Disney Junior Canada to debut in May

March 4, 2011 by Wendy Goldman Getzler

The Canadian rebranding of Astral Media-owned specialty channel Playhouse Disney to Disney Junior will take place on May 6, roughly three months after the multiplatform preschool brand debuted in the US on Disney Channel.

The Canadian subscription-based channel will focus on learning and development content with an emphasis on both classic and contemporary Disney characters. The French-language counterpart of the network, Playhouse Disney Télé, will also change to Disney Junior on May 6.

The transformation will be accompanied by a cross-platform marketing campaign nationwide that will draw awareness to the channel’s new Peter Pan-inspired series Jake and the Never Land Pirates. Joining Jake are new short-form series including A Poem Is…, which features Disney-illustrated poems narrated by celebrities like Jennifer Garner and Katie Holmes, and Special Agent Oso: Three Healthy Steps, which encourages healthy lifestyles for preschoolers. Canadian original series that will be featured on Disney Junior include Franny’s Feet, The Secret World of Benjamin Bear and the recently debuted Stella and Sam.

The Disney logo and the channel’s interstitials have also undergone a brand transformation. The latter will have a strong presence of live-action children interacting with Disney Junior characters.

Tags: Astral Media, Disney Junior, Jake and the Never Land Pirates

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