Tag Archives: Family Channel

Children's Programming, Industry News

WildBrain Television announces three more original greenlights from Canadian producers exclusive to Family Channel

From a media release:

WildBrain Television, one of Canada’s most-loved kids’ and family broadcast networks, announces that Family Channel, its flagship broadcast network, has greenlit three new content projects across live-action and animation, in partnership with independent Canadian producers. Exclusive to WildBrain Television in Canada, the new content will begin rolling out across the company’s broadcast and digital channels this September, continuing into 2023. WildBrain has also acquired global distribution rights for all three properties.

Heading up the live-action slate is Life with Luca, the 90-minute spin-off feature film of the beloved franchise, Life with Derek. Produced by Shaftesbury as an original commission by WildBrain’s Family Channel, the movie recently wrapped filming in Southern Ontario and will premiere on the network in early 2023. WildBrain is also now the exclusive worldwide distributor of the classic Life with Derek library (70×22′) and an earlier spin-off film, Vacation with Derek (1×90′).

­WildBrain Television’s animation lineup features Slugterra: Ascension, produced in partnership with Epic Story Media. The shorts will premiere exclusively on WildBrainTV in Canada in a sneak peek on September 5 at 2:50 p.m. ET, with new episodes beginning September 18 at 11:45 a.m. ET, before rolling out globally across WildBrain Spark’s Slugterra YouTube channels. Also newly greenlit is an expanded order of five half-hours to the popular new series Summer Memories, produced in partnership with A&N Productions, Aircraft Pictures and Yeti Farm Creative. Summer Memories debuted on Family Channel this summer, and the new stories will begin airing on Family Channel in 2023.

Life with Luca­ ­(1 x 90′) – coming to Family Channel early 2023

Life with Luca is the spin-off of the long-running, beloved franchise Life with Derek. The movie picks up fifteen years later and follows Derek (Michael Seater) and Casey (Ashley Leggat) as they each navigate parenthood and raise distinctly different teenagers. Derek is a successful musician in Paris and the single dad of a 14-year-old girl named Skyler (Isabel Rose Silva) who is smart, funny, and studious and who has recently been testing the boundaries set by her father. Casey is a lawyer and a married mother of three in Toronto and is quite comfortable setting limits, though her eldest, 14-year-old Luca (Marcus Cornwall)—lover of pranks, gaming, and skateboarding—is constantly crossing them. Both Derek and Casey spontaneously decide to surprise their own parents at their recently constructed ‘forever home’ in rural Ontario but encounter each other instead. Casey and Derek are happy to see each other, but the teenaged cousins—who have barely seen each other over the years (and never really liked what they saw)—don’t get along at all, uniting only to get into serious trouble.

The 90-minute live-action film is produced by Shaftesbury, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and Shaw Rocket Fund, as an original commission by WildBrain’s Family Channel. The movie is set to debut on Family Channel in February 2023.

Life with Luca was created by Life with Derek series creator, Daphne Ballon and Life with Derek writer, Jeff Biederman. Ron Murphy (Jann, Trailer Park Boys) directs. Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Liz Levine, and Jennifer McCann are executive producers, and Marek Posival and Alex House are producers.

Slugterra: Ascension ­(20 x 4′) – coming to WildBrainTV and Family Channel fall 2022

The wait is over! For the first time in six years Eli Shane, Trixie Sting, and the slugs are back with more comedy, action, and exciting escapades in Slugterra: Ascension. After a rockslide leaves them trapped alone with only a few of their slugs, Eli and Trixie have to be smart and strategic to outwit and outrun villainous twins Locke and Lode and their deadly gattler blasters—that is until they find the legendary Universal Slug! At first glance “Uni” looks like any derpy little flopper. But once transformed, this powerful creature can imitate any slug’s strongest move! Too bad it comes with a price Eli and Trixie won’t be happy about paying. The twenty brand-new four-minute CG-animated shorts will join the classic library of Slugterra episodes, the fan-favourite adventure series set deep underground where fierce opponents collect, train and battle it out with their arsenals of fantastical transforming slugs.

Slugterra was created by Asaph Fipke, and Slugterra: Ascension is produced in association with Epic Story Media’s Ken Faier, acting as executive producer, along with showrunner Nancy Lees. The new series was animated at Island of Misfits (IOM) in Halifax. Additional executive producers include WildBrain’s Josh Scherba, Stephanie Betts and Anne Loi, and IOM’s Meaghan Clark. The series was directed by IOM’s Don Urquhart and produced by Epic Story Media’s Christine Cote and Marlene Schmidt.

