Bro'Town

New Zealand adult animated series and sitcom
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bro'Town
GenreSitcom
Created byElizabeth Mitchell
Naked Samoans
Based onThe performance of the local four-man group The Naked Samoans
Developed byNaked Samoans
Written byElizabeth Mitchell
Naked Samoans
Mario Gaoa
David Fane
Shimpal Lelisi
Oscar Kightley
Screenplay byElizabeth Mitchell
Naked Samoans
Mario Gaoa
David Fane
Shimpal Lelisi
Oscar Kightley
Directed byElizabeth Mitchell
Ali Ekeroma Cowley
Maka Makatoa
Creative directorsAli Ekeroma Cowley
Maka Makatoa
Presented byFirehorse Films
StarringMario Gaoa
David Fane
Shimpal Lelisi
Oscar Kightley
Voices ofMario Gaoa
David Fane
Shimpal Lelisi
Oscar Kightley
Theme music composerKyan Laslett O'Brien
Opening themeVarious music
Ending themeVarious music
ComposersNesian Mystik, Matthew Wilson, Christopher James.
Country of originNew Zealand
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes32 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerTrevor Haysom
ProducersElizabeth Mitchell
James Griffin
Production locationMorningside, Auckland, New Zealand
CinematographyNaked Samoans
EditorsDave Armstrong
Anthony Farac
Steven Sinkovich
Emma Papaconstantinou
Camera setupAnimated rendition of single-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesFirehorse Films
NZ on Air
DQ Entertainment
Toon City Animation
Original release
NetworkTV3
Release22 September 2004 (2004-09-22) –
24 May 2009 (2009-05-24)

bro'Town is a New Zealand adult animated comedy television series and sitcom that ran from 2004 to 2009. It starred David Fane, Mario Gaoa, Shimpal Lelisi and Oscar Kightley.

Overview

The main characters in the series are five 14 year old Polynesian New Zealand boys who live in Morningside, Auckland, New Zealand.[1] They attend the local college, St Sylvester's. It was New Zealand's first primetime animated television show and was very popular when it started in 2004 with 33 per cent of the viewing audience during its 8-8.30pm time slot for the first season.[1][2] bro'Town is heavy with popular culture references, and is based on the comedy theatre group The Naked Samoans.[3] The series has faced criticism often for being racist, for example every episode of the first season received complaints.[1] The writers often describe the humour as being 'not PC' (politically correct) and is satire with characters being sent-up. One of the series writers Oscar Kightley says of the humour, "The only reason we get away with that irreverence and edgy stuff is because on the flipside is heart."[4][5]

bro'Town has left a lasting legacy on popular culture in New Zealand driven by its urban Pacific Island culture.[1][2][4][6] It has been critically acclaimed "as hilarious and alarmingly true to life",[7] studied at universities,[8][5] and used for health messages in a cartoon booklet with information about rheumatic fever.[9]

Production

Produced by New Zealand company Firehorse Films which was created by Elizabeth Mitchell for bro'Town and funded by New Zealand On Air.[1] The lead designer was Ant Sang who was responsible for character, location and prop designs.[10] bro'Town was made using three animation studios – two in New Zealand and one in India – and involved over 100 staff. The series was done in traditional ink and paint animation.[citation needed] The show satirises the boys' culture, with dialogue in the local vernacular. The series includes references to New Zealand literature, particularly the novels and short stories of Witi Ihimaera. The series has strong religious references, with most episodes starting with events between God, Jesus Christ and other historical figures, which leads to the theme of the episode and the subsequent events between the boys.[citation needed]

Characters

The Boys

Other characters of Morningside

Tapili family

School folk and students

Figures in Heaven

There are also two female angels Angelina and Angelita.

Occasionally, deceased relatives such as Pepelo's wife (Vale and Valea's mother), or Jeff da Maori's Auntie Queenie are featured, appearing in dreams to communicate with the living.

