View source for Talking Friends

{{Short description|Short series based on the app franchise of the same name.}}
{{Distinguish|Talking Tom & Friends}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Talking Friends intro.png
| starring           =
| caption            = 
| alt_name           = 
| creator            = 
| based_on           = {{based on|''[[Talking Tom & Friends|Talking Friends]]''|[[Outfit7]]}}
| voices             = {{Plainlist|
*Michael Tauzin
*[[Michael D. Cohen (actor)|Michael D. Cohen]]
*Susannah Hillard}}
| camera             = 
| runtime            = 3 minutes
| director           = Dylan Coburn
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
*Ed Squair
*Emily Barclay Ford}}
| composer           = Alfred Montejano<ref name="MusicCredit">{{cite web|title=Music Credits|url=https://www.alfredmontejano.com/music-credits|publisher=www.alfredmontejano.com|access-date=May 22, 2023|archive-date=May 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522230101/https://www.alfredmontejano.com/music-credits}}</ref>
| language           = English
| country            = 
| company            = {{Plainlist|
*[[Disney Interactive Media Group]]{{efn|Initially credited as ''Disney Online Originals'' via the trailer, however was eventually rebranded to Disney Interactive shortly before release.}}
*[[Outfit7|Outfit7 Entertainment]]
*Karactaz Animation}}
| network            = {{Plainlist|
*[[Disney.com]]
*[[YouTube]]
}}
| first_aired        = {{Start date|2012|06|08}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|2012|08|31}}
| num_episodes       = 10
| related            = ''[[Talking Tom & Friends (TV series)|Talking Tom & Friends]]''
| num_seasons        = 1
| location           =  
}}
'''''Talking Friends''''' is an American adult animated [[Miniseries|mini-series]] that premiered on June 8, 2012 on [[Disney.com]] and [[YouTube]]. Based on the popular app franchise of the [[Talking Tom & Friends|same name]] by [[Outfit7|Outfit7 Limited]], it is the first television installment in the ''Talking Tom & Friends'' franchise, and would be the only one to be produced in association with [[The Walt Disney Company]]. The series ended on August 31.

==Characters==
*'''Talking Tom''' (voiced by Michael Tauzin) - A gray tabby cat, newscaster, Ginger's uncle and Angela's boyfriend.
*'''Talking Ben''' (voiced by [[Michael D. Cohen (actor)|Michael D. Cohen]]) - A tan dog, genius, scientist and newscaster.
*'''Talking Pierre''' (voiced by [[Keith Ferguson (voice actor)|Keith Ferguson]]) - A green parrot who likes to play video games and gets easily annoyed by the others, particularly Tom.
*'''Talking Ginger''' (voiced by Michael Tauzin) - A mischievous and curious orange tabby cat and Tom's nephew.
*'''Talking Angela''' (voiced by Susannah Hillard) - A white cat, singer and Tom's girlfriend.

Additionally, '''Talking Gina''' appears as a plush toy.

==Production==
===Development===
According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', various studios including [[DreamWorks Animation]], [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] (later [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|acquired by Disney in 2019]]) and [[Nickelodeon]] had the chance to adapt the franchise in film or television before passing on the opportunity, until Disney Interactive took the offer.<ref>{{cite web|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|title=Dicey Path From App to Hit Show|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/business/media/hollywood-ponders-a-path-from-app-to-hit-show.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 16, 2012|access-date=May 22, 2023|archive-date=May 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522230547/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/business/media/hollywood-ponders-a-path-from-app-to-hit-show.html}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

