! 🖌 (Halfway There Day Version) | How NOT To Draw: Kiff | @disneychannel. Disney Channel. July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Kiff Chibi Tiny Tales | Super Slide | @disneychannel. Disney Channel. June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Kiff Chibi Tiny Tales (Halfway There Day Version) | Super Slide | @disneychannel. Disney Channel. July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Kiff Chibi Tiny Tales | Toilet Flood Pool Party | @disneychannel. Disney Channel. June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Kiff Chibi Tiny Tales (Halfway There Day Version) | Toilet Flood Pool Party | @disneychannel. Disney Channel. July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Kiff Chibi Tiny Tales | Shock and Claw | @disneychannel. Disney Channel. September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via YouTube.
- High School Musical TMTS Born to be Brave Parody | Big City Greens | Broken Karaoke | @disneychannel. Disney Channel. July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via YouTube.
- Zahed, Ramin (September 24, 2021). "'Kiff' Creators Lucy Heavens & Nic Smal Forge a Path from Cape Town to Disney Channel". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- Zahed, Ramin (February 27, 2023). "'Kiff' Creators Lucy Heavens & Nic Smal Gives Us the Scoop on Their Colorful Disney Comedy". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- Behzadi, Sofia (July 22, 2022). "Disney Television Animation Ups Douglas Bensimon & Edward Mejia To VP Current Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022.
Among the titles he's overseen are...the upcoming Kiff and Primos for Disney Channel
- Disney TVA [@DisneyTVA] (June 13, 2023). "🚨 Just announced 🚨 Season 2 of #Kiff is on the way! Until then, catch up on all things Kiff, all episodes are now available on @DisneyPlus!..." (Tweet). Retrieved June 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
- "Disney Television Animation, Disney Junior and Disney EMEA Original Productions Unveil Huge Slate of Animated Programming To Air Across Disney+ and Other Disney Platforms During Annecy International Animation Film Festival" (Press release). Disney Branded Television. June 15, 2022. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022 – via Disney General Entertainment Content.
- Dickinson, Jeremy (June 18, 2021). "Disney greenlights South African toon Kiff". Kidscreen. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- Hullender, Tatiana (February 10, 2023). "Disney Animated Show Kiff Reveals Fun New Trailer & Key Art [EXCLUSIVE]". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- Aguilar, Matthew (April 3, 2023). "Kiff Creators Reveal What Inspired the Characters and Humor of Disney's New Series". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- Keller, Joel (March 15, 2023). "'Kiff' Disney Plus Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Decider. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- Moulton, Ashley. "Kiff TV Review | Common Sense Media". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2023-08-14.