Today’s cartoon review is a short one (both in post length and the show’s format): “Gracie’s Corner.” The series of animated shorts debuted on YouTube in 2021.
Summary
“Gracie’s Corner” is created by a couple (Javoris Hollingsworth and Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth) and their daughter (Graceyn Hollingsworth), who voices Gracie.
The shorts feature Gracie singing and dancing to songs, usually with her family and friends also appearing. Most of the songs are based on nursery rhymes, but some are originals. All of the songs are written and performed with an R&B/hip-hop style, making it stand out among similar YouTube kids videos (including the likes of “Cocomelon”).
Cast
Going by the show’s website:
- Gracie (voiced by Graceyn Hollingsworth): The star of the series, a young African American girl.
- Cece: Gracie’s toddler-aged sister.
- Gracie’s (unnamed) mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather.
- Kira, Liz, Zyron, and Mateo: the other kids in the series. I assume they’re friends/classmates of Gracie?
Highlights
- “Gracie’s Corner” has been nominated several times for the NAACP Image Awards. It won in 2024 for Outstanding Children’s Program and in 2026 for Outstanding Children’s Program and Outstanding Animated Series. The show beat productions from Disney and Cartoon Network, supporting my theory that animation in this decade’s largely driven by Netflix, YouTube, and smaller/indie/non-US studios, not Mickey, Bugs, or SpongeBob.
- The series has had appearances by famous musicians, including Snoop Dogg and Lil Jon.
- A song encouraging kids to eat vegetables… which is the second most-watched video on the channel (after a song about phonics), with over 166 million views as of this writing.
- A song made for Black History Month, mentioning Katherine Johnson, James Baldwin, and George Washington Carver.
- Kids’ media crossovers include an appearance by Gabby, the star of popular Netflix kids’ show “Gabby’s Dollhouse.” There’s also (noted as a paid ad) an appearance by Barbie “Brooklyn” Roberts, using new recorded lines by Brooklyn’s voice actor and stock footage from the recent Netflix Barbie TV shows/films. I assume Mattel is a sponsor, as there’s also a similar song from the Mattel-produced recent “Barney” reboot.
Conclusion
“Gracie’s Corner” won’t beat Disney when it comes to animation quality, but the fact it did beat Disney in winning a few awards stands out. The songs are catchy, and they’re clearly leagues better than the ones on “Cocomelon.” I’m guessing it’ll be a cold day in July before “Cocomelon” mentions Maya Angelou in a song.
Image: “Gracie’s Corner.” (Javoris Hollingsworth, Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth, and Graceyn Hollingsworth.)
