Saturday, June 15, 2019

Nickelodeon Latin America Acquires Rights to 'Planeta de niños'; To Debut on NOGGIN in October 2019

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) The Americas has acquired the rights to Planeta de niños from Sabbatical Entertainment, a Miami, Florida-based company specialising in worldwide content distribution and format representation, and will launch the series (52 x 25-minute episodes) on NOGGIN, Nickelodeon Latin America's (Latinoamérica) popular ad-free, video subscription video on demand (SVOD) service for preschool children, in October 2019!


Planeta de niños (Kids' Planet) is a brand-new educational entertainment series for preschoolers that reinforces values and manners in children in an easy and fun way. The series follows Planetica (Nova), its protagonist, who travels through time and space with children her age, exploring the worlds of science, art, culture, and sports, and shares with them everything he learns, in an everyday language that children can relate to quickly.

The series also aims to teach its young audience important values such as honesty, courage, humility, forgiveness and cooperation - reinforcing lessons through fun games and riddles.

"Planeta de niños, conceptualised by Carla Duarte, creative director of Sabbatical Entertainment, is a series we are proud of, for the way it communicates knowledge in a human, organic and emotionally intelligent way," said Miguel Somoza, CEO Sabbatical Entertainment.


Miguel Somoza, CEO Sabbatical Entertainment, y Migdalis Silva, vicepresidente de Programación y Adquisiciones de Nickelodeon América Latina.

"Nick Jr. is committed to providing quality content to preschoolers and their parents, so we are excited to welcome Planeta de niños to Noggin's programming line-up. With each time travel adventure, preschoolers will discover not only about history, music and science, but also the importance of key values such as honesty, forgiveness and cooperation," said Migdalis Silva, Vice President (VP) of Programming and Acquisitions for Nickelodeon Latin America.


Nick Jr. is committed to providing quality content to preschoolers and their parents, which is why we are excited to welcome Planet of Kids to Noggin programming with each time travel adventure, preschool children will not only discover about history, music and science, but also the importance of key values ​​such as honesty, forgiveness and cooperation, "said Migdalis Silva, vice president of Programming and Acquisitions for Nickelodeon Latinoamérica.

Premiered on Univision in January 2018, and was quickly renewed for a second season.

The pick-up of Planeta de niños comes as Nickelodeon Latinoamérica is increasing the amount of programming available on the NOGGIN service, including the recent acquisition to the rights of Rainbow Rangers from Genius Brands, which will bow on the SVOD platform in August 2019. The series will also air on Nick Jr. Latinoamérica.

Update (15/6) - NOGGIN Latinoamérica and NOGGIN Brasil (Brazil) has added Rainbow Rangers to their line-ups! Additionally, kids can now download their favourite shows to watch offline! Visit https://www.facebook.com/NogginLA and https://www.facebook.com/NogginBR for more information!

From The Daily Television:

Acuerdo de Sabbatical Entertainment y VIMN Américas por serie Planeta de Niños

La compañía Sabbatical Entertainment, especializada en distribución de contenido a nivel mundial y representación de formatos, con base en Miami, ha desvelado este lunes el acuerdo alcanzado con Viacom International Media Networks Américas por Planeta de Niños, su serie original de 52 episodios de 25’. Esta producción estará disponible a partir de octubre próximo en Noggin, app móvil de Nick Jr., la plataforma de vídeos Premium para niños en edad preescolar.

Planeta de Niños es reconocida en el mercado como una serie infantil, educativa y de entretenimiento que imparte conocimientos y modales de una manera divertida e innovadora, como lo destaca Sabbatical. Planetica, su protagonista, viaja por el tiempo y el espacio con niños de su edad, y comparte con ellos todo lo que aprende, en un lenguaje cotidiano con el que los niños se relacionan rápidamente.

La serie además se propone enseñar a su joven audiencia importantes valores como la honestidad, la valentía, la humildad, el perdón y la cooperación – reforzando las lecciones a través de divertidos juegos y adivinanzas.

“Planeta de Niños, conceptualizada por Carla Duarte, directora creativa de Sabbatical Entertainment, es una serie de la que estamos orgullosos, por la manera como comunica los conocimientos de una manera humana, orgánica y con inteligencia emocional. La divulgación que tendrá gracias a Nickelodeon hará que llegue a una inmensa audiencia y sigamos evolucionando en un área que nos apasiona”, destacó Miguel Somoza, CEO Sabbatical Entertainment.

