Line #107 WesternAnimation/TheLongLongHoliday


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f_6.jpg]]
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3	A ten episode animated series produced by Creator/CyberGroupStudios, ''Les Grande Grande Vacances'' in French or ''The Long Long Holiday'' in English, follows the adventures of Ernest and Colette Bonhoure, a pair of a siblings from Paris, during the events of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. While visiting their maternal grandparents in a village near Dieppe in Normandy, the German Army invades France, and Ernest and Colette must stay with their grandparents (semi)permanently, as their father's off fighting the invasion while their mother (who's sick with tuberculosis) is sent to a sanitarium over in Switzerland.
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5	What was supposed to only be a short vacation ends up going on for five years (all but the first year of World War II). At the start of the series, Ernest is 11 while Colette's 6--by the end, Ernest is 16 and Colette's 11. During their time in Grangeville (the town that their maternal grandparents live in), Ernest and Colette meet new friends and help the French resistance fight the Nazi occupation.
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7	It also has a comic book adaptation released in 2019 with a rating of one/two releases every year.
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9	----
10	!!''The Long Long Holiday'' provides examples of:
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12	* AbortedDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler: Jean barely gives one to Lily when he gets shot in the ankle.]]
13	* ActionDad: [[spoiler: Robert, Ernest and Colette's Dad, who breaks out of a Stalag and joins the Resistance.]]
14	* ActOfTrueLove: Towards the end of the war, [[spoiler: Hans reappears and attempts to kill Jeanne. However, Otto, Jeanne's SecondLove and a German officer, fights with and kills Hans to protect Jeanne. Fantastic example of LoveAcrossBattlelines.]]
15	* AdultsAreUseless: Played with. While the adults are often just trying to survive, many of them work secretly for the Resistance. However, the kids are instrumental in helping kick the Nazis out of France, what with their spying and sabotage efforts that prove themselves capable of more than many adults are in a similar situation.
16	* AllGermansAreNazis: Subverted. There are swastikas and plenty of German soldiers but none of them are in Nazi uniform. While there are of course sinister and abusive soldiers that occupy the town, there also appears to be a few truly kind soldiers who lend a hand to the townsfolk from other Germans trying to exploit them. Although some of the friendlier soldiers are even more unsettling to the children, as they can't tell who to trust.
17	* AlliterativeName: Marcel Morteau.
18	* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Lily at first.
19	* AnachronismStew: Mostly averted. However, when the Germans arrive in Grangeville in 1940, the column of vehicles that runs over the children's football includes a Tiger I [=PzKpfw=] VI heavy tank... first manufactured in 1942. Later, in 1943 and 1944, the German vehicles continue to be painted in grey, rather than sand, and at Dieppe the Allied tanks are Shermans instead of Churchills. On the other hand, everything else is very accurate.
20	* AngerBornOfWorry: Standard reaction coming from most characters, due to the war.
21	* AnimalMotifs: Mr. Herbin is shown to be fond of birds, even using bird calls to summon his students from the schoolyard. [[spoiler: Unsuprisingly he is revealed to be Sparrowhawk.]]
22	* {{Arcadia}}: The characters live in Grangeville, a CloseKnitCommunity in Normandy.
23	* ArtStyleDissonance: Don't let the animation fool you. This show is a very serious depiction of World War II.
24	* AssholeVictim:
25	** After the town is liberated, [[spoiler:Durand is taken away and shot [[LesCollaborateurs because of his treacherous actions]] that led to the death of Fernand and Mr. Herbin. No one will mourn for him.]]
26	** [[spoiler:Hans has exploited the townsfolk for his own benefit and killed the Morteau's dog. It's only satisfying to see him killed by Otto, his superior.]]
27	* BadBadActing: [[spoiler: Ernest and Jean use this to trick Marcel into going to a Nazi-occupied lighthouse. Later, Marcel and Gaston do the same to lure Durant into a hole.]]
28	* {{Bathos}}: One particular instance has Marcel going temporarily deaf yelling why everyone's crying as the other kids lament [[spoiler: Sparrowhawk/Mr. Herbin's death.]]
29	* BatmanInMyBasement: One episode deals with the Robinsons hiding a downed English airman named Douglas.
30	* BigBrotherInstinct: Ernest for Colette and Pierre for Marcel, Gaston, and the Robinsons in general.
