With all the live action creeping into animation channels, it’s heartening to hear that Nickelodeon is increasing its animated output by 50% this year. The network’s latest toon pick-ups are Fanboy and Chum Chum, a spinoff of Nicktoons Network’s Random! Cartoons, and an interactive preschool show titled Team Umizoomi from the creators of Blue’s Clues.
Created by Eric Robles (Ni Hau Kai Lan, The X’s, Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy), Fanboy follows the misadventures of a 10-year-old comic-book entusiast named Fanboy (David Hornsby) and his highly imaginative sidekick, Chum Chum (Nika Futterman). For Fanboy, there is nothing more normal than living life in tights and a cape, and the concept of an ordinary day is one where anything and everything can happen. Nickelodeon has ordered 26 episodes of the CG-animated show, which features the voices of Jamie Kennedy, Josh Duhamel and Estelle Harris. Robles is exec producing the series with Steve Tompkins and Fred Seibert.
Also on order are 20 episodes of the math-oriented Team Umizoomi. Scheduled to premiere next year during Nick Jr. block, the show offers a mix of 2D and 3D animation set to a pop-rock soundtrack as miniature action heroes help preschoolers solve everyday problems by using arithmetic. The series is created by Blue’s Clues team members Jennifer Twomey, Soo Kim and Michael T. Smith.
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