Like all popular animated series, Moonbug’s CoComelon series was destined to get a spinoff show. Preschoolers and their caregivers will be seeking out the new series CoComelon Lane on Netflix beginning November 17, just in time for the young ones to play the songs over and over again during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The show will feature characters JJ and best friends Cody, CeCe, Nina, Nico and Bella speaking to the audience directly for the first time. Using music, learning and humor, the nine-episode, narrative-based series will see the children tackle new experiences and milestones such as getting their first haircut and making a special meal with their grandfather.
We had a chance to catch up with Moonbug Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer Richard Hickey and series showrunner Guy Toubes to find out more about this colorful (and possibly addictive) new title!
Animation Magazine: Can you tell us a bit of background about CoComelon Lane and how the spinoff series came to be?
Richard Hickey: CoComelon Lane was created exclusively for Netflix, and when we first started developing the creative of the show in 2020, we wanted to take the core elements of the successful CoComelon brand — the characters, the stories, the world — and expand on them to grow audience connection and affinity. Our creative goals included changing the format to be a nine-minute narrative-driven format. With this format change, we have time for deeper storytelling, hilarious kid comedy, and it allowed us to build out CoComelon’s educational portfolio for families, leaning into a very intentional social-emotional learning curriculum — and of course, have amazing, elevated original songs.
How is it similar and different from the original CoComelon series?
Richard: CoComelon Lane is a brand new, narrative-based series focused on a specific social-emotional learning curriculum. Each episode will follow the same template: JJ and his best friends from the Melon Patch Academy will encounter a big moment and experience a big emotion. Our cast is made up of all the same characters our audience already knows and loves, but in CoComelon Lane you see JJ and friends speaking directly to the audience for the first time, personally inviting them on adventures. It’s a much more intimate approach that seeks to elevate the existing world of CoComelon. Each episode brings back beloved nursery rhyme singalongs familiar to the CoComelon audiences, while also adding an evolved sense of humor to these refreshed classics and all-new original songs to help drive the narrative of the new show.
What do you absolutely love about the show?
Guy Toubes: There is so much to love about CoComelon Lane. From the whimsical way we use imagination to tell stories, to the real emotions we are unafraid to explore with kids. In the series we’re exploring all kinds of “first” experiences that preschoolers have, they’re at the core of each episode. One of our “firsts” is about going to the library, where Cece, who loves the book she selects, feels heartbroken because she has to give the book back. Can you imagine what that’s like for a little kid? You wouldn’t think that these are high stakes, but for this age group, the stakes are tremendous. Of course, we help Cece figure out how to cope with that emotion, and getting through to the other side we think will end up being pretty dramatic for our viewers at home.
Richard Hickey: I love that we get to dive even deeper into the lives of these iconic characters and that our audience will be able to relate to these characters on an entirely new level. These characters mean so much to our audience so it’s extremely special that they’ll be able to experience these big exciting moments together.
Guy: We were in a strong position, given the CoComelon phenomenon, that this spinoff was going to be something people were excited about. But how do you take the ingredients that make the CoComelon brand such a huge hit and translate those things to a new show with a narrative structure? What do you add to the mix? What if you lose some of the alchemy that made it so popular? What if you break something that’s already perfect? We worked very closely with the Moonbug team to make sure we were honoring the brand, while still adding what we hope are charming and meaningful additions.
Why do you think CoComelon was able to capture the hearts of so many people worldwide?
Richard: CoComelon is a show all about helping little kids navigate those early life lessons with confidence and a positive attitude. We approach every aspect of storytelling from the point of view of little kids — how they see the world, their interests at this particular developmental stage of life, and what makes them laugh. This means that little kids see their daily life reflected in CoComelon. As adults, we all understand seeing your life reflected back at you on screen is a powerful experience, this is true for little kids, too. We also know our songs are pretty special. Everything we do is rooted in song, but they are more than just catchy melodies. Our songs help show little kids how to handle all kinds of situations, like when Cody takes his first long car ride in CoComelon Lane. The songs help them learn, and help parents navigate a potentially tricky situation, and everyone can have a little fun along the way.
Where is the animation being done and which animation tools are used?
Guy: Atomic Cartoons heads up our production, and that’s where our design and directing teams work. They supervise animation teams at Infinite Frameworks. The “Pretend Paint” sequences that Atomic have added to the traditional 3D animation are fantastic. The idea was always that if you peel away that layer, you would still see the kids playing pretend as if there were nothing there, and the result is so charming.
How many people work on the show?
Richard: Countless team of amazing people. We’re very grateful to work with our partners and production studio, Atomic Cartoons, as well as our animation studio, Infinite Frameworks. Here at Moonbug, we have our fantastic writing team, led by our showrunner, Guy Toubes, and story editor, Brandon Violette, as well as our development team, creative executive team and in-house production team.
What is your take on the global animation scene for preschool audiences this year?
Guy: We have a lot to learn from the current crop of preschool hits. Everybody is asking for the next CoComelon. But that show didn’t come from the traditional development process. And with CoComelon, I think a lot of industry veterans are still scratching their heads. We need to look for new ways of engaging our youngest viewers and what I’ve come to realize and appreciate is that Moonbug is at the cutting edge of exploring how kids and their parents use digital media. Most of all, we need to listen to what our audience is telling us, especially as now we have exponentially more feedback than ever on what our little ones are watching and why.
Who are your biggest animation heroes and influences?
Guy: I was a huge Bugs Bunny fan. I love the comedy and hijinks that Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones created. The music from Carl Stalling, which I can hum in my sleep. I would look in the mirror as a kid and make the rubbery expressions that those Warner Bros. animated characters made. And Mel Blanc’s voices, wow. I secretly love when one of our voice actors can’t make it in time to record for our animatic, because I get to go into the booth and record the “scratch” instead.
Richard: My advice would be to find your own voice, you may be a creator who relies heavily on research and data, or you may be a very perceptive creative who works by finding something unique, real or relatable to base your development on. Both are valid and they are not mutually exclusive. But you have to be true to yourself.
Guy: I used to say write from personal experience — but now I temper that advice a little bit. Because what I realize is that we don’t really remember what it’s like to be three, four and five years old. What we remember is, at best, revisionist history. So if you really want to be in the preschool business, you need to channel real preschool brains. Go to testing sessions if you can and listen to how kids react to stories. Watch your own kids, or your nieces and nephews and see what they respond to. Be ready to be surprised, because it’s not what you might think! CoComelon, to me, is the perfect example of that.
CoComelon Lane premieres exclusively on Netflix on Friday, November 17. The first full episode is available to watch now on the Netflix Jr. YouTube channel.
