FIRST LOOK: Disney Junior’s “The Chicken Squad”

FIRST LOOK: Disney Junior’s “The Chicken Squad”

April 5th, 2021

Jerry Beck

Disney Junior’s egg-citing new animated comedy-adventure series The Chicken Squad premieres Friday, May 14th (7:30 P.M. EDT/PDT), with two back-to-back episodes on Disney Junior and DisneyNOW. Inspired by Doreen Cronin’s popular children’s books, the series follows a trio of young chicken siblings—Coop, Sweetie and Little Boo—and their retired search and rescue dog mentor, Captain Tully. Together, they team up on problem-solving adventures in their backyard to help their animal friends, while modeling what it means to be good community helpers and finding the joy in assisting others.

Joining the previously announced lead voice cast – Yvette Nicole Brown (Captain Tully), Ramone Hamilton (Coop), Gabriella Graves (Sweetie) and Maxwell Simkins (Little Boo) – the recurring guest voice cast includes Tony Hale (Disney+’s upcoming “The Mysterious Benedict Society”) as Frazz, a nervous squirrel; Jane Lynch (“Glee”) as Dr. Dirt, a forensic scientist snail; Melissa Rauch (“The Big Bang Theory”) as Dinah, the chicks’ mother; Sean Giambrone (“The Goldbergs”) as Riley, a gruff pack rat; Malcolm-Jamal Warner (“The Resident”) as Lt. Scruffy, a retired firehouse dog; and Melissa Villaseñor (“Saturday Night Live”) and Zack Pearlman (“Dragons: Race to the Edge”) as Wheeze and Snick, mischievous raccoon siblings. The guest voice cast for season one includes Rachel Bloom (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) and Chrissie Fit (“Pitch Perfect” franchise) as Rebeecca, a nervous honeybee, and Quilla, a friendly porcupine, respectively.

Whether rescuing a stranded puppy from a creek, helping a bird track down its missing food, or solving the mystery of how their mom’s prized flowers got trampled, the Chicken Squad is always ready to lend a helping wing. Each episode, comprised of two 11-minute stories, features the recurring “Chicken Charge” anthem that the chickens sing upon determination of a new mission and at least one new original song that showcases a variety of musical styles ranging from pop and R&B to country, hip-hop and electronic.

“The Chicken Squad” was developed and is executive produced by Emmy Award winner Tom Rogers (“Elena of Avalor”). Humanitas Prize and Emmy Award winner Rachel Ruderman (“Sofia the First”) is co-producer and story editor; Tony Trujillo (“FarmVille 2”) is art director; and Emmy Award-nominated Elliot M. Bour (“Elena of Avalor”) and Scott Bern (“Puppy Dog Pals”) are supervising directors.

GRAMMY Award winner Alex Geringas (“Voltron: Legendary Defender”) and Emmy Award-nominated Mike Himelstein (“Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”) are the series’ songwriters, and Emmy Award winner Gregory James Jenkins (“T.O.T.S.”) is composer. “The Chicken Squad” theme song is performed by multitalented actress, singer and recording artist Renée Sandstrom (“Kids Incorporated”/”Wild Orchid”), along with Geringas. A digital soundtrack, Disney Junior Music: The Chicken Squad, featuring the theme song and music from the series is also set for release Friday, May 14, on Walt Disney Records.

The series is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Junior.

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Jerry Beck

Writer, cartoon producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. A former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney; currently on the faculty at both CalArts in Valencia and Woodbury University in Burbank, California.