31	* BigDamnHeroes: Happens several times; [[spoiler: Robert and the Resistance attack a Nazi headquarters to rescue hostages taken in retaliation for sabotage. Later, Paul and then Ernest warn that the clubhouse's whereabouts are compromised, saving both the kids and adults from death.]]
32	* BilingualBonus: The occasional German dialogue of the soldiers isn't subtitled.
33	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Most of the characters survive the war, but several characters have died. Also, Ernest and Colette have been reunited with their parents but their departure from Grangeville and leaving the friends they've made is inevitable.]]
34	* BlankWhiteEyes: Character's eyes (BlackBeadEyes) become blank and feature worry lines when scared or sad.
35	* BlushSticker: Marcel, Gaston, and Lily all have blush "hatch mark" stickers on their cheeks. Interestingly, they're the characters who are the most stubborn and hot-tempered of the Robinsons.
36	* BrotherSisterTeam: Ernest and Colette.
37	* BullyHunter: Lily, when she throws cow dung at Marcel and Gaston.
38	* BullyTurnedBuddy: Marcel and Gaston are hostile to Ernest and Collette at first, but befriend them later on.
39	* BusCrash: [[spoiler: Fernand is taken away by the Nazis due to his Jewish heritage. The finale reveals that he died in Auschwitz.]]
40	* ButtMonkey: Jean-Baptiste. Poor guy crashes his bike more than he's actually able to ride it around. [[spoiler: He even gets a broken leg. However, there's a silver lining in that the injury prevents him from being taken by the Nazis.]]
41	%%* CelShading
42	* CerebusSyndrome: The first two episodes are comparably light; after that, things keep getting darker once the Nazis start occupying the town.
43	* CharacterDevelopment: Colette at first is shown to enjoy drawing that are light on detail and typical of what a child would draw. She then becomes more invested in art and starts making sketches and drawings for the resistance, with her pictures getting more and more detailed.
44	* ChekhovsSkill: Colette's drawing ability. [[spoiler: Over time she gets progressively better and uses her skill to aid the French Resistance.]]
45	** More of a Chekhov Disability; Marcel going temporarily deaf and yelling, which tells the Canadian forces that they're kids, otherwise they would had gotten shot.
46	* CheerfulChild: All of the kids are fun loving and cheerful. That is, until the war comes.
47	* ChildHater: Durant, who [[spoiler: spends most of the series slinking around and spying on the kids, trying to get the Nazis to arrest them.]]
48	* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: When the Robinsons talk about their futures and what jobs they'd like, [[spoiler: Jean suggests to Lily that they marry one day. She didn't exactly tell him no...]]
49	* ChildrenAreInnocent: Ziggzagged. The Robinsons still play and act like kids, but living during a war certainly destroys one's innocence. Lampshaded by [[spoiler: Mr. Herbin in that even though they look and act like kids, the Nazis won't care if they catch them participating in the Resistance.]]
50	* TheCityVsTheCountry: Plot B for Ernest and Colette. Exploited by Marcel in the first episode.
51	* ComicBookTime: Averted. They do have a case of LimitedWardrobe, but everyone gets noticeably taller (Using the adults as reference). It can just be hard to notice since they grow proportionally to each other. Additionally, Lily is developing some curves by the last episodes.
52	* CommonalityConnection: Jean and Ernest become friends right off the bat when they learn they're both fans of the book ''Literature/RobinsonCrusoe.''
53	* CoolTeacher: Mr. Herbin
54	* CowardlyLion: Jean. [[spoiler: though when the situation calls for it, he will take a bullet in order to protect his friends.]]
55	* DeathEqualsRedemption: For Sparrowhawk [[spoiler: Mr. Herbin the school teacher]], he put kids and early teens through life-threatening situations for the cause, but he did die saving their lives.
56	* DeathOfAChild:
57	** [[spoiler:Antoine]] is killed after wandering into a minefield.
58	** [[spoiler:Fernand dies at Auschwitz]].
59	* DefeatEqualsFriendship: In a sense between Ernest and Marcel. They start off very antagonistic towards each other, but after a prank results with Marcel detained by the Nazis and Ernest and friends help freeing him, they fight, have a laugh over it, and reconcile their differences.
60	* DefiantStoneThrow: More of a defiant paper throw at the French policeman who shows up to the school to investigate if the students are resisting the Nazis. It also provides cover to hide an important map for the Resistance.
