NEW YORK – Sing It, Laurie!, the new animated musical preschool series co-created by best-selling children’s recording artist Laurie Berkner and Little Airplane Productions’ Josh Selig is coming to 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout. The short-form series will debut exclusively on the network beginning Monday, March 25. Sing It, Laurie! is the first collaboration between Laurie and Little Airplane, the Emmy Award-winning studio behind Wonder Pets and Small Potatoes.
Starring Laurie’s voice and featuring her original music written for the series, Sing It, Laurie! is about a little girl who uses her music and songs to help her better understand the world. In every episode, Laurie sings a song about a theme such as dressing up, having a party or making artwork. The series also stars Grammy Award-nominated recording artist Lisa Loeb who performs the roles of twin sisters, Mellie and Nellie. The music for the show was produced at Little Airplane by four-time Emmy Award-winner Jeffrey Lesser (Wonder Pets) and was designed by Little Airplane's Art Director, Cassandra Gibbons who also directed many episodes.
The Sing It, Laurie! curriculum focuses on music and was written by Dr. Christine Ricci, who has worked on many preschool television series including Go, Diego, Go and Dora the Explorer.
Partners on the series include Razor & Tie, the largest privately owned independent music label in North America, and Tsumanga Studios, a games developer and publisher based in Scotland.
“Writing for Sing It, Laurie! has been a real exploration for me,” said Laurie Berkner. “I feel so lucky to have been able to work closely with Josh Selig, whose work I have long admired, and all the other wonderfully creative people at Little Airplane Productions. Sprout is just the right place for these songs that are so beautifully expressed by Little Airplane in the colorful and playful animation. I can’t wait for us to share them with everyone!”
"It has been such a pleasure working with my friend Laurie Berkner and all of our amazing partners on Sing it, Laurie!" said Selig. "We all agree that Sprout’s spirit, energy and commitment to helping young children grow and learn make it the ideal home for our new show."
“We couldn’t be happier to have such an amazing children’s recording artist joining our network,” said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming, Sprout. “Laurie is a preschool powerhouse known for her instantly catchy, relatable children’s songs and innovative style. Coupled with the beautiful animation provided by Little Airplane Productions, Sing It, Laurie! is sure to be a hit with our Sprout viewers.”
In addition to Sing It, Laurie, Sprout will be introducing a variety of music videos into its afternoon block between the hours of noon and 4:00 p.m. ET, featuring other popular children’s artists such as The Wiggles. Also in conjunction with the debut of musical afternoons on Sprout, a music microsite will be launching on SproutOnline.com [1] where preschoolers and their families can watch full-length videos on a special video player, and play games such as Sing It Laurie Musical Adventures and Chica’s Costume Concert. Additional videos featuring some of Laurie’s most popular songs will also be available online.
Source: Little Airplane
Links:
[1] http://www.sproutonline.com/