Disney Jr. has signed an acquisition and development deal with fledgling Vancouver-based animation studio Lightcatcher Media for its online series Little Margo Stories.

Co-created by Lightcatcher co-presidents Parinaz Shajareh and Sianoosh Nasiriziba, the CG-animated digital-first series launched on YouTube in January 2024. It’s about a curious young mole who discovers delightful sights for the first time, like seeing the first flower of spring, or watching two different animals becoming friends. A collection of 10 existing episodes have already racked up more than 120 million views.

The agreement with Disney Jr. includes both these existing eps from YouTube (each is one to three minutes long), as well as 50 new three-minute episodes that will be produced by Lightcatcher Media with Disney Jr. and co-commissioners CBC and Radio-Canada, which also came on board last month. 

This latest deal comes on the heels of former Nelvana VP Athena Georgaklis being brought in to help expand the IP. She’s now the executive producer of Little Margo Stories.

Disney plans to roll out the series’ existing episodes across Disney+ and Disney Jr. on April 17, with production on its new ones starting this spring to be ready to air in 2027. The show will stream internationally on Disney+ everywhere except Canada, where it will premiere on CBC and Radio-Canada. 

The series fits well with Disney’s storytelling DNA making it a good fit for Disney Jr., which has had success in acquiring preschool content for Disney+ and delivering marketing and global distribution, like it did with Bluey.

Image courtesy of Disney and Lightcatcher Media.