Apple TV+ Nabs Second Nick Jr. Revival With 'Wonder Pets: In the City'
Not too big, not too tough, now there’s another property that’s not too dead
Would you believe that the Wonder Pets are back on their way? Apple TV+ has sewiously announced they have revived Wonder Pets!, the Nick Jr. animated series that saw three classroom pets use teamwork to help animals in need, for a new series called Wonder Pets: In The City. It is set to premiere globally on Friday, December 13. According to the press release, the series invites kids and families to spark curiosity and celebrate unique differences with new characters and adventures. The announcement was made in October, while the trailer and key art were released Wednesday.
New characters? Indeed, Linny the Guinea Pig, Tuck the Turtle, and Ming-Ming the Duckling from the series which largely aired three seasons from 2006 to 2012 (with a handful of stragglers that didn’t air until 2016) are not returning. Instead we have a new trio that is also led by a guinea pig, named Izzy. Izzy, voiced by Victoria Scola-Giampapa, is joined by Tate the Snake, voiced by Vanessa Huszar and Zuri the Bunny voiced by Christopher Sean Cooper Jr.. They too are classroom pets but they live in a New York City kindergarten and travel the world in their “Jetcar” to rescue animals in their own musical, mini-opera-themed adventures. Even through hardships, Izzy, Tate and Zuri always remember to utilize their talents and abilities together to save the day, because nothing is impossible.
The trailer starts off with a taste of the new Wonder Pets set-off song as there’s a hedgehog in trouble that must be freed. They do so by introducing themselves, meeting a butterfly and a peacock, as well as a spider that weaves them a W. They lead a leopard cub through a very tight cave and save a hippo. Oh the heroism.
Wonder Pets: In The City is developed by original series co-developer Jennifer Oxley, who serves as executive producer alongside Steve Altiere, and co-executive producer Jeffrey Lesser. The series remaining so musical means featuring Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composers, including Bobby Lopez, Jason Robert Brown, Tom Kitt, Matthew Sklar and Larry Hochman, accompanied by the FILMharmonic Orchestra. And yes, it is still produced by Nickelodeon Animation, but original creator Josh Selig is not involved. He left original production company Little Airplane Productions in 2020, three years before it was shuttered. The new series joins Yo Gabba Gabbaland!, the revival of popular Nick Jr. series Yo Gabba Gabba! which premiered in August, bolstering Apple TV+’s slate of original preschool programming. Yo Gabba Gabba! as a franchise is owned by Wildbrain however. Watch the Wonder Pets: In The City trailer below.
