Dorg Van Dango


Dorg van Dango is an animated television series that first aired on RTÉ in Ireland on March 3, 2020, and on Family Channel in Canada on August 1, 2020. The series is created by Fabian Erlinghäuser and Nora Twomey and is produced by Cartoon Saloon and WildBrain Studios, and is made in association with Family Channel and RTÉ.

Plot

The show follows the adventures of Dorg, a normal teen, living in the very normal town of Normill. That is, until he meets the Magicals; Jet Lazor, the super-cool unicorn; Patronella, an ancient witch; RD, a curious alien; and Yooki, an eerie ghost. They all escaped from Area 52 and are in desperate need of help and refuge.
To have them blend in with the citizens of Normill, Dorg disguises them as teenagers and hides them in the basement in the local shopping mall. With his new best friends attempting to help navigate life's challenges, Dorg's world just got a whole lot less normal and a lot more fun!

Characters

Main

  • Dorg – the main character, a 13-year-old boy. He often serves as the voice of reason when problems arise among the Magicals.
  • Jet Lazor – a unicorn who is the last of his species. His favourite food is apples. He's also rather smug and often comes across as self-centered. In "Dorg and the Birthday Boy", he is revealed to be 1,000 years old, making him the oldest member of the Magicals.
  • Patronella – an ancient witch. She speaks broken English with a foreign accent. Her way of solving problems involves using magical spells. A running gag is when Patronella needs stuff for spells, she often rips off or gets unicorn stuff from Jet, much to his dismay.
  • RD – a curious blob-like alien. He is capable of shapeshifting, as well as storing vast amounts of objects within his body. He is somewhat dimwitted and goofy, with quite the appetite as well. In a flashback from "Dorg and the Magicals", RD was going to take over Earth, But due to the Beekeepers and General Gratch, he got stuck in Area 52.
  • Yooki – an eerie ghost. Though she seems polite at first and is cheerful, she can quickly become very frightening.

    Recurring

  • Mr. Munch – a mall security officer.
  • Fretta – Dorg's mother and the owner of a 98-cent store at the mall.
  • Voulez – Dorg's baby sister.

    Minor characters

  • Smarmin Smarts – Dorg's nemesis who spoils everything Dorg does. He appears in "Dorg and the Last Supperman", and has a cameo in "Dorg Wants a Wand".
  • Stacy & Tracy – Voulez's friends from Adventure Club. they appear in "Dorg the Dorgnificent" & "Dorg In Charge". They also have a cameo appearance in "Dorg Goes to Adventure Club".
  • Bertram Bumbleback – Normill's original founder. He was brought back to life by Dorg and The Magicals from the statue of the Munch Mall to help Dorg write a paper for school, but instead of taking notes, he wreaks havoc on the town. He also developed a crush on Patronella, But after saying that he hates witches, Patronella turns him back into stone.

    Episodes

Note: All episodes' airdates indicates the Canadian airdate for them.

Broadcast

The series was first shown on TRTÉ and RTEjr in Ireland on 3 March 2020, and premiered on Family Channel in Canada on August 1, 2020, and was acquired to Family CHRGD on July 22, 2022. The series also aired on Nicktoons in the UK on August 31, 2020. The show has aired on Nickelodeon on October 26, 2020, in France, Nickelodeon in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Brazil in late 2020, and Australia in January 2021. It has also aired on the Nicktoons Europe feed in late 2020 and early 2021.
As of November 29, 2021, the show had also aired on ABC Me in Australia.
As of 2022, the show had also aired on CITV in the UK, RTP2 in Portugal and TF1 in France.

Awards

The series has won a number of awards, including at the 2020 Leo Awards and the 2021 Irish Animation Awards. Wins have included:
  • 2021 Irish Animation Awards:
  • * Best Director of an Animated TV Series
  • * Best Music
  • 2020 Leo Awards:
  • * Best Voice Performance in an Animation Program or Series