A to Z of Animation Studios: Q Is for Qubo
The free kids' channel that lasted 14 years and that almost nobody remembers.
Q is a hard letter. Qubo wasn't exactly a studio. It was a kids' TV channel. But it's a fascinating piece of animation history, and it gives us a great excuse to talk about one of the most important lost films ever made.
Q is for Qubo
What it was: REAL: Qubo launched in 2006 as a partnership between several companies, including NBC Universal, Scholastic, the Canadian studio Corus/Nelvana and Classic Media. It started as a weekend kids' block and grew into a free, over-the-air channel. It ended in 2021 after its parent network changed owners.
The idea: Educational, book-based shows for kids, available for free to anyone with an antenna.
The lineup
Jane and the Dragon. A girl who wants to be a knight and her very sarcastic dragon.
The Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehog. Gentle forest detective stories.
Babar. The classic elephant, in a newer CGI version.
VeggieTales. Bob and Larry, on TV.
Jacob Two-Two. A kid who has to say everything twice to be heard.
Scaredy Squirrel. A squirrel who never leaves his tree. Very relatable.
Turbo Dogs. Dogs who are also race cars. That's the whole plot.
Why it felt so strange
Qubo aired shows long after their original runs, on a channel many families found by accident while flipping channels. The animation quality varied a lot. It felt like a hidden corner of TV.
Honorable mention: Quirino Cristiani
REAL: in 1917, Argentine animator Quirino Cristiani made El Apóstol, considered the first animated feature film in history, two decades before Snow White. It was a cut-out-animation satire of Argentina's president at the time. REAL: every known copy was lost in a fire in 1926. Cristiani later made Peludópolis (1931), often called the first animated feature with sound.
The first animated feature ever made is a film nobody alive has seen.
The lesson
Qubo and Cristiani share a lesson: animation history is fragile. Shows disappear when channels close. Films disappear in fires. If you make something, keep a copy. Then keep another.
Up next
R is for Ralph Bakshi Productions.
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