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“We found that, inspired by a refl ection of the world we
live in today, the social and emotional learning and wellbeing
of their children is top of mind,” says Kanter. Parents
and caregivers who took part in the research said they
wanted their children to be confi dent, a good friend, part of a
group and have the self-confi dence to ask questions.
Though social development has always been part of the
House of Mouse’s preschool off erings, Kanter says Disney
Junior now has a stronger mandate to create richness in
social skills, which it is doing through classic storytelling.
“There has been a huge emphasis on academic curriculum,
and if you look at shows for preschoolers over
the last two years, good storytelling has actually receded
a bit in favor of some of these elements,” says Kanter.
Watching how a character handles a problem, deals with
confl ict, uses his or her moral compass, and diff erentiates
between good and bad are key storytelling elements
Kanter says are built in to the preschool channel’s new
original series, Jake and Never Land Pirates. A strong adventurous
narrative sees Jake and his crew using teamwork
to battle with Captain Hook for the stolen treasure.
However, Kanter explains that the series has a strong focus
on the emotional, personal side of confl ict resolution.
“We address what you do when someone is a little mean
and misguided, and show that you need to have a certain
amount of empathy and generosity.”
38 February/March 2011
The channel has also picked up Doc McStuffi ns from
Dublin, Ireland-based Brown Bag Films. The CGI series
features a six-year-old girl nicknamed Doc who communicates
with and heals stuff ed animals in her backyard
clinic. “There’s an element of fantasy and storytelling that
will resonate with kids,” says Kanter. And besides softening
kids up for those scary doctor’s visits, Doc is a nurturer
who can’t help but care for those around her.
Jake and the Never
Land Pirates uses
strong storytelling
to teach empathy