With the success of the animated Baby Einstein video productions and TV series, The Baby Einstein Company and The Walt Disney Co. have teamed up to create Disney’s Little Einsteins for preschoolers. Produced at New York-based animation studio Curious Pictures, the property kicks off with this week’s DVD release of Our [Big] Huge Adventure, and will join Disney Channel’s Playhouse Disney lineup in October.
Little Einsteins sets 2D animated characters against live-action backgrounds featuring such landmarks as Niagara Falls and the United Nations. “Our goal was to create the ‘ultimate field trip’–to show children real places in the world, provide interactive experiences with art and nature and encourage them to learn about, enjoy and make music everyday," says Russell Hampton, exec VP and general manager of The Baby Einstein Company.
Our [Big] Huge Adventure takes the Little Einsteins team on a mission to help a little caterpillar on his quest to become a beautiful Monarch butterfly. The story is set to the dramatic music of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and features classic artwork including Van Gogh’s Wheat Field of Cypress, Claude Monet’s Woman in a Garden, Katsushika Hokusai’s Under the Wave of Kanagawa and Navajo woven art. DVD bonus features include an animated Navajo Maze Game, Disneypedia lessons, a “meet the characters” segment and a sneak peak at the first episode of the Little Einsteins TV series.
Eric Weiner, a co-creator of Dora the Explorer and JoJo’s Circus, serves as exec producer on the new series, working with child development veteran Dr. Valeria Lovelace (Sesame Street), Emmy Award-winning creative director Olexa Hewryk and head writer Jeff Borkin. For more information, go to www.littleeinsteins.com.
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