The big adventures before the big adventures unfold in the new original animated movie Craig Before the Creek, based on the hit Cartoon Network series Craig of the Creek. The feature-length adventure originally announced in January 2022 by CN and then-HBO Max will launch on Digital platforms from December 11 and on DVD on March 26, 2024.
On air, Cartoon Network will debut Craig Before the Creek on Saturday, January 13 at 10 a.m. ET/PT and the next day on Sunday, January 14 at 10:30 a.m. ET/ PT. The network will also celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 15 with a marathon block of the original series, its spin-off Jessica’s Big Little World and Space Jam: A New Legacy, all leading to an encore airing of Craig Before the Creek.
Synopsis: Before he was Craig of the Creek, he was just Craig — a new kid in a new town. All Craig wants is to go back to his old friends at his old home. But when he learns that the nearby creek is hiding a lost treasure that could make his wish come true, Craig sets off on a journey to find it — navigating the perilous suburban wilderness, forging new friendships, all while being pursued by a fearsome band of pirates who are bent on destroying the Creek itself.
Craig Before the Creek features the voices of Philip Solomon as Craig, Noël Wells as Kelsey, H Michael Croner as JP, Vico Ortiz as Serena, Kimberly Hébert Gregory as Nicole, Byron Marc Newsome as Duane, Phil LaMarr as Bernard and Lucia Cunningham as Jessica.
Produced by Cartoon Network Studios, the film is directed by series creators Matt Burnett & Ben Levin and co-directed by Naija Porter. The screenplay is by Burnett & Levin from a story by Burnett, Levin, Tiffany Ford, Ashleigh Hairston, Dashawn Mahome, Naija Porter and Jeff Trammell. Executive producers are Burnett, Levin and Cartoon Network Studios/Warner Bros. Animation/Hanna-Barber Studios Europe head Sam Register. Rossitza Likomanova is supervising producer, Lisa Zunich is producer and Susan Varghese is associate producer.
Now in its fifth season, the Emmy, GLAAD- and NAACP Image Award-nominated Craig of the Creek sits among one of Cartoon Network’s top 10 series by reach, and among its top 15 series by hours streamed. (Over 13 million views in 2023.) The pilot episode debuted on the Cartoon Network app on December 1, 2017, and the show premiered on February 19, 2018. Jessica’s Big Little World, a spin-off series featuring Craig’s little sister Jessica, premiered in 2023 as part of Cartoon Network’s Cartoonito preschool block.
Craig Before the Creek will be available on December 11, 2023, to purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and more (SRP $14.99). The DVD will be available March 26, 2024, to purchase online and in-store at major retailers (SRP $14.99 U.S. / $19.99 Canada); pre-orders are open.
