Disney Junior UK's #1 Series Jake and the Never Land Pirates Sets Sail for Success in 2012

LONDON, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --



• Jake and the Never Land Pirates tops the ratings on Disney Junior UK attracting more than 4 million viewers in the last quarter alone^[1]
  
  - Star-studded second season featuring celebrity guest voice artists Sharon Osbourne and David Arquette, premieres on 16^th April
  
  - Special double episode entitled Peter Pan Returns airs on 30^th March 2012 at 5:30pm, and released on DVD on 2^nd April 2012
  
  - Brand new toy line releasing in June across the UK  
  
  - Jake and the Never Land Pirates to take over Disney Store from 1^st April 2012 with unique Pirate themed guest experience to celebrate the launch of season 2
• Third season green lit for 2013 on the back of global success of the series

Disney UK today announced that its preschool animation, Jake and the Never Land Pirates is the #1 rating series on Disney Junior UK and is set to achieve new heights of success in 2012 with the launch of season 2, a new product range and a high impact Disney Store takeover in April.

The highly-anticipated second season is set to premiere on Disney Junior on 16^th April, and will feature a star-studded list of celebrity guest voice artists such as Sharon Osbourne, who stars as the voice of "Mama Hook", mother of the infamous Captain Hook. In advance of its TV premiere, classic character Peter Pan will make his first-ever appearance on Jake and the Never Land Pirates in a double episode entitled Peter Pan Returns on Friday, 30^th March at 5:30pm^[2] and later released on DVD on 2^nd April.

To celebrate the launch, April is becoming Jake and the Never Land Pirates Month in Disney Stores, which will be hosting free events inspired by the series and featuring crafting activities and an interactive showtime experience.

As part of the celebrations, kids will be invited to take part in a Jake and the Never Land Pirates themed in-store treasure hunt, learn to speak like real pirates and have their best pirate impression filmed for Disney Junior UK. A new Fisher-Price product range, which was recently unveiled at New York Toy Fair, featuring plush toys, role-play and playsets, will also be launched in Disney Stores in April ahead of its nationwide rollout to other retailers from June. The new exciting product complements the current Jake and the Never Land Pirate range, and will see additional stationery, toys, apparel and accessories, as well as homeware, follow later in the year.

Tricia Wilber, CMO, The Walt Disney Company EMEA and General Manager, Disney Channels EMEA, comments: "Jake and the Never Land Pirates has built a huge global audience in less than a year since launch and we're incredibly excited about its potential across The Walt Disney Company. As with all Disney Junior series, its success is built on using great characters and storytelling to create a real emotional connection with its audience. Disney Store activity will deepen this connection by bringing to life the show's themes of role-play, teamwork and adventure for kids around the country in a really fun, interactive way."

Anna Hill, Chief Marketing Officer, The Walt Disney Company UK adds: "Creating and nurturing popular franchises such as Jake and the Never Land Pirates is hugely important for us at Disney. Its hit ratings success is really helping to maximise opportunities across many lines of business and we are looking forward to supporting it with new product and activity that really capture what fans love about the show."

Jake and the Never Land Pirates was the first animated series created for Disney Junior and has achieved huge ratings success in the UK and across EMEA, reaching a total of 4.2 million and 29.5 million individuals respectively in the last quarter alone. The series is proving just as popular online at disneyjunior.co.uk, where kids can get interact further with Jake and his pirate crew, play with brand new games, and take part in other fun activities and swashbuckling adventures.

Jake and the Never Land Pirates features original "pirate rock" music performed by Sharky and Bones of The Never Land Pirate Band. The standalone soundtrack album for the series was released in the UK in October 2011 featuring songs by The Never Land Pirate Band such as, "Never Land Pirates" and the "Jake and the Never Land Pirates Main Title".

1. Across EMEA, Jake and the Never Land Pirates was viewed by a total of 29.5 million individuals, of which 6.4 million were young kids, across 13 reported markets between October-December 2011, an impressive 49% increase from the previous quarter. In the UK, Jake and the Never Land Pirates was viewed by a total of 4.2 million Individuals 4+ (7%), of which 1.4 million were Kids 4-15 (17%) and 1.2m were Kids 4-9 (27%), on Disney Junior.
2. Peter Pan Returns premiered on Disney Channel U.S. on 13th February 2012, soaring to ratings success as the series' most-watched episode of all time in total viewers, reaching 3.1 million people. 

Notes to editors:

• The series is reaching more UK viewers at the same point in their lifecycles than Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Special Agent OSO, Jungle Junction and Art Attack!
• Jake and the Never Land Pirates ranks as the #2 ratings driver with kids 4-9, only behind the much more established Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. 
• The series attracted more unique viewers than key competitors such as Dora the Explorer, Bob the Builder and Thomas & Friends.

About Disney Junior:

The newly branded, learning-focused Disney Junior reflects the emotional connection generations of consumers have to Disney storytelling and Disney characters, both classic and contemporary.  Disney Junior is now available in 109 countries across EMEA, with 8 visual feeds, in 13 languages, representing a total of 35 million households.

Disney Junior's programming invites mum and dad to join their child in the Disney experience of magical, musical and heartfelt stories and characters, while incorporating specific learning and development themes designed for kids age 2-7. Disney Junior's animated and live action series blend Disney's unparalleled storytelling and characters kids love deeply with learning, including early math, language skills, healthy eating and lifestyles, and social skills.  Through its combination of animated and live-action programming, Disney Junior inspires learning through play, from early maths and language skills, to healthy lifestyles with an emphasis on social and emotional development. It celebrates childhood by encouraging children to laugh, sing, dance, and above all - have fun.

From the earliest phase of program development, Disney employs education and child development experts who review every premise and script before the development phase. Working closely alongside parents, the Disney Junior brand vision was created and ensures all content is mum-approved.

About The Walt Disney Company EMEA:
The Walt Disney Company (TWDC), together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of around $40.9 billion in its last fiscal year (FY11).

TWDC Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) has operated in the region for more than 70 years and has a presence in over 25 countries and currently employees around 6,600 people. Disneyland Paris opened in 1992 and is now Europe's #1 tourist destination. TWDC is a major film distributor with recent successes including "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", ''Toy Story 3'' and ''Alice in Wonderland''. All three films set records across the region contributing to a global box office for each film in excess of $1 billion. The company is also a major supplier of TV programming, distributing Disney-branded and non-branded television shows including the hit series ''Desperate Housewives'', which ranks in the top 10 US series on-air in France, Germany, Italy and the UK. In EMEA, Disney Branded Channels (Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior and Disney Cinemagic) are available in 118 countries, with 37 visual feeds, in 23 languages. This represents a total of 59 channels and 92.1 million households. Disney's wide range of consumer products, including toys, apparel, home décor, foods, books and magazines, are sold at specialist and mass market retailers and at more than 100 Disney Stores in Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK, as well as online. A new concept store design, which offers a groundbreaking and magical retail experience that families can enjoy together has launched in several markets across Europe.