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What’s bubbling up in kid content culture
Shorts Program 2012
finalist Pam and Sid’s
Port-a-Party is now in
series development
Tooning up
Disney Junior’s Jake and
the Never Land Pirates is
headed to Netflix
Disney’s cross-platform dominance
Disney’s command of the core kids demos in the TV
ratings game surpassed another milestone for the week of
May 13. Disney Channel US just happened to celebrate its
101st consecutive week as the top-rated network for kids
six to 11 and nine to 14, according to Nielsen numbers.
It also bested rival Nickelodeon that same week by at
least double digits for the 80th consecutive week in the
kids six to 11 demo and the 82nd straight week in the
tweens category. Across platforms, viewers can expect the
momentum to continue, thanks to Disney’s recent deal
with Netflix, which sees the SVOD heavyweight scoop up
the US rights to a total of five Disney Junior and Disney XD
shows including Jake and the Never Land Pirates. With big
things expected from upcoming series such as season two
of Disney Interactive’s Swampy’s Underground Adventures
and Star Wars Rebels from Disney-owned Lucasfilm
Animation, a few more milestones may be on the horizon
for the media giant.
Kabillion extends its reach
On-demand kids entertainment network Kabillion is
tapping into the ongoing trend of providing more content.
It recently partnered with Saban Brands to launch a new
Vortexx-branded VOD channel and is also joining forces
with Maker Studios, an indie network on YouTube that
has more than 10,000 channels and 165 million content
subscribers. Kabillion’s new Vortexx channel, which will
co-exist with the existing boy-skewing Vortexx TV block
and online hub, will see Power Rangers Lost Galaxy and
Sonic X both debut this month, followed by Dragon Ball Z
Kai in July. On YouTube, Kabillion programming debuted on
Maker’s US Cartoonium channel in April, while it also took
the opportunity to beef up its own presence at YouTube.
com/Kabillion. Considering Kabillion will receive additional
development, production, promotion, distribution, sales
and marketing service support from Maker, it may see its
roughly six million monthly on-demand views and reach of
40 million US households expand significantly.
Nick retools animation approach
with thriving reborn shorts program
With its Animated Shorts Program attracting 900 pitches
this year—an increase of 300 from last year’s inaugural reborn
program—Nickelodeon is proving good things come in
small formats.
“The shorts program is about being experimental again,
testing new models and finding innovative creators of comedy-driven
kids content,” says Nick’s SVP of animation development, Jenna
Boyd. “As it’s turned out, we’ve discovered some incredible creators, directors,
comedians and artists.”
Four of the 12 original concepts chosen as finalists this year could potentially
be turned into one-minute comedy shorts for Nickelodeon, the new
Nick App and Nick.com. On deck are: Bug Salad from Sanjay and Craig director
Carl Faruolo; Earmouse and Bottle conceived by storyboard artist Brian
Morante; Welcome to Woodstump created by artist Zach Smith; and Jack Cusumano’s
Broats.
Looking at the progress of last year’s finalists, six of the 12 chosen shorts
are currently in series development (including Pam and Sid’s Port-a-Party from
Groundling alums Mindy Sterling and Annie Sertich) and two are set for pilot
orders. Most of the shorts are available on Nick.com and all of them will head to
the Nick App, which is growing in popularity, attracting more than one million
users since launching in February.
“Because we have the Nick App, we finally have a distribution platform for
original shorts that allows for immediate audience feedback,” says Boyd.
“The shorts program, which is open to all styles [2D, digital 2D, CGI, stop motion,
mixed media], also challenges the way we look at our pilot process. Now that
we have a great distribution model with the app, we can pilot with the short in our
traditional development, too.”
Boyd notes that when a short expresses a simple idea in style, tone and voice
with clear, strong character dynamics, it’s a solid jumping-off point for series
development. “Platforms like YouTube have shown that kids digest comedy in
shorter forms,” she adds. “It doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy an 11- or 22-minute
cartoon, but a two- to four-minute short can translate into an 11-minute
toon very well if it has the core character and relationship attributes you can
build on.”
And as the shorts program is proving to have worldwide appeal, Nick is
planning an international launch in the coming months. Nina Hahn, Nickelodeon’s
London-based SVP of international production and development,
extended the 2013 submission deadline until Annecy (which takes place later
this month in France) to take international pitches. –Jeremy Dickson
May/June 2013
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