Guest stars

bro'Town frequently features special guests – notable celebrities from politics, art, culture, music, the media, business and sport. The most regular cameos are John Campbell and Carol Hirschfeld, newsreaders from TV3 at the time. Former All Blacks and Manu Samoa player Michael Jones plays the P.E. teacher at St Sylvester's. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has appeared in all seasons except the last and rapper Scribe has been a guest on five seasons of bro'Town. A feature of the series are cameos of people playing themselves. This includes Russell Crowe, Rove McManus, Robyn Malcolm, Neil and Tim Finn, Lucy Lawless, Flight of the Conchords, H.R.H. Charles, Prince of Wales, Sir Howard Morrison, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Cliff Curtis and Madeline Sami.[14][15]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
16September 22, 2004 (2004-09-22)October 27, 2004 (2004-10-27)
27September 15, 2005 (2005-09-15)October 26, 2005 (2005-10-26)
37September 27, 2006 (2006-09-27)November 8, 2006 (2006-11-08)
46October 11, 2007 (2007-10-11)November 15, 2007 (2007-11-15)
56April 19, 2009 (2009-04-19)May 24, 2009 (2009-05-24)

Season 1 (2004)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"The Weakest Link"N/AThe Naked Samoans, David Fane, & Mario GaoaSeptember 22, 2004 (2004-09-22)
After being run over by a bus, Valea suddenly becomes the brainiest boy in Morningside, and the boys stun the school by making it through to the televised finals of the national quiz show.
22"Sionerella"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleySeptember 29, 2004 (2004-09-29)
Sione finally gets the chance to impress the girl of his dreams at the school ball, but his mother Mrs Tapili and his rival Rex Ruka do all they can to ruin his chances.
33"The Wong One"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 6, 2004 (2004-10-06)
Wong from Hong Kong arrives in Morningside and Dad takes him in as a homestay visitor, but a case of mistaken identity sees Vale kidnapped in Wong's place by the legendary Grasshopper...a hot Asian chick with incredible martial arts skills!
44"Get Rucked"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 13, 2004 (2004-10-13)
It's the annual rugby match against the St Sylvester's Old Boys, but when the school 1st XV comes down with food poisoning the boys have to play against a crack multi-code team featuring Joe Rokocoko, Tana Umaga and Stacey Jones!
55"A Maori at My Table"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 20, 2004 (2004-10-20)
The boys go on a trip to Jeff's marae, which turns out to be a tangi, and the mantle of leadership is suddenly thrust upon an unsuspecting Jeff.
66"Go Home Stay Home"Maka MakatoaDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 27, 2004 (2004-10-27)
When Constable Bababiba discovers that Vale and Valea have been left home alone, he sends Vale to a bad boys home and Valea to a rich, white family in Parnell. But when Dad realises he is no longer eligible for his benefit he launches a bid to bring his boys back home!

Season 2 (2005)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
71"Zeelander"N/AThe Naked Samoans, Elizabeth Mitchell, & David FaneSeptember 15, 2005 (2005-09-15)
It's Morningside Fashion Week, and one of the world's top fashion designers discovers Jeff da Maori and catapults him to international catwalk fame.
82"Survival Of The Fattest"Maka MakatoaDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleySeptember 21, 2005 (2005-09-21)
The class sets out on their annual day trip, but when the boys are taken out of their environment, strange things start to happen!
93"Honky the Wonderhorse"Maka MakatoaDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleySeptember 28, 2005 (2005-09-28)
The boys feel sorry for a racehorse who is about to get killed. They rescue him and arrive home just in time to stop Dad killing him for dinner. A Sea Biscuitesque journey follows... Dad becomes the horse whisperer and keeps whispering threats into Honky's ear.
104"Touched By A Teacher"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 5, 2005 (2005-10-05)
When Mack tries to impress his mates by inventing a story about being abused, Brother Ken gets thrown into jail and a witch-hunt ensues.
115"Half-Cast Away"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 12, 2005 (2005-10-12)
The boys find a half caste baby and try to bring it up, but find it very difficult catering to its mixed cultural needs and soon decide the baby's better off without them.
126"A Chicken Roll At My Table"N/AThe Naked Samoans, Elizabeth Mitchell, & David FaneOctober 19, 2005 (2005-10-19)
Joost's conservation-loving zoo-keeping Dad invites the boys to the van Der Van Van's African-themed Morningside Shore home for a weekend cultural exchange... but an incident with a chicken roll turns the weekend into a weird kind of whodunit.
137"Morningside Story"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 26, 2005 (2005-10-26)
An incident of racial abuse inspires St Sylvester's to produce a multi-racial musical love story called MorningSide Story... Vale is director, Jeff's in charge of music, Sione, Sina, Mack and Rex are the stars. But when Mrs Tapili finds out one of her children will be kissing a Maori in the play, she goes all out to stop the show!

