Press Release from Nickelodeon
NEW YORK, July 27 -- Preschoolers' passports will be stamped to join Kai-lan on an overseas adventure in the new hour-long Ni Hao, Kai-lan special, "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China," premiering Friday, Aug. 14, at 10:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. The special takes Kai-lan, Yeye and friends on a trip to China to visit Kai-lan's great aunt and attend the naming ceremony of a baby panda. Actress Ming-Na (ER, Joy Luck Club) guest stars as the voice of Kai-lan's Great Aunt Gu Nai Nai. "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China" will encore Sunday, Aug. 16, at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on sister network NOGGIN.
"Kai-lan's Great Trip to China' is infused with rich cultural traditions, from the Chinese noodles the characters eat to the decorative slippers they wear," said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group. "As preschoolers travel to China with Kai-lan, they will learn the importance of experiencing new cultures and trying new things."
In "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China," Kai-lan and her friends fly over the ocean and Great Wall of China to visit Kai-lan's great aunt and Yeye's sister, Gu Nai Nai. The group is invited to attend a very special ceremony where a baby panda will be given his name. Kai-lan and her friends travel around the village to search for the baby panda's gifts and are amazed by all of the interesting things they see in China. Along the way, the viewers must help Rintoo, Tolee, Hoho and the baby panda overcome their fears of trying something new so they don't miss the special naming ceremony at sundown.
Nickelodeon will roll out content from "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China" across the following platforms:
-- Beginning Aug. 3, clips from "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China," and other new-to-VOD episodes of Ni Hao, Kai-lan, and character spots will be available via Nickelodeon on Demand.-- Beginning Aug. 10, Nick Jr. Video, Nick Jr.'s broadband video service available on Nickjr.com, will begin streaming a two-minute 'sneak peek' and clips from "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China," plus additional episodes from Ni Hao, Kai-lan-- Beginning Aug. 10, a two-minute sneak peek of "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China" and additional Ni Hao, Kai-lan clips will be available on various wireless carriers.-- On Aug. 14, the premiere of "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China" will be simulcast on Nickelodeon Mobile.
Nick Jr.'s award-winning website (www.nickjr.com) will feature two interactive games and activities to complement the premiere of "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China." Nickjr.com currently features the "Meet the Baby Panda" game where kids go online and guess which name the Baby Panda should receive at its' naming party. Beginning, Aug. 5, Nickjr.com will feature the "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China" game where Kai-lan travels across China to find presents for the Baby Panda's naming party. The website will also feature recipes, printables, crafts and more.
Currently available in retail stores nationwide, is the Ni Hao, Kai-lan: "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China" DVD. Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, "Kai-lan's Great Trip to China" includes the title episode plus two additional new-to-DVD episodes from the series and a new game.
Ni Hao, Kai-lan, created by Karen Chau and executive produced by Mary Harrington, is the first original half-hour series that teaches Mandarin words and phrases and Chinese culture to preschoolers. Ni Hao, Kai-lan is also Nickelodeon's first play-along, think-along series to feature an intergenerational family. Through the eyes of a five-year-old Chinese-American girl named Kai-lan, the series explores the colorful aspects of her upbringing and background, her relationships with her family and friends and the world around her.
The series focuses on issues common to preschoolers such as taking turns, disappointment and jealousy, and supports an emotional intelligence curriculum highlighting cause and effect thinking in the social/emotional world. Ni Hao, Kai-lan provides simple coping strategies, set to song, that teach valuable lessons. Kai-lan strives to understand how things are linked together and she always wants to find out the reason why. Every episode follows the adventures of Kai-lan and her friends as they learn to identify their emotions and stop to consider the feelings of others.
