Expanded Development Slates for Disney Channel Bouquet

BURBANK: Disney unveiled an unprecedented amount of new programming during its upfront presentation, with expanded development to deliver more series and movies for Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior.

A total of 13 new original series are slated, part of 435 total original episodes in 2011, a 30-percent increase from last year, not including acquisitions. Highlights of new and returning programming for Disney Channel include Gravity Falls, an animated comedy that tells the story of twins from the city who are sent to spend the summer with their uncle in Oregon, and ANT Farm, a comedy centered on an 11-year-old music prodigy who attends high school early as part of an ANT (Advanced Natural Talents) program. Another new series, Jessie, stars Debby Ryan (The Suite Life on Deck) as a starry-eyed teen from rural Texas who moves to NYC to explore life outside her small town.

The series pilot Madison High (working title) is a music- and dance-driven comedy that is under consideration for Disney Channel. Returning series include a second season for Shake it Up, more episodes of Phineas and Ferb and a companion movie, as well as Good Luck Charlie, also with further episodes and a movie. Also on the movie slate are Frenemies, following three pairs of friends as they navigate the balance of friends and enemies, and Geek Charming, a coming-of-age tale that explores the dynamics of high-school popularity and its social hierarchy.

Disney XD’s roster includes the new series Kickin’ It, a live-action comedy; Ultimate Spider-Man, positioned as a centerpiece of an upcoming Marvel programming block; and Motorcity, set in a futuristic Detroit. The channel will also see the launch of Tron: Uprising, set for a fall 2012 delivery. Returning series include Pair of Kings and Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil.

New for the Disney Junior lineup is Doc McStuffins, an animated series about a 6-year-old girl who communicates with and heals stuffed animals and toys out of her backyard clinic. Oki’s Oasis is an animated western for preschoolers. Sofia the First, a full-length animated special and series pilot, is set in the storybook of the classic Disney Princesses. 7D reimagines the classic tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in a comic and contemporary storybook world. Minnie Bow-Toons is a new short-form series that was inspired by a popular episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. A second season pickup was announced for Jake and the Neverland Pirates.