Summer Memories ­(5 x 30′) – new episodes coming to Family Channel in 2023

Summer Memories adds five half-hours to the popular new series Summer Memories which launched this summer on Family Channel. The new stories dive further into the world and characters, following the adventures of best friends Jason and Ronnie as Jason looks back on the most pivotal summer of his life (which was just a few weeks ago). This is Jason’s summer of change…and he fears change. Lucky for him, he has charismatic, life adventurer Ronnie at his side. Summer Memories transcends time, space and memory—the good and the bad—as it chronicles Jason and Ronnie’s sweet, fun-filled relationship.

Summer Memories was created by veteran animator/producer Adam Yaniv and produced by A&N Productions, Aircraft Pictures and Yeti Farm Creative, with the financial support of the Canada Media Fund and Shaw Rocket Fund.

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Children's Programming

Family Channel enrols at Malory Towers

From a media release:

This summer, WildBrain Television’s Family Channel will be brimming with midnight feasts, oceanside swims, lacrosse, pranks, sweets, and lasting friendships as the charming new Malory Towers series launches with a two-episode premiere event on Wednesday, July 1 at 11 am ET/PT. Set in post-war Britain on the sun-drenched cliffs of the Cornish coast, Malory Towers is based on Enid Blyton’s hugely popular novel series and follows the adventures of 12-year-old Darrell Rivers, played by newcomer Ella Bright, as she leaves home to attend an all-girls’ boarding school.

Co-produced by WildBrain and the UK’s King Bert Productions, Malory Towers explores universal experiences such as shifting cliques, FOMO, bullying, crushes, peer pressure, and self-doubt. The girls keep an eye on each other and, like a family, are forever connected by their shared experiences. During the double-episode premiere event, Darrell Rivers settles in for her first day at Malory Towers. Always in the thick of it, Darrell has a hairy start at the train station and when odd sounds are heard in the dorm, she learns about the ghost of Lady Jane Malory! However, in awe of her brilliant new surroundings, she keeps her past at her old school, St. Hilda’s, a closely guarded secret.

In the second episode, a jealous Gwen is determined to find out more about Darrell’s past and leaves the school in pursuit of the truth—will Darrell be able to find her before her secret is revealed? Tune in on July 1st to find out! Those who can’t enrol on Canada Day, can enjoy an encore screening of episodes one and two at 6pm ET/PT on July 7th and 8th. From July 9, brand new episodes will run from Tuesday to Friday at 6pm ET/PT, so you won’t have to wait to enjoy all of this wonderful series!

Malory Towers also stars Jennifer Wigmore (Anne with an E) as Headmistress Miss Grayling; Imali Perera (The Handmaid’s Tale) as Miss Potts; and Ashley McGuire as Matron. Rounding out the cast are Zoey Siewert, Twinkle Jaiswal, Danya Griver, and Natasha Raphael alongside newcomers Sienna Arif Knights, Beth Bradfield, Saskia Kemkers, and Imogen Lamb.

An official Canada-UK treaty co-production, Malory Towers is adapted for television by Rachel Flowerday and Sasha Hails. Executive producers for WildBrain are Josh Scherba, Anne Loi, and Michael Goldsmith, with Jo Sargent serving as executive producer for King Bert Productions. The series is produced by King Bert’s Grainne McNamara and WildBrain’s Angela Boudreault, and directed by Rebecca Rycroft (Evermore Chronicles, So Awkward) and Bruce McDonald (Creeped Out, Heartland, Dark Matter).Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Children's Programming

Spring into March with My Perfect Landing, from the creator of The Next Step

From a media release:

Friendship, laughter and some amazing gymnastics are coming to Family Channel this March in the new series My Perfect Landing, premiering as a one-hour television event on Sunday, March 1 at 11:30 a.m. ET/PT. From the creator of the award-winning series The Next Step, Frank van Keeken, the family friendly drama stars real-life competitive gymnast Morgan Wigle as Jenny Cortez, a talented young gymnast who moves to a new city when her family gets the opportunity to run their own gymnastics club. Fans who can’t wait to vault right in can check out the My Perfect Landing YouTube Channel as exclusive video content, including cast video diaries, gymnastics tips and more, will be released beginning Friday, February 21!

The My Perfect Landing premiere kicks off Family’s amazing Free Preview for the full month of March, which includes an incredible line-up of series premieres, like Boss Baby: Back in Business and Holly Hobbie season 2; fan-favourites, like American Ninja Warrior Jr. and Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese; and must-see movies, like The Peanuts Movie and The Fault in Our Stars – all of which and more are sure to make screen time, family time this March!

Filmed last summer in Toronto and Miami, My Perfect Landing centres around aspiring young gymnast, Jenny Cortez, and her family, as they move from Miami to Toronto to open their own gymnastics club. Despite the fresh start, Jenny’s mom won’t allow her to compete at a high-level out of fear she’ll injure herself. With a little encouragement from her new best friends, and some secret training with her Grandpa – a former competitive gymnast himself – Jenny decides to follow her dreams and live up to the legacy of her mother and grandfather.

