History, Science, Critters

A family vacation in Washington, D.C., a few years ago became the inspiration for the PBS children’s series “Liberty’s Kids,” which will premiere Monday.

“I was with my wife and kids, showing them around the city,” recalls Andy Heyward, chairman of DIC Entertainment, the children’s entertainment company producing the series. “I rediscovered history through their eyes as I would explain to them the various monuments and institutions of our government. There are a lot of educational shows we have produced that range from environment to geography, but not on American history. Nothing has ever been done on American history.”

The animated series features the adventures of three youngsters -- 15-year-olds James and Sarah and 8-year-old Henri--who work as apprentices in Ben Franklin’s print shop in Philadelphia in the mid-1770s, just as America is struggling to become independent from England.

“They are kind of ‘Zelig’-like in that they travel throughout the times and report on various stories going on during the American Revolution,” says Heyward. “The underscore of every show is freedom of the press, freedom of speech and human rights, democracy versus totalitarianism and freedom of religion.”

Walter Cronkite supplies the voice of Benjamin Franklin; Annette Bening, Billy Crystal, Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman and Sylvester Stallone are among the other celebrities lending their vocal talents.

Heyward enlisted the services of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jack Rakov, a professor at Stanford, as consultant. “He goes through every one of our scripts and authenticates it,” says Heyward. “This is not ‘Scooby-Doo.’ We have to be accurate with everything we say. We are introducing kids to these very important, cherished values.”

Both PBS and DIC agreed that “Liberty’s Kids” shouldn’t shy away from showing what life was really like in America at the end of the 18th century.

“We had to tell the whole story,” he says. “There was slavery going on then. We didn’t want to do some sugar cane version of American history.”

“Liberty’s Kids” is just one of the new series for kids this fall. Here’s a select look at some others:

ABC

“Disney’s Fillmore!”: Safety Patrol Officer Cornelius Fillmore is the title character of this animated series about a seventh-grader who is devoted to stopping crime in the schoolyard. Premieres Sept. 14.

Fox

“Stargate Infinity”: Animated series based on the sci-fi movie and TV series, weaving scientific facts and story lines into each action-filled episode. Sept. 14.

“Ultraman Tiga”: The most popular action hero in Japan for three decades arrives in America in a series of new adventures that find the giant-sized Ultraman and the Global Unlimited Task Squad defending the Earth from evil creatures. Sept. 14.

“Kirby”: The popular video game character stars in his first animated series. Kirby, a pink, round creature, arrives via spacecraft in Dream Land, and the villagers believe he is a legendary hero from the stars sent to battle strange creatures. Sept. 14.

WB

“Mucha Lucha!”: This Latin-themed animated comedy follows the adventures of three “feisty and lovable kids” who live in a world where Mexican masked wrestling is a way of life. Already premiered.

“What’s New Scooby-Doo”: Update of the classic animated mystery comedy series. Original cast members Casey Kasem and Frank Welker return as the voices of Shaggy and Fred. Sept. 14.

“Ozzy & Drix”: Based on characters from the 2001 film “Osmosis Jones,” this animated inner-body buddy-cop comedy focuses on a white blood cell cop and his partner, an over-the-counter cold pill, who team up to defend the body of a 13-year-old boy. Sept. 14.

NBC

“Discovery Kids”: A three-hour programming block inspired by Discovery Networks’ shows as well as original programming. Series include “Prehistoric Planet,” “Croc Files,” “TLC’s Operation Junkyard” and “Endurance.” Oct. 5.

Cartoon Network

“Baby Looney Tunes”: This new series features the Looney Tunes cast of characters--including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the Tasmanian Devil--as toddlers. Sept. 16.

ABC Family

“Tokyo Pig”: This anime comedy follows the adventures of a 9-year-old boy and his magical pet pig named Sunny. Sept. 14.

Nickelodeon

“The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius”: Animated comedy series based on last year’s Oscar-nominated feature. The series chronicles the adventures of the intelligent 10-year-old, who has a knack for creating inventions to make life easier. Friday.

“Liberty’s Kids” premieres Monday at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on KCET, and 3 p.m. on KVCR. The series can be seen thereafter on weekdays at 4:30 p.m. on KCET, and 3 p.m. on KVCR. The network has rated it TV-Y7 (this program is designed for children age 7 and older).