Press
L.A. Untangled / lapl
For the launch of the Los Angeles Public Library’s new series L.A. Untangled, California History Subject Specialist Kelly Wallace digs in the archive and sits down with Elizabeth Ito creator of Peabody Award winning show City of Ghosts to discuss the inspiration for the show, historical featured locations, and the importance of the public library to the Ghost Club.
TELEVISION / Tracy Brown
The story behind Netflix’s quirky, kid-friendly answer to ‘whitewashed’ L.A.
“City of Ghosts” is Elizabeth Ito’s rebuttal to the people who say they hate Los Angeles without really knowing anmything abou her beloved hometown.”
food / JEAN TRINH
A kids show gives love to Japanese food history in Boyle Heights
TV / LA Times Staff
The 15 best TV shows of the year (so far)
watching / Margaret Lyons
How Much Watching Time Do You Have This Weekend?
This weekend I have … 20 minutes, and I’m sensitive
california today /Soumya Karlamangla
best california TV Shows
‘City of Ghosts’ on Netflix is a little miracle of a show — humane portraits of L.A. neighborhoods outside the ones we’ve seen for years, naturalistic performances and a delightful art direction and animation style. Super great for adults AND kids! Hope you like it.” — Paul Kimball, Campbell
James Poniewozik, Mike Hale, and Margaret Lyons
The Best TV Episodes of 2021
‘City of Ghosts’ (Netflix)
‘Bob & Nancy’
Plenty of children’s shows are cute but “City of Ghosts” is also beautiful, and its poetic wistfulness about Los Angeles would be at home on a premium cable drama. Instead it’s in this plucky, naturalistic cartoon about ghost-hunting kids who have a podcast. I loved every episode of this show. But I picked “Bob & Nancy” because it’s about a marionette theater, and thus it toys with ideas of animating the inanimate — rich ground for a show in touch with the spirit realm.”
— MARGARET LYONS
CARLOS AGUILAR
How City of Ghosts Crafted an Inclusive Ode to Los Angeles’s Overlooked Past
Eric Vilas-Boas and John Maher
The Best Animation of 2021
“The animation and characters may seem simple, but the stories and background art are strikingly complex; both reflect the realities and fantasies of one of America’s richest cultural melting pots.”
Kathryn VanArendonk
BEST TV of 2021 Personal Top 10
“Truly special TV for elementary-age kids is rare, so rare that it’s almost hard to believe a show like City of Ghosts exists in the same category and came from the same platform as the vast uninspired landscape of so much of Netflix’s other original animated children’s programming.”
LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS / Phillip maciak
Elizabeth Ito’s Neighborhood: “City of Ghosts” and the Rise of Netflix Animation
BULLSEYE w/ jesse thorn
Elizabeth joins Bullseye to talk about making children's TV that adults can enjoy, capturing the feeling of her hometown of Los Angeles and the time she saw a ghost.
interview originally aired in June of 2021.
GOOD FOOD / Evan Kleinman
In ‘City of Ghosts,’ young sleuths explore LA, its restaurants, and supernatural stories
“There are a slew of restaurants along the way, a personal touch as Ito remembers the multiculturalism of particular neighborhoods where businesses of one group are patronized by people of other ethnicities. Ito says she makes it a priority in her work to use the voices of real people to tell their stories.”
Greater LA / Steve Chiotakis
‘City of Ghosts’: New Netflix kids’ series takes on Angeleno history
“LA is a sprawling metropolis with hundreds of nooks and crannies, plus diverse neighborhoods with their own history and culture. A new Netflix show tells stories about LA — past and present — from the perspective of curious kid detectives. It’s called “City of Ghosts.” Series creator, writer, and animator Elizabeth Ito speaks with KCRW. “
What's Making Us Happy: Recommendations From 'Pop Culture Happy Hour'
This is a show essentially just for little kids, but it's exactly my vibe and I find myself drawn back to it again and again. It's about a group — Zelda, Thomas, Eva and Peter — they go around Los Angeles interviewing ghosts about why they're still hanging around. Through it, you learn about the Filipina chef on the corner or the Japanese chef or the small business owner in Koreatown. It's so gentle and thoughtful and empathetic that it serves as a really nice palate cleanser. Maybe even more than that, between all the horrors of our day to day, from the news or movies that are dark.
