PBS KIDS Kicks Off Spring With New WILD KRATTS And NATURE CAT Movies, New Series, & More

There is so much in store for kids and families from PBS KIDS this spring.

From the premiere of TINY TIME TRAVEL, an exciting series of live-action shorts, to new WILD KRATTS and NATURE CAT movies, plus the debut of MOLLY OF DENALI Season 4, new series MILO, new shorts series DONKEY HODIE BEDTIME STORIES, and new episodes of DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD, the learning-rich fun will be in full bloom all season long.

“This spring, PBS KIDS provides an opportunity for families to embark on exciting adventures with kids' favorite characters, and a chance to meet some new ones, too,” said Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS. “Our content this season aims to nurture an appreciation of the natural world among our young audiences while also sharing important life lessons and reinforcing some of the key social skills kids need for success in school and beyond.”

Leading off the spring line-up on March 15 is TINY TIME TRAVEL, a new series of funny and fast-paced live-action shorts. It follows 11-year-old inventor, Tyler, and his outgoing best friend, Tony, as they use their time machine to go back in time a tiny bit (sometimes just a few minutes or hours) to solve problems in their neighborhood, like stopping a friend from spoiling a movie, or giving a customer a re-do after an ordering mistake at a restaurant. Even though Tony and Tyler can only time travel a tiny bit, they always manage to help their friends and neighbors just in time.

TINY TIME TRAVEL aims to help kids ages 5-8 learn social language skills, like understanding nonverbal communication, taking others' perspectives into account, and resolving miscommunication. The series is created by Tim McKeon (ODD SQUAD, GRAVITY FALLS) and produced by Marobru Productions and Easy as Pie Productions LLC, and will consist of twelve 5–7-minute episodes.

March also brings the Season 4 premiere of the award-winning animated series MOLLY OF DENALI on the 25th. Produced by GBH Boston, MOLLY OF DENALI follows the adventures of 10-year-old Molly Mabray, an Alaska Native girl who lives in the fictional village of Qyah, Alaska. The new episodes follow Molly as she continues exploring with friends and family, from tracking down a fallen meteorite with Tooey, to connecting with her heritage by building a kiidhah zhee (a traditional steam bath) to help cure her mom's cold, to helping a rival basketball team find an authentic mascot to represent their team.

In addition to the series' underlying Informational Text curriculum, season 4 also incorporates media literacy learning. One example is highlighted in a story where Molly posts online about a bat she found in her attic. She finds out just how fast information can spread on the internet, and how it may not always be accurate.   

Next up are new movies from two hit PBS KIDS series, WILD KRATTS and NATURE CAT. In WILD KRATTS: Our Blue and Green World, premiering April 1, the Kratt brothers disagree on what's better: blue oceans or green forests. Aviva takes on the role of referee to demonstrate how oceans and forests work together to make our living planet, just like Martin and Chris need to keep working together.

It's up to the gang to get Martin and Chris back in sync in time to save planet Earth from Zach and Paisley Paver's villainous plans. A new game, “World Rescue,” accompanies the movie special in April and will be available on the PBS KIDS Games app and pbskids.org, with new episodes of WILD KRATTS premiering April 2.

And in NATURE CAT's Nature Movie Special Extraordinaire, debuting April 22, NATURE CAT and his friends are trying to figure out what their movie special is about when Sir Galahad (voiced by Chris Parnell), who's now anointed himself KING Galahad, begins taking things from nature to makes his castle look more beautiful. It's up to the gang to show him a better way to appreciate the natural beauty of their world before he does more damage to their favorite place. The special features three original songs written by Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning Bill Sherman and performed by the cast: Taran Killam, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Moynihan, and Kate Micucci.

New short-form series NATURE CHAT WITH NATURE CAT will debut digitally also on April 22. In the shorts, NATURE CAT speaks directly to fans about how they can help make the world a better place. Harkening back to clips from across all five seasons of the series, with the help of his production assistant Gary the squirrel, NATURE CAT explores ten different sustainability topics ranging from composting and water conservation to upcycling, avoiding food waste, and more.

Kids and families can also spring into the season together with MILO, a series co-produced by Fourth Wall and DeAPlaneta Entertainment that follows an adventurous cat who loves to use role-play to explore the amazing world of jobs and vocations with his best friends, Lofty and Lark. Milo loves meeting all of the different people who come into his parents' dry-cleaning shop to get their outfits cleaned. Milo is curious about what it would be like to be a fireman, or a detective, or an astronaut, and many other kinds of jobs when he grows up. So, off he goes with his friends on an exciting role-play adventure. MILO will premiere across PBS KIDS streaming platforms on May 13.

New episodes of DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD premiere on May 6, exploring concepts like putting things away and finding surprises wherever we are, followed by new short form series DONKEY HODIE BEDTIME STORIES, which will premiere on May 27 across streaming platforms. These shorts from the popular puppet series DONKEY HODIE include eight, 5–6-minute videos designed to fit perfectly into kids' bedtime routines. In each video, Donkey Hodie, Purple Panda, Duck Duck, or Bob Dog reads a bedtime story to the viewer and models their own strategy for calm-downing down before bed.

Families can stream PBS KIDS for free anytime, anywhere (no subscription needed), and can visit pbskidsforparents.org for activities and everyday fun, including resources for parents and caregivers to help extend the learning beyond the classroom this spring.

TINY TIME TRAVEL is part of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS Ready To Learn Initiative with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The Ready To Learn Initiative is a federal program that supports the development of innovative educational television and digital media targeted to preschool and early elementary school children and their families. Additionally, MOLLY OF DENALI, NATURE CAT's Nature Movie Special Extraordinaire, and NATURE CHAT WITH NATURE CAT were funded by CPB.

About PBS KIDS 

PBS KIDS believes the world is full of possibilities, and so is every child. As the number one educational media brand for kids, PBS KIDS helps children ages 2-8 learn lessons that last a lifetime. Through media and community-based programs, PBS KIDS wants children to see themselves uniquely reflected and celebrated in lovable, diverse characters who serve as positive role models, and to explore their feelings and discover new adventures along the way. Families can stream PBS KIDS for free anytime, no subscription required.

A large collection of mobile apps and pbskids.org provide accessible content that spark kids' curiosity. PBS KIDS and local stations across the country support the entire ecosystem in which children learn and grow – including their teachers and caregivers, parents, and community – providing resources accessible anytime and anywhere.

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