"Rise Up, Sing Out," an animated shorts series presenting the concepts of race, racism and social justice to young viewers, is coming to Disney Junior.
Designed for children ages 2 to 7 and their families, the series will include music by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter of The Roots, who are executive producers with Latoya Raveneau.
"We hope these shorts will encourage the young audience to recognize and celebrate our differences as human beings while learning the tools to navigate real-world issues of racial injustice," Thompson and Trotter said in a joint statement Tuesday.
They said their hope is to "empower and uplift the future generations in the way we know best, through music."
"Rise Up, Sing Out," produced in collaboration with Oscar-winning studio Lion Forge Animation ("Hair Love"), will debut this year on Disney Junior platforms including the channel and app. A date wasn't announced.
Disney Junior recognizes that children are "experiencing a multitude of feelings around what's happening in our world today" and that families are struggling to discuss "sensitive issues around race," said Joe D'Ambrosia, its general manager and a senior vice president.
The shorts are intended to give families "the tools and knowledge to address these important topics with their preschoolers in an age-appropriate manner through music and relatable kid experiences," he said in a statement.
A viewing guide for parents is being developed for parents by The Conscious Kid, described on its website as an organization "dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity development in youth."
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More