‘Olie’ and ‘Box’ Have Preschooler Appeal

The Disney Channel makes an unexpected contribution to quality preschooler entertainment with two new shows that don’t employ the usual Disney characters: “Rolie Polie Olie” (beginning Sunday) and “Out of the Box” (beginning Monday).

“Rolie Polie Olie” gets honors for its creative design, top-notch 3-D computer animation, gentle humor and gentle spirit. Set in a world of “curves and curls,” it’s a boy’s life--a little boy robot named Olie.

Yes, the endearing characters, with round bodies and stretchy springs for limbs, are mechanical, but they radiate nothing but human warmth. And anyone familiar with the work of the show’s creator, acclaimed author-illustrator William Joyce (“Dinosaur Bob,” “The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs”), won’t be surprised at how quirky and, well, nice, it is. No smart-aleck attitude, no put-downs.

In Olie’s colorful, Art Deco-style world, which he shares with a toddler sister, nurturing parents and his dog Spot, everything is joyously alive: from toothbrushes, bathtubs, bed, spoons and clocks to flowers, trees and the teapot-shaped house itself.

The simple stories focus on family life from a young child’s viewpoint--imaginative play, sibling and parental interplay, bathing, mealtime, bedtime. Music, a vital component, accompanies every action, as objects bob and sway to delightfully idiosyncratic ‘20s and ‘30s-style rhythms.

As carefully crafted in its own way is “Out of the Box,” an entirely different sort of show: a live-action, activity-based series hosted by two youthful adults (Tony James and Vivian Bayubay) who interact with seven children in a clubhouse setting and talk directly to the audience, too. Each half-hour show explores a subject through arts and crafts, music and play.

In the first installment, the theme is “Seedlings.” It expands from observations of sprouting plants, making newspaper trees, singing songs and acting out a “Jack and the Beanstalk” tale to reassurances and facts about how people grow.

Creators Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Douglas Love don’t need bells and whistles; it’s all in the doing, and the elements that make this work are exceptionally well done: the comfortable set, the hosts’ encouragement and non-gushy warmth, the children’s refreshing genuineness, the varied activities, the relaxed pace, clarity of language and the smooth interweaving of activities and messages.

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“Rolie Polie Olie” airs at 8:30 a.m. Sundays on the Disney Channel. The network has rated it TV-G (suitable for all ages).

* “Out of the Box” airs weekdays at 10:30 a.m. on the Disney Channel. The network has rated it TV-G (suitable for all ages).