Kiya Series From Peppa Pig Studio Picked Up By Disney+

For an entire generation of young viewers, Peppa Pig is undoubtedly one of the most popular TV shows of all time, turning its studio EntertainmentOne into a bonafide phenomenon. Now, the studio is bringing a brand-new preschool series to life with the help of Disney. On Thursday, it was announced that EntertainmentOne has greenlit Kiya, a superhero-themed series that originated from South Africa. The series is set to debut in 2023 across both linear and streaming platforms, including Disney Jr, Disney+, and France Televisions.

The 52-part series tells the story of Kiya, a seven-year-old African girl, whose passions in life are dancing and martial arts. When Kiya and her two best friends put their magical crystal headbands on, they become superheroes, ready to defend their community against villains. Kiya’s world features a diverse cast of characters inspired by the landscape, natural beauty, and culture of Southern Africa.

Kiya is based on an original concept from South Africa’s Triggerfish, with characters created by Kelly Dillon and Marc Dey. The series was then developed for television by Robert Vargas, Frogbox, and eOne.

It will certainly be interesting to see if Kiya makes an impact even remotely similar to Peppa Pig, especially considering the series’ global reach. Peppa Pig has unintentionally grown into a bit of a cultural phenomenon, to the surprise of some of its cast members.

“I’m not really on social media.” Harley Bird, who voiced the character from 2007 to 2020, told Vulture in a 2019 interview. “I keep the Peppa life really separate from my own home life. I live in England in the countryside on a farm with all my siblings and my parents. I go from recording Peppa in the studio to coming home and cleaning up the chickens or something like that. I don’t like to follow it up on social media because I don’t want the Peppa side of my life to crash into my home one. As Peppa, I am a voice artist, so I like to keep it all quite separate. I’ve still got the farm, all my family and friends. I’ve got school, where I’m doing A-levels.”

What do you think of Kiya being greenlit for Disney+, Disney Jr., and more? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

As mentioned above, Kiya is set to debut in 2023 across both linear and streaming platforms, including Disney Jr, Disney+, and France Televisions.

h/t: Deadline