Cartoon Network Announces New Action-Adventure Programming Strategy
New Franchise Miguzi Launches April 19; Toonami Moves to Saturday Nights, Beginning April 17
Cartoon Network will change its action-adventure programming line-up with the launch of Miguzi, a new weekday afternoon franchise, and the move of Toonami to Saturday evenings. Airing weekdays from 5-7 p.m. (ET, PT), beginning Monday, April 19, the new Miguzi block will create an exciting interactive environment where kids can find the best action-adventure programming with comedic elements. Beginning Saturday, April 17, Toonami will air from 7 p.m.-12 a.m. (ET, PT).
Miguzi will be positioned the network's afternoon destination for the best action entertainment for kids 6-11. The new block will be built around a fantastic new undersea environment, where kids will find compelling action-adventure programming. Miguzi will also feature live-action segments profiling entertainers, athletes and everyday heroes who are inspirational, unique and talented. These lifestyle pieces will further bridge the gap between real life action-adventure and animation.
“The new Miguzi franchise will appeal to a wide audience, with its block of action and adventure, and will lead us directly into prime time,” said Jim Samples, executive vice president and general manager, Cartoon Network Worldwide. “This new block conveys an environment that's both exciting and inclusive, where kids can come each day after school for cutting-edge programming. We've acquired some great new series, which we will match with popular Cartoon Network original shows.”
Miguzi is set on an abandoned spaceship buried in the ocean. Each day, The Leviathan, a giant sea monster, transports Erin, the franshise's CG host, to the submersed ship. Once inside the spaceship, Erin and the sea creatures all settle in to watch the shows, when the fun begins.
The following is programming the line-up that launches Miguzi on Monday, April 19 (all times ET, PT):
5 p.m.: Totally Spies – Sam, Clover and Alex are three ordinary teenagers from Beverly Hills who happen to work for W.O.O.H.P., the World Organization of Human Protection. One moment, these three teens could be shopping at the mall or studying for exams, and the next they are summoned by Jerry, their leader, and dispatched across the globe on a top-secret mission.
5:30 p.m.: Code LYOKO – The series tells the adventures of a group of students who are the only ones who know that there is a parallel, virtual world called LYOKO.
6:00 p.m.: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo - use their new skills to battle the evil Shredder and The Foot Clan, his formidable legion of ninja warriors.
6:30 p.m.: Teen Titans – Led by Robin, this group of five superheroes unites to form a force to protect their teeming, sun-baked city from a new generation of villains while coping with the challenges of adolescence. Launched in 2003, Teen Titans, based on the DC Comics series, is one of Cartoon Network's most popular shows.
Beginning Saturday, April 17, Toonami will move from its Monday-Friday spot to Saturday evenings from 7 p.m.-12 a.m. (ET, PT), becoming the home for sophisticated action and animé programming aimed at teens. Toonami has been a popular destination for the best action and animé programming since its launch in 1997. Over the years, it has attracted some of the largest audiences on TV in its time period for its target demographics and popularized such series as Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball, Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon.
The Saturday night version of Toonami will continue to be hosted by TOM and feature series such as Dragon Ball Z, Yū Yū Hakusho and Transformers: Energon. Other series to air exclusively as part of Toonami's new Saturday lineup incude Rave Masters and Gundam Seed. Cartoon Network will also acquire new action and animé series for Toonami, some of which will be introduced to U.S. audiences for the first time. In addition, Toonami will air Cartoon Network original series such as Justice League as well as popular animé series like Dragon Ball GT and Rurouni Kenshin.
“We're putting our top action and animé series for the new Toonami block and keeping it fresh each week with premieres,” said Samples. “We know teens hang out together on Saturday nights to watch their favorite shows, so we're giving them what they're asking for - a night exclusively dedicated to the coolest action and animé programming.”
Toonami will also be the home to Megas XLR, Cartoon Network's newest original series, which will premiere on Saturday, May 1, at 9 p.m. (ET, PT). When a video-game playing, wrestling fanatic named Coop finds a giant robot in his local New Jersey dump, he does what any other gear-head slacker would do: he soups up the eighty-foot tall robot into a mechanical hot-rod monstrosity named Megas XLR. What he doesn't count on is being asked to save the Earth from a race of evil aliens from the future.
Cartoon Network, currently seen in 86.2 million U.S. homes and 145 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s 24-hour, ad-supported cable service offering the best in animated entertainment. Drawing from the world's largest cartoon library, Cartoon Network showcases unique original ventures such as Codename: Kids Next Door, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd n Eddy and other Cartoon Cartoons. Cartoon Network also features Adult Swim, a late night block of animation for grown-ups. Since its launch in 1992, Cartoon Network has remained one of ad-supported cable's highest-rated networks. Cartoon Network's website is located at http://CartoonNetwork.com (AOL Keyword: Cartoon Network).
