Upfronts 2012: Cartoon Network Announces Seven New Series

20th anniversary event pays tribute to classic animation

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/28/2012 6:33:28 PM

Complete Coverage: Upfronts 2012

New York -- At an upfront presentation celebrating its 20th anniversary, Cartoon Network on Wednesday announced a 2012-13 programming slate of seven new series while touting its rank as the number one network for boys 6-11.

The new series include a sketch comedy show from Nick Cannon featuring a comedy troupe of teen stars; Annoying Orange, based on the YouTube sensation about an orange and his food pals on a range of adventures, will premiere in summer 2012; and DreamWorks' Dragons: The Series, based on the film How to Train Your Dragon, which debuts this fall.

Also on tap are a new animated series from the Ben 10 franchise called Ben 10: Omniverse; Beware the Batman, a new CG-animated take on the classic Dark Knight franchise and the competition spinoff Total Drama: Revenge of the Island.

Cartoon Network has also inked a new partnership with Lego for a second series in 2013 following the success of Lego's recently launched CG-animated Ninjago.

The Turner-owned net also announced renewals for existing series Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, MAD and The Looney Tunes Show, as well as a second season pick-up for the live-action comedy Level Up and a fifth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Supplementing the series will be a third Hall of Game Awards special in early 2013 and the production of 10 original 7-minute shorts this year.

In digital, CartoonNetwork.com will roll out the online racing game Formula Cartoon where players can race their friends or favorite CN characters. President and COO Stu Snyder also said the network would be announcing plans for an expanded presence on mobile phones and tablets later this year.

Turner brass in attendance at the presentation at the Roseland Ballroom Wednesday afternoon included Phil Kent, chairman and CEO, Turner Broadcasting System; David Levy, president, sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System; Greg D'Alba, executive VP and COO, ad sales, CNN; and Donna Speciale, president, ad sales, Turner Entertainment and Animation, with executive VP and general sales manager John O'Hara and chief content officer Rob Sorcher among those addressing the crowd of advertisers.

In the spirit of marking its 20th anniversary, the net closed out its presentation with a tribute to animation and the classic cartoons that launched the network. The voice casts of Adventure Time and Regular Show staged a live read-through of several scenes for the audience and a full orchestra played theme music from classic Cartoon Network shows like The Flintstones, Scooby Doo and Johnny Bravo to end the event.