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Primos creator Natasha Kline has known since she was little that she wanted to make her own show. “I was five years old and I was like, “I want to be an animator,’” she recalls.

Equally influential on the childhood of the director/writer/storyboard artist was her large, diverse family and hometown of L.A., a giant city where “there’s grit and there’s dust and there’s texture.” It’s a place she loves for the “real people who live here, despite what the world thinks of Hollywood as this glamorous place.”

Growing up, the creative hadn’t really seen a series that reflected her coming of age as a Latina with two dozen cousins in the Inland Empire. Hey Arnold!, the beloved ‘90s animated series set in a fictitious and amalgamous American city, got somewhat close, thanks to its setting and central characters who “are able...

Home features a star-studded voice cast, including Jim Parsons, Rihanna, and Steve Martin, bringing warmth and charm to the characters. Despite lukewarm reviews, the colorful animation and heartfelt messages of Home resonated with audiences, making it a commercial success. Oh and Tip's unlikely friendship drives the heart of Home, showcasing themes of acceptance and self-discovery through their adventurous journey.

Home features a voice cast packed with recognizable names. The 2015 DreamWorks animated movie was adapted by Tom J. Astle, Matt Ember, and Adam Rex from the Adam Rex children's book The True Meaning of Smekday. Directed by Tim Johnson, Home follows the story of Oh, a misfit alien from the Boov race who befriends a resourceful human girl named Tip. Together, they embark on an adventurous journey to save Earth from an impending Boov invasion, learning about friendship and acceptance along the way. The movie received lukewarm reviews, garnering a 53% rating...

Netflix says its ad-supported plan includes “the vast majority” of TV shows and movies available on the standard no-ads tiers — but more than a year after the streamer introduced the cheaper option, several popular titles remain unavailable to customers with the ad plan.

Most recently, Netflix customers noticed that Eli Roth’s horror film “Thanksgiving” (pictured above), added Feb. 17 for subscribers on ad-free tiers, is unavailable on the ad plan. The service notes that the slasher pic — currently at the No. 3 spot on Netflix’s top 10 movies in the U.S. — is not available to members on the ad plan because of licensing restrictions.

“While the vast majority of TV shows and movies are available on an ad-supported plan, a small number are not due to licensing restrictions,” the streamer says in an article on its help site. “These titles will appear with a lock icon when you search or browse Netflix.

When The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder debuted last year on Disney+, it called back to the bygone era of Black TV sitcoms in which its 2001 Disney Channel predecessor shined. One where Black families, culture and people were not only celebrated on the small screens in living rooms across the country, but the central focal point of multiple simultaneously airing (though mostly live-action) series.

Its return on Feb. 3, however, pointed to a stunning reality. While the original series aired in the 2000s alongside a handful of animated kids shows also featuring Black leads, including Filmore!, Static Shock, Tutenstein and Little Bill, there has since been only a handful of animated shows aimed at non-adult audiences that explicitly center Black leads and, more specifically, their families.

“Ralph [Farquhar] and I always thought there were gonna be people coming up beside us, making shows that will continue to display this potpourri of Blackness in animation,...

Exclusive: Disney Branded Television has ordered Primos, an original animated comedy series created and executive produced by Natasha Kline. The story is based on Kline’s childhood experiences with her extended multicultural Mexican American family. No network has been announced as of yet.

Each half-hour episode of Primos, produced by Disney Television Animation, will be comprised of two 11-minute stories featuring Tater, an eccentric 10-year-old girl with big dreams and, unbeknownst to her, a certain “it factor” that makes her exceptional. When her 12 cousins (“primos” in Spanish) move in for the summer, they help her discover just what it is. Tater’s aspirations and larger-than-life imagination are seen via entries in her super-secret diary, which turn her deepest thoughts into grandiose animation sequences.

“Primos is set in childhood summers spent with my cousins under one roof, and the comedy that’s borne from that wonderfully hectic setting,...

Comcast-owned European pay TV giant Sky has signed a deal with NBCUniversal Global Distribution for hundreds of hours of content from DreamWorks Animation, including spin-off series from film franchises including How to Train Your Dragon, Trolls and Madagascar.

The deal — between Sky’s U.K. and Ireland unit and the Comcast sister company — will give customers exclusive access to the premieres of Madagascar: A Little Wild, TrollsTopia and Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky, while other shows include All Hail King Julien, Home Adventures with Tip & Oh and Dawn of the Croods.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

“Our new partnership with NBCUniversal brings an ...

Comcast-owned European pay TV giant Sky has signed a deal with NBCUniversal Global Distribution for hundreds of hours of content from DreamWorks Animation, including spin-off series from film franchises including How to Train Your Dragon, Trolls and Madagascar.

The deal — between Sky’s U.K. and Ireland unit and the Comcast sister company — will give customers exclusive access to the premieres of Madagascar: A Little Wild, TrollsTopia and Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky, while other shows include All Hail King Julien, Home Adventures with Tip & Oh and Dawn of the Croods.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

“Our new partnership with NBCUniversal brings an ...

Sky has signed a “long-term” content agreement for hundreds of hours of DreamWorks Animation TV series, including How to Train Your Dragon, Trolls, and Madagascar spin-offs.

Sky will have exclusive access to Madagascar: A Little Wild, TrollsTopia and Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky, as well as returners such as All Hail King Julien, Home Adventures with Tip & Oh.

Sky One will air the shows at the weekend, while they will be available on-demand via the Sky Kids Pack and through the Sky Kids App. The deal was done through NBCUniversal Global Distribution. Financial terms and the length of the deal were not disclosed.

Sky UK and Europe CEO Stephen van Rooyen said: “Adding DreamWorks’ loveable stories of dreams, journeys and heroes alongside our originals and our partner content means customers can access the content they love, all in one place.”...