Before the advent of Nickelodeon, European animation was dominant in the continent, and France had a lot to offer; from Albert Barillé's "Once upon a time... " series, to Nina Wolmark's fiction programmes, the country exported its animation series continent-wide, meeting success. One of the most charming products of this golden age was "Les mondes engloutis", which successfully combined curiosity, enthusiasm and humanity to create an unforgettable experience.
In the course of a single evening (according to the laws of Physics), our friends the considerate Bob, the lovable Rebecca, the all-knowing Arkana, Spartakus with his mysterious past, and their flying ship Shagshag, together with the adorable pangolins Bic and Bac discover worlds the human eye has never seen. All of them, with the exception of Spartakus, come from Arkadia, a mysterious underground civilization, that is supplied all energy by its sun, the Shagma. When it falls I'll, the heroes are sent to find the cure, two pieces of brass, through which their sun can shine again. Travelling in a cave, they meet former gladiator Spartakus, and set out for their mission that will mark a generation of viewers.
We can't define the series as something specific: it has elements of science fiction (Shagshag the talking vessel being an example), comedy (the infamous Pirates of the Lake, the heroes' enemies that are so incompetent even Bic and Bac can beat them), and even musicals, since, in an act of gentle greed, Wolmark added some songs written by herself and composed by the great Vladimir Cosma to almost every episode, knowing she would receive royalties every time they would play. Who can forget the infectious them song, "Les mondes engloutis", with its lyrics motivating the viewers to follow the brave heroes to their journey?
"Go, follow the engulfed worlds/ to the centre of the Earth" sang (in translation) Ministar. And what worlds were they! During the course of their journey, the heroes found anything and anyone; they met Galileo and Einstein, crossed forests and lakes, islands and deserts, all the while being chased by the pirates, making their entrance with their own theme song. With every episode taking place in a different place, one could only feel anticipation for what would happen next. This is the curiosity entailed in the show, marking every one of its fifty-two episodes unique.
Not only was the show captivating, it also taught timeless lessons about progress and tolerance. The heroes treat science as something magnificent, that can help their friends and cure their sun. In the episodes with the scientists, Wolmark's vision about science becomes clear. Treated with suspicion and prejudice by their compatriots, they are threatened with death until the truth in their theories is uncovered with the help of the heroes. We are supposed to applaud them for discovering and spreading the truth to people still living in an age as enlightened as a room without current. In an age when the threat of nuclear war was imminent, this may seem old-fashioned, but it is, surely, hopeful. By making the series a science fiction programme, the creator had the opportunity to explore its brave new world more broadly, showing both more "primitive" areas, and big cities à la Metropolis. In one such, the citizens are governed by an oppressive regime whose members wear armbands with a black shape on them. It is clearly a reference to the Nazis. By showing this state of constant surveillance, Wolmark very intelligently communicates the message that no dictatorship is acceptable. In contrast to the supsicious, oppressed citizens of this city, our heroes accept everyone and help whoever asks them, with the condition that their cause is just. Through the diversity of the show's different worlds, "Les mondes engloutis" delivers its message with a subtlety very much needed for a children's show.
For all these reasons, "Les mondes engloutis" is special . Rich in plot, with characters one can't help falling for, a soundtrack that kills and messages transcending the programme itself, it is a show that has earned its cult status deservedly. Every time I watch it, I dream. That I were on Shagshag, searching with my friends Spartakus, Bob and Arkana for the Shagma's cure.
So, thank you Nina Wolmark for enriching my adolescence with your amazing show, that in its low-quality, two-dimensional, handmade world showed me things that I had never thought about. "Les mondes engloutis" deserves to be remembered, not only because its pangolins were thought as the cause of COVID-19. It has this often inexplicable attractiveness that makes one come back to it again and again, diving to the centre of the Earth without leaving their sofa.
In the course of a single evening (according to the laws of Physics), our friends the considerate Bob, the lovable Rebecca, the all-knowing Arkana, Spartakus with his mysterious past, and their flying ship Shagshag, together with the adorable pangolins Bic and Bac discover worlds the human eye has never seen. All of them, with the exception of Spartakus, come from Arkadia, a mysterious underground civilization, that is supplied all energy by its sun, the Shagma. When it falls I'll, the heroes are sent to find the cure, two pieces of brass, through which their sun can shine again. Travelling in a cave, they meet former gladiator Spartakus, and set out for their mission that will mark a generation of viewers.
We can't define the series as something specific: it has elements of science fiction (Shagshag the talking vessel being an example), comedy (the infamous Pirates of the Lake, the heroes' enemies that are so incompetent even Bic and Bac can beat them), and even musicals, since, in an act of gentle greed, Wolmark added some songs written by herself and composed by the great Vladimir Cosma to almost every episode, knowing she would receive royalties every time they would play. Who can forget the infectious them song, "Les mondes engloutis", with its lyrics motivating the viewers to follow the brave heroes to their journey?
"Go, follow the engulfed worlds/ to the centre of the Earth" sang (in translation) Ministar. And what worlds were they! During the course of their journey, the heroes found anything and anyone; they met Galileo and Einstein, crossed forests and lakes, islands and deserts, all the while being chased by the pirates, making their entrance with their own theme song. With every episode taking place in a different place, one could only feel anticipation for what would happen next. This is the curiosity entailed in the show, marking every one of its fifty-two episodes unique.
Not only was the show captivating, it also taught timeless lessons about progress and tolerance. The heroes treat science as something magnificent, that can help their friends and cure their sun. In the episodes with the scientists, Wolmark's vision about science becomes clear. Treated with suspicion and prejudice by their compatriots, they are threatened with death until the truth in their theories is uncovered with the help of the heroes. We are supposed to applaud them for discovering and spreading the truth to people still living in an age as enlightened as a room without current. In an age when the threat of nuclear war was imminent, this may seem old-fashioned, but it is, surely, hopeful. By making the series a science fiction programme, the creator had the opportunity to explore its brave new world more broadly, showing both more "primitive" areas, and big cities à la Metropolis. In one such, the citizens are governed by an oppressive regime whose members wear armbands with a black shape on them. It is clearly a reference to the Nazis. By showing this state of constant surveillance, Wolmark very intelligently communicates the message that no dictatorship is acceptable. In contrast to the supsicious, oppressed citizens of this city, our heroes accept everyone and help whoever asks them, with the condition that their cause is just. Through the diversity of the show's different worlds, "Les mondes engloutis" delivers its message with a subtlety very much needed for a children's show.
For all these reasons, "Les mondes engloutis" is special . Rich in plot, with characters one can't help falling for, a soundtrack that kills and messages transcending the programme itself, it is a show that has earned its cult status deservedly. Every time I watch it, I dream. That I were on Shagshag, searching with my friends Spartakus, Bob and Arkana for the Shagma's cure.
So, thank you Nina Wolmark for enriching my adolescence with your amazing show, that in its low-quality, two-dimensional, handmade world showed me things that I had never thought about. "Les mondes engloutis" deserves to be remembered, not only because its pangolins were thought as the cause of COVID-19. It has this often inexplicable attractiveness that makes one come back to it again and again, diving to the centre of the Earth without leaving their sofa.