"Nick Jr. está comprometido a ofrecer contenido de calidad a los niños en edad preescolar y a sus padres, por lo cual estamos muy entusiasmados de darle la bienvenida a Planeta de Niños a la programación de Noggin. Con cada aventura de viajes en el tiempo, los niños en edad preescolar no sólo descubrirán sobre historia, música y ciencia, sino también la importancia de valores clave como la honestidad el perdón y la cooperación”, comentó Migdalis Silva, vicepresidente de Programación y adquisiciones para Nickelodeon América Latina.

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From TVNIÑOS:

Serie original de Sabbatical se integra a oferta premium de Noggin

Sabbatical Entertainment anunció que su serie original Planeta de niños, estará disponible en Noggin, la plataforma premium de videos de Nick Jr., a partir de octubre.

Planeta de niños (52×25’) es una serie infantil, educativa y de entretenimiento que imparte conocimientos y modales de una manera divertida e innovadora. Planetica, su protagonista, viaja por el tiempo y el espacio con niños de su edad y comparte con ellos todo lo que aprende, en un lenguaje cotidiano con el que los niños se relacionan rápidamente.

La serie además le enseña a la joven audiencia importantes valores como la honestidad, valentía, humildad, el perdón y la cooperación, reforzando las lecciones a través de divertidos juegos y adivinanzas.

“Planeta de niños conceptualizada por Carla Duarte, directora creativa de Sabbatical Entertainment, es una serie de la que estamos orgullosos, por la manera como comunica los conocimientos de una manera humana, orgánica y con inteligencia emocional”, comentó Miguel Somoza, CEO de Sabbatical Entertainment. “La divulgación que tendrá gracias a Nickelodeon hará que llegue a una inmensa audiencia y sigamos evolucionando en un área que nos apasiona”.

Migdalis Silva, VP de programación y adquisiciones de Nickelodeon Latinoamérica, agregó: “Nick Jr. está comprometido a ofrecer contenido de calidad a los niños en edad preescolar y a sus padres, por lo cual estamos muy entusiasmados de darle la bienvenida a Planeta de niños a la programación de Noggin. Con cada aventura de viajes en el tiempo, los niños en edad preescolar no sólo descubrirán sobre historia, música y ciencia, sino también la importancia de valores clave como la honestidad el perdón y la cooperación”.

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More Nick: Viacom International Studios Americas to Produce 'Planeta Marcia', a New Out-Of-This World Scripted Series for Nickelodeon!

Originally published: Tuesday, June 11, 2019.

Additional sources: DeepL Translator, Google Translate, VideoAge International.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Latin America, Nick Jr. Latinoamérica and NOGGIN News and Highlights!

Nickelodeon to Launch Upgraded NOGGIN Service in June 2019; Unveils New Logo

Update (6/15) - To celebrate the upgraded version of NOGGIN, Nickelodeon has unveiled a new logo for the platform, as well as given the service's official website, noggin.com, a refresh!


Nickelodeon's new NOGGIN logo uses a similar typeface design as the network's 2009-era 'Nick' logo, with a few minor differences: the gap in the middle of the underside of the letter 'N' uses square corners, whereas the main logo uses circular corners, and the dot (tittle) over the letter 'I' in the new NOGGIN logo is separated for the letter's body, whereas it's attached to the body of the letter in the main Nickelodeon logo.

Currently, the logo can only be seen on noggin.com. However, Nickelodeon is expected to roll-out the new logo onto the NOGGIN app and social media pages on Monday, June 17, 2019.

Original post (published Friday, May 10, 2019):

Viacom today announced during their Q2 2019 Viacom Inc Earnings Conference Call that Nickelodeon will be launching an enhanced version of NOGGIN in June 2019! The new version, currently in beta, will be a significant upgrade over the previous version, and will feature a new user front end, designed to improve content discovery, and a big gaming component. Nickelodeon has also done some work to the back end of the app, designed to improve the apps' scalability.


Noggin is Nickelodeon’s ad-free, video subscription service with educational content currently featuring over 1,500 iconic, full-length library episodes, short-form videos, Spanish-language videos, and music videos featuring preschoolers’ favorite characters and more.