===Music===
The show's soundtrack was composed by Alfred Montejano,<ref name="MusicCredit"/> while two additional songs were released by [[Walt Disney Records]]. The first, titled ''You Get Me'' was released on the [[iTunes Store]] on June 12, 2012 to promote ''Tom Loves Angela'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://musically.com/2012/06/11/talking-tom-to-sing-for-disney/ |title=Talking Tom to sing for Disney |website=musically.com |date=June 11, 2012 |access-date=May 22, 2023 |archive-date=May 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522231924/https://musically.com/2012/06/11/talking-tom-to-sing-for-disney/}} {{subscription required}}</ref> and the second, titled ''That's Falling in Love'', was released to promote ''[[Talking Angela]]''. The music video for ''You Get Me'' was produced by ARX Anima, Walt Disney Interactive Media Group and Outfit7 and released on June 12, 2012, by Walt Disney Records.<ref>{{cite web|title=Outfit7 Launches First App That Lets Users Have Conversations with Talking Friends Characters|url=https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/12/06/b2655438/outfit7-launches-first-app-that-lets-users-have-conversations-with-talk|publisher=Benzinga|date=June 8, 2012|access-date=May 22, 2023|archive-date=May 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522232419/https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/12/06/b2655438/outfit7-launches-first-app-that-lets-users-have-conversations-with-talk}}</ref> The scenes featured were originally produced for the music video and were not taken from any existing clips in the series. The music video was, however, was animated in the same style as the series. A teaser video for ''That's Falling in Love'' was also later released by Disney Music on December 6, 2012.

==Release==
The series premiere and remaining episodes were released on [[Disney.com]], as well as onto Disney's official [[YouTube]] channel, serving as their debut series on the platform. The series finale aired two months later on August 31, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=De Vere|first=Kathleen|title=Outfit7 teams with Disney for animated Talking Friends web series|url=https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/outfit7-teams-with-disney-for-animated-talking-friends-web-series/|publisher=[[Adweek]]|date=April 24, 2012|access-date=May 22, 2023|archive-date=May 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522233011/https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/outfit7-teams-with-disney-for-animated-talking-friends-web-series/}} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Duryee|first=Tricia|title=Outfit7's Talking Friends Apps to Star in Disney Web Series|url=https://allthingsd.com/20120424/outfit7s-talking-friends-apps-to-star-in-disney-web-series/|publisher=[[All Things Digital]]|date=April 24, 2012|access-date=May 22, 2023|archive-date=May 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522233949/https://allthingsd.com/20120424/outfit7s-talking-friends-apps-to-star-in-disney-web-series/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Jordan|first=Jon|title=Forget Angry Birds. Disney signs up Talking Tom Cat for original animated web series|url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/outfit7-news/forget-angry-birds-disney-signs-up-talking-tom-cat-for-original-animated-web-ser/|publisher=[[Pocket Gamer]]|date=April 24, 2012|access-date=May 22, 2023|archive-date=May 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522234353/https://www.pocketgamer.com/outfit7-news/forget-angry-birds-disney-signs-up-talking-tom-cat-for-original-animated-web-ser/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Arrant|first=Chris|title=Disney Partners with Outfit7 To Produce Webseries Based on "Talking Friends" Apps|url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/biz/disney-partners-with-outfit7-to-produce-webseries-based-on-talking-friends-apps-3-61933.html|publisher=[[Cartoon Brew]]|date=April 28, 2012|access-date=May 22, 2023|archive-date=May 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522235714/https://www.cartoonbrew.com/biz/disney-partners-with-outfit7-to-produce-webseries-based-on-talking-friends-apps-3-61933.html}}</ref>

===Marketing===
To help promote the series, Outfit7 created an app exclusive to [[iOS]] devices known as ''Talking Friends Cartoons'' that featured all ten episodes, as well as additional content including descriptions of the characters and downloadable wallpapers. The app, however, garnered controversy with some of the advertisements. For instance, a banner displayed at the bottom of the screen while the app was launched directed users to take part in quizzes that included prizes such as a 64GB [[iPad]], which were unable to be completed unless users would spend monthly fees for a membership service. This ultimately resulted in many people feeling upset over the product as well as leaving many parents frustrated over the concerns.<ref>{{cite web|last=King|first=Mark|title=iPhone app 'could have landed parents with £200 bill'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/feb/15/iphone-app-parents-bill|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=February 15, 2013|access-date=May 23, 2023|archive-date=May 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523002838/https://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/feb/15/iphone-app-parents-bill}}</ref>

