The stop-motion preschool series follows the friendship between a feisty dinosaur Kiri and her best friend Lou as they explore the world of feelings; Season 1 lands on Nick Jr. June 13.
Nickelodeon has picked up Kiri and Lou, an award-winning stop-motion animated preschool series from New Zealand that follows the friendship between Kiri, a feisty little dinosaur, and her best friend Lou, a gentle and thoughtful creature, as they explore the world of feelings through laughter, song, and outdoor adventure. The kids’ network has acquired Season 1 (20 x 5-min eps) and Season 2 (32 x 5-min eps) from CAKE. The show will premiere for the first time in the U.S. on Monday, June 13, at 6 p.m. (ET/PT) on the Nick Jr. channel with Season 3 (42 x 5-min eps) following later this year.
Kiri and Lou help kids learn about empathy, friendship, and how to get along through warm-hearted and humorous stories. Handcrafted in paper and clay, the show is created by Antony Elworthy (Coraline, Corpse Bride and Isle of Dogs) using traditional stop-motion animation. Kiri and Lou are voiced by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Olivia Tennet (Lord of the Rings) and written and directed by Harry Sinclair (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring). Heather Walker of Yowza Animation co-produces and Fiona Copland produces for Stretchy.
In the series premiere, “Yum Yum Baronies/Super Sticky Situation/Who Is Sleepy Now/Small,” Kiri and Lou are going to have a feast of their favorite fruit - yum yum baronies, but Lou loses control and eats them all before Kiri can have any. Then, Lou wakes up to find himself on a lily pad in the middle of the lake. He relaxes when his ‘calm inner voice’ comes to the rescue. After, Kiri and Lou can't sleep and Pania says she'll sing them a song, if they stay awake for the whole thing. Finally, Kiri and Lou meet a shy little creature called Small. It turns out she's a fan, and she has even written a song about them.
Following the series premiere, NickJr.com and the Nick Jr. App will feature short-form content and full-length episodes. Episodes will also be available on Nick Jr. On Demand and Download-To-Own services.
Source: Nickelodeon
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
