Cartoon Networks new Saturday 9-11:30 am lineup, launched Jan. 14, 2006, includes three new shows produced outside of the U.S. New series include BEN 10, ROBOT BOY, DRAGON HUNTERS and ZIXX, along with the second season of hit series, THE LIFE & TIMES OF JUNIPER LEE.
Saturday morning used to be the best time for a kid to lie on the living room floor and watch great new cartoons, said Bob Higgins, Cartoon Network svp of programming and production. With this new lineup, we have a great batch of new shows that will bring the pajama-wearing, cereal-munching fun back to Saturday morning.
Following is Cartoon Networks new Saturday lineup:
9:00 am: ROBOTBOY In ROBOTBOY, an adolescent android is designed by a brilliant Japanese scientist to be the ultimate fighting robot. But his inventor, Professor Moshimo, programmed real human emotions into his creation. Robotboy now lives with his pen pal, Tommy Turnbull. When you are a super-powerful robot, youre programmed to handle things just a bit differently than the other kids on the street. Thats why Robot Boy must rely on Tommy and his pals Lola and Gus to help him discover the right way to handle tough situations at school and around the neighborhood ROBOTBOY is produced by Alphanim in France.
9:30 am: THE LIFE & TIMES OF JUNIPER LEE The second season of the hit Cartoon Network series created by Judd Winick joins the Saturday lineup. Juniper has the same obligations as any other pre-teen: school assignments, dinner with the family, band practice. But she also carries out a family tradition as the Te Xuan Ze (the Protector). Juniper is equipped with the strength of 10 people and is highly skilled in magic. The real challenge of being the Te Xuan Ze is balancing her normal pre-teen life with her secret role as Protector.
10:00 am: BEN 10 When 10-year-old Ben Tennyson finds the Omnitrix, a high-tech outerspace gadget that looks suspiciously like a wristwatch, he gets the power to change into 10 alien heroes, each with different abilities. But he can only do so for 10 minutes at a time, and he still acts like a dweeby kid even though he has some incredible powers. Not only that, but now that he can change into Stinkfly, Fourarms, Ghostfreak and other creatures, hes attracted the attention of some real bad guys, ranging from the outerspace villain Vilgax to more pedestrian earthly criminals. Its a good thing for Ben that he has his sage-but-wacky Grandpa and down-to-earth cousin Gwen around to help out in a pinch. BEN 10 is a Cartoon Network Studios production.
10:30 am (beginning Jan. 21): ZIXX An agent for the Intergalactic Network, Zixx crash-lands on Earth only to bring a struggle between good and evil that may threaten the entire universe. A very smart and capable detective, Zixx and her partner, the reptilian Flanngo, team up with some normal teenagers to help them foil the plans of intergalactic bad guys. Zixx blends live action with CGI animation in this entertaining serial adventure from Mainframe Ent. in Canada.
11:00 am: DRAGON HUNTERS Set in the distant future, when dragons have come to be a constant menace to villagers across the various lands, Dragon Hunters follows the adventures of Lian Chu and Gbwizdo as they set out on their wild and comical expeditions. These two characters are not motivated by the noble intentions theyre really out to get paid, even if it means doing some very foolish and dangerous things. So from town to town they venture, promising to rid their customers of Borkbacks, Genegenes, Duratonums or any other firebreathing, snot-blowing, village-wrecking dragon out there. This TV series from Futurikon in France features feature-quality animation.
Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in 88 million U.S. homes and 160 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System Inc.s ad-supported cable service offering original, acquired and classic animated entertainment for kids and families. Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am showcasing original and acquired animation for young adults 18-34.
