Disney's LITTLE EINSTEINS, a new series for preschoolers, premieres with two episodes in a special primetime presentation Oct. 9, 2005, at 7:00 and 7:30 pm, on the Disney Channel.
Beginning Oct. 10, LITTLE EINSTEINS will air in its regular timeslot, daily at 8:00 am during Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney programming block. A second telecast airs weekdays at 12:30 pm.
Also premiering immediately after each telecast of LITTLE EINSTEINS is JOHNNY & THE SPRITES, at 7:25 and 7:55 pm. This music-filled series stars Tony Award-nominee John Tartaglia (of the Broadway and Las Vegas productions of AVENUE Q) who brings his puppetry magic to kids television in this imaginative short-form series. JOHNNY & THE SPRITES will also air daily as of Oct. 10 at 8:25 am during Playhouse Disney.
LITTLE EINSTEINS is an innovative new TV series for toddlers, emanating from the popular videos and CDs from The Baby Einstein Co., intended to spark the curiosity of children with fun new ways to enjoy classical music, art and the wonders of nature.
A team of four relatable "peers" include six-year-old Leonardo who acts as the conductor; his four-year-old sister Annie, who loves to sing; their neighbors, a five-year-old African American boy named Quincy who is a musical virtuoso, and six-year-old June, a talented dancer of Asian descent. They meet in Leo and Annie's backyard clubhouse and with their amazing escort, the dynamic Rocket together they blast off on "the mission of the day." An adventure could be Rocket taking them dipping through Van Gogh's Starry Night among other interesting new "places."
In the LITTLE EINSTEINS premiere episode, "I Love to Conduct," Leo uses his beloved baton to conduct a beautiful sunrise as the kids sing along to Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite, Morning Mood." A bald eagle mistakes Leo's baton for a stick and flies away with it, sending the kids on a mission to retrieve the baton.
The team encounters a rumbling Mount St. Helens volcano, a forest full of animals (Edward Hicks' painting, "A Peaceable Kingdom," brought to life) and, finally, dance over Orca whales to reach a remote Alaskan peak where the bald eagle has made its nest. With baton once again in hand, Leo conducts the kids and all the animals they have met on their journey in a reprise of the "Morning" suite.
In the second, "Ring Around the Planet," the kids go on a mission to return one of Saturn's rings that has fallen to Earth. Powered by Antonin Dvorak's "Symphony No. 9, From the New World," they dodge a meteorshower by patting and thumping to the beat, and zoom through a star-filled short cut until Rocket gets stuck in some galactic goo (inspired by Gustav Klimt's "Tree of Life"). Annie makes up a song as the team helps Rocket dislodge so they can continue their space trek. When they arrive at their destination, Leo conducts an uplifting "New World" finale so that the ring can reunite with Saturn.
A unique combination of visual, musical and interactive learning elements is incorporated in the LITTLE EINSTEINS storylines. Produced at Curious Pictures, the largest animation studio in New York, LITTLE EINSTEINS introduces a first in preschool animation by setting 2D-animated characters amid vibrant, real-world backgrounds.
Two-time Emmy nominee Eric Weiner (a co-creator of DORA THE EXPLORER and JOJO'S CIRCUS is exec producer of LITTLE EINSTEINS. Child development expert Dr. Valeria Lovelace (a SESAME STREET child development veteran) is the curriculum advisor, and Cordelia Bergamo, who has taught classical music to preschoolers for three decades, is the musical advisor.