In the series premiere, debuting on Family Sunday, March 1 at 11:30 a.m. ET/PT, Jenny’s mom loses her job and moves her two kids to Toronto to start a gymnastics club with her father. Jenny is happy to discover her new school has a gymnastics team. Jenny goes behind her mother’s back and tries out for the team, but the captain of the team feels threatened by Jenny’s talent and blackmails her into quitting. Following the one-hour premiere special, new episodes of My Perfect Landing will continue to air Sundays at 11:30 a.m. ET/PT beginning March 15.

My Perfect Landing also stars Tom Hulshof as Jenny’s brother, Joon Cortez; Helena Marie as Jenny’s mother, Whitney Cortez; Shawn Alex Thompson as Jenny’s Grandfather, Gus McIlroy; Jordan Clark (The Next Step), Francesca van Keeken (The Next Step), and newcomers Ajanae Stephenson, Natasha Zaborski, Holly Belbeck, Abby Stretch, Keira Still, Luca Assad, Osias Reid, Leonidas Castrounis, Parker Lauzon and Hailey Vynychenko. My Perfect Landing is produced by Beachwood Canyon Productions in association with Family Channel and is executive produced by Frank van Keeken, Yolanda Yott and van Keeken’s Beachwood Canyon Production team. Andrew Barnsley (Schitt’s Creek, JANN) and Ben Murray (JANN, Working the Engels) also serve as executive producers. International distribution is handled by WildBrain Ltd.

In addition to My Perfect Landing, Family’s March schedule is jam-packed with can’t-miss programming for the entire family, including: the series premiere of Boss Baby: Back in Business on Monday, March 2 at 5 p.m. ET/PT; the return of reality competition series American Ninja Warrior Junior on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m. ET/PT; the season 2 premiere of the popular tween drama Holly Hobbie on Sunday, March 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET/PT; new episodes of Sadie Sparks weekdays at 4:15 p.m. ET/PT; episodes of Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese continuing weekdays at 4:30 p.m. ET/PT; and popular movie titles like The Peanuts Movie, Kung Fu Panda, Charlotte’s Web, Over the Hedge, Open Season, Despicable Me and Shrek.Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Children's Programming, Featured, Podcast

TV Eh B Cs Podcast 89 — Rev & Roll-ing with Scott and Julie Stewart

A family smiles into the camera.Scott & Julie Stewart are an award-winning, Vancouver-based husband and wife team in kids’ animated content. They are showrunners, executive producers, content creators and writers.

Their latest series is Rev & Roll, which airs daily at 8 a.m. ET on Family Jr., and is also available on Family Jr. OnDemand and the Family Channel App. The action-packed show follows eight-year-old Rev, and his best friend Rumble—a powerful truck with a puppy personality—as they go on wild adventures in their town of Fender Bend!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Holly Hobbie

Family Channel’s Holly Hobbie renewed for Season 2

From a media release:

Aircraft Pictures(2018 Academy Award®and Golden Globe Award-nominated producers of the animated feature film The Breadwinner) in association with Cloudco Entertainment (creators and producers of Care Bears: Unlock the Magic)announced today that leading US premium streaming service Hulu has commissioned a second season of the original live-action series Holly Hobbie. Production on the 10-episode order is currently underway in Toronto, with the second season slated to debut on Hulu later this year and on Family Channel in Canada.

Holly Hobbie is a modern revival of the classic, girls’ character brand which was hugely popular in the 1970s and 80s.  The series centres on 14-year-old Holly Hobbie, played by Ruby Jay (Tangled: The Series and CBS’s upcoming primetime comedy The Unicorn),a small-town girl with a big heart and even bigger dreams. Holly’s a singer-songwriter who saves her grandmother’s Calico Café by starting open mic nights and performing original songs to bring her community together.  Holly’s world – and her songwriting – evolves in Season 2 as Holly is cast in a musical  but clashes with its challenging director (Jake Epstein; Degrassi: The Next Class and Designated Survivor), and sparks fly with the arrival of the talented Oscar (Tomaso Sanelli; Titans and Suits), a contemporary of Holly’s who is also a potential music rival and crush.

The season 2 order comes on the heels of an announcement from the Warner Music Group securing the rights to the original music from both seasons of the series and its June 21strelease of the first single from the show, “Be The Change”. The show premiered last autumn on Hulu in the US as a Hulu Original Series, and Family Channel in Canada. CBBC, the leading children’s channel in the UK, will launch the show’s Season 1 this summer with additional market debuts set to be announced shortly including another major market, France.

Holly Hobbie is produced by Aircraft Pictures (The Breadwinner, Bruno & Boots: This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall) in association with Cloudco Entertainment (Care Bears: Unlock The Magic, Tinpo) and Wexworks Media (D.N.Ace, Paw Patrol) with the financial participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund.  Sarah Glinski (Degrassi: Next Class, Degrassi: The Next Generation) returns as showrunner.Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail