Preschool block Cartoonito is coming to HBO Max and Cartoon Network this fall and on Thursday, WarnerMedia Kids & Family released a first-look trailer as well as sneak peeks at two of the block’s upcoming shows: Little Ellen, based on the young life of Ellen DeGeneres, and Lucas the Spider, about a friendly little spider and his hungry pal Finley the Fly.

Cartoonito was first announced at the WarnerMedia Kids & Family Upfront earlier this year and is WarnerMedia’s biggest commitment to preschool in 100 years. It offers a modern approach to preschool programming with its proprietary educational framework, Humancentric Learning, that aims to support every child’s humanness by celebrating their unique selves. All Cartoonito preschool content will align with Humancentric Learning and Cartoon Network’s refreshed brand promise, Redraw Your World, which fosters self-expression and creativity.

As a programming block and a vertical on HBO Max, Cartoonito will feature four hosts who come in different shapes and sizes—Nito, Glob, Wedge and Itty—and serve to encourage young viewers to embrace their uniqueness and interact with others with empathy, respect and fairness.

Nito is a box of joy who loves to share facts, such as “pandas eat up to 40 pounds of bamboo a day.” Glob expresses themselves through shapes, not words, and shows their emotions physically. Wedge is a trilingual explorer while Itty is a toddler who’s just learning to speak and is always having fun.

The block will also include such preschool staples as Sesame Street, Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, Mush-Mush & the Mushables as well as Bing, Dylan, Odo and Pocoyo.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Ellen Digital Ventures, Little Ellen is a 2D animated show that explores the world of seven-year-old DeGeneres in her hometown of New Orleans along with her friends, both human and animal.

​Lucas the Spider is a CGI-animated show from Fresh TV in association with WexWorks Media. It’s based on a viral YouTube series that follows the adventures of an endearing young and fuzzy spider and his hungry friend Findley the Fly.

Tags: cartoonito ellen degeneres hbo max little ellen lucas the spider sesame street


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