Disney Plans Short-Form Series for Handy Manny

BURBANK: Disney Channel’s hit series for preschoolers Handy Manny has been given an order for a further 29 episodes for a third season, along with a new short-form series and two prime-time specials.

Handy Manny’s School for Tools, consisting of 20 animated shorts, will begin production this year for a 2010 premiere. In fall 2009, Disney Channel will present the first of two prime-time specials, Handy Manny’s Motorcycle Adventure, which takes viewers along on Manny’s road trip to his family reunion. The second prime-time special will debut in 2010.

Seen daily during Playhouse Disney’s programming block, Handy Manny is set in a multi-cultural, multi-generational community and follows a curriculum that models problem solving. The series can be seen in more than 135 countries and in 23 languages.

"Handy Manny is a strong, compassionate and distinctive character that preschoolers love and identify with, and while we’re most proud that each episode helps kids learn how to get along with others, we’re thrilled that Handy Manny consistently delivers top ratings and has made its mark at retail," said Rich Ross, the president of Disney Channels Worldwide.