Amazon to produce five additional children’s TV pilots
Amazon Studios will produce five additional original pilots for children, including a pair of animated shows from Emmy Award-winning television industry veterans.
The projects include an animated action-comedy, “Hard-Boiled Eggheads,” from Emmy winner Duane Capizzi, in which a pair of special agents set out to fix such science mistakes as toxic waste monsters. An animated project from “Blues Clues” creator Angela Santomero revolves around a girl, Bianca, who has magical powers to make wishes come true in “Wishenpoof!”
“After the success of our first pilots, we look forward to getting lots more fantastic feedback from kids and parents,” Amazon Studios Director Roy Price said in a statement. “For the first time, we are offering live-action and animated programming for pre-school aged children. It’s going to be fun.”
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Amazon Studios launched its first set of pilots in April, and invited its users to watch and rate eight comedy shows and six programs for children. Out of those 14 pilots, five were chosen to be produced as series -- “Alpha House,” “Betas,” “Annebots,” “Creative Galaxy” and “Tumbleaf.”
The new series are expected to be available for streaming through Amazon Instant Video later this year and in early 2014.
The Seattle retail giant has been investing in original programming and striking deals to distribute mainstream television and movie content to its Amazon Prime Instant Video service as it vies for viewers with online rivals Netflix and Hulu.
Netflix’s move into original programming earned it 14 Emmy nominations, including best drama series for its political thriller, “House of Cards,” as well as acting nods for its stars, Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.
Amazon’s other new children’s pilots are: “Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street,” a live-action show from first-time writer David Anaxagoras; “Grid Smasher,” a mix of computer animation and puppetry from Emmy Award nominee Dan Clark and “The Jo B. & G. Raff Show,” an animated series from Emmy-winning writer and producer Josh Selig.
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