This Valentine's Day weekend, February 12-14, animation lovebirds can watch a couple of Valentine-themed specials on Nickelodeon and ABC. Nickelodeon will air “An Off-Beats Valentine's Special” on February 12 at 8:00 p.m. and the 14th at 1:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Based on “The Off-Beats,” a series of shorts created at Curious Pictures by Mo Willems, which appear on Nickelodeon's animated sketch comedy show “Kablam!,” the special features four adorably hapless kids who are tormented by the Populars. "We've had the same team of independent animators and voiceover kids for the past four years, so everyone really understood their characters and was ready to jam," says director Willems about this first ‘Off-Beats’ half-hour special. ABC offers the world premiere of “Winnie The Pooh, A Valentine For You” on Saturday, February 13 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT). In addition, three “Disney's Mouseworks” cartoons will have their broadcast premiere in the half-hour that follows the Pooh special. The cartoons, “Pluto Gets The Paper: Bubble Gum,” “Mickey's New Car” and “Maestro Minnie: William Tell Overture” will be accompanied by the Winnie the Pooh cartoon “GroundPiglet Day,” an animated short about Groundhog's Day.


Meet Mo! Mo Willems led “A Conversation with: Arlene Sherman and Abby Terkuhle” in the September 1997 issue of Animation World Magazine. Read what CTW’s and MTV’s top execs, along with Mo, had to say about independents working in America.