The Walt Disney Co. will launch its rechristened Toon Disney as Disney XD on Friday, Feb. 13 at midnight.
The transition will premiere with a transfer from Disney Channel, the animated comedy Phineas and Ferb. The first day of programming will also include the debut of the original series Aaron Stone, a live-action series about a video game player who, using a game called Hero Rising, plays under an avatar until the game's billionaire creator asks the teen to become a real-life crime fighter.
The first episode of Aaron Stone will also be available at DisneyXD.com and on demand through providers including Verizon FiOS and Comcast Corp., as well as mobile platforms. Previews of the series will be distributed via Xbox 360 and the iTunes store.
In addition to Aaron Stone, the launch schedule includes two new animated series: Kid vs. Kat from Studio B Productions in Vancouver and Jimmy Two Shoes from Breakthrough Animation and Teletoon of Toronto. A previously announced animated series, Kid Knievel, won't debut until later in the year.
Two short-form series will be RoboDz, a 3-D, CG animated and live-action series produced by Disney with Toei Animation of Japan; and Bruno the Great, an animated series produced by Studio Bozzetto & Co. SRL of Italy.
The revised channel target young boys, since company executives said Disney Channel, with hits like Hannah Montana, tends to skew toward young girls as its core viewership. The Disney XD channel will be seen in 72 million U.S. homes.
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