Amazon Instant Video greenlights children's pilots
Five children's test pilots, including two animated efforts, have been greenlit for production, Amazon Studios, the original movie and series production arm of Amazon.com, announced Thursday.
Creative Galaxy is an animated interactive art adventure series designed to inspire kids' creative thinking through crafts, story, music and dance. The series was created by Angela Santomero, creator of Super Why!, the Emmy-nominated literacy series, Blue's Clues and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.
Tumbleaf was created by Drew Hodges and Bix Pix Studios, an award-winning stop-motion studio. The series, aimed at preschoolers, is set in a whimsical land where a small blue fox named Fig plays each day and discovers adventure, friendship and love around every bend in the path. Children will be enriched by narratives that promote play through exploration and cognitive reasoning.
Thursday's announcement comes on the heels of the first pilot production commitment in December, which greenlit six comedy pilots, bringing the total number of Amazon Studios pilots currently in production to 11.
Once completed, all 11 pilots will be posted on Amazon Instant Video, Prime Instant Video, Lovefilm UK and Lovefilm Germany for Amazon customers to watch for free. Viewer feedback will help determine which series Amazon Studios should produce.
"Production is already underway for the first set of comedy pilots we announced last month, and now we are excited to add even more pilots to the list -- five amazing preschool children's series," said Amazon Studios director Roy Price. "Our children's series come from industry luminaries with credits such as Blue's Clues, Sid the Science Kid and Dino Dan. We think parents -- and our very youngest customers -- are going to love the magical combination of entertainment and learning that they’ll discover in these children's series."
"We are thrilled to be working with Amazon Studios on our pilot and can't wait to soar into a creative arts curriculum with Creative Galaxy," said Angela C. Santomero (Blue's Clues), creator and executive producer of the debut series, which is one of five children's series to receive a pilot order. "We know that art can have a powerfully positive effect on children, and through our proven signature approach to preschool television, we will actively help young viewers learn how to think creatively in their own lives. Working with Amazon Studios has been fantastic, and we look forward to jumping into the production process."
These five new pilots join the six comedy pilots already in production: Alpha House, Browsers, Dark Minions, The Onion Presents: The News, Supanatural and Those Who Can't.