61	* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:Mr. Herbin]] dies yelling "Viva la France!"
62	* DeadpanSnarker: Lily, being TallDarkAndSnarky and using FlippantForgiveness and CondescendingCompassion on the other Robinsons and their sometimes terrible plans.
63	* DisappearedDad: Ernest and Colette's father left to fight in the war. Pierre, Marcel, and Gaston's father is confirmed to be dead.
64	* DubNameChange: Muguette becomes Lily and Jean-Baptiste is just Baptiste in the English dub.
65	* EmpathyDollShot: A doll is lying on the road after a Nazi's air bombing. Moments later, it's crushed by a Nazi armed vehicle entering town.
66	* EntitledBastard: [[spoiler: Hans, a German soldier who uses 'requisition' to steal food to sell on the black market. It's also implied that he killed and ate Muddy.]]
67	* EveryoneHasStandards: [[spoiler: Robert is part of the French resistance but he is firmly against the idea of executing German prisoners in cold blood. [[WhatTheHellHero Calling out Pierre]] for attempting to murder Otto out of revenge.]]
68	* {{Expy}}: Jean and Lily share certain similarities with Ulrich and Yumi from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko''. Both have similar physical appearances, both are about the same age, and both have their share of UST. The [=VAs=] for Lily and Yumi in the English dub even sound similar.
69	* {{Fainting}}: Grannyli suffers from the exhaustion type when she collapses in the kitchen one day. Grandpalou finds out that it's because she had been starving herself so the children could have more food and don't go hungry themselves.
70	* FatalFamilyPhoto: Douglas, the downed RAF pilot, shows a photo of his son to Gaston. He doesn't die however, he is safely rescued by LaResistance.
71	* FreeRangeChildren: Played straight, though most of the characters' parents are away at war, so they don't have a lot of supervision anyway.
72	* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Durand is open about siding with the occupying Nazi. His friends seems to annoyingly tolerate his presence at the town's cafe. But near the end of the series, [[PersonaNonGrata they had enough of him and throw him out for good]].
73	* FromNobodyToNightmare: Durant. At first, he's just a self-serving jerk who talks of how the French should be helping the Germans, but [[spoiler: his actions cause many people to be hurt, including getting Fernand arrested by the Germans and telling the Germans of the Robinsons/Resistance hideout and causing Mr. Herbin's death.]]
74	* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: To keep the kid friendly rating, the French and English versions of the show don't have anyone swearing in ''those'' languages but the untranslated German still has the Nazis audibly cursing like saying "shit/scheisse" in their language.
75	* GettingTheBoot: Durand is thrown out of the town's cafe after having Mr. Herbin arrested.
76	* GhibliHills: The forest is pure SceneryPorn, except for all the danger that intrudes into the story.
77	* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Durand is the only character seen smoking and he happens to be the town's traitor.
78	* HateSink: Hans and Durand are the most detested characters of the series by the main cast and the fans. The former abused his power over the townsfolk for his personal gains. The latter was a proud traitor who caused the death of many characters.
79	* HeelFaceTurn: Thought its debatable how much of a heel he is, Otto receives this, [[spoiler: helping to save the Morteau children from being killed by Nazis.]]
80	* HollywoodMilitaryUniform: The Germans wear the same style uniforms from the invasion of 1940 to the liberation in 1944, even though in real life the German army's uniforms changed significantly during that period.
81	* HomeBase: The Robinson's clubhouse, created from an abandoned house in the middle of the forest. Features include: treehouse/lookout, improvised furniture, a view of the surrounding area, and dart games with Petain and Hitler's faces. [[spoiler: Used as a meeting place for the Resistance later on in the series.]]
82	* HopeSpot: When Hans, an EntitledBastard German soldier is sent to the Eastern Front for stealing food and selling it in a black market, it seems like Muddy, hidden in the Robinsons' clubhouse, will be safe from further harassment. Except [[spoiler: it's revealed that Muddy escaped from the clubhouse as Hans was departing the area and is unfortunately killed and eaten.]]
83	* HumansAreBastards: Played surprisingly straight for a series with children as the main characters, with people accusing each other of being spies or parisans, turning each other in to the Germans, or taking advantage of rationing to overcharge customers basic necessities both legally and on the black market. Fernand is a notable victim, [[spoiler: first being accused of being a German spy, since he is from the Alsace area and has a German accent. Later, he is turned in to the Nazis by the same jerk who accused him of being a German spy because Fernand is Jewish and refuses to wear a Star of David.]]
