Disney Channel to Debut Second Seasons of Hit Series for Preschoolers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Johnny and the Sprites in January

Disney Channel will debut the second seasons of the #1 series for preschoolers, "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," and its hit music-filled series "Johnny and the Sprites" in January.

Disney Channel - December 12, 2007

(PRNewsChannel) / Burbank, Calif. - Disney Channel will debut the second seasons of the #1 series for preschoolers, "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," and its hit music-filled series "Johnny and the Sprites" in January.

New episodes of "Johnny and the Sprites," which combines the music talent of Broadway's finest with endearing puppet characters, will premiere SATURDAY, JANUARY 19 (7:30 a.m., ET/PT).

Starring Mickey Mouse and his pals in learning-focused stories, the second season of the global sensation "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," basic cable TV's #1 series for kids age 2-5 for 3rd quarter 2007, premieres SATURDAY, JANUARY 26 (9:00 a.m., ET/PT).
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Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia ("Avenue Q," "Beauty and the Beast") stars and executive-produces "Johnny and the Sprites," a series that introduces preschoolers to original Broadway-style songs by some of the theater world's most celebrated composers including Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked"), Lawrence O'Keefe ("Legally Blonde"), and Carmel Dean and Mariana Elder ("The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee").

In the premiere episode of season two, Johnny's neighbor Gwen finally meets the Sprites, and Johnny is able to visit the Grove thanks to the discovery of a magical bridge. Then Johnny and the Sprites learn the true meaning of friendship when Lily tries to clean Root's special blankie, but accidentally shreds it.

Season two of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" showcases an original short song performed by Mickey and the gang, plus new dance moves during their signature "Hot Dog Song." The series' math-based curriculum will now include rudimentary division problems, fractions and counting by 2s, 5s and 10s. The executive producer of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" is Emmy Award-winning director Rob LaDuca (Disney's "Lilo & Stitch: The Series," "Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius").

The season kicks off with two new back-to-back episodes airing both Saturday and Sunday during Playhouse Disney's "Big PremEar Weekend," with the schedule as follows:

Saturday, January 26

9:00 a.m. "Fancy Dancin' Goofy" – Mickey and the gang help Goofy prepare to attend the "Fancy Dance" with Clarabelle the Cow.

9:30 a.m. "Goofy the Homemaker" – Mickey and pals help Goofy build a bird house for Baby Red Bird and his family.

Sunday, January 27

9:00 a.m. "Mickey's Handy Helpers" – When the Handy Helpers go limp, Mickey and his friends must fix the machine and get the Clubhouse working.

9:30 a.m. "Goofy Baby" – When Professor Von Drake's time machine accidentally turns Goofy into a baby, the gang acts as babysitters while the Professor works on getting Goofy back to normal.

Playhouse Disney, seen in a daily programming block on Disney Channel U.S. and on ten Playhouse Disney channels around the world, encourages preschoolers to imagine and learn through original series, short-form and acquired programming that includes song, movement and entertainment. Guided by an established curriculum, Playhouse Disney supports multiple areas of child development: physical, emotional, social and cognitive; thinking and creative skills as well as moral and ethical development through carefully constructed themes, storylines and endearing characters.

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Source: Disney Channel