Netflix unveils preschool slate

US streaming giant Netflix is launching seven original preschool series.

Melissa Cobb

Netflix said the shows, aimed at kids aged two to six, are designed for diverse audiences and cover a range of genres and formats.

They comprise Dragons Rescue Riders, Hello Ninja, StarBeam, Go, Dog Go!, What-To-Doodles, Izzy Bee’s Koala World and Emily’s Wonder Lab.

Five of the shows are CG-animated. Dragons Rescue Riders is a comedy adventure series that follows on from DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon franchise. It is exec produced by Jack Thomas and Brian K Roberts, with TJ Sullivan directing.

From Thunderbird company Atomic Cartoons, Hello Ninja is based on the picture book of the same name by ND Wilson. Wilson is exec producing alongside Mark Palmer, who is also acting as showrunner. Michael Dowding is directing.

StarBeam is produced by Kickstart Entertainment and tells the story of a second-grader called Zoey who transforms into a superhero. Jason Netter, Loris Kramer Lunsford and Heather Puttock are exec producing.

A second series in the slate from DreamWorks, Go, Dog Go! is coproduced with DHX Media, based on the children’s book of the same name by PD Eastman. Adam Peltzman is exec producing and acting as showrunner.

The final CG show, produced by 7ate9 Entertainment, is What-To-Doodles, which teaches young viewers what to do in everyday social experiences and firsts. It is created by Art Spigel and Hannah Kole, with Doug Wood as story editor.

Izzy Bee’s Koala World is a non-fiction live-action series about 11-year-old Izzy Bee, known as the Koala Whisperer, who lives on Australia’s Magnetic Island where she rescues and rehabilitates koalas with her parents. The series is produced in partnership with The Dodo and Nomadica Films. Exec producing are Jared McGillard, Izzie Lerer, Suzanne Kolb and Elizabeth Keyishian.

Finally, Emily’s Wonder Lab follows Emily Calandrelli as she takes kids through lively experiments and entertaining activities. The live-action series is created and produced by Bunim Murray Productions. Calandrelli is exec producing with Gil Goldschein, Maria Peppin and Trish Gold.

“With high-quality, age-appropriate programming for kids at every age and stage, we want to help young people find and connect with the stories and characters they love on Netflix,” said Melissa Cobb, VP of original animation at Netflix.

“We are also here to empower parents to find the shows that are just right for their families during whatever time they feel is appropriate to enjoy entertainment.”

In related news, Netflix is also launching a new Arabic original drama series called Dollar. Set in modern-day Lebanon, Dollar follows an advertising mastermind tasked with coming up with a million-dollar idea for the launch of a new bank.

Directed by Syrian director Samer Berkawi and written by Hisham Hilal, Dollar is produced by Middle Eastern prodco Cedars Art Production – Sabbah Brothers. The 15-episode series will be available on Netflix from August 8 subtitled in 20 languages.