We’re excited to share the news! In February 2011, the Disney Channel will be launching Disney Junior, a new multi-platform brand devoted to children ages 2-7 and their families. You’ll be able to watch daily TV shows on the Disney Channel, find more interactive materials on the website, watch content on VOD and mobile platforms!
Disney Junior will invite parents and grandparents to join their children in the Disney experience of magical, musical and heartfelt stories and characters, both classic and new, while incorporating specific learning and developmental themes.
There are also a lot of new series launching with the brand such as “Jake and the Never Land Pirates,” an animated adventure combining new and classic Disney characters Captain Hook and Smee (“Peter Pan”); a series of Disney Poetry Shorts which showcases poems for children set against classic Disney animation; two short form series, “Mickey Mousekersize” and “Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps,” to encourage healthy lifestyles for preschoolers and families; “Babar and the Adventures of Badou,” an updated version of the classic “Babar,” that introduces King Babar’s energetic eight-year-old grandson, Badou, and friends as they explore the world of Celesteville; and “Tinga Tinga Tales,” a vibrant animated adventure inspired by traditional African animal folktales and the art of Tanzania.
Don’t worry!! Playhouse Disney hits “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Handy Manny,” “Special Agent Oso” and “Imagination Movers,” among others, will also be part of Disney Junior.
Disney Junior will be available on basic cable in more than 99 million U.S. homes and to millions of other viewers on 25 Disney Junior channels (currently Playhouse Disney channels) and free-to-air broadcast partners around the world. It will also be seen via video-on-demand and a broadband website, DisneyJunior.com.
Even better news!! As part of Disney’s Magic of Healthy Living initiative, which encourages healthier lifestyles for kids and families, Disney Junior will premiere two new short-form series, “Mickey Mousekersize” and “Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps.” Hosted by Mickey Mouse, “Mickey Mousekersize” focuses on the fun of exercising and encourages children at home to get up and move along with Mickey and pals. “Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps” features Oso and friends as they watch a live-action kid demonstrate three healthy steps to exercising and eating right. Sean Astin and Brad Garrett star as Oso and Buffo.
Your children will also love the Poetry Short Series designed to bring fond memories of Disney classics to parents and create new ones for kids. The series of short-form animation showcases poems for children set to scenes and imagery from classic Disney films. It will introduce preschoolers to the beauty of a poem well read and combine it with extraordinary moments in Disney animation history.
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