Get ready to blast off on a galaxy of creative adventures! On Friday, September 16, Amazon Original Kids Series Creative Galaxy, the hit “make-along, create-along” animated art adventure show for preschoolers, makes its Season 2 debut on Prime Video with all-new creativity-inspiring episodes!
Lisa Loeb, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, children’s book author, actress and mom of two, voices a new character who makes her premiere in the second season. Lisa joins a star-studded line-up that also includes: Samantha Bee (The Daily Show), Jason Jones (The Daily Show), Cloris Leachman (Malcolm in the Middle), Jason Priestley (Beverly Hills 90210), Brooke Shields (Lipstick Jungle), Donovan Patton (Blue’s Clues) and Broadway actress Caissie Levy (Les Miserables), who all lend their voices to characters in the series, which aims to foster lifelong learning as it celebrates creative thinking through imaginative adventures filled with crafts, music, and dance.
Lisa’s character Melody introduces viewers to Grooveopolis, a “groovy” new planet in the galaxy, and teaches young audiences all about learning through singing and dancing.
I had the opportunity to interview series creator Angela C. Santomero (who also created Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Super Why! and Blue’s Clues), as well as Lisa Loeb about their work on Creative Galaxy and what it’s like to be involved with a series that has such an out-of-this-world mission. Lisa also has an exciting new all-ages music album, Feel What U Feel,” coming out this fall.
Creative Galaxy is Executive Produced by Santomero and Samantha Freeman. The series is from Out of the Blue Enterprises and is animated by 9 Story Media Group.
We were excited to create a show about art and we instantly saw a galaxy where every planet was a different art medium – including cooking! Traci Paige Johnson, the Co-Creator and Lead Designer for the series, drew a beautiful galaxy and we were hooked! Our vision was to create a show that would nurture preschoolers’ naturally creative minds and give them the tools to never grow out of it!
We were determined to have kids believe that they are “artists” and that they can create “masterpieces.” (As Arty says in every episode, “This is my masterpiece!”) With funding for the arts in schools being cut, we felt even more empowered to inspire kids with master artists (Jackson Pollock, Kandinsky), art expressive vocabulary (ground painting, impressionism, pointillism), and to encourage kids to fix things with art!
-What is the show’s key message(s) for young viewers and what does the series aim to achieve?
We call our show a “view and do” show. The animated series begins when Arty and his friends encounter a problem and they seek out the Creative Galaxy to make art to fix it. Then, to fully take our art message home, there’s a live action segment where we see real kids making something inspired by the show. We also end each episode by having Arty look to our home viewers and ask them directly to go out and make something on their own! It’s view…and do!
The key messages of the show are all about helping kids feel empowered to think differently and solve problems with art. Each episode has a centralized art message (and song!) that reinforces the message of the day. For instance, “Art can be a gift” was realized when Arty’s baby sister was crying. Arty wants to help her by making something she can hug – and he learns how to make a stuffie for her on Fabrictopia.
-Why is it important for preschoolers to learn different methods of problem solving and how can it boost their self-confidence, among other potential benefits?
Our mission for all of our shows has always been to “empower, challenge and build the self esteem of preschoolers, while making them laugh.” Everything we do revolves around this key idea. We want to give kids the tools, strategies and information they need to learn as well as making sure that they feel confident enough to use those tools, hence boosting their self confidence. We believe in kids and we know how smart they are. Our shows have always keyed into the idea that media is so influential and, if we can combine that with a strong curriculum and make a show that kids want to watch, there is no telling what the next generation will be able to do! What we said 20 years ago with Blue’s Clues still rings true today, “When you use your mind, and take a step a time, you can do anything that you want to do….”
-In what ways are Arty, Epiphany and the other characters in the series positive role models for children?
Arty is the creative kid, the one who always collects “treasures” he sees on the ground (acorns, sticks, leaves) and carries them around with him. He’s always making and doing and creating. Maybe he was Mark Zuckerberg as a kid! Arty is best friends with the home viewer. He reaches out and asks for their help to make things along with him. He tells kids to “go be aaamazing,” asks them what they are going to make, and talks about his works of art as his “masterpieces.”
Epiphany is a big bundle of love and support! We all need an Epiphany following us around. She is our fun sidekick, who morphs into different visuals to reinforce some of the content, and to play with the idea that art can be malleable, changed, played with, fun, and beautiful. We want all kids to have big ideas and epiphanies about who they are and what mark they are going to make on the world!
We also got to ask Lisa Loeb some questions about the series.
-How did you become involved with Creative Galaxy?
The folks from Creative Galaxy knew that I voice characters for animated shows and like to be a part of a team working to make entertainment for the whole family so it was a great match.
-What attracted you to the project, both as a recording artist and as a mom?
I was interested because it had great content for kids to get connected to the arts, It also secretly and not so secretly includes embedded instructions on how to dance and perform and express oneself. Those are important life skills!
-What do you hope kids will take away from the series?
I hope kids get excited to try out the dance steps and put on a show for themselves.
-What do you think about your character, Melody? How are you similar and/or different from her?
I love that Melody is a teacher and an eccentric. She’s a leader and has some authority, which I think kids need sometimes, but also she respects the kids and their feelings and I love how she connects on their level too to understand their feelings. This is really important to me. I’ve written some new songs that encourage kids to express their emotions, and they’ll be coming out soon on my next children’s album, Feel What U Feel (an Amazon Original due out in October).
Follow Lisa Loeb on Twitter @LisaLoeb and at www.lisaloeb.com
Here’s more about Creative Galaxy:
Young viewers join adorable alien Arty (Meesha Contreras) and his sidekick Epiphany (Kira Gelineau), as they travel around the galaxy to solve problems using various forms of art. Each vibrant and engaging episode of Creative Galaxy highlights a unique creative medium – painting, music, sculpting, cooking and more – to showcase how art can be found in many different places and forms. The interactive stories and unique live-action craft segments designed to help adult viewers recreate the art projects featured in each episode with their kids, inspire children to “go be amazing!” and become idea makers and creative thinkers.
In Season 2, the galaxy expands, as Arty introduces audiences to two exciting new art forms – cooking and singing/dancing – with new planets and celebrity hosts: Cooktopia with Chef Zesty (Donovan Patton) and Grooveopolis with Melody (Lisa Loeb). In addition, the new episodes celebrate key childhood “milestones” such as a parent’s birthday and losing a first tooth, bringing even more relatable preschool experiences to families everywhere.
The stand-out series is created by Angela Santomero and Executive Produced by Santomero and Samantha Freeman. The series is from Out of the Blue Enterprises and is animated by 9 Story Media Group.
With a number of quality educational Amazon Original Kids Series now available, Prime Video has quickly become a true “go-to” destination for today’s preschoolers and their families – and Creative Galaxy is a stellar example!
