Nickelodeon Announced Four New Animated Series for 2010-11

Nickelodeon unveiled its 2010-11 schedule at its annual up-front meeting in New York with four new animated series on its slate.

Of the series the network announced in a presentation at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, the animated fare was announced as follows:

‘ Kung Fu Panda: The Series, Nickelodeon’s second collaboration with DreamWorks Animation, chronicles the further adventures of Po, the energetic, enthusiastic, always hungry martial arts panda as he protects the Valley of Peace from threats of all kind. Based on DreamWorks Animation’s hit feature film Kung Fu Panda, the Nick animated series is executive produced by Cheryl Holliday (King of the Hill, Still Standing, Father of the Pride) and produced at Nickelodeon’s Burbank, Calif., Animation Studios.

‘ Planet Sheen, executive produced by Steve Oedekerk, Keith Alcorn (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius) and Jim Hope (George Lopez), is the intergalactic tale of Sheen Guevera Estevez ‘ the hyperactive, attention span-challenged kid from Nickelodeon’s hit Jimmy Neutron ‘ who crash lands on Zeenu and deals with bizarre customs and strange-looking creatures as he tries to return home. Planet Sheen is produced by O Entertainment for Nickelodeon.

‘ T.U.F.F. Puppy, created and executive produced by Nickelodeon hit-maker Butch Hartman, follows the gung-ho, dim-witted dog named Dudley Puppy who is thrust into the role of ‘hero’ when recruited by the super secret crime fighting organization, T.U.F.F. (Turbo Undercover Fighting Force) to protect his hometown against the evil animal organization, D.O.O.M. (Diabolical Order of Mayhem). T.U.F.F. Puppy is produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.

‘ Bubble Guppies is a new interactive, animated variety show for preschoolers set in a vibrant 3D, CGI-animated underwater classroom. Bubble Guppies ‘ created by Robert Scull and Jonny Belt (The Backyardigans) ‘ has an emergent curriculum: ideas that emerge from preschoolers’ own discoveries. Each episode will delve into a preschool topic from a variety of angles as the cast and viewers explore the swaying kelp forests, coral reefs and undersea gardens of their aquarium-inspired surroundings.

Also new to the network are the live-action series House of Anubis (working title) and Victorious.

The network also announced 16 returning series, including 10 animated series. The returning animated series (including preschool series) are:

‘ SpongeBob SquarePants

‘ The Penguins of Madagascar

‘ The Fairly OddParents

‘ Glenn Martin, DDS

‘ Fanboy and Chum Chum

‘ Team Umizoomi

‘ Go, Diego, Go!

‘ The Wonder Pets

‘ The Backyardigans

‘ Dora the Explorer

The network also announced five new shows for its digital networks, four of which are animated or animation hybrid series:

‘ Voltron Panthera Force will premiere on Nicktoons this season. The series follows the exploits of a group of five young cadets brought together under trying circumstances to form a newly appointed Voltron Lion Squad dubbed the ‘Panthera Force.’ Voltron Panthera Force is a World Events Production in conjunction with Kick Start Production.

‘ Dragon Ball Z Kai, premiering on Nicktoons in May, follows the last descendants of an evil race of warriors, known as the Saiyans, on their collision course with Earth. Goku ‘ the strongest fighter on the planet ‘ is all that stands between humanity and extinction and must face the villainous Saiyan warlord. Dragon Ball Z Kai is developed by Funimation Entertainment.

‘ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, debuting this season on Nicktoons, is based on four mutant turtles ‘ trained in the art of Ninjitsu ‘ who battle evil from the New York sewers. The animated series was recently acquired by Nickelodeon and is jointly produced by 4Kids Entertainment and Mirage Studios. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is considered one of the most popular kids’ television programs and was created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird as a successful comic book series.

‘ Dino Dan will premiere fall 2010 on Nick Jr. The new original series combines live-action with CGI-animation to create an adventure-filled modern day world where dinosaurs roam freely. Developed and produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and directed by J.J. Johnson, Dino Dan will deal with relatable kids’ issues and teach preschoolers scientific information from new species to dinosaur vocabulary. Dino Dan was co-developed by real life palaeontologist-in-training, 11-year-old Daniel Cook.

Also debuting on TeenNick is the live-actions series, Gigantic.