Viacom also revealed today during their Q2 2019 Viacom Inc Earnings Conference Call that NOGGIN has now surpassed 2,500,000 million subscribers globally, and that the SVOD service was just short of 500,000 subscribers in the U.S. in March 2019, an increase of 23% over the prior quarter and an increase of over 300% versus a year ago.

The news follows Nickelodeon acquiring Sparkler, an early childhood learning technology platform, to further expand the educational value of NOGGIN, and installing Sparkler co-founder Kristen Kane as the new leader for the direct-to-consumer preschool subscription service.

Sparkler is an early learning platform that measures child development and delivers personalized content and coaching to parents to improve child outcomes. Over the next year, Sparkler’s technology will be integrated into Noggin’s platform, enabling parents to guide and support their kids’ continued growth and development through engaging, playable content and experiences on and off screen, with personalized features that track progress over time.

Kane, in the new role of Noggin’s Executive Vice President (EVP), will oversee the integration of Sparkler and drive Noggin’s strategy and next phase of development as an educational digital platform. She will be based in New York and report to Nickelodeon President Brian Robbins.

Subject to the terms of the transaction, Sparkler’s work with schools, healthcare providers, and social services providers will continue through a new non-profit organization called Sparkler Learning, and Viacom will support its mission of helping families give their children a strong start in life through partnerships with educators, doctors, and others serving young families.

Noggin subscriptions have grown by triple digits year over year from 2017 to 2018, and the service is currently available for iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, Android, Fire tablet and Roku devices, as well as on Amazon’s Prime Video Channels and The Roku Channel. With over 30 series to date, including current titles like PAW Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Peppa Pig, Canticos, and Bubble Guppies, Noggin’s lineup also features classic favorites such as Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, Team Umizoomi and Yo Gabba Gabba!.

Since its launch in 2015, Noggin has consistently ranked at the top of the charts in the Family and Kids categories, and it is one of the Top 10 Kids Apps on the Free Apps chart on the App Store, in addition to being the number-one grossing app for Music and Video in the Family Category on Google Play. Noggin was also selected by Apple as an Apple TV app of the year.

NOGGIN is available in the U.S., Latin America and Brazil.

From Kidscreen:

What platforms are doing to tackle discoverability

It’s the golden age of content! But with so many platforms and shows to watch, no one can find anything new. All week we’re breaking down different discoverability problems and how to beat them. If you haven’t seen yesterday’s introduction to discoverability and why it’s an issue facing creators today, then go back and check it out here.

Go for gimmicks

How do you get kids to press pause on their beloved Paw Patrol? Netflix has been busy testing strategies to introduce kids to new content. In 2018, Netflix piloted a feature that awarded young viewers with special patches after they watched select kids titles—though this effort was shelved after it was criticized for gamifying binge-watching.

Then, earlier this year, Netflix’s TV production innovation director Cameron Johnson showed off character-driven video previews, the most current discoverability feature the SVOD is testing in the kids section. Since young viewers are more likely to choose and connect with content through characters, Netflix displays rows of them at the top of its kids sections (which also helps younger preschool viewers who can’t read yet). To build on that model, instead of airing promos or trailers, characters from originals—including Hilda, The Dragon Prince and Next Gen—explain who they are and what the show is about as kids scroll past.

On a more micro level, producers of Netflix originals like Guru (True and the Rainbow Kingdom) are providing the streamer with several different visuals or “box art” that can be served to kids depending on their viewing preferences, based on feedback from Netflix.

“For example, we have an image with a lot of pink and sparkles, and boys will not click it,” says the prodco’s president and creative director Frank Falcone. “Instead, if there’s an image of the Rainbow King, [both] girls and boys click it because it doesn’t have a gender bias.”

But Falcone doesn’t expect Netflix to put all of its attention and discoverability efforts towards True—despite Guru being a long-time partner and the show heading into a fourth season. He knows Netflix, like any other SVOD, is looking at multiple ways to engage kids to get parents to keep paying.

“We’re not just waiting for the service to promote our show. I don’t think it’s wise for any producer to hand their show to a VOD platform and hope it gets promoted more than others,” says Falcone. “The platform’s job is to launch new content for its subscribers on a regular basis—not to favor one show over another.”

Create curation

Tankee’s curated approach means it can surface lesser-known titles like Pixark.

