Thursday, January 10, 2013

Sofia Uno ... and Other TVA Projects

Today I bopped around Disney TVA (Empire Center) where this show is in production.

... [T]he high ratings that Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess got back in November (This new TV movie wound up being the No. 1 cable telecast of all time among Kids 2-5. Not to mention being No. 1 preschool cable TV telecast among Women 18-49), it's looking increasingly likely that "First" is going to be the type of show that lasts. ...

And given that The Walt Disney Company has so heavily merchandised the other Disney Princesses, would it really surprise you to learn -- earlier this week -- the Disney Store debuted its Sofia the First product line? ...

Princess Sofia was in development a long time. I remember when it was in script and production board phase in Glendale. The project was in the process of becoming for what seemed like forever. The crew working on it now is talented, tight-knit ... and happy the tv movie broke records when it aired last Fall.

But like most television projects, staffing and scheduling for Sofia are tight, so artists work like demons to hit deadlines. As one said today:

I don't get out for long lunches, I can tell you. The show's demanding. There are music sequences, action sequences. And the environments are complex. ...

As noted elsewhere, the new series The 7D is up and rolling out of the station:

Disney Television Animation started production on its new animated series, The 7D; a comedy version of the Seven Dwarfs, this time, set in a modern-day fairytale land, aimed at kids between 2 and 7 years of age.

The series' debut is expected to take place in 2014 through Disney Junior across the world. The announcement was made by Nancy Kanter, SVP original programming and GM at Disney Junior Worldwide.

The 7D's executive producer is Emmy-winner Tom Ruegger (Animaniacs). Alfred Gimeno (Tiny Toon Adventures) is in charge of directing and Sherri Stoner (Pinky and the Brain) is story editor. In addition, the characters are designed by Noah Z. Jones (Pecezuelos).

Early episodes are testing well and management is happy with the direction of the series. Walking through the unit. I noted a lot of talent from WB Animation on board. This seems natural, given Tom R.'s long tenure at Warners.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are there any other projects in development at Disney Television Animation that feature established Disney characters?

It seems like a trend lately. First, "Jake and the Never Land Pirates", then "Sofia the First", and now "The 7D".

Steve Hulett said...

There's another series, not yet announced but WELL underway, that features Disney characters.

I will keep my yap shut until I see news for it someplace.

Anonymous said...

2D or CG? And by Disney characters do you mean like Mickey Mouse & Co. or from Disney's feature films?

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