Montreal, June 4, 2019. – Discovery Kids and Cirque du Soleil Images, the multimedia production division of Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, announced the premiere of the new season of BIG TOP ACADEMY, an original live-action production for kids by Apartment 11 Productions in association with TVOkids.

Set in a fictitious circus arts boarding school, BIG TOP ACADEMY tells the story of a group of students from different walks of life and have a variety of skills: some are already circus artists, others come from ballet and gymnastics, while a few have no formal training at all but share the same dream of becoming professional circus artists.

This new season brings the return of these extraordinary artists to BIG TOP ACADEMY on Discovery Kids and TVOkids.  Starting June 10th at 5:00 pm on TVOkids and at 6:00 pm (MX)/ 9:30 pm (ARG) on Discovery Kids, Nicholas, Maxwell, April, Phoenix, Chase, Ella, Celeste, Axel and Rosa – students at the world’s best circus academy – will embark on further adventures and discover new mysteries and inventions that push their skills to the limit.

The end of Season One brought many changes to the circus academy.  The students had a chance to get to know each other better and to appreciate the value of teamwork, an essential aspect of achieving excellence at this particular school.

In the second season, family relationships are the defining theme for several of the students.  They face a series of difficult decisions but come away having learned the lesson that honesty is always the best choice. They also come across a number of new and mysterious inventions.  More unified each day, the friends will surprise viewers with their quest to exceed their own limits … and shine brighter as a result.

BIG TOP ACADEMY is distributed by Discovery Kids Media (DKM), Discovery’s unit created to develop, commission, co-produce and distribute kids animated and live-action content for both linear and digital platforms. Shot in Montreal in English, the series is also available in Spanish and Portuguese.

Jonathan Finkelstein, the founder of Apartment 11, is executive producer for the series with Leila Basen and Carina Schulze as showrunners. For Discovery Kids, Michela Giorelli and Adriano Schmid are the executive producers, Javier Chuecos is the supervising producer, and the popular Argentinian producer, director and composer, Cris Morena, also serves as executive producer and songwriter. For TVOkids, Marney Malabar is the executive producer. For Cirque du Soleil Images, Sébastien Ouimet is executive producer.

It is produced with the financial participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit.

The new season of BIG TOP ACADEMY will air on Discovery Kids and TVOkids starting June 10th.

###

About Discovery Kids:

Discovery Kids is the leading pay TV network for preschoolers in Latin America, offering premium content for kids 4-8 years old. The channel celebrates the joy of being a real kid, welcoming all kids and celebrating their differences and uniqueness, while encouraging them to have fun exploring their world. ©2018 Discovery Inc., LLC, Discovery Kids and Discovery Kids’ logo are trademarks of Discovery Inc. LLC. All rights reserved.

About Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group

Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group is a world leader in live entertainment. On top of producing world-renowned circus arts shows, the Canadian organization brings its creative approach to a large variety of entertainment forms such as multimedia productions, immersive experiences, theme parks and special events. It currently has 4,500 employees from nearly 70 countries. Going beyond its various creations, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group aims to make a positive impact on people, communities and the planet with its most important tools: creativity and art. For more information about Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, please go to cdsentertainmentgroup.com.

About Apartment 11 Productions

Founded in 2000 and led by its passionate President, Jonathan Finkelstein, Apartment 11 consistently delivers quality, story- driven ratings successes to its global broadcast partners. The independent, Montreal-based creative hub has produced more than 250 hours of scripted and non-scripted programming. Taking an entertaining approach to discovery, Apartment 11 is recognized for series that encourage kids to ask questions and investigate big ideas. Apartment 11 collaborates often with international partners, recently co-producing Rank the Prank with BBC for CBBC, Nickelodeon and BBC Kids. The company is proud to have created ratings hits such as Prank Patrol (YTV), one of the first kids’ series to be formatted and sold to multiple territories, including the U.K. (CBBC) and Australia (ABC) as well as Mystery Hunters (YTV) broadcast worldwide on Discovery channels. In addition to its television series, Apartment 11 also connects with young people across a range of platforms with exciting interactive projects. Apartment 11 has won a Peabody Award, multiple Japan Prizes, Youth Media Alliance Awards and Gemini/Canadian Screen Awards, a Viewers’ Choice Kidscreen Award and has also been nominated for two International Emmy Awards. http://apartment11.tv/downloads/media-kit.pdf. For more information, please visit www.apartment11.tv

About TVO/TVOkids

As the technological extension of Ontario’s public education system, TVO’s vision is to create a better world through the power of learning. TVO provides learning opportunities for Ontarians through innovative educational products, in-depth current affairs, groundbreaking documentaries, and award-winning TVOkids resources both inside and outside the classroom. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and is a registered charity supported by sponsors and thousands of donors. For more information, visit tvo.org.