There's something to be said about the fact that these are 18 to 20 minutes per episode — just really resetting your mood a little bit. It's the kind of thing that I wish that I had when I was a kid. — Walter Chaw
CODE SWITCH
What we watched in 2021
“It's this really earnest, tender show that blends animation and real life beautifully. It's all about LA, and it's for kids. But, honestly, I think it can be enjoyed by anyone because it's full of really cool, true stories.” — Christina Cala
NPR / Morning edition
Kids need to see themselves reflected in media. Here are some recommendations
"Unique," "groundbreaking" and "my cup of tea," gushes Princess Daazhraii Johnson about the new Netflix series. "I just love how it relates so deeply to place," she says. "It's so amazing to see this sort of depth and connection ... that really honors the First Peoples of that place.
wired / adam rogers
Netflix’s City of Ghosts Maps a Better Way to See LA— and Everywhere Else
Animator Elizabeth Ito’s series is a snuggly, funny fighter for telling the diverse stories that shape a city.
KCET / Artbound / Carren Jao
Hybrid Animated Series Explores L.A.'s Rich and Complicated Histories for Kids
Award-winning animator Elizabeth Ito explores L.A.'s rich, diverse history in a hybrid documentary and animated series, "City of Ghosts."
MASHABLE INDIA / PRAMIT CHATTERJEE
'City Of Ghosts' Review: This Netflix Animated Show Genuinely Feels Like A Soft, Warm Hug To The Soul
KQED FORUM / MINA KIM
Animated Netflix Series 'City of Ghosts' Uncovers Stories of Los Angeles
SPECTRUM NEWS
Inside the Issues / Alex Cohen
Showrunner shares origin story behind Netflix’s 'City of Ghosts'
NIC CHA KIM
New Netflix Series Teaches Kids About Culture With Ghosts
The New Yorker / Doreen St. Félix
Michelle Obama’s Lesson to Kids: You Are What You Watch
“Counteracting the suavity of “Waffles + Mochi” is “City of Ghosts,” also on Netflix, a documentary-style animated series that overflows with soul and cool. Here is an un-Western ghost story, set in the American West—L.A.—that invites viewers of all ages to sit still, be quiet, and listen to the past over the din of the technocratic present. Four young Angelenos have formed the Ghost Club, a film crew that provides a ghost-whispering service to adults who believe that they are being haunted by unsettled spirits. By the sheer force of their bigheartedness, the club coaxes these spirits out of hiding, and the spirits then sit for charming interviews, in which they convey the particularities of pre-gentrification life. Zelda, a little girl whose microphone is a hairbrush, is our host; her older brother, Jordan, provides the “camerawork.”
Remezcla / Carlos Aguiilar
Zapotec Scholar Felipe H. Lopez Reflects On How ‘City of Ghosts’ Portrays LA’s Indigenous Communities
“For episode six, focused on Koreatown, the creators recruited professor Felipe H. Lopez, a Zapotec scholar to help them portray the Oaxacan community of L.A. With Ito and producer Joanne Shen’s support, Lopez brought authenticity to the depiction of certain visual elements, such as the grecas de Mitla, geometrical designs specific to the Indigenous people of Oaxaca. More importantly, he voices an animated version of himself, as well as Chepe, a lovable alebrije ghost at the center of the story. Lopez’s dialogue is both in English and Zapotec.”
One good thing, VOx.com / Emily st. James
Netflix’s cute, whimsical “City of Ghosts” has layers for both parents and kids to enjoy
Decider / Joel Keller
“We appreciate intelligent kids’ shows, ones that contain teachable moments and fun animation but are low-key and spend its time imparting information instead of making noise. City Of Ghosts is one such show, thanks to its creator Elizabeth Ito, who combines documentary-style interviews with scripted situations to give a view of the recent history of Los Angeles.”
BUZZFEED / Pablo Valdivia
"City Of Ghosts" On Netflix Is Unlike Any Kid's Show I've Seen Before
"The softest show ever."
There are six episodes in the season, with each episode exploring a different Los Angeles neighborhood in just under half an hour. And yes, you will feel just about every emotion under the sun in that short amount of time.