Season 3 (2006)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
141"In My Mother's Den"N/AN/ASeptember 27, 2006 (2006-09-27)
The boys wake up to a Canadian at their table, and it turns out to be dad's new girlfriend who has moved in and seems set on being their new Mum!
152"Know Me Before You Haunt Me"Ali CowleyMario Gaoa, Oscar Kightley, & Shimpal LelisiOctober 4, 2006 (2006-10-04)
It's Halloween and the boys go trick or treating and end up at a haunted house on the outskirts of Morningside. There they meet the ghost of a young Maori boy who died in the 1800s, but is still stuck between the dead and the living.
163"Upstairs Brownstairs"Ali CowleyDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 11, 2006 (2006-10-11)
Dad becomes a member of the prestigious Morningside Club and becomes the club's most regular visitor. But when Valea starts dating the Club President's daughter, the president tries to kick Dad out.
174"Go Ask Agnes"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 18, 2006 (2006-10-18)
When the Minister convinces Mrs. Tapili to give more money to the church, she gets hooked on gambling and ends up almost losing everything.
185"Mack is from Mars, Sione's a Psycho"Ali CowleyDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 25, 2006 (2006-10-25)
When Mack sees how bad the St Cardinal's netball team is, he decides they need help from an expert. He disguises himself as a Muslim and impresses the girls with his excellent skills!
196"I Still Call Australia Home... Oh"Ali Ekeroma CowleyDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyNovember 1, 2006 (2006-11-01)
With special guests Russell Crowe and Rove McManus, as well as Scribe, Neil Finn and 3's own John Campbell and Carol Hirschfield, the boys are at the annual Polyfest – the secondary schools cultural competition – and are desperate to get into the glamorous Samoan group. However, when that doesn't work out (because Sione almost burnt down the stage the previous year), they decide to try something that no one has ever done – they form New Zealand's first Australian group!
207"The Summer the Brazilian Came"Ali Ekeroma CowleyDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyNovember 8, 2006 (2006-11-08)
The boys head out to Te Hiha surf beach, where Mack 'breaks in' to a very flash beach-house. Vale falls for Victoria, a volleyball player from Brazil, and must overcome his fear of water. The classic Kiwi summer story, full of barbecues, beach scenes and bonfires.

Season 4 (2007)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
211"Sons for the Return Homo"N/AN/AOctober 11, 2007 (2007-10-11)
Morningside's wimpiest criminal, Motorcycle Boy, returns home from 'boarding school' and starts training the boys to be staunch gang members. Until Sione's cajone's get the boys into trouble again.
222"The Artful Dadger"N/AN/AOctober 18, 2007 (2007-10-18)
Valea becomes immersed in the art world, unleashing the tortured artist within! But, bitter rivalry quickly ensues when a jealous Dad busts out his best art skills, impressing the glitterati and stealing his son's limelight and stealing his son's limelight.
233"A Miracle in Morningside"Ali Ekeroma CowleyDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyOctober 25, 2007 (2007-10-25)
When Mack gives up food and water for Lent, he becomes convinced he is a descendant of Jesus Christ and Maria Von Trapp from The Sound of Music. Mack creates the 'Church of the Awesome Show Tunes', and convinces his followers that he is the Chosen One.
244"Yes Prime Minister!"Ali Ekeroma CowleyDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyNovember 1, 2007 (2007-11-01)
The boys travel to the capital city where they are surrounded by fierce opponents and dirty tricks as they become embroiled in the dog eat dog world of politics at Youth Parliament.
255"An Alien at My Table"Ali Ekeroma CowleyDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyNovember 8, 2007 (2007-11-08)
The boys head to Kia Ora Bay for a star studded Matariki concert to celebrate the Maori New Year, but one by one New Zealand's finest musicians disappear and Jeff gets the blame! Can the boys save New Zealand music? Or will this be the day the music died?
266"I'm Going to Limbo... I May Be Some Time"Ali Ekeroma CowleyDavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyNovember 15, 2007 (2007-11-15)
Pepelo Pepelo's hard living lifestyle finally catches up with him, and while the boys maintain a bedside vigil, Dad embarks on a journey of the soul, where he must face the demons of his past.

