Ni Hao, Kai-Lan
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 "Ni hao! Super!"
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"I'm Kai-Lan. Ni Hao, that's how I say Hi in chinese. Say Ni Hao. Ni Hao! Super!"
— Kai-Lan Chow in the intro
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan (simplified Chinese: 你好, 凯兰; traditional Chinese: 你好，凱蘭; pinyin: Nǐ hǎo, Kǎi Lán!; Hello, Kai-Lan) is an American animated children's television series which premiered on Treehouse on November 5, 2007, Nickelodeon (via Nick Jr. block) on February 7, 2008, and on Noggin (now Nick Jr.) on August 10, 2008. The finale, Journey to Monkey King Castle was aired on the Nick Jr. Channel on August 21, 2011.
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan is based on the childhood memories of the show's creator Karen Chau growing up in a bicultural (Chinese-American) household. “Ni hao” means “Hello” in Mandarin, and Kai-Lan is the Chinese name Chau was given at birth, which was later anglicized to Karen. It was also based on the classic short series Downward Doghouse, which aired on Nick Jr in around 2004.
为什么这是一个超级特别的日子 (Why It's A Super Special Day)
- Cute, colorful and charming anime-like designs.
- Incredibly adorable songs.
- It's supportive to the Chinese culture.
- For a preschool show, it's not afraid to talk about issues such as anger, making mistakes, helping those who are hurt, etc.
- Likable and adorable characters like Kai-Lan, Rintoo, Tolee, and Hoho.
- It gives us a glimpses into the lives of Chinese-American children and their cultural differences, as well as fostering a respect for those differences.
- It introduces Chinese (Mandarin) to those who aren't familiar with the language.
- It has positive messages, like calming down, patience, and being nice to your friends.
- Really cute voice acting, as the cast they used for the main characters was entirely of child actors.
- The first Nick Jr. show to be Asian-themed (and the second animated Viacom show after Avatar: The Last Airbender). This is because the show's creator is Asian.
- If you watch the Chinese dub, you will get a full Chinese experience.
混乱的品质 (Messed Up Qualites)
- It didn't give too many Chinese lessons as it teaches little Chinese. This is due to the show introducing Chinese culture to anyone who hasn't heard about the culture.
- Much like Dora, Kai-Lan's constant fourth wall breaking can be considered annoying by some fans, older kids and adults, since she often stays silent for several seconds in order to leave time for the kid viewer to reply.
- It is occasionally mean-spirited when the problems involve the characters throwing temper tantrums, espcially with Rintoo.
Reception
Throughout its premiere on February 7, 2008, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan received primarily positive reviews from critics and viewers alike. It currently holds a 5.3/10 on IMDb.
The show received positive reception on Google as it holds an 90%.
Videos
Theme Song
Behind the Scenes
Reviews
Trivia
- The premiere of Ni Hao, Kai-Lan was originally slated to air on October 22, 2007, but was delayed to premiere on this day at 11:00am, to coincide with the first day of the Chinese New Year.
- The show was cancelled after Dora's former voice actress, Caitlin Sanchez, accused it for "ripping off" Dora the Explorer.
- As of January 2021, The entire series is available on Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access).