Netflix has announced plans to launch five original shows for kids, including remakes of popular classics such as Inspector Gadget and Danger Mouse. The current generation of children might not have heard of these titles, but their parents will certainly remember them.
Rekindle old memories
Inspector Gadget, which will run for 26 episodes, is a kid’s cartoon from the 80s, and was later converted into a feature film starring Matthew Broderick in the late 90s. Of the five shows that Netflix is planning to stream, four are animated series, including a show called Bottersnickes & Gumbles, inspired by books of the same name and SUPER 4, a CGI series inspired by PLAYMOBIL toys. The last in the list of five is a live-action series about a toy shop called Some Assembly Required.
Inspector Gadget will be launched on Netflix next month, and will be the first one to be streamed. SUPER 4 will be released in April, and Some Assembly Required will debut this summer. The remaining shows will begin streaming in 2016.
Netflix and rivals focusing on kids
Netflix is focusing on its kids lineup, including shows from partners such as PBS, Disney Channel, DreamWork, Cartoon Network, Mattel, Hasbro, Lego and Scholastic. A couple of years back, Netflix entered into a deal with Walt Disney to make its service the pay TV home for all of Disney’s live action and animated films starting in 2016.
Another big name with which Netflix partnered is DreamWorks to bring studio’s feature films into Pay TV. Currently, the studio is making 300 hours of original shows for Netflix, with titles that are spin-offs from its movie franchises, such as Turbo F.A.S.T., All Hail King Julien, Puss In Boots, Dragons and DinoTrux, and Richie Rich.
Apart from Netflix, other streaming services are also realizing the importance of the kid’s shows. Rival Hulu has a separate kids section featuring content like Jim Henson’s Doozers and several top shows of Nickelodeon. Also, a few days back, Amazon announced plans to increase it offerings of kid’s shows.