It’s a new season of Miles From Tomorrowland on Disney Junior, only it’s not Miles From Tomorrowland anymore. The animated kids series, about a boy navigating outer space, is now calledMission Force One.
We spoke with creator Sascha Paladino last month about the name change, which carries a certain risk with viewers, who may suspect a series undergoing a name change is in trouble. He said it was a “collaborative decision” with Disney Junior, both parties seeking a name that better shows the series’ new focus in season three.
Miles From Tomorrowland was mostly about main character kid Miles and his family, while Mission Force One, which starts October 16, is more about Miles leading a highly skilled team of friends, who essentially become his family.
“Miles gets to be more of a hero,” says Paladino, “because he doesn’t have to be home for dinner.”
Mission Force One talks up the virtues of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), and each category of STEAM has a character with those skills. Miles, for one, is the science guy, his big sister Loretta is technology, and their friend Mirandos is engineering.
Paladino says the “stories are a little more complex” than in the previous two seasons. The creator, also an executive producer, does not come from a STEAM background, but he is very interested in that world. “Making the show was my excuse to talk to scientists,” says Paladino.
Actors with guest appearances in the new season including Yara Shahidi of Black-ish and Felicia Day of Supernatural.
Paladino said it’s “time to explore new stories” with Mission Force One.
“It felt like it was time for Miles to grow up from Tomorrowland,” he added.
