Feb 15, 2019

Nickelodeon's New Shows Include “Sponge Bob” Spin-Off and “Paddington” Preschool Series

Nickelodeon President Brian Robbins announced Thursday a new slate of children's programming that expands several well-known franchises and folds in other established properties, with an emphasis on the multicultural perspective the company seeks to espouse.

Robbins, who began developing this lineup upon his appointment as president last October, said that Nick's new creative team aims to create engaging content while competing with new platforms in an ever-changing media landscape. Their vision, Robbins said, is to “fill screens of all sizes, impact as many consumers as possible, and be at the forefront of today's children and family conversation.” According to the network's internal research, the average U.S. home today has 12 connected devices, and Nick plans to offer programming in a variety of formats and on different platforms so that children can access programming anywhere.

Based on the insights of the survey, the network hopes to address the viewing needs of what it calls “the most diverse generation ever” of children. The network found that Hispanics are “the fastest growing demographic.” The insight also revealed that today's children's top priority is “shared experiences with their parents and families. The network's focus on Hispanic audiences is reflected in new animated and live-action projects currently in development or coming soon, such as “The Casagrandes,” “Santiago of the Seas,” and the live-action film “Dora the Explorer,” which will be released in August.

The following is a list of the projects.

The following are Nickelodeon's newly announced animated ventures:

Nickelodeon will celebrate the show's 20th anniversary this summer with a special one-hour live-action and animated feature titled “SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout,” premiering on Friday, July 12. The show, which will premiere on Friday, July 12, will feature the main voice actors playing live-action doppelgangers of the animated characters they have brought to life over the years.

In addition, Nickelodeon has announced plans to “expand the world of Sponge Bob” with spin-offs focusing on the central characters. New animated features will come in a variety of formats, including series, specials, and feature films.

The series, a spin-off of “Loud House,” will follow a multi-generational Mexican-American family as they welcome 11-year-old Ronnie Ann, her brother Bobby, and their mother to town. Announced last spring, the series is slated to debut in October. Recently, the company also announced that it has signed a deal with Netflix to produce a feature film of “Loud House” that will be distributed exclusively on the platform.

Following the success of the live-action Paddington, Studiocanal and Heyday Films will produce a CG-animated series with British actor Ben Whishaw voicing the title character. David Heyman, who has worked on the two previous theatrical versions of the film, will join Karen Davidsen (ex-Disney, HIT Entertainment) and Simon Quinn (animation producer, Isle of Dogs) in producing the new episodes. Rosie Allison, who also worked on the “Paddington” film franchise, will serve as executive producer, with Rob Silva as co-producer.

Jon Foster and James Lamont (“Paddington” series, “The Amazing World of Gumball”) will develop and write the show, while Adam Shaw of London animation studio Blue Zoo will direct the series. The series, currently in production, is aimed at preschoolers and will debut on Nickelodeon in 2020. Studio Canal and Heyday are also currently developing Paddington 3.

Created and produced by the Lego Group, the new CG animated series follows a diverse community of “everyday heroes” in Lego City who band together to take down a mysterious criminal who is causing chaos in the city.

Formerly known as “The Swashbuckling Adventures of Capitán Calavera,” this interactive animated series offers lessons on the Spanish language and Latin Caribbean culture, featuring 8-year-old pirate Santiago Montes .

The contemporary educational show, which premieres in November, features Broadway actor Joshua Dela Cruz as the new live-action host and upgrades the original series' digital 2D After Effects animation to smoother CG animation.