Cartoonito shared the first look of Little Ellen, an animated series that will focus on the hilarious and unpredictable seven-year-old Ellen DeGeneres.
Here’s the official synopsis: On her adventures in her musical hometown of New Orleans, Little Ellen takes big risks and makes big mistakes. But she’s always able to laugh at herself and bounce back when things don’t go as planned.
The sneak peek sees DeGeneres and her friends dancing with a blue macaw bird. The 40-episode quarter-hour series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Ellen Digital Ventures. DeGeneres, Kevin A. Leman II, and Sam Register serve as executive producers. Jennifer Skelly is a co-executive producer and Jason Blackman is a producer.
“Ellen is a singular talent, and a powerhouse, creative triple-threat that we are lucky to have now bringing her talents to bear on behalf of HBO Max,” said HBO Max chief content officer and TNT, TBS, truTV president Kevin Reilly. “Ellen’s flair for home design and matchmaking will most certainly inspire and delight – but HBO Max is full service, so as not to leave the kids out she’s bringing them back to the hilarious misadventures of her childhood in an imaginative animated series.”
Cartoonito was announced at the WarnerMedia Kids & Family Upfront earlier this year and marks WarnerMedia’s “biggest commitment to preschool in 100 years,” offering a modern approach to preschool. Inspired by positive psychology and 21st century learning, it “aims to support every child’s humanness by celebrating their unique selves.”
WarnerMedia Kids & Family revealed the first look at Cartoonito’s upcoming preschool block, launching this fall on HBO Max and Cartoon Network. The Cartoonito programming block will feature four fun hosts that will keep preschoolers and families laughing and entertained in between watching their favorite shows. As the colorful faces of Cartoonito, Nito, Glob, Wedge and Itty each have their own unique personalities and will star in playful interstitials that will encourage young viewers to embrace their uniqueness and interact with others with empathy, respect and fairness.
Cartoonito’s new block of shows include beloved preschool staples like Sesame Street, Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, which is a reboot of Thomas & Friends, Mush-Mush & the Mushables and additional shows announced in the past month, including Bing, Dylan, Odo and Pocoyo. Twenty original shows will also be launching, including Little Ellen and Lucas the Spider, as well as Batwheels, Sesame Workshop’s Bea’s Block and Bugs Bunny Builders, to name a few.
Little Ellen series will begin streaming this fall with Cartoonito on HBO Max.
