Amazon today announced it will debut its next kids pilot season of 2015 on Friday, June 26 on Amazon Instant Video in the US, UK and Germany. Four animated kids pilots--The Adventures of Knickerbock Teetertop, Lost In Oz, Lily the Unicorn, and Bear in Underwear--will premiere along with two live-action kids pilots--A History of Radness and The Kicks. The new pilots will come from an accomplished roster of creative talent, including David Babcock (Brothers & Sisters, Gilmore Girls), Andrew Green (Hannah Montana, Suddenly Susan), Adam Wilson and Melanie Wilson LaBracio (Marvel Universe Live, Evergone), The Jim Henson Company (The Muppets, Fraggle Rock), as well as Bureau of Magic's Abram Makowka, Darin Mark, Jared Mark, and Mark Warshaw (East Los High, Dirty Little Secret, Smallville). Customers will once again be invited to watch and provide feedback on the shows they want to see turned into full series for Prime members. All pilots will be available via the Amazon Instant Video app for TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/AIV.
"Each of these new pilots bring a quality level of character and storytelling that naturally connect with kids and families," said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios. "We are excited to bring the combination of great talent, hard work and remarkable vision to our customers."
Amazon's new kids pilots include:
· The Adventures of Knickerbock Teetertop (for preschool-aged children; animated)
An original wonderland created by brother-sister team Adam Wilson and Melanie Wilson LaBracio (Marvel Universe Live, Evergone), with character design by Rhode Montijo (Melvin Beederman: Super Hero, The Halloween Kid), The Adventures of Knickerbock Teetertop is artfully animated by the award-winning Karrot Animation (Sarah & Duck). Knickerbock Teetertop, the smallest kid on the enchanted Wonderpine Mountain, wants to be a big adventurer just like his grandpa. Joined by friends on his magical Wonderboggan, Knickerbock, Holly, and Otto have wondrous, challenging adventures discovering new places and creatures--and it's not easy. Knickerbock bounces along rugged terrain, pushes against the elements, and challenges himself to overcome obstacles. As he encounters problems Knickerbock uses perseverance, grit, and some encouragement from Grandpa to "adventure on, adventure through."
· Lost in Oz (for children ages 6-11; animated)
Lost in Oz is an animated, action-adventure comedy set in a modern, metropolitan Emerald City. Stranded in this spectacular world, 12-year-old Dorothy Gale befriends West, a young, street-smart witch grappling with dark temptations, and Ojo, a giant munchkin. With Dorothy's dog Toto, this unlikely crew embarks on an epic journey, seeking out the magic Dorothy needs to get back to Kansas. The challenge for Dorothy, and everyone else in this world, is that Oz is facing the greatest magic crisis in eons. Developed and produced by Bureau of Magic's Darin Mark, Jared Mark, Abram Makowka, and Mark Warshaw (East Los High, Smallville), this contemporary re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's extraordinary universe is designed by Flaunt Productions (Under Siege, Project Spark), animated by Arc Productions (9, Gnomeo & Juliet), scored by Adam Berry (The Penguins of Madagascar) with theme music by Mark Mothersbaugh (The Lego Movie).
· Lily the Unicorn (for children ages 6-11; animated)
Lily is not only a remarkable, colorful, and comical gal--she is truly one-in-a-million. Her unique perspective and independent spirit can brighten up any situation and often leads her and her loyal friends into unexpected shenanigans. In Lily's world, anything is possible: a simple song she hums can go viral and top the charts. A quiet surprise picnic for her best buddy Roger can lead to a city-wide adventure featuring falafel waffles (yum) and a wise guru (of course). Lily the Unicorn puts a hilarious spin on everyday situations as Lily transforms even the most typical day into something extraordinary. Lily the Unicorn is based on the hit children's book by Dallas Clayton (An Awesome Book) and produced by The Jim Henson Company (Dinosaur Train, Fraggle Rock).
· Bear in Underwear (for children ages 6-11; animated)
If there's one thing any forest creature needs before stepping out to greet the day it's...underwear? At least that is the way the lovable cast of Bear in Underwear sees things! Welcome to Shady Glade Woods where Eddie Behr, an eternally optimistic, high energy bear, and his quirky group of
ANIMAL friends and family reside. Eddie aspires to be a forest legend just like his dad, who discovered "pants" at an abandoned campsite (well, actually, what he really discovered were tighty whiteys...but no one knows the difference!). Although Eddie is eager to make just as positive an impact on his community as his father did, he soon realizes that success may not be all that it's cracked up to be. Delightful hijinks ensue in a world full of forest animals who look at everything from a slightly skewed point of view. Bear in Underwear is based on the bestselling books by Todd Goldman and written by Goldman and Dave Schiff (That 70s Show, Robot and Monster).
