Animal-focused entertainment brand The Dodo is pushing deeper into family-friendly TV programming with the upcoming launch of Roman to the Rescue, a new original live-action series that has been picked up by Disney XD.

Co-produced by The Dodo, Group Nine Studios (Dodo parentco Group Nine Media’s production division) and Nomadica Films, the series tags along with 10-year-old animal rescuer Roman McConn as he teams up with influencers and Disney Channel talent to find forever homes for 17 loveable shelter dogs.

Roman to the Rescue will premiere February 12 on Disney XD and the DisneyNOW app, before heading to Disney-owned streamer Hulu on February 16.

McConn has previously been featured in The Dodo’s family and adult series Dodo Heroes and on The Dodo Kids YouTube channel. Roman to the Rescue marks The Dodo’s second project for Disney; the companies partnered on digital short-form series Odd Couples for DisneyNOW in 2019.

Roman is also The Dodo’s second long-form kids and family TV series, following in the wake of Netflix preschool series Izzy’s Koala World, which debuted in 2020. Izzy is currently in its second season, and was nominated for a 2022 Kidscreen Award in the best live-action preschool programming category.

The Dodo ventured further into younger-skewing content last year when it rolled out a Dodo Kids app and a co-viewing entertainment destination called Family Room. The New York-based producer recently partnered with Sesame Workshop on digital preschool show Families for Furry Friends, which combines the heartwarming animal stories The Dodo is famous for with Sesame Street Muppets including Elmo and Cookie Monster.