Hallmark Channel Devotes Friday Nights to Family Films

NEW YORK: Next month Hallmark Channel is set to launch Walden Family Theater, a new Friday night destination for family movies, created by Walmart, Procter & Gamble, Walden Media and ARC Entertainment.

The appointment-viewing franchise will kick off on Friday, March 15 at 8 p.m. with the world premiere of Return to Nim’s Island, the sequel to the 2008 family action-adventure led by Bindi Irwin, the daughter of the late Australian wildlife expert Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter). The film, which also stars Matthew Lillard, Toby Wallace and Nathan Derrick, is about a teenage girl who is determined to protect the wildlife living on an island from developers and poachers. Based on the novel Nim at Sea by Wendy Orr, Return to Nim’s Island is produced by Walden and ARC.

Walden Family Theater will also broadcast other original family movies, including Space Warriors, which is scheduled to make its world debut on Hallmark Channel in May.

"We at Hallmark Channel could not have asked for better collaborators for Walden Family Theater than Walmart and P&G, as leading sponsors, and Walden and ARC as producers—these are all brands that share in our passion for and commitment to family entertainment," said Bill Abbott, the president and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks. "This collaboration is a 360-degree effort that allows us a unique opportunity to further revive the practice of families regularly gathering to enjoy television entertainment as a shared experience."

Micheal Flaherty, co-founder of Walden Media, added: "Walden Family Theater is a great step forward for us to continue the Walden mission. These great films we are presenting on The Hallmark Channel and/or making with ARC reinforces our vision to provide families a chance to recapture imagination and rekindle curiosity through entertainment. These films will stand side by side with some of our proudest features like our Narnia movies, Holes, Bridge to Terabithia, Amazing Grace and Journey to the Center of the Earth."