Whatever you think of The Walt Disney Company (also known as the House Of Mouse or simply ‘Disney’), there is no denying that the company’s ever-expanding world of entertainment and quest to dominate the film and television creative space has created a lot of opportunities for young aspiring creators. From writers to directors to actors and actresses, Disney’s insatiable need to produce fresh content has opened doors for a new wave of film and Television stars. To further illustrate the necessity that is The House of Mouse, the company established a ‘Storytellers Program’ designed to discover and develop new talents. The program, which is run by one of its creative outlets, Disney Channel, was launched in 2014. The program’s first product was Bizaardvark, which was created by two participants of the Disney Channel Storytellers program – Kyle Stegina, and Josh Lehman. The two creators served on the show as co-executive producers.
The show, Bizaardvark, was ordered for production in early 2016 and started shooting the same period. The show has been on the air for two seasons with the third season expected to air on a soon to be announced date.
Bizaardvark, as envisioned by Kyle Stegina and Josh Lehman is a show about comedic music and online culture. Ultimately, according to the duo, the show is about the embrace of one’s weirdness.
Synopsis
Bizaardvark is a comedy Television series that airs on Disney channel. The show follows two teenagers and best friends, Frankie and Paige, who post funny songs and comedic videos on the internet. Their videos help them hit 10,000 subscribers on their Vuuugle channel, a fictional video sharing website, depicting YouTube in the Bizaardvark universe. The two teenagers are accepted into Vuuugle studios. While at Vuuugle, they make videos and share them with other creators called Vuuuglers.
Cast And Characters
The Bizaardvark show stars a relatively small cast. The show is led by two actresses – and . Alongside them are , and . The recurring actors and actresses on the show include Johnathan McClain, Ellen Ratner, Maya Jade Frank, Adan Haas Hunter, Rachna Khatau and Kevin Will.
Here is a look at the characters played by the cast
Madison Hu – Frankie Wong
Madison Hu plays Frankie Wong, one of the two teenagers who are stars of the fictional Vuuugle channel, Bizaardvark. She plays the keyboard and piano. In the first season, Frankie goes through different obstacles in order to grow their audience on Bizaardvark. The character gives Madison Hu, a child actress who started appearing onscreen at the age of 6, a chance to express her talent as a lead actress in a comedic role. Her first project was in the 2013 film, Bad Words where she plays Ling Quan. She first appeared in a Disney project, Best Friends Whenever in a recurring role in 2015.
Olivia Rodrigo – Paige Olvera
The Californian-born actress plays Paige Olvera, the other half of the Bizaardvark duo. She plays the guitar and together with Frankie Wong (Madison Hu), they work together to develop their channel and establish themselves as Vuuugle stars.
Olivia is pretty new to the acting world although she is strongly considered to have lots of potentials to go far in the industry. She has already notably appeared in American Girl doll: Gracie Stirs Up Success and Paved New World.
Jake Paul – Dirk Mann
Jake Paul is one of the notable names on the show. As a show based on YouTube content creators, it is only fitting to have a known YouTube star on it. Jake Paul plays Dirk Mann, a Vuuugler who is in the Vuuugle studios alongside Frankie and Paige. His Vuuugle channel, Dare Me Bro features him taking dare requests and he performs them. He starred on the show for two seasons before his tendency to court controversy got him fired.
Jake Paul rose to prominence on Vine, a defunct video application. His YouTube channel features a lot of pranks just like his Bizaardvark character. Jake Paul has been the subject of a string of controversies with the biggest being the fact he is the younger brother of , who is perhaps the most controversial YouTuber on the planet. Paul has the undesired recognition of having the second most disliked video on YouTube for his music video and song, It’s Everyday Bro.
As an employee of The House of Mouse, negative controversies are unacceptable and on July 22, 2017, while the second season of the show was being filmed, Disney Channel announced the departure of Jake Paul from the show. Although the press release phrased the departure as a mutual agreement by both parties, Jake Paul revealed that he was actually fired from the show.
