Family TV Round-Up: Nickelodeon and Disney Upfronts, New 'Thundercats' Trailer & More

Welcome to the Family TV Roundup, a recap of all kid-friendly programming across the television universe. We'll sum up all the news related to children's programming, as well as profile the people and shows your kids, tweens and teens are talking about.

Both Nickelodeon and Disney have presented their 2011-12 upfronts to the press and advertisers. As usual, both have lineups featuring new series and made-for-TV movies that will appeal to all ages. Here's a quick breakdown of what to look forward to.

NICKELODEON
New Series -- Five new animated series will be joining Nick's Saturday morning block of kids programming.

• 'The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra' -- a sequel to 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' which moves the series up 70 years;
• Italian import 'Winx Club,' about a normal girl who attends a school for fairies after she discovers her magical powers;
• Computer-generated animated series 'Robot & Monster,' 'Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness' and 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.'

Movies -- The casts of 'iCarly' and 'Victorious' will get together in the made-for-TV movie 'iParty With Victorious,' which will premiere on June 10. Nickelodeon alum Keenan Thompson will also make an appearance in the film.

Retro Nick -- As previously mentioned, TeenNick will be bringing back a number of classic Nickelodeon programs from the 90s in the midnight to 2AM programming block titled 'The 90s Are All That.' Included in the block will be shows like 'Clarissa Explains It All,' 'All That,' 'Rugrats,' 'Keenan & Kel,' and 'The Adventures of Pete and Pete.'

DISNEY
The House of Mouse is kicking it into high gear for its television products. In addition to ramping up for the launch of its Disney Junior channel in March of next year, there are also a large number of new series and movies coming down the pike.

New Series

• 'Jessie' -- Now that 'The Suite Life on Deck' seems to be coming to its logical conclusion, Debby Ryan is leaving the S.S. Tipton to star in this new series where she'll play an Texas au pair who serves a wealthy Manhattan family with four children. Premiering in fall of 2011, 'Jessie' will become a companion piece to 'Good Luck Charlie.'
• 'Kickin' It' -- Starring former 'Hannah Montana' star Jason Earles, this Disney XD series is about a failing strip mall dojo that gains a masterful martial arts expert.
• 'ANT Farm' -- The third live-action series is about an 11-year-old musical prodigy who attends a high school's Accelerated Natural Talent (ANT) program.

On the animated front, Disney is offering up a variety of programs.

• 'Gravity Falls' (Disney Channel) -- A pair of city kids spend the summer with their uncle in Gravity Falls, Oregon. A town which isn't as boring as the kids first think it is.
• 'Ultimate Spider-Man' (Disney XD) -- This series will follow a teenage wall-crawler as he is honed by Nick Fury.
• 'Tron: Uprising' (Disney XD) -- Set between the 1982 movie and its 2010 sequel 'Tron: Legacy' the series features voice talent from Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore, Paul Reubens and Bruce Boxleitner.
• 'Motorcity' -- Taking place in a futuristic Detroit owned by an evil billionaire, the show will feature the voices of Nate Torrence, Brian Doyle Murray, Jim Breuer and Mark Hamill.

Movies -- In addition to 'The Suite Life Movie' and the previously announced 'Lemon Mouth' and 'Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure,' with Disney alum Ashley Tisdale, these are Disney Channel's other releases for the 2011-2012:

• 'Phineas and Ferb' will get a new movie this summer with 'Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension.'
• 'Good Luck Charlie' has a holiday-themed adventure which will premiere towards the Christmas season.
• 'Greek Charming' is based on a young adult novel about high school popularity and stars Sarah Hyland of 'Modern Family'
• 'Frenemies' looks at the world of best friends turning to enemies and back to friends again.

We'll take a look at some of the new projects slated for Disney Junior in another installment of the Round-Up.

Programming Schedule Notes and Reminders:

-- Five new episodes of 'Team Umizoomi' premiere next week on Nickelodeon. They'll air during the show's normal time slot, 11:30AM, starting on March 21.

-- The 'Imagination Movers' get some help from the NBA's Richard Hamilton on next Friday's new episode. Airing at 1:30PM on March 25, Hamilton teaches Smitty how to shoot hoops.

-- Superman teams up with Batman on a new episode of 'Batman: The Brave and the Bold.' Titled 'Battle of the Superheroes,' the show will air on Friday, March 25, at 6:30ET.

-- Prior to the premiere of 'The Suite Life Movie' next Friday, Dylan and Cole Sprouse will appear on Discovery's series 'Street Customs.' On the show, airing Friday at 8AM, the twins will receive a pair of custom cars from the Street Customs team.

-- Speaking of 'The Suite Life Movie,' it premieres at 8PM on March 25. A trailer from the made-for-TV movie can be found on YouTube.

In other news...

-- The lineup for 'Nickelodeon's 2011 Kids Choice Awards' is coming together. Among those appearing or presenting will be Will Ferrell, Russell Brand, Josh Duhamel, Jaden Smith, Jane Lynch, Cory Monteith and Miranda Cosgrove. Performers include The Black Eyed Peas and Big Time Rush. The 'Kids Choice Awards' air on Saturday, April 2, at 8PM.

-- The broadcast of Nickelodeon's newest made-for-TV movie, 'Best Player,' was the week's top scripted basic cable telecast. Total Viewers topped 5.3 million while Kids 2 through 14 made up almost seven million watchers, which made 'Best Player' the number one movie to date.

-- Cartoon Network has released a new trailer for the upcoming revival of 'Thundercats.' Though it's hard to tell, much of the series looks to take place on Thundera amidst some sort of civil war. See for yourself in the below video.



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