To differentiate themselves from the giants with massive carousels of content, kid-specific streamers are creating curated channels.

Austin, Texas-based on-demand video game content platform Tankee has set up its app so that the majority of the experience is created and driven by the internal team, rather than an algorithm. Available in English-speaking countries on iOS, Android and Kindle Fire Tablets, when a kid (ages six to 12) first opens Tankee, they see the “Featured Videos” section, followed by several categories the team chooses to highlight, including “Throwback Thursday”—which resurfaces older content—and sections like “Games,” “Gamers” and “Music Videos.”

Tankee has also made a point of being game- and franchise-agnostic, highlighting big titles it knows kids like (such as Minecraft and Roblox) next to lesser-known options (like Rocket League, Slime Rancher or Octodad).

“Since we’re not driven by a search algorithm, we can put that stuff front and center,” says Gerald Youngblood, CEO of Tankee. “We have the opportunity to expose kids to a variety of games just by presenting them all at the same level.”

Within each category, Tankee’s curation team puts the newest videos first, so repeat audiences can see how much new content is added to the platform (currently, it has more than 600 hours of gaming videos). When the company sees an influencer who may not have a very large following, but who the team thinks is interesting or talented, then that influencer can get a more prominent spot on the page. The featured and trending videos are also changed daily depending on top view counts—though the curators don’t let one piece of content linger for too long.

This curation approach doesn’t just benefit Tankee’s users—it also brings in new talent and creators to make videos for the platform that might not get seen elsewhere, says Youngblood. Since creators don’t need to only create videos they believe will succeed in the algorithm, they are free to experiment. When the team sits down with gaming creators to ask them to make videos for the platform, often the first thing the team asks is, “What are the games that you love to play that aren’t on your other channels because they don’t fit the algorithm?” All of those discussions drive Tankee’s original content.

“We believe curation is a huge opportunity to give that creativity, experimentation and freedom to content creators, and it also gives kids a way to discover something new,” says Youngblood. “We curate [Tankee] like a mom-and-pop video store.

Back in the day, they would have different sections of videos to watch and you would learn from the staff, so we try to build that into our platform.”

Say sayonara to search

Rather than the typical carousels, Hopster has created a content island for kids to explore.

When a content platform is led by an algorithm, it’s often driven by search-based inquiries. However, many kids don’t know how to read or write well (or at all), and if they are hunting for something, they aren’t necessarily searching for a specific title. Rather, they’ll key in terms like “puppies” or “trucks,” and most meta-data on streaming platforms doesn’t come with those terms baked in.

“If you look at Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime—their recommendations are driven entirely by search and algorithms, and that tends to be a self-perpetuating cycle. If you search for the big stuff, the algorithm sees that the big stuff is popular, and the algorithm recommends more of the big stuff,” says Hopster CEO Nicholas Walters. “Those two effects can mean that it’s very difficult to surface content.”

Walters saw those issues, and shied away from search when building his preschool SVOD app back in 2012.

Instead, he and his team put together a platform organized and designed to be a world (technically, an island) kids can explore—even if they can’t read. Games are featured in a balloon; eBooks can be found on a boat; and shows live within a volcano, aptly called the Show-cano. Once kids are on the boat or visit the volcano, they are able to follow visual cues to discover new content.

There are also themed sections within the app, based on time of year (such as Christmas, Easter, back to school) and topics (like Pride, science, girl power). Sometimes Hopster will roll out an event around a specific new piece of content, like its original show Saturday Club. So far, the strategy has been effective: Whenever content is put in one of the themed areas, it sees a huge jump in traffic and viewership numbers, says Walters.

This focused, curated promotion of shows allows smaller titles to thrive on the app, he adds. For example, Geronimo Productions’ animated series Punky—about a young character with Down syndrome—hadn’t been picked up for distribution outside of Ireland until Hopster got a hold of it. Now the SVOD app has the exclusive rights to the show in several markets, and it’s one of the most popular series on the platform.

Even though Hopster doesn’t let kids search for specific titles, it still uses an applied preference-matching recommendation algorithm to help surface new content, showcasing shows that other kids who watched similar content also liked.

“I think people now need to think not just about how kids find their favorite show, but how they’re going to find their next favorite show as well,” Walters says.

Focus on familiar faces

Noggin shifted its layout to focus on characters first, so kids can easily find shows they want.

