PBS Kids is purr-loining some talent from “Saturday Night Live” for its upcoming series “Nature Cat.”
“SNL” veterans Taran Killam, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Moynihan and Kenan Thompson have been tapped for the voice cast of the series, which is scheduled for a November 25 premiere.
Kate Micucci, of “Garfunkel and Oates” renown, has also been cat on “Nature Cat,” which is created by “Sesame Street” duo David and Adam Rudman.
The series will follow Fred, a house cat who dreams of exploring the great outdoors. In each episode, once his family leaves for the day, Fred transforms into Nature Cat, “backyard explorer extraordinaire.” Nature Cat can’t wait to get outside for a day of backyard nature excursions and bravery, but there’s one problem: he’s still a house cat with no instincts for nature. With the help of his animal friends, Nature Cat embarks on action-packed adventures full of nature investigation, “aha” discovery moments and humor, all while inspiring children to go outside and “play the show.”
Killam will voice the total character, with McKinnon playing Squeeks, Moynihan voicing Hal, Thompson providing the voice of Ronald and Micucci playing Daisy.
“With its hilarious voice talent, whimsical animation style and playful storylines, ‘Nature Cat’ will engage and entertain families, while encouraging an interest in exploring nature,” said Lesli Rotenberg, general manager, Children’s Media, PBS. “PBS Kids uses the power to media to inspire children to go on learning adventures of their own and this new series will help them discover the wonders that are as close as their own backyard or local park.”
The series is a co-production of Spiffy Pictures and WTTW Chicago. with major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Van Eekeren Family, founders of Land O’Frost.
