Nicktoons to Premiere New Speed Racer Animated Series

NEW YORK, April 15: Next month, Nicktoons Network will debut
Speed Racer: The Next Generation, a new
animated series that builds on the original 1967 program.

Speed Racer: The Next Generation will kick off with a 90-minute episode on Friday,
May 2, at 7 p.m., rolling out just prior to the Lionsgate DVD release on
Tuesday, May 6, and the live-action Warner Bros. feature film Speed
Racer, directed by the Wachowski Brothers,
on Friday, May 9. The 26-episode, half-hour series will air regularly on
Fridays at 7 p.m. on Nicktoons Network.

In the 90-minute premiere, "The Beginning," Speed,
a teenager who had been orphaned as a baby, arrives at the prestigious Racing
Academy and tries to get acclimated as the new kid. He meets friends and
enemies, finds out he is the son of the famous driver Speed Racer and begins to
deal with his new brother, X, and uncle, Headmaster Spritle (voiced by Peter
Fernandez, the voice of Speed Racer in the original U.S. version). Speed
Racer: The Next Generation is executive
produced by John and Jim Rocknowski, principals of Speed Racer Enterprises, and
Larry Schwarz, the CEO of Animation Collective. It is based on the classic
series that originally debuted in 1967 in the U.S. The series follows Speed
after he arrives at The Racing Academy only to find himself intimidated by his
fast-paced classmates. Armed with his new friends Conor, Lucy and Conor's robot
monkey, Chim Chim, Speed quickly lives up to his name and becomes the one to
beat in the driver's seat.

In April, Speed Racer: The Next Generation will stream on VOD. Additionally, select video
content from the series will be available on the network's video player at www.nicktoonsnetwork.com.

"Nicktoons Network is thrilled to add a completely new
version of this iconic property to our brand," said Keith Dawkins,
Nicktoons Network’s general manager and senior VP of Nickelodeon programming
partnerships. "Speed Racer has
global appeal as a comic book, television series and feature film. It's a great
way to grow our brand and bring something new and exciting to our
audience."

—By Irene Lew