Nickelodeon’s preschool SVOD app Noggin was experiencing similar issues with discoverability as some of the larger streamers. So when the app acquired childhood learning technology platform Sparkler and installed co-founder Kristen Kane as EVP, she set out to revamp Noggin to make it easier for kids to discover content.

Previously, the platform opened on a wheel of content, and the whole experience was guided by two characters unique to Noggin. Using lessons from the Nick Jr. app, this summer the SVOD rolled out a new interface focused instead on recognizable characters.

Now kids are greeted by well-known faces from PAW Patrol, Rusty Rivets, Dora the Explorer and Peppa Pig. These fan-favorites lead viewers into themed areas filled with episodes, play-along interactive videos and games inspired by select IPs.

“The character-first navigation is really expansive in that it covers our [entire] library,” says Kane. “We are thoughtful about which ones appear when you first open the screen, based on the data for what kids like most.”

There is also a lobby of content with featured videos curated by Noggin, highlighted in large, eye-catching rectangles. Kane’s team plans most of these featured boxes around specific programming or calendar events—such as the November premiere of Blue’s Clues and You—at least six months in advance.

But Noggin still has more than 1,500 episodes from 33 series, 470 short-form videos and 37 games on the app, which is a lot of content to wade through. So a focus moving forward will be on curating it.

“As we add new content and keep that library fresh, we are very comfortable removing things that aren’t performing well,” says Kane. “One advantage of this refresh is we can do a lot of A/B testing that we couldn’t do historically, which allows us to feature properties that have lower engagement and get an idea of whether changing the position impacts levels or not.”

Another change that Kane wants to add to Noggin in the next few months is an element of personalization. Her team is in development on technology that would allow kids to create profiles stocked with information provided by their parents on what content they like, as well as parental preferences. Through testing, Noggin has found that personalization ups the level of engagement for kids, and that’s really something all of these platforms are after…an engaged audience that keeps coming back for more.

Tune in tomorrow to find out how to game the YouTube algorithm.

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More Nick: Nickelodeon Embarks on New Direction with its Biggest, Most Wide-Ranging Content Slate Ever!

Additional source: Wikipedia; Logo H/T: Anime Superhero Forum /@Tacomaster.

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Nickelodeon on the Cusp of Renewing 'SpongeBob SquarePants' for Season 13

Vincent Waller has revealed the Sponge-Tastic news that Nickelodeon is on the cusp of ordered a 13th season of the networks hit original animated series SpongeBob SquarePants!


Although it has yet to be formally renewed for season 13, Vincent, who serves as a co-executive producer on SpongeBob SquarePants revealed in a tweet that the crew has "[...] been told Season 13 is most certainly coming"!

The exciting news comes as Nickelodeon is about to launch the network's year-long celebration to commemorate the 20th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Nickelodeon is commemorating 20 years of SpongeBob SquarePants with the “Best Year Ever”—a tribute to one of the most iconic TV series and characters ever created. SpongeBob launched July 17, 1999, and has reigned as the number-one kids’ animated series on TV for the last 17 years, generating a universe of beloved characters, pop culture catchphrases and memes, theatrical releases, consumer products, a Tony award-winning Broadway musical that's set to tour from Fall 2019 and a global fan base.

The “Best Year Ever” will kick off Friday, July 12, with the premiere of “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout,” an original mixed live-action and animated special, and leads up to the Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies theatrical, The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge
, coming summer 2020.

It’s SpongeBob’s birthday in “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout,” which features for the first time the celebrated voice talent behind SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, Squidward and Plankton playing live-action doppelgänger versions of the animated characters they voice. In the one-hour special, Patrick and SpongeBob journey to the surface world, where they come across a few familiar characters during lunchtime rush at The Trusty Slab restaurant. Meanwhile, the Bikini Bottom residents set up a surprise party for SpongeBob. The special will premiere on Friday, July 12, at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon USA, followed very shortly by a global roll-out, and also features special guest stars, including David Hasselhoff (Baywatch), Jack Griffo (The Thundermans), Daniella Perkins (Knight Squad), and Kel Mitchell (All That, Game Shakers).