· A History of Radness (for children ages 6-11; live-action)
Written and Executive Produced by Andrew Green (Hannah Montana), A History of Radness captures the authentic experience of aspiring musicians forming their band. The story follows siblings Jack and Tessie from their less-than-cool middle school beginnings at Pleasant Meadows Middle School to the start of their music careers as they put together a band of like-minded musicians, considered outsiders by fellow classmates. The project is directed by award-winning Director Alethea Jones (When the Wind Changes, Lemonade Stand) and Executive Produced by Skot Bright (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Running Down a Dream) and will feature original music written by Hutch Harris of the post-pop-punk trio The Thermals with original score by James Iha (The Smashing Pumpkins, A Perfect Circle). Musician Henry Rollins (Sons of Anarchy, Black Flag) guest stars as Coach Carlucci and Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds and Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino lend narration.
· The Kicks (for children ages 6-11; live-action)
Devin Burke was the star player on her soccer team back home until her family moved to California midway through the school year. Now, Devin has to rise to the challenge after discovering that her new school team has been on a losing streak over the last few months and is badly in need of a leader to rally the team together. Based on a book series by US Olympic Gold Medalist and current US Women's National Team soccer player Alex Morgan and adapted by David Babcock (Brothers & Sisters, Gilmore Girls), the project is Executive Produced by Babcock, Todd Cohen (Kath & Kim) and novelist James Frey and his company Full Fathom Five and directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum (Ramona & Beezus, Aquamarine).
About Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios recently debuted new episodes of its first live-action series for kids six to 11, Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street, and has also launched three additional children's series, the Annecy, Annie and multi-Emmy award-winning
TUMBLE LEAF from Bix Pix Entertainment;
CREATIVE GALAXY from Angela C. Santomero and Out of the Blue Enterprises, the creators of Blue's Clues; and Emmy-nominated and Youth Media Alliance Awards Grand Prize winner Annedroids, from Sinking Ship Entertainment. All four children's series have been picked up for second seasons and honored by the Parents' Choice Foundation. The studio has also debuted its first original drama series
BOSCH based on Michael Connelly's best-selling books; dramatic comedy
MOZART IN THE JUNGLE from Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and Paul Weitz, and Jill Soloway's multi-Golden Globe Award-winning dark comedy Transparent.
Amazon Studios has also announced eight additional, original series will premiere in 2015 and early 2016 exclusive to Amazon, including kids series Wishenpoof, Just Add Magic, and The Stinky & Dirty Show as well as original series Hand of God, Mad Dogs, The Man in the High Castle, docu-series The New Yorker Presents, Red Oaks, and second seasons of Transparent,
MOZART IN THE JUNGLE and Bosch.
In 2015 Amazon Studios will begin to produce and acquire original movies for theatrical release, followed by early window availability exclusively for Prime members.
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 online and Amazon Studios will read and review all submissions. Those who choose to make their projects public can also receive feedback from the Amazon Studios community.
About Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime members have instant access to stream tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, including award-winning Amazon Original Series, available on Prime Instant Video at no additional cost to their membership. In addition, new release movies like Gone Girl, Boyhood and Birdman as well as classics like the Star Wars saga along with in-season shows like The Walking Dead,
SCANDAL and
BETTER CALL SAUL are also available for rent or purchase on
Amazon Instant Video for all customers to stream and enjoy.
Customers can watch shows and movies with the
Amazon Instant Video app. The
Amazon Instant Video app is available on hundreds of devices including connected TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Xbox and PlayStation, as well as on mobile devices like Fire phone, Fire tablets, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Customers can also watch online at Amazon.com/PIV. Prime Instant Video is also the only U.S. online-only subscription streaming service that enables offline viewing--on a plane, on vacation, and anywhere else where you may not have Wi-Fi.
Amazon Prime members have exclusive access to popular TV series at no additional cost to their membership. Prime members can enjoy binge-worthy TV shows including Amazon Original Series airing now such as multi-Golden Globe winning series, Transparent, the hour-long drama, Bosch, based on Michael Connelly's best-selling books, the Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman comedy,
MOZART IN THE JUNGLE and the political comedy starring John Goodman, Alpha House, in addition to
HBO favorites like The Sopranos,
TRUE BLOOD and Six Feet Under, and popular primetime series including 24, Covert Affairs, Downton Abbey, Extant, Falling Skies, Grimm, Hannibal, Justified, Orphan Black, Teen Wolf, The Americans,
UNDER THE DOME and Veronica Mars. Prime members also have access to a collection of kids shows now airing including Amazon Original Series' Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street and the Annecy, Annie and multi-Emmy Award-winning
TUMBLE LEAF from Bix Pix Entertainment, as well as popular shows from
Nickelodeon and
Nick Jr. including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, Blue's Clues and The Bubble Guppies.
In addition to tens of thousands of titles to instantly stream, the Amazon Prime membership (www.amazon.com/primevideo) includes one million songs and hundreds of playlists with Prime Music, unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items, early access to select Lightning Deals, unlimited photo storage, and access to more than 800,000 books all for $99 a year.
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
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.
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