Revolutionary
Afterschool Series on PBS
By
Jan Aaron
Continue to inspire post September 11 patriotism with the “revolutionary” new kids’ show, Liberty’s Kids, a clever animated PBS series which features a galaxy of movie stars reenacting leaders from American history. Premiering September 2 (Labor Day), the 40-part series then settles into its regular 30-minute afterschool slot, Monday through Friday (check local listings for time). Additionally, six new episodes will run in November, with the remaining nine scheduled for early 2003. Through innovative story telling and first-rate animation, Liberty’s Kids covers American history from 1773 to 1789, starting with The Boston Tea Party and ending with the inauguration of America’s first President, George Washington.
Aimed at seven to 12-year-olds, the series focuses on key historical incidents through the eyes of James Hiller (Chris Lundquist) and Sarah Phillips (Reo Jones), two young apprentices working in Benjamin Franklin’s (Walter Cronkite) Print Shop. Together, they prove they can get the scoop for Franklin’s paper, as they meet revolutionary superstars such as Patrick Henry (Michael Douglas); Paul Revere (Sylvester Stallone); Thomas Jefferson (Ben Stiller), and Abigail Adams (Annette Bening). Eight-year- old Henri (Kathleen Barr), a French urchin befriended by Franklin, is the duo’s sidekick and Moses (D. Kevin Williams), a slave who bought his freedom, keeps an eye on all three.
Two pilots
available to the press did a fine job of dramatizing the whys, wherefores and
reprisals of “The Boston Tea Party” and the British Parliament’s “Intolerance
Acts” in response to it. Here, at Franklin’s request, Moses, James and Henri
travel to Boston to meet Sarah who has arrived from England on a tea-laden ship
under raid by the colonists. Fleeing, they hide in the house of the African–American
poet, Phillis Wheatley (Tina Dixon), where Sarah first learns the horrors of
slavery. Lesser-knowns of history like Wheatley add value to the series. Each
segment also features three one-minute flash games and news segments, which
further reinforce the learning elements
of the show and lead to its website (www.pbskids.org/libertyskids).
Produced by DIC Entertainment in asso-ciation with Public Broadcasting Systems, Liberty’s Kids’ research team included Stanford’s Professor Jack Rakove and UCLA’s Dr. Gordon Berry. #