Nickelodeon will also commemorate the series with: a new product line by master toy partner Alpha Group, featuring figures that showcase SpongeBob’s iconic meme moments; collaborations with lifestyle brand Cynthia Rowley for a SpongeBob wetsuit and international mixed-media artist Romero Britto; the launch of a dedicated YouTube channel and mobile game; a sneaker collaboration with Nike Kyrie 5; a cosmetics line from HipDot Studios, and much more.

Nickelodeon also recently announced that it had greenlit Kamp Koral (working title), an original spinoff series of SpongeBob SquarePants. The CG-animated series (13 episodes) introduces 10-year-old SpongeBob SquarePants during his summer at sleepaway camp. The series is slated to begin production in June 2019 at Nickelodeon in Burbank.

SpongeBob SquarePants is currently in the midst of its 12th season.

More Nick: Nickelodeon Marks 20 Years of "SpongeBob SquarePants" with the "Best Year Ever"!
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All That | Kenan Reacts to New & Old Skits!

All That | Kenan Reacts to New & Old Skits!


Which Kenan moment makes you laugh the hardest? 😂 All That premieres Saturday, June 15 at 8:30p/7:30c, only on Nickelodeon USA! Click the following link for more info!: http://nickalive.blogspot.com/2019/05/nickelodeon-usa-to-premiere-all-that.html

Did you hear? Nickelodeon and the duo behind viral pop-up phenomenon Saved by the Max are teaming up to open a Good Burger pop-up restaurant!: http://nickalive.blogspot.com/2019/06/nickelodeon-orders-up-all-that-inspired.html

Subscribe to the All That YouTube channel today!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6UzskfVDPkJ5aSe755ZGgQ


More Nick: Jonas Brothers Find Their New Sound at Good Burger! ft. Kel Mitchell | All That | Nickelodeon!
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Mark Hamill Wants to be in Netflix’s Live-Action 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Series

Mark Hamill is no stranger to both the worlds of live action and animated entertainment. With his biggest role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise and as the Joker in the Batman Animated Series, Hamill can act in both mediums with the best of them. As the Trickster, Mark appeared in both live action Flash series as well as the animated Justice League Unlimited. Mark also guest starred as the voice of Kavaxas on Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and recently starred as the voice of Houlihan on Nickelodeon's Lucky.


Now, Hamill is looking to bring one of his animated roles to life in the real world as he attempts to gain the role of the Fire Lord Ozai in Netflix's upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

When Twitter User Avessizzle asked Mark Hamill if he would be willing to return to his role as Ozai in the upcoming Netflix Avatar live action series, the man himself responded:


Hamill's character in Avatar was the "big bad" of the series, ruling over the fire nation and pushing the country to attack all others in a bid to take over the world. Ozai, in the series finale, made a last ditch attempt at conquest with the help of "Sozin's Comet" which boosted his fire bending abilities tenfold. In an epic fight against the series protagonist, Aang, Ozai was defeated and sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes against the world.

Ozai also had two children, Prince Zuko and Princess Azula, who both had serious mental hurdles to overcome thanks to their father's "parenting". While Zuko started out as a series antagonist, he eventually found himself switching sides and joining the forces of Aang and his friends. Azula however continued to attempt to get in her father's good standing by pursuing Zuko and Aang throughout the latter parts of the series.

The upcoming Netflix adaptation wouldn't be the first time that a live action Avatar: The Last Airbender series had been attempted. In 2010, M Night Shyamalan had attempted to make a feature length film that covered the first season of the series but was met with critical woe. Netflix will bring in series creators, Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, to attempt to create a television series that revisits the characters and events that took place in the 2005 Nickelodeon animated series.

What do you think of the idea of Mark Hamill returning to the role of Fire Lord Ozai? Do you think he'd make a better fit as Iroh or some other role? Let me know in the comments!

Casting for the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender begins later this year, and fans will also be able to have the chance to audition in a open casting call. DiMartino and Konietzko promise to avoid the same mistakes that the film made, including having a culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast.

For those of you unfamiliar with Avatar: The Last Airbender, the series screened on Nickelodeon between February 2005 and July 2008. Its complex story and diverse stars earned the series’ acclaim.

The series was nominated for—and won—Annie Awards, Genesis Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Peabody Award. Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the adventures of the main protagonist Aang and his friends, who must save the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai and ending the destructive war with the Fire Nation.