DeVore Ledridge – Amelia Duckworth
DeVore Ledridge plays Amelia Duckworth, another Vuuugle studios participant. She has a channel based on Fashion named Perfect Perfection with Amelia. In the third season of the show, Amelia changes the name of the channel to Imperfect Imperfection as a result of her sister Willow coming over to live with her.
Ethan Wacker – Bernie Schotz
Ethan plays Bernie Schotz, who becomes the agent of Frankie and Paige. Before becoming their agent, Ethan was their friend and he later becomes friends with Dirk (Jake Paul). Bernie ends up developing a crush on Imperfect Imperfection star, Amelia.
Maxwell Simkins – Zane
Maxwell Simkins joined the series in its third season. Maxwell plays Zane, one of two new Vuuugle stars who join Vuuugle studios. Zane is the star of Zane Unboxed, a channel where he tells stories of his unboxing videos. The character is an illustration of YouTube tech video creators.
Elie Samouhi – Rodney
Elie Samouhi plays Rodney, the second half of two new Vuuugle stars who join Vuuugle Studios. His channel, What’s in M’Hair? features him pulling out different things out of his hair.
The show has a number of notable recurring characters played by a couple of the more established actors and actresses on the show.
Johnathan McClain – Liam
Johnathan McClain, the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and 24 alum, plays Liam on this comedy show. He stars as the son of the creator of the Vuuugle platform. He’s usually seen on the show talking to the Vuuuglers via a robotic TV screen. He has appeared in multiple episodes across the three seasons of the show.
Rachna Khatau – Principal Karen
Rachna Khatau is a stage, film and television actress who has been a professional actress since 2006. She stars in Bizaardvark as Karen, the Principal of Sierra High School. Her quest to win the approval of her students pushes her to become a fan of Bizaardvark. She joined the show in its second season.
Kevin Will – Coach Carlson
Kevin Will has starred in a number of short films and played small roles in feature films. His more extensive and robust television career features him in several television shows like Firefly, Malcolm in the Middle, Gilmore Girls, Boston Legal, and The Mentalist. In Bizaardvark, he plays Coach Carlson, the gym teacher at Sierra High School. He joined the series in its second season.
Other recurring characters are Bernie’s grandmother who lives with him, she’s played by Ellen Ratner; Belissa, an obsessive fan of Bizaardvark, who is played by Maya Jade Frank. Viking Guy – the star the Vuugle channel, Live Like a Viking, is played by Adam Haas Hunter.
Episodes
If you are looking to get into the show, don’t be worried you have plenty of episodes to catch up on. The show premiered on the 24th of June 2016 and currently has just 49 episodes. The first season had 20 episodes, while the second season had 22 and the third season so far has 7 episodes. Each episode is 25 minutes long.
5 Facts About To Know About Bizaardvark
1. Award And Nominations
Bizaardvark has been recognized by multiple child programming awards such as Young Entertainer Awards, Young Artist Award, and the Legionnaires of Laughter Legacy Awards where the show’s lead actors were nominated for Best Children’s Comedy Artist. The writers were also nominated for Best Children Comedy Writer.
2. Your Kids Will Love It
Finding something interesting for children to watch these days can be a tedious task, especially something child appropriate when they are already exposed to YouTube and other programming options. Bizaardvark is a good show to look up to as an adequate entertainment option.
3. Bizaardvark Can Be Watched Online
Perhaps you would like to have something for your kids to watch while you are out camping, Bizaardvark (all episodes) is available for digital purchase on Amazon and iTunes.
4. Youtube Creators Guest Star A Lot
As a show based on online video creators, many YouTube creators guest star on the show. If you are looking to see your favourite YouTube stars like Logan Paul and Jimmy Fowlie as actors, then Bizaardvark has what you’re looking for.
5. Bizaardvark Has Shorts
If you want more of the show, be sure to look for Bizaardvark Shorts. They are about 2-4 minutes long and they are 14 in number. They are also available online.
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