PABLO features an all-autistic cast; launching ahead of World Autism Awareness Day

CBC Kids today announced the exclusive Canadian premiere of the new animated series PABLO (52 x 11), airing Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, March 26, with back-to-back episodes at 9:30 a.m. (9:30 NT) and 9:45 a.m. (10:00 NT) on CBC, cbckids.ca, the CBC TV app, and at watch.cbc.ca/kids. Then, beginning April 2, the series will air Monday through Friday only at 9:30 a.m. (10:00 NT). The first-ever children’s series to feature an autistic central character, PABLO premieres ahead of World Autism Awareness Day (Monday, April 2).

The series follows Pablo, a smart and artistic five-year-old boy who is on the autism spectrum. Using his magic crayons, his imaginative drawings come to life, enabling him to face the real world with confidence. Pablo bravely turns his life challenges into fantastic adventures with the help of his Art World friends, Llama, Noa, Mouse, Draff, Tang, and Wren. Each story reflects the real-life experiences of children with autism, and has been devised, co-written and voiced by young autistic talent.

“We are so proud to have this groundbreaking series make its Canadian debut on CBC,” said Marie McCann, senior director, CBC Kids. “This authentic series helps young audiences better understand the perspective of those on the autism spectrum, and its original stories are sure to resonate with Canadian families.”

PABLO was produced by Paper Owl Films for CBeebies and RTÉJr., in association with Kavaleer Productions and Ingenious with funding from Northern Ireland Screen and BAI and exec produced and distributed internationally by CAKE. The series successfully premiered on CBeebies and RTÉJr in October, and will also air on Universal Kids (US), SVT (Sweden), YLE (Finland), ABC (Australia), Hunan (China), C&J (Korea), RTHK (Hong Kong), Showmax (Africa), and on Netflix (in multiple territories).

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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

About CBC Kids
CBC Kids creates entertaining and inspiring media for children and the grownups who care for them. Part of Canada’s public broadcaster, we continue our tradition of excellence and innovation in children’s content and reach our audience through CBC platforms including television and digital and social media.

About Paper Owl Films
Paper Owl Films is a TV and film production company with a passion for creating awesome kids content that makes a difference. With a dedicated collective of storytellers, film makers, animators and creators across its animation and live action facility, our storytelling approach unites in a love of real stories for real people – creating honest stories in fiction and live action that inspire younger viewers and helps them navigate the world they find themselves in. Our catalogue of work includes content for CBeebies, RTÉ, TG4, BBC, Netflix and digital platforms. www.paperowlfilms.com

For media inquiries, please contact:
Sarah Goddard, publicist, CBC
sarah.goddard@cbc.ca
416.205.2983