84	* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Lucie, Colette and Ernest's mother, suffers from TB and goes to a sanitorium in Switzerland just before the war [[spoiler: she gets better, but they don't see each other again until six years later.]]
85	* ImprobableInfantSurvival:
86	** A baby manages to survive being strafed by a German plane.
87	** Rosie, a French Jewish girl, is rescued and taken to England by the Resistance.
88	* InnocentlyInsensitive: Jean, when Fernand is trying to tell the Robinsons that he's Jewish.
89	* InvisibleParents: Lily's father is occasionally mentioned but is one of the only parents still alive that is never seen on-screen.
90	* ItsAlwaysSpring: Zigzagged. While some brief scenes take place in late fall and winter, most of the time the series is set in what seems to be summer/early fall.
91	* {{Juxtaposition}}: In later episodes the kids play as always, except they aren't playing anymore, they are getting behind enemy territory to draw maps and get items. If they get caught they could die.
92	* KidHero: The Robinsons are a gang of school kids and still don't reach adulthood even by the end of World War II, but this doesn't change the fact that they contribute immensely to resisting Nazi occupation and terror.
93	* KilledOffscreen:
94	** [[spoiler: Fernand is taken away and killed in Auschwitz.]]
95	** Likewise, [[spoiler:Antoine, Hans, Mr. Herbin and Durand's deaths aren't shown, but clearly happened.]]
96	* LanguageBarrier: When a group of French kids meet an English airman, they communicate surprisingly well despite not knowing each other's languges. Could fall under BilingualDialogue.
97	* LesCollaborateurs: Durand, the French sellout of Grangeville, who works for the Nazi. There were others, but only him was known by name.
98	* LimitedWardrobe: Everyone, [[FridgeBrilliance which makes sense, given the war]].
99	** Ernest actually does change his signature outfit halfway through the series, giving up the sweater vest and just wearing a white shirt (sometimes with a blue coat).
100	* LivingWithTheVillain:
101	** Jean is forced to share his house with the Colonel and Nazi, since his father is the town's mayor.
102	** Same for the Morteau where Hans and Otto live in their farm.
103	* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Otto is a minor Nazi officer, but hasn't done anything bad to the townsfolk. He even learn to speak French so he could converse with the Morteau. [[spoiler:When liberation day has come, Otto decides to protect the Morteau children from his fellow Nazis, having fallen in love with their mother, Jeanne. Colette and Gaston even vouch for him when Pierre was about to execute him.]]
104	* MirroringFactions: Early on in the Nazi Occupation we see German soldiers waving at civilians and near the end the Resistance is killing LesCollaborateurs in the middle of the street as "Justice", even Gaston and Marcel's older brother is about to shoot [[HeelFaceTurn Otto]] despite his own mother crying and his little brother hugging the man and begging him not to.
105	* MissingMom: Ernest and Colette's mother, Lucie, was sent to a clinic in Switzerland for her health. Meanwhile there's no explanation for what happened to Lily's mother, as she's never mentioned.
106	* MoodWhiplash: The ending details how liberty is of incredible value and everyone kept on with their lives [[spoiler: except Fernand, he was taken to [[FinalSolution Auchwitz]]]]
107	* NatureLover: Colette
108	* NeverBareheaded: Pierre and Gaston Morteau are often seen wearing hats.
109	* NoSwastikas: Averted, plenty of swastikas are seen on flags and German vehicles.
110	* OneSteveLimit: Averted. There are three characters that share some variation of the name "Jean"
111	* OutdoorsyGal: Lily knows the whole area, from the beaches to the forests, like the back of her hand. Granted, she doesn't go to school (out of a lack of money), and spends quite a lot of time scavenging wild foods like seaweed, berries, and shellfish in order to eat. So she has shades of WildChild as well.
112	* ParentalSubstitute: Played with. Gaston's father died when he was little so he views [[spoiler: Douglas, the downed English pilot that the Robinsons find as a fatherly figure of sorts. Douglas in turn shows Gaston a picture of his own son, left a letter addressed only to him, and lets him have his RAF watch for keeps. When he leaves, Gaston is devastated]].
