Available exclusively on Prime Instant Video, Amazon Studios today announced the premieres of their first-ever original kids series, namely “Tumble Leaf” on May 23rd, “Creative Galaxy” on June 27th, and “Annedroids” on July 25th. The first six episodes of each show will debut this Summer with additional episodes to follow later in the year. Having previewed all three series, we’re confident you’ll like what you see.
The creative team is led by Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming, and supported by the wonderful Dr. Alice Wilder, Educational Psychologist and Advisor. Each series also includes stellar Kids Programming talent such as Angela Santomero (Blue’s Clues, Super Why) for “Creative Galaxy”, award-winning stop-motion studio Bix Pix Entertainment (Kelli Bixler, Drew Hodges) for “Tumble Leaf”, and JJ Johnson (Dino Dan) for “Annedroids”. See the official press release below for full details.
May 15, 2014 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–(NASDAQ: AMZN)—There’s a new way to keep kids entertained—and engaged—all summer long. Amazon today announced the premieres of its first-ever original kids series coming exclusively on Prime Instant Video. The first six episodes of each show will debut this summer, beginning with animated series Tumble Leaf on May 23, followed by Creative Galaxy on June 27, and live-action seriesAnnedroids on July 25. Additional episodes of the shows will follow later this year. Amazon Original children’s programming is designed to inspire kids to learn through creativity, imagination and play. Prime members and their families can stay engaged all summer long by watching the new series and partaking in creative activities that reinforce educational themes found in the shows. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a 30-day free trial at www.amazon.com/prime.“The kids programming team and series creators have had so much fun developing these new series. We can’t wait to share it with kids and their families across the country and see the learning experiences it fosters.”
“Amazon Studios is thrilled to bring its first original children’s series to kids and their families this summer. We’re working with some of the most renowned creators in the business to introduce programming that promotes life-long learning through play,” said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios. “The kids programming team and series creators have had so much fun developing these new series. We can’t wait to share it with kids and their families across the country and see the learning experiences it fosters.”
Amazon Original preschool programming is being developed with the support of Dr. Alice Wilder. Dr. Wilder earned universal acclaim for her work as the producer and director of research and development for the hit series Blue’s Clues and Blue’s Room. During her nearly decade-long involvement with Blue’s Clues, Dr. Wilder helped pioneer a new level of interaction between a show and its young viewers. She brings her expertise to Amazon’s programming to give parents confidence that these programs will provide valuable skills and life lessons that children can use in their real life—while being entertaining at the same time.
“It’s been extremely exciting to partner with Amazon on developing the content and activities that will be available through Prime Instant Video. We share the belief that creativity and curiosity are muscles that need to be exercised, refined and nourished to provide children with the skills they need to succeed in today’s rapidly changing world,” said Dr. Alice Wilder, Educational Psychologist and Educational Advisor for Amazon Studios’ kids programming. “With an educational system that is focused on test-preparedness, literacy and numeracy, many parents find their kids faced with a curriculum gap. By combining core content with creativity and play, we will be able to help parents fill that gap.”
Amazon Original children’s series premiering exclusively on Prime Instant Video this summer include:
Tumble Leaf (for preschool-aged children)
Tumble Leaf debuts May 23 and comes from Emmy Award-winning director Drew Hodges and award-winning studio Bix Pix Entertainment. The preschool aged show follows Fig the Fox and his best friend Stick as they discover adventure, friendship and love around every bend. Themes found in the show promote exploration and scientific thinking through play. The talent behind the characters includes Christopher Downs as “Fig” and “Stick,” Zak McDowell as “Hedge,” Addie Zintel as “Pine,” Brooke Wolloff as “Maple,” and Alex Trugman as “Ginkgo.”Creative Galaxy (for preschool-aged children)
On June 27, Amazon Studios will introduce Creative Galaxy from acclaimed creator Angela Santomero and Out of the Blue (Super Why!, Blue’s Clues, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood), and features Samantha Bee (The Daily Show), Christian Distefano, Jason Jones (The Daily Show), Cloris Leachman (Malcolm in the Middle), and Jason Priestley (Beverly Hills 90210). In this make-along, create-along, interactive art adventure series for preschoolers, characters Arty and Epiphany travel around the galaxy to solve problems with art, inspiring creative thinking through crafts, music and dance. To give kids and parents the real-life tools they need to re-create Arty’s experience, a live-action piece at the end of each animated episode will take viewers through the craft project that Arty showcased in the galaxy.Annedroids (for children ages 4 to 7 years)
Annedroids, about a young scientist, will be available starting July 25. Created by Emmy-nominated JJ Johnson (Dino Dan) and Sinking Ship Entertainment, and aimed at children aged four through seven, Annedroids is a live-action adventure series about a young female genius, her human friends, android assistants and the amazing scientific discoveries they make while undertaking the biggest experiment of them all: growing up. Addison Holley (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood) stars as “Anne,” Adrianna Di Liello (Stage Fright) plays her friend “Shania,” and Jadiel Dowlin plays “Nick.”All Amazon Original children’s series will be available for unlimited streaming through Prime Instant Video on Fire TV, Kindle Fire, iPad, iPhone, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, Wii and Wii U, and other connected devices, and online at www.amazon.com/PIV. The series will also be available through Amazon’s Kindle FreeTime app and via Kindle FreeTime Unlimited, the first-ever all-in-one subscription service that brings together books, games, educational apps, movies, and TV shows that both kids and their parents will enjoy. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a trial at www.amazon.com/prime.
About Amazon Studios
Last year Amazon Studios launched its first two prime time series Alpha House and Betas, and will debut its first three children’s shows this summer. The company recently announced six additional, original series including Chris Carter’s The After, Michael Connelly’s Bosch, Jill Soloway’sTransparent, Mozart in the Jungle from Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, Wishenpoof! from Angela Santomero, and Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street from David Anaxagoras. Amazon Original Series are available exclusively to Prime members through Prime Instant Video.Amazon Studios launched in 2010 as a new way to develop feature films and episodic series—one that’s open to great ideas from creators and audiences around the world. Anyone can upload a script and Amazon Studios will read and review all submissions and those who choose to make their projects public will also receive feedback from the Amazon Studios community.
Comprehensive cast and crew information, including bios and filmographies, is available on Amazon’s IMDb (www.imdb.com), the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content.
About Amazon.com
Amazon opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by three principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire, and Fire TV are some of the services pioneered by Amazon.Contacts
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We’ll have more coverage in the near future including an interview with the Executive Producer of “Tumble Leaf”, Kelli Bixler from Bix Pix Entertainment.