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.
Cartoon Network will change its action-adventure programming line-up with the launch of Miguzi, a new weekday afternoon franchise, and the move of Toonami to Saturday evenings. Airing weekdays from 5-7 p.m. (ET, PT), beginning Monday, April 19, the new Miguzi block will create an exciting interactive environment where kids can find the best action-adventure programming with comedic elements. Beginning Saturday, April 17, Toonami will air from 7 p.m.-12 a.m. (ET, PT).
Miguzi will be positioned the network's afternoon destination for the best action entertainment for kids 6-11. The new block will be built around a fantastic new undersea environment, where kids will find compelling action-adventure programming. Miguzi will also feature live-action segments profiling entertainers, athletes and everyday heroes who are inspirational, unique and talented. These lifestyle pieces will further bridge the gap between real life action-adventure and animation.
“The new Miguzi franchise will appeal to a wide audience, with its block of action and adventure, and will lead us directly into prime time,” said Jim Samples, executive vice president and general manager, Cartoon Network Worldwide. “This new block conveys an environment that's both exciting and inclusive, where kids can come each day after school for cutting-edge programming. We've acquired some great new series, which we will match with popular Cartoon Network original shows.”
Miguzi is set on an abandoned spaceship buried in the ocean. Each day, The Leviathan, a giant sea monster, transports Erin, the franshise's CG host, to the submersed ship. Once inside the spaceship, Erin and the sea creatures all settle in to watch the shows, when the fun begins.
The following is programming the line-up that launches Miguzi on Monday, April 19 (all times ET, PT):
5 p.m.: Totally Spies – Sam, Clover and Alex are three ordinary teenagers from Beverly Hills who happen to work for W.O.O.H.P., the World Organization of Human Protection. One moment, these three teens could be shopping at the mall or studying for exams, and the next they are summoned by Jerry, their leader, and dispatched across the globe on a top-secret mission.
5:30 p.m.: Code LYOKO – The series tells the adventures of a group of students who are the only ones who know that there is a parallel, virtual world called LYOKO.
6:00 p.m.: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo - use their new skills to battle the evil Shredder and The Foot Clan, his formidable legion of ninja warriors.
6:30 p.m.: Teen Titans – Led by Robin, this group of five superheroes unites to form a force to protect their teeming, sun-baked city from a new generation of villains while coping with the challenges of adolescence. Launched in 2003, Teen Titans, based on the DC Comics series, is one of Cartoon Network's most popular shows.
Beginning Saturday, April 17, Toonami will move from its Monday-Friday spot to Saturday evenings from 7 p.m.-12 a.m. (ET, PT), becoming the home for sophisticated action and animé programming aimed at teens. Toonami has been a popular destination for the best action and animé programming since its launch in 1997. Over the years, it has attracted some of the largest audiences on TV in its time period for its target demographics and popularized such series as Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball, Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon.
The Saturday night version of Toonami will continue to be hosted by TOM and feature series such as Dragon Ball Z, Yū Yū Hakusho and Transformers: Energon. Other series to air exclusively as part of Toonami's new Saturday lineup incude Rave Masters and Gundam Seed. Cartoon Network will also acquire new action and animé series for Toonami, some of which will be introduced to U.S. audiences for the first time. In addition, Toonami will air Cartoon Network original series such as Justice League as well as popular animé series like Dragon Ball GT and Rurouni Kenshin.
“We're putting our top action and animé series for the new Toonami block and keeping it fresh each week with premieres,” said Samples. “We know teens hang out together on Saturday nights to watch their favorite shows, so we're giving them what they're asking for - a night exclusively dedicated to the coolest action and animé programming.”
Toonami will also be the home to Megas XLR, Cartoon Network's newest original series, which will premiere on Saturday, May 1, at 9 p.m. (ET, PT). When a video-game playing, wrestling fanatic named Coop finds a giant robot in his local New Jersey dump, he does what any other gear-head slacker would do: he soups up the eighty-foot tall robot into a mechanical hot-rod monstrosity named Megas XLR. What he doesn't count on is being asked to save the Earth from a race of evil aliens from the future.
Cartoon Network, currently seen in 86.2 million U.S. homes and 145 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s 24-hour, ad-supported cable service offering the best in animated entertainment. Drawing from the world's largest cartoon library, Cartoon Network showcases unique original ventures such as Codename: Kids Next Door, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd n Eddy and other Cartoon Cartoons. Cartoon Network also features Adult Swim, a late night block of animation for grown-ups. Since its launch in 1992, Cartoon Network has remained one of ad-supported cable's highest-rated networks. Cartoon Network's website is located at http://CartoonNetwork.com (AOL Keyword: Cartoon Network).
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.
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