Woody Woodpecker returns to screens with new YouTube episodes
Details
Gabriel Miramar-Garcia
| 23 November 2018

Woody Woodpecker, the beloved cartoon avian known for his distinct and infectious laughter, is making a comeback after a 16-year hiatus.

New animated episodes of the Woody Woodpecker show are slated to air on three dedicated YouTube channels – which are in Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish and English. These adventures are being developed 46 years after the last classic cartoons were released, and 16 years after the last modern Woody Woodpecker season. Each of the ten episodes will be five minutes long and will be available in December.

The YouTube channels launched a year ago as the home of the long-beloved character, which was developed by Walter Lantz Productions and who is now owned by NBCUniversal’s Global Distribution division.

“When we launched Woody Woodpecker on YouTube in 2017, the channels immediately resonated, and the dedicated Portuguese channel for Brazil was a breakout hit; we knew there was a unique opportunity to do more with this favourite, classic character," said Rob Bell, EVP, International New Media, NBCUniversal Global Distribution. "With the Brazilian channel organically attracting over 2 million subscribers and the Spanish channel over 700,00 subscribers, coupled with extremely high engagement and watch time – it was clear there was an appetite to build upon the strength of the existing intellectual property, and a strategic opportunity for us to create original content.”

Viewers of the Woody Woodpecker YouTube channels can access hundreds of videos, including the classic Woody adventures created from 1940-1972 and the modern seasons created after 1999. They also feature other favourite classic characters from Lantz, including Winnie, Buzz Buzzard, Wally Walrus, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, Splinter and Knothead – all of whom will also feature in the ten new episodes.

"Woody Woodpecker is my favourite impish trickster,” said Zamm. “It was an incredible honour to take a legacy character like this and create a whole new series of cartoons for him to star in. And it was also great to be able to include many of Walter Lantz’s other beloved characters. It felt like we were getting the band back together."

As part of the new series, Woody will travel to Brazil for two adventures. Also, a new, short documentary was created to complement the new cartoons.

Bird Gone Wild: The Woody Woodpecker Story goes behind the scenes with the makers of the new cartoons and takes a look back at the origins of the beloved crazy bird. The 13-minute documentary will also be available on the YouTube channels in December.