Even before her son was born, actress and producer Janet Hubert knew that she would never find the kind of toys, accessories or even story narratives that truly reflected who he was. In a world where his identity was starkly under-represented, Hubert wanted to create something to inspire him and millions of other kids like him: And so, JG & the BC Kids was born.
Toonz Media Group (TMG), Elijah Rock Productions, and Ericka Nicole Malone Entertainment announced today that they have started pre-production on a feature length animated movie inspired by this story of acceptance, which will be followed by a TV series.
The animated feature and series follow Janet Granite (a.k.a. JG), a super intelligent and athletic scientist and inventor who travels the world to find special kids. JG shows these special kids to be confident about who they are, no matter what they look like or what their interests are. A group of talking dinosaurs with their own superpowers helps her as she works with these kids and fights off the evil Dr. Zandor who wants to control Earth. JG & the BC Kids encourages kids to embrace differences, to find their own strengths, and to be confident and courageous in life.
Targeted for 5-9 year-olds, the animation will be produced in vibrant 2D with an energetic, ethnically diverse underscore.
The talented and award-winning production team includes:
- Daytime Emmy nominated actress Janet Hubert (Producer and Co-Writer), who was the original Vivian Banks on the ’90s hit sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, with appearances on many hit shows including Gilmore Girls, Bernie Mac, Tales from the Crypt and many more.
- Raven Goodwin (voice of JG), who was a series regular on Malcolm in the Middle, with appearances in Glee, Smilf, New Girl and Meet the Browns. She also starred in one of the highest-rated TV shows in years on Lifetime, The Clark Sisters.
- Ron Myrick (Animation Director) who started his career at Filmation animation studio. Myrick has worked on The Addams Family, The Avengers, Ozzy and Drix and Skylanders Academy.
- Wendell Hanes (Composer) is a multi-award-winning TV and film composer, and owner of Volition Sound in New York City. He recently scored Oscar-nominated producer/director Lisa Cortes and Farah X’s six-time award-winning documentary The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion. Hanes is the music composer and music supervisor for Netflix sitcom Family Reunion. His accolades include Clios, Cannes Lions, Effie’s, Andy’s, Addy’s, LIA’s, One Show, Golden Award of Monteaux’s, Billboard Awards and Gold and Platinum Records.
Actor, writer, producer and director Ericka Nicole Malone (Executive Producer) and Philip Robinson are co-producing JG and the BC Kids along with Toonz. Malone was the inspiration for Hubert to bring JG back to the forefront. Ericka Nicole Malone Entertainment stands for principle and family values, and in JG and the BC Kids, that is what she saw. Malone is an African American mom who knows first-hand the need for more products for ethnic children.
P. Jayakumar, CEO of Toonz Media Group, says the studio is very excited to partner with actor, producer and creator Janet Hubert and Ericka Nicole Malone Entertainment: “We feel it is high time that such stories were told, especially when the world is striving to move towards greater equality and justice. The targeted age group for this series is also important, as these are the formative years when children pick up and nurture values for life. We are thrilled to partner with Janet Hubert to bring to life this film and TV series.”
Hubert emphasized that the series will reflect diversity in the real sense and will have characters from many ethnicities: “I knew that Toonz would be the perfect partners to understand and bring to life JG, who is a strong and super smart character. You can be both. It is past time to bring street smart kids and book smart kids together to create ‘life smart’ kids and do it in a fun, exciting way.”
Hubert’s Elijah Rock Productions is named after her son, and was established with the mission to create productions for children of color who are often forgotten in entertainment.
