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again: 'Speed Racer' 'The Next Generation' sequel debuts on Nicktoon May 2, 2008
Now the cable networks are dipping even further into the past for their new programs. Disney Channel revived “Winnie the Pooh” last year with a few new hip twists, and Cartoon Network reintroduced “George of the Jungle” earlier this season. Tonight at 7 p.m., Nicktoons joins the retro craze with the premiere of “Speed Racer: The Next Generation,” one week before a live-action movie, one of the most anticipated releases of the spring, debuts at theaters across the country. Both the TV show and the film play off the cult hit 1967 animated Japanese series “Speed Racer,” which was dubbed into English and later moved into syndication during the early ‘70s. It has spawned numerous spinoffs and remakes over the years, including 1993’s “The New Speed Racer” and 2002’s “Speed Racer X.” “Next Generation” follows Speed, a teenage orphan who becomes a student at Racing Academy and discovers that his father was the great Speed Racer. Speed tries to rebuild his dad’s old car, the Mach 5, and solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance while hanging out with new friends Conor, Lucy and Chim Chim, a robotic monkey. “Next Generation” is aimed at kids 6-14, but it has a bit of nostalgia cred for their parents as well. Peter Fernandez, who voiced Speed Racer in the original 1967 series, returns to voice the headmaster of the racing school in the new series. Though there are some similarities between the new and old series, like the characters and the voices, there are a lot of differences. The main one is that unlike the original, the Nicktoons one is being produced domestically, meaning the actors don’t have to try to match their voice patterns to already animated footage. Tonight’s episode, entitled “Beginnings,” is 90 minutes, but the show will be 30 minutes in the following weeks. Though the “Speed Racer” movie, directed by “The Matrix’s” Wachowski brothers, targets a somewhat older audience, the cartoon tie-in should at the least help build awareness of Nicktoons, the Nickelodeon property currently available in 50 million households. The channel is coming off a strong April in which its kids 2-11 and 6-11 total-day audiences grew 8 and 19 percent, respectively, to 54,000 and 32,000 viewers. It ranks in the top 12 on cable in each demographic, according to Nielsen ratings analyzed by Turner Networks. *** Meanwhile, in other younger viewer ratings for the week ending April 27: Among teens 12-17, Fox led with a 2.5 rating and 9 share, followed by the CW at 1.4/5, ABC at 1.3/5, CBS at 1.1/4, Univision at 0.9/3, NBC at 0.8/3, Telemundo at 0.2/1, Telefutura at 0.1/1 and Azteca at 0.0/0. Among kids 2-11, Fox was first with a 1.5/6, followed by Univision at 1.2/6, ABC at 1.0/5, CBS at 0.7/3, the CW at 0.6/2, NBC at 0.5/2, Telemundo at 0.3/1, Telefutura at 0.1/1 and Azteca at 0.0/0. The top five shows among kids 2-5: 1. Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” (Saturday 9 a.m.); 2. Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer” (Monday 10:30 a.m.); 3. Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer” (Thursday 10:30 a.m.); 4. Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” (Sunday 9:30 a.m.); 5. Nickelodeon’s “Dora Saves the Mermaid” (Tuesday 10:30 a.m.) The top five shows among kids 6-11: 1. Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101” (Sunday 8 p.m.); 2. Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” (Saturday 8 p.m.); 3. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Saturday noon); 4. Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Saturday 11 a.m.); 5. Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” (Sunday 7 p.m.)
The top five shows among kids 9-14: 1. Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101” (Sunday 8 p.m.); 2. Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” (Saturday 8 p.m.); 3. Fox’s “American Idol” (Tuesday 8 p.m.); 4. Fox’s “American Idol” (Wednesday 9 p.m.); 5. Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” (Sunday 7 p.m.)
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