Disney XD Gets February Launch Date

BURBANK, January 7: Disney will launch its new boy-focused, girl-inclusive entertainment brand Disney XD as a 24-hour basic cable network on February 13, with an online and mobile-game component to follow.



The online and mobile-game experience DisneyXD.com will feature games, exclusive video, fan pages, community elements and a personalization feature through which users can create a 3-D avatar that represents them across the site.



The upcoming kids' entertainment channel currently known as Toon Disney will feature the debut of Aaron Stone, an original action-adventure series about a champion video-game player. The series will also be available online at DisneyXD.com, and its first episode will be available via video-on-demand (through Verizon FiOS and Comcast, among others) and mobile platforms. Previews of the first episode will be available via Xbox 360 and the iTunes Store.



In addition to Aaron Stone, a production of Shaftesbury Services II, the launch schedule includes the new animated series Kid vs. Kat, from Studio B Productions, and Jimmy Two Shoes, from Breakthrough Animation and TELETOON. Also featured are two short-form series, RoboDz, a 3-D, CG-animated and live-action comedy produced by Disney and Toei Animation, and Bruno the Great, an animated series produced by Studio Bozzetto & Co.



The hit comedy series Phineas and Ferb is also on Disney XD's grid, along with the animated comedy Yin Yang Yo! Both series are productions of Walt Disney Television Animation. Upcoming new series are the live-action skateboarding adventure comedy Zeke & Luther, from Turtle Rock Productions, and Kid Knievel, a 2-D animated comedy from Walt Disney Television Animation. Premiere dates for these series will be announced shortly.



Joining the Disney XD lineup in spring 2009 will be The Spectacular Spider-Man, based on Marvel Entertainment's popular superhero and produced by Culver Entertainment, a Sony Pictures Television Company. The series will join the schedule along with Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man and Iron Man.



Gary Marsh, the president of entertainment for Disney Channels Worldwide, said: "Boys, like girls, place incredibly high standards on their entertainment choices. They demand complex, multi-faceted characters that, while not perfect, are smart, selfless, determined and brave. Disney XD will deliver those kinds of characters and stories in a wide range of formats—animation, live action, movies and sports—and it will focus on the core value of accomplishment."



Regarding Disney XD.com, Paul Yanover, the executive VP and general manager for Disney Online, said: "We focus on creating world-class, award-winning experiences by connecting stories to communities of kids and tweens online. We are excited to bring this deep and engaging cross-platform destination, packed with great games and video, to the Disney XD audience."



—By Kristin Brzoznowski



http://www.worldscreen.com/newscurrent. ... d01079.htm

 

Another television channel that is not legally available in Canada.
The Aaron Stone show is shot in Toronto.
RIP Toon Disney