In a first for the Disney/ ABC Television Group, a series will premiere on its popular WATCH service. The animated Sheriff Callie’s Wild West, the first Western for preschoolers, will be available for verified viewers on WATCHDisneyJunior.com and the WATCH Disney Junior app for smartphones and tablets beginning November 24, 2013, while the series will premiere on Disney Junior channels and programming blocks globally in 2014.
Established last year as part of Disney/ ABC Television Group’s TV everywhere rollout, WATCH Disney Junior provides access to on-demand episodes of popular Disney Junior shows, as well as a live stream of the linear channel feed for verified viewers.
Sheriff Callie’s Wild West stars the voice of Mandy Moore (Disney’s Tangled) as Callie. Each episode features two 11-minute stories.
In making the announcement, Nancy Kanter, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and General Manager, Disney Junior Worldwide said, “We’re taking an exciting new step with the launch of our latest Disney Junior series, Sheriff Callie’s Wild West, on our extremely popular WATCH Disney Junior platform. In this, the first Western made just for preschoolers, our audience will not only have a chance to get to know our characters and our stories more quickly by having multiple episodes to watch all at once on WATCH Disney Junior, but we are confident they will be delighted with how those stories embrace what has enthralled us for generations in western tales — strong and important role models, high stakes stories and distinctive music.”
“Interacting with smartphones and tablets is second nature to kids today,” said Albert Cheng, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer of Digital Media, Disney/ ABC Television Group. “Our research shows tablets are among the fastest growing devices ever – more than half of households with kids now own a tablet, up over 40% in 2012. With the premiere of Sheriff Callie’s Wild West on the WATCH Disney Junior service, we are fulfilling our commitment to deliver high quality content experiences that either extend the life cycle of our shows or build new relationships with our audience across digital platforms that are increasingly important to them.”
On November 18, 2013, DisneyJunior.com/SheriffCallie will launch as an introduction to the series and characters and will expand in early January with the game “Sheriff Callie’s Wild Day.”
In addition to Moore, the series stars Lucas Grabeel (Disney’s High School Musical, ABC Family’s Switched at Birth) as Peck; Jessica DiCicco (Disney’s Gravity Falls) as Toby; Mo Collins (Parks and Recreation) as Ella Cowbelle, Frida Fox and newspaper editor Abigail Crane; Cree Summer (WordGirl) as Priscilla Skunk; Kevin Michael Richardson (Disney’s Wander Over Yonder) as Farmer Stinky and Uncle Bun; Jeff Bennett (Disney’s Jake and the Never Land Pirates) as Mr. Dillo, Doc Quakers and Cody the Pony Express Rider; Gary Anthony Williams (Disney’s Doc McStuffins) as Dirty Dan and Dusty; and Carlos Alazraqui (Disney’s Planes) as Tio Tortuga.
Sheriff Callie’s Wild West was created by Denis Morella and George Evelyn and developed for television by Holly Huckins, the team behind Disney’s Higglytown Heroes. Morella, Evelyn and Huckins also serve as executive producers. The composers are Michael Turner and Mike Himelstein (Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). The series is a production of W!LDBRAIN Entertainment, a DHX Media company, in association with Disney Junior.