Watch Latin American Music Awards
Netflix will bow the first five episodes of DreamWorks Animation‘s “All Hail King Julien” kidvid — a spinoff of the studio’s “Madagascar” franchise — on Dec. 19, with additional installments to follow next year.
“All Hail King Julien,” starring the boisterous ring-tailed lemur ruler of the jungle, will be available to most Netflix subscribers worldwide, including in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, U.K., Ireland, the Nordics, Benelux and France (with the exception of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which are not covered under the original DWA agreement).
New 22-minute episodes of “All Hail King Julien” the series will debut throughout 2015. The release deviates from Netflix’s standard practice of releasing all episodes of an original series at once; DWA and Netflix have previously said the lengthy process of producing animation prevents a binge-style launch.
The series falls under the pact DWA and Netflix announced last summer, the biggest deal for the Internet streaming-video company for original TV content. That started with “Turbo FAST,” based on the movie about a team of racing snails (which, like “King Julien,” had a staggered release schedule). Under the agreement, DreamWorks Animation is to develop more than 300 hours of exclusive programming based on DWA characters; by the end of 2016, DWA will debut 10 additional new series on Netflix.
“We are excited to add a series focused on one of the most beloved characters from Madagascar to our growing line-up from DreamWorks Animation,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content, Netflix. “King Julien knows how to throw a great party and we expect families around the world will enjoy spending their holidays with him.”
In “All Hail King Julien,” the titular lemur holds court before the Zoosters arrive on Madagascar. The series features a voice cast that includes television legend Henry Winkler (“Happy Days”) as Julien’s regal predecessor, Uncle King Julien, with Danny Jacobs as King Julien, Andy Richter (“Conan,” “Arrested Development”) as Mort, Kevin Michael Richardson (“Family Guy”) as Maurice, and India de Beaufort (“One Tree Hill”) as Clover, the king’s special-ops expert.
“‘All Hail King Julien’ is really a showcase for our talented artists to bring the Netflix audience the great storytelling, compelling characters and fantastic design that is the hallmark of DreamWorks Animation,” said Margie Cohn, head of TV for DreamWorks Animation.
