Some interesting facts about Elias we just learnt

We sent a e-mail to Alf Knutsen and got this in response:

So glad that you're a Elias fan!

Its a while since I worked with Elias, so I cant answer everything you asked about. I'll answer inside the mail

I asked: What are your thoughts about both the 2005-series and the 2014-series: how was the productions from one to the other? and some other questions;:

Answer:

I prefer the 2005 version, produced by Filmkameratene with original Norwegian scripts. It is also the version closest to my original idea. When we began producing the series ourselves at Animando from 2014 onward, we were faced with a few dilemmas.

We received clear advice to:

Make it brighter and less "dark Scandinavian." Leave TV2 and move to NRK. Develop the original scripts in English.

The last decision was, of course, made with international sales in mind, but in my opinion it worked poorly from an artistic and creative standpoint.

The 2014 version no longer communicated as clearly with Norwegian adults, who were—and still are—the primary audience.

The feature films, however, were all developed from original Norwegian scripts, and they benefited from that. The most recent film was produced by Animando, and I believe we managed to recapture the charm of the 2005 version while giving it a fresher, more modern look.

I asked:

I was also wondering what happened to the pilot episodes that were filmed using physical models, as well as the one that was produced in English in 2004.

Answer: I don't know where the originals of the pilot filmed with physical models are, but I suspect they're somewhere in my attic. I'll have a look one day when I have the time.

I asked Finally, I was also wondering whether an English dub of Elias: The Little Rescue Boat (2005) ever existed.

Answer: I believe there is an English subtitled version of the 2005 series, but not an English dub.

So that tells us that there is indeed no official dub done of the 2005 series of Elias.