Young audiences can enroll with a new class of imaginative, music-loving animated friends in Kindergarten: The Musical, premiering Tuesday, September 3 on Disney Jr. at 8 a.m. EDT/PDT, and later that day on Disney Channel. Additionally, an initial batch of 10 episodes will be available to stream on Disney+ the following day (Sept. 4).
Synopsis: Kindergarten: The Musical follows five-year-old Berti, who, along with her new friends, is navigating all the exciting and emotional experiences that come with starting school for the very first time. The series takes place in a kindergarten classroom at Porter Elementary and features fantastical Broadway-style song and dance numbers that help the kids’ express their big feelings and provide a peek into their incredible imaginations.
In the show, the CG animated “real-world” action transitions to 2D as audiences are transported into the imaginations of the characters, expressing their emotional state. The series highlights themes of self-expression, developing friendships, having confidence in social situations, cultivating teamwork, the importance of imaginative play and the power of music.
The regular cast features Andrea Rosa Guzman as Berti, Zander Chin as Radish, Leah Newman as Rose, Shyam Balasubramanian as Tej, Tandi Fomukong as Abigail, Kailen Jude as Kenji, Randy Perrine as Jamil and Alice Halsey as Kat and Ellie.
The show also boasts a roster of celebrity voices, including Gina Torres (Suits) as kindergarten teacher Ms. Moreno, popular entertainers Aloe Blacc and Ana Isabelle as Berti’s Papi and Mami, singer-songwriter Leona Lewis as Hedgehog Holmes and Vincent Rodriguez III (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) as Radish’s dad.
The songs are written by the music team of Michelle Lewis, Kay Hanley, Dan Petty (who together wrote all the original songs in Disney Jr.’s Peabody Award-winning series Doc McStuffins) and Charlton Pettus (current touring guitarist, producer and co-writer for Tears for Fears). Each episode contains at least six musical numbers in a variety of styles.
Kindergarten: The Musical was created by Lewis and Pettus, who also serve as executive producers and songwriters along with Hanley and Petty. Emmy Award-nominated producer Tom Warburton (Muppet Babies) serves as executive producer and supervising director. Humanitas Prize winner Laurie Israel (Sofia the First) is co-executive producer and story editor. The main title theme song is performed by Grammy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actress and singer Eva Noblezada (Broadway’s Hadestown and The Great Gatsby). The series is produced by Oddbot Animation in association with Disney Jr.
