Toonturama
Toonturama is an American children's programming block that airs on the Spanish-language television network UniMás which debuted on January 15, 2002 and January 19, 2002. The four-hour block—which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time and Pacific Time—features live action and animated series aimed at children between the ages of 2 and 14. It was the network's attempt to have a Saturday morning block.
Programs featured on the block consist of a mixture of series originally produced in Spanish and dubbed versions of series that were originally produced and broadcast in English. All shows featured on Toonturama are designed to meet federally mandated educational programming guidelines defined by the Federal Communications Commission via the Children's Television Act.
History
Mi Tele
On December 15, 2001, UniMás announced that it would launch three children's programming blocks that would eventually premiere on January 15 and January 19, 2002 respectively, one day after the network was launched on January 14. The blocks featured live-action and animated series aimed at children between the ages of 2 and 14.The first block, "Mi Tele", a two-hour animation block on weekday mornings featuring a mix of imported Spanish-language cartoons such as Fantaghiro and El Nuevo Mundo de los Gnomos, as well as two animated series originally produced in English, Mr. Bogus and Anatole all premiering on January 15, 2002. The block's run would be short lived as on March 15, 2002, the Mi Tele block was discontinued. The following week on Monday, the block started airing youth-targeted telenovelas such as Carrusel, Luz Clarita, Gotita de Amor and Rayito de Luz as part of the updated programming lineup.
Though the block was intended to air on weekday mornings on the holidays some of the years. However, some of the youth-targeted novelas aired on Mi Tele block weekday morning or Toonturama weekend morning cartoon block will delayed in order next week and full schedule on Sunday due to the network will picking line-up with all of the holidays and family movies marathon with the attempt of animated movies by Warner Bros. Telefutura had also acquired the rights to air animated TV series and films produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC Comics and Hanna-Barbera.
On December 24, 2002, Telefutura Network acquired the rights to the popular Warner Bros. Animation television cartoon series, Animaniacs, and it was partly why some of Telefutura's most popular programs were mainly not included as part of the "Mi Tele" nor "Toonturama" blocks, especially during the more open-formatted cartoon block era.
On August 7, 2007, Mi Tele ended its run, its last program being Mujeres Engañadas were discontinued. Telefutura kept some of the programming on the second children's cartoon block Toonturama until September 30, 2012.
Toonturama
On January 19, 2002, Telefutura Network was a two separate known as occupied by the children's programming blocks named, "Toonturama" and "Toonturama Junior" were launched. – It was first four hours of the secondary weekend schedule which features some programs compliant with Federal Communications Commission and educational programming requirements – on the airs for four-hours each Saturday and Sunday mornings at 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Eastern and Pacific Time, the other remaining weekend time periods are filled with Informercials. The introduced a new logo with font text with different colors alongside bumpers and promos with the CGI computer-animated and controlled by TelevisaUnivision USA, where was tasked with overhauling Univision, Telefutura and Galavisión's Saturday and Sunday morning lineup in order to compete against the arch-rival network, Telemundo weekend children's block, "Telemundo Kids".The block included a four-hour lineup that consisted mainly of dubbed versions of American, Canadian, and European animated series. The network opted to fully program the block with shows acquired from various programming production companies and distributors. After the network premiered on January 14, 2002, in the next day, Telefutura entered into a programming three-year agreement with the Canada-based animated studio Nelvana to program the "Mi Tele" and "Toonturama" block for the first US network deal with the Spanish-dubbed aired on the block has originally produced in English including Anatole, Ned's Newt, Stickin' Around, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Mythic Warriors, Tales from the Cryptkeeper and The Dumb Bunnies, as well as the Japanese anime series as part of its inaugural lineup.
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs and Tales from the Cryptkeeper, was the only exception that two cartoons series are previously aired with the original English predecessor premiered on September 18, 1993, from the both networks, CBS and ABC's children block on Saturday morning cartoons. On February 8, 2002, Telefutura began discussions and partnership with the Madrid-based animation studio BRB Internacional to have the company program a daily two-hour children's block for the network, segment line-up scheduled from the series featured in the block produced in Spain. Later in 11 days, Telefutura will be including the changing time zone on the program scheduled from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern/Pacific Time Zone in update, including the three