The Last Airbender’s story coupled with its anime-inspired artwork helped the franchise grow a loyal fanbase, and the series has continued to expand with various comics over the years. Recently, it was announced a young adult novel focusing on Avatar Kyoshi would be coming to the canon, leaving fans eager to learn more about the infamous warrior's tenure.

Konietzko and DiMartino also created a follow-up series, The Legend of Korra, that returned to the world of Avatar years after Aang’s death to follow Korra, his successor as Avatar. That series ran between 2012-2014. The Legend of Korra universe will also expanded with a new graphic novel trilogy.

More Nick: 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Nearly Had a Fourth Season, Former Writer Reveals!

Original source: ComicBook.
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Power Rangers to Get the World’s Smallest Treatment; Nickelodeon Slime to Get the World’s Coolest Treatment

At the recent American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) Marketplace & Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Super Impulse showed off some upcoming offerings from its popular lines of World’s Smallest and World’s Coolest collectible toys.


Prototype samples of new, micro-sized action figures from several classic Hasbro lines were present, including Power Rangers, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. First previewed on the Toy Book Twitter account, the new World’s Smallest will feature articulated replicas of classic characters presented on reproduction card backs.

The Power Rangers line appears to be based on old Bandai-era sculpts on a Ninja Steel card back, but as these are prototypes, everything is subject to change before they hit retail later this year. Look closely and you may notice that card backs are generic “product name” placeholders.

Additionally, Optimus Prime, Starscream, and Bumblebee will represent the Transformers in classic style, whilst Duke, Roadblock, and Snake Eyes will also receive the World’s Smallest treatment in the 1982 G.I. Joe line.

Other new World’s Smallest toys include an Elf on a Shelf alongside the World’s Coolest Nickelodeon Slime, Jumanji Board Game, Mr. Potato Head, and an Atari 2600 Arcade Sound Joystick.

Additionally, several new additions to the Tiny Arcade and Micro Arcade lines made their debut for specialty retail buyers.

Catch Power Rangers Beast Morphers, the latest season of Power Rangers, Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon USA!

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More Nick: Hasbro Announces New 'Power Rangers' Live Tour!
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Nickelodeon Has Reportedly Decided to Cancel 'Top Wing'

A member of the Fans of Nick Jr, Disney Junior or PBS Kids Shows Facebook page is reporting the unfortunate news that Nickelodeon has decided to cancel and not renew the network's popular animated preschool series Top Wing for a third season. Please note that this news has yet to be confirmed.

Nickelodeon's Top Wing (l-r) Brody, Swift, Rod and Penny

During a interview at the Industrial Brothers studio in Toronto, Canada, Arthur Spanos, one of the executive producers on the series, is reportedly have said that the show with officially wrap production at the end of June 2019.

The news comes as Nickelodeon is ending production on quite a few preschool series, such as Sunny Day, Rusty Rivets, Shimmer and Shine, Nella the Princess Knight and Blaze and the Monster Machines. This is most likely to make way for the network's new slate of preschool programming, including Blue's Clues & You!, Paddington and Santiago of the Seas, and the newly launched Ryan’s Mystery Playdate.

Top Wing is an action-packed series that follows the adventures of a team of eager young birds as they work together to help their island community, go on amazing adventures and earn their wings as full-feathered rescue birds. The series is produced by 9 Story Media Group, and features storylines that help preschoolers build self-confidence, and includes lessons about perseverance and hard work.

Top Wing follows four best friend rescue birds–Swift, Penny, Rod and Brody–who are training to earn their wings at the Top Wing Academy on Big Swirl Island. With the help of their mentor Speedy, and unique turbo-charged vehicles and high-tech gadgets, the cadets are assigned different missions to sharpen their rescue skills and help those in need while learning valuable lessons along the way.

Nickelodeon launched a Top Wing toy line inspired by the series during winter 2018.

Top Wing is created by Matthew Fernandes of Industrial Brothers (Dot, Yup Yups, Gummandos) and executive produced by Scott Kraft (co-creator, Fresh Beat Band; executive producer/head writer, PAW Patrol), Vince Commisso for 9 Story Media Group and Matthew Fernandes and Arthur Spanos for Industrial Brothers. It is the newest series to join Nick’s top-ranked preschool roster.

Top Wing made its world debut on Nickelodeon USA in November 2017, and airs on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels and programming blocks worldwide. The series is currently in its second and final season.

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H/T: Special thanks to @TVShowsFan for the news.
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