A live performance event also took place in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] that featured DJs from [[Radio Disney]], plush toy giveaways and performers dressed and wearing makeup to portray the characters to promote the ''Talking Friends Superstars'' toyline.<ref>{{cite web|title=Talking Tom Friends Play Live In Hollywood|url=https://www.techtaffy.com/talking-tom-friends-play-live-in-hollywood/|publisher=Techtaffy|date=December 21, 2012|access-date=May 23, 2023|archive-date=May 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523003548/https://www.techtaffy.com/talking-tom-friends-play-live-in-hollywood/}}</ref>

==Episodes==
{{Episode table|background=#4bf984|overall=3|title=20|airdate=10|airdateT=Original release date|episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 1
| Title           = Attack of the Tech!
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|06|08}}
| ShortSummary    = Tom and Ben's giant robot goes out of control and attacks cars and homes, so they try to stop it and eventually succeed.
| LineColor       = 4bf984
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 2
| Title           = Foolf
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|06|15}}
| ShortSummary    = Ben gets inspiration of mixing golf and football together, only to become obsessed with it.
| LineColor       = 4bf984
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 3
| Title           = Jet Pack Cat
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|06|22}}
| ShortSummary    = Ginger wants to ride Tom's jetpack but Tom tells him he's too young to try, so, Ginger tries to make Gina ride the jetpack, only to end up destroying it.
| LineColor       = 4bf984
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 4
| Title           = Newserator
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|06|29}}
| ShortSummary    = Ben creates the Newserator 3000, but all it does is give news. Later, Tom and Ben decide to destroy the robot, but Pierre destroys it before them.
| LineColor       = 4bf984
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 5
| Title           = Rock the Catsbah
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|07|06}}
| ShortSummary    = Angela's car breaks down on her way to a recording session at a studio. So, Ben makes a makeshift studio for her to record her new song, only for Tom to destroy it by cranking up the volume on the speakers.
| LineColor       = 4bf984
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 6
| Title           = Shake that Tail
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|08|03}}
| ShortSummary    = Angela returns because she needs to have a music video for her new song. Meanwhile, Ginger wants to defy gravity, so Ben fulfils both their wishes.
| LineColor       = 4bf984
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 7
| Title           = Multipli-Kitty
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|08|10}}
| ShortSummary    = Ben creates a mirror-like gadget that can duplicate anything. When Tom uses it to duplicate himself, Ben creates a device to reverse the duplication.
| LineColor       = 4bf984
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 8
| Title           = Super Tom
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|08|17}}
| ShortSummary    = Ben creates a device that can give people superpowers, and uses it on his friends. However, when an armadillo accidentally touches the device, making him gigantic, the friends use their powers to stop it.
| LineColor       = 4bf984
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 9
| Title           = Angry Parrots
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|08|24}}
| ShortSummary    = Pierre gets too obsessed with his game, and starts to think that his friends are zombies and attacks them.
| LineColor       = 4bf984
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 10
| Title           = Tom After Tom
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|08|31}}
| ShortSummary    = When the friends debate about which decade is the best, Ben shows his new invention, a time elevator that allows them to go to any decade. In the end, they realize that the decade they're currently living in is the best.
| LineColor       = 4bf984
}}
}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Disney Interactive}}

[[Category:Talking Tom & Friends]]
[[Category:Animated television series about cats]]
[[Category:Animated television series about dogs]]
[[Category:Animated television series about birds]]
[[Category:2012 web series debuts]]
[[Category:2012 web series endings]]
[[Category:Animated series based on video games]]
[[Category:Television series by Disney]]
[[Category:Works based on video games]]
[[Category:Disney Interactive]]
[[Category:2010s American animated television series]]
[[Category:2010s American animated television miniseries]]
[[Category:American children's animated comedy television series]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Computer-animated television series]]