Season 5 (2009)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
271"The Summer of Samson"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyApril 19, 2009 (2009-04-19)
When Sione catches Agnes and the Minister in a compromising position, he discovers that his brother Samson is the spawn of adulterers and, fueled by his new fundamentalist friend, tries to exorcise Samson's demon.
282"A Vegetarian at My Table"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyApril 26, 2009 (2009-04-26)
The boys embark on a documentary project about their favourite food -but Vale is horrified when he discovers a dead mouse inside his meat pie's pastry. The boys take a vow of vegetarianism and are passionately determined to expose the dodgy innards of the meat industry, but when the powers that be catch wind of their plan, Vale becomes the meat in the sandwich!
293"To Sam with Love"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyMay 3, 2009 (2009-05-03)
When world famous actor Sam Neill turns up to teach Drama at St Sylvester's, the boys become his biggest fans! Mack is particularly enamored of Sam's charm and charisma, but becomes confused by his overwhelming feelings, and stuns everyone by letting one too many skeletons out of the closet!
304"Apocalypse Ow"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyMay 10, 2009 (2009-05-10)
Jeff's unhinged Uncle Murray returns from Afghanistan and takes the boys to a 'fun' camp, but before long everyone except Jeff realises that things are not what they seem. Will Jeff turn on his friends once and for all?
315"Lost in Cyber Space"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyMay 17, 2009 (2009-05-17)
Rakeesh converts his Dairy into a Cyber Café and Valea soon becomes a 'War is Fun' Master. However his obsession with the game starts to take over his life. When the boys also discover that he has been having a secret relationship, they realize it is crisis time.
326"So You Think You Can Dance Near the Stars?"N/ADavid Fane, Mario Gaoa, & Oscar KightleyMay 24, 2009 (2009-05-24)
When Pepelo is slipped an Ecstasy tablet he gets all loved up and convinces Agnes to show the world her fancy footwork in a televised Dance competition. Will the pair become more than just dance partners, and will two families become one in this sizzling series final?

Awards

Ant Sang seated talking into a handheld microphone
Award-winning animator of bro'Town, Ant Sang

While it was running the series bro-Town was often nominated at New Zealand film and television awards in a range of categories. It won the following awards:[16]

Books

DVD Releases

DVD Name Release Date Ep # Additional Content
Series 1 7 December 2005 6
Series 2 24 October 2006 7
Series 3 12 September 2007 7
Series 4 1 December 2010 6
Series 5 7 December 2010[15] 7

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Barry, Rebecca (26 August 2005). "bro'Town returns as its animation empire expands". NZ Herald. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b McClure, Margaret (1 August 2016). "Auckland's Bro'Town". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu Taonga. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Firehorse Films (Firm, NZ) :The bro' Town calendar 2007. As seen on TV3. Firehorse Films; Random House New Zealand [2007]". National Library of New Zealand. 1 January 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b Barry, Rebecca (8 April 2009). "Farewell to morningside". NZ Herald. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b Bannister, Matthew (2008). "Where's Morningside? Locating bro'Town in the ethnic genealogy of New Zealand/Aotearoa". New Zealand Journal of Media Studies. 11 (1): 1–15. doi:10.11157/medianz-vol11iss1id55. ISSN 1173-0811.
  6. ^ Gray, Sonia (14 June 2016). "Diversify or die: What New Zealand television can learn from our film industry". The Spinoff. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  7. ^ Harker, Caroline (5 September 2013). "Funny-business time – the 21st century". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Bro' town – Institute of Culture Discourse & Communication – AUT". Auckland University of Technology. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  9. ^ Sore throats aren't cool!. National Heart Foundation of New Zealand., Firehorse Films. [Auckland, N.Z.]: Heart Foundation. 2011. ISBN 978-1-877571-36-7. OCLC 785394505.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ^ "bro'Town • Ant Sang". Ant Sang. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  11. ^ Schmidt, Johanna (2021) [2011]. "Brother Ken, bro'Town (1st of 3)". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Archived from the original on 8 February 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  12. ^ Bartlett, N. H.; Vasey, P. L. (2006). "A Retrospective Study of Childhood Gender-Atypical Behavior in Samoan Faʻafafine". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 35 (6): 659–66. doi:10.1007/s10508-006-9055-1. PMID 16909317. S2CID 22812712.
  13. ^ Johnson, Derek; Kompare, Derek; Santo, Avi (1 August 2014). Making Media Work: Cultures of Management in the Entertainment Industries. NYU Press. pp. 57–59. ISBN 9780814764558. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  14. ^ "Credits | bro'Town | Series | Television | NZ On Screen". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  15. ^ a b "brotown.co.nz (NZ) bro'Town – Series 5". dstore.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2005. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
  16. ^ "Awards | bro'Town | Series | Television". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 20 December 2020.

External links