113	* PetTheDog: The Colonel gets a few of these moments.
114	* PrecisionFStrike: The original French dub makes good use of the word "bastard"
115	* PutOnABus:
116	** [[spoiler: Colette's narration mentions in episode 3 that the abandoned baby that she and her friends and family found was reclaimed by the next of kin.]]
117	** Hans is transferred out of town rather than facing prison for his crimes. [[TheBusCameBack He does return later however.]]
118	* TheQuisling: Durand goes out of the way to turn Free French and Jews to the Nazis.
119	* RaisedByGrandparents: Ernest and Colette live with their maternal grandparents for six years while their mom is ill and their father is fighting.
120	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Otto. While he's a lower Nazi officer, he'll make sure no abuses are committed under his watch. The German commandant is also portrayed as an honorable officer.
121	* RedBaron: The local resistance leader is known only as the Sparrowhawk
122	* RedheadInGreen: Marcel
123	* LaResistance: Naturally, for a story set in WWII era France. The children help the resistance effort several times.
124	* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: Played straight for Durand. Averted with [[spoiler: Otto]].
125	* ShipTease: Lily and Jean. Counts as a ToyShip, since they're both kids who AlmostKiss once in the series.
126	* TheSiege: Towards the end, [[spoiler: the Nazis attack the Robinsons/Resistance hideout, with Sparrowhawk and some of the kids still inside.]]
127	* SmurfettePrinciple: Lily and Colette are the only girls in the Robinsons gang.
128	* StrongFamilyResemblance: The Morteaus all resemble each other with their red hair.
129	* SuggestiveCollision: [[spoiler: Happens between Jean and Lily when he pushes her away from an oncoming truck in one episode. He also hugs her close until it's passed by]].
130	* TeamPet: Muddy the pig. [[spoiler: At least until he's eaten.]]
131	* TitleDrop: Said by Colette in the first episode.
132	* TokenGoodTeammate:
133	** While the Moreteaus aren't evil, the two younger sons start the series by bullying Ernest and Fernand. The eldest Moreteau son, Pierre, calls them out on this and makes them behave before his siblings become nicer.
134	** Otto is repeatedly shown to be a good person, never overstepping his authority, prevents a more malevolent fellow officer from overstepping his authority, and even keeping things from his superiors to keep the children safe. [[spoiler: He even ends up falling in love with Jeanne and helps protect her children from the other Nazis.]]
135	* TookALevelInBadass: Colette. While not reaching ActionGirl levels, she goes from a little girl who cries all the time to [[spoiler: a member of the French resistance, spying on the Nazis and using her skills to map out the German supply routes.]]
136	* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:The spacey Antoine]] is a tragic example, having wandered where he wasn't supposed to be and stepped on a landmine.
137	* TrashTheSet: The Nazi's HQ (which is also Jean's house) is under attacked in the finale and is heavily damaged by the resistants.
138	* TranslationConvention: In the English dub, spoken French is depicted as American-accented English. When the group encounters a British pilot, he speaks British-accented English, and one character who speaks some English switches to speaking hesitantly with a British accent.
139	* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Not many are bothered due to the circumstances but Colette goes from drawing pigs and happy scenes to detailed maps of German fortifications on the beaches, working as a child agent for the Resistance. She also draws some Hitler, Petain, and Durand faces for Lily to throw darts at.
140	** It gets more troubling in universe as she develops a quite a violent desire to end the war. TruthInTelevision for many citizens of France at the time.
141	* TrueCompanions: The Robinsons.
142	* VocalEvolution: Deliberately done with Ernest whose voice gets deeper as the episodes progress to reflect the passage of time through the years.
143	* WarComesHome: The series takes place during the German invasion and subsequent occupation of France from 1940-44. Played with in that the main characters aren't from Normandy, but rather, from Paris, and were only there due to being on a holiday at their grandparents' house at the time the German Invasion of France reached them.
144	* WarIsHell: Par for the course with a show detailing the Nazi occupation of France, albeit from a child's perspective. The children's parents try to protect them, but it doesn't last long.
145	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The final fate of the Colonel isn't shown. He was last seen fleeing his HQ with some men.
146	* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Living through a war does tend to cause children to become much more mature than their age suggests it.
147	* YouthfulFreckles: Colette has them.
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Context WesternAnimation / TheLongLongHoliday