In an unlikely pairing, Amazon head Jeff Bezos and Good Morning America host Michael Strahan are part of the cast of an upcoming animated children’s series titled Blue Origin Space Rangers. Blue Origin is a Jeff Bezos-backed initiative “committed to building a road to space so our children can build the future.” Lofty goals to be sure, but at least part of its goals is to help preserve Earth by moving a lot of resources off of it and into space. As for Michael Strahan, he was part of a Blue Origin NS-19 space flight back in December 2021 that totaled 10 minutes.
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Blue Origin Space Rangers is being developed by Genius Brands, Blue Origin, and SMAC Productions, with Genius Brands affiliate Mainframe Studios producing animation for the series. Constance Schwartz-Morini of SMAC Productions and Genius Brands’ Andy Heyward will serve as executive producers, with Michael Hirsh producing alongside Michael Hefferon for Mainframe Studios.
“One year ago, I watched my friend and business partner Michael Strahan become an astronaut. This extraordinary experience was the motivation for us to create Blue Origin Space Rangers, a series that would inspire future astronauts,” Constance Schwartz-Morini, SMAC Entertainment co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. “For our first project in the animated space, we couldn’t imagine two better partners than Blue Origin and Genius Brands to develop and bring this series to a distributor.”
“Blue Origin Space Rangers will be groundbreaking for Genius Brands in its creative scope, and for me personally, it is a dream come true given my lifelong passion for astronomy,” said Heyward, CEO of Genius Brands International. “Partnering with Blue Origin and SMAC Productions will create multiple touchpoints for kids and families to explore, learn and deliver a one-of-a-kind space experience. We look forward to not just world-class storytelling but inviting the voice talent of guest stars from the world of music, sports, influencers and celebrity, young and old.”
Jeff Bezos Completes Trip to the Edge of Space
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, chartered a flight into space on the New Shepard spacecraft back in July 2021. The New Shepard comes from Blue Origin, the aerospace company that Bezos also owns. Bezos and the other New Shepard occupants — Bezos’ brother, Mark Bezoz, 82-year-old aviator Wally Funk, and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen — went up about 65 miles above the ground for their voyage, reaching the peak of the flight path. They experienced three minutes of weightlessness before heading back down to the ground. All in all, the “journey” took just 11 minutes.
“If you see the earth from space, it changes you,” Bezos said on social media when the flight was first announced. “It changes your relationship with this planet, with humanity. It’s one earth. I want to go on this flight because it’s a thing I’ve wanted to do all my life, it’s an adventure, it’s a big deal for me. I invited my brother to come on this first flight because we’re the closest friends.”
Photo credit via Joe Raedle/Getty Images, Mario Tama/Getty Images
