Let’s Go Luna Lessons
If you stop and take a moment to think about your earliest fascinations and inspirations, these likely come in the form of stories. For many of us this means cartoons. They are visually engaging as well as inspiring. When created with the best of intentions, these may also educate and prepare us for engaging with others in a benevolent manner. Emmy Award-winner Joe Murray had this intention with his first ever PBS animated series Let’s Go Luna. Murray is recognized as one of the most creative voices in modern animated productions with hits like Nickelodeon’s Rocko’s Modern Life and Cartoon Network’s Camp Lazlo. The show stars Judy Greer (of Marvel’s Ant-Man franchise, Arrested Development) as Luna, Aidan Wojtak-Hissong as Leo, Tamara Almeida as Maria, Saara Chaudry as Carmen, and Jaiden Cannatellit as Andy. The show is as much about appreciating the differences we have as about friendship and art. While she has a long list of successful live action roles to her credit, Let’s Go Luna is the first animated hit series for Canadian actress Tamara Almeida. It’s a role that she seems to have been destined to play and is more than enthusiastic about. This series prompts the next generation to have an awareness of travel and other cultures beyond what they experience in their own geographical sphere of influence; something Tamara knows a great deal about.
Leo the wombat, Carmen the butterfly, and Andy the frog travel around the world to learn about culture with their friend Luna the moon in Let’s Go Luna. Tamara voices Mexican butterfly Maria Mariposa, Carmen’s single mother and the conductor of the traveling “Circo Fabulous Orchestra.” While she lines out clear boundaries for Carmen, Maria is passionate about nurturing her daughter’s innate curiosity for music and art. Like any loving parent, she wants her child to have the best opportunities in life. A native to Canada who grew up with Spanish as her primary language, Tamara brought her own authentic essence to the character. She confirms, “I grew up only speaking Spanish at home, and went to church several times a week which was also in Spanish. There is something very musical and poetic about the language that I definitely used it as an influence when preparing for Maria. I translated the lines to Spanish to hear how they would be said in her mother tongue, before bringing them back to English. I love doing this with certain scripts because I find that it flows out of me in a different way. I love my roots and how it helps to shape my characters. For Maria, it felt like a no brainer to add the musical elements from the Spanish language to how she speaks. I hope we get to hear her speak in Spanish someday!”
In addition to the success of the actual program, the positive reception from viewers has resulted in a Let’s Go Luna app as well as a variety of merchandise. It shouldn’t be surprising that the show has been so well received. Cultures from Brazil to Russia to Tennessee are represented and highlight differences which can be appreciated for their uniqueness. Let’s Go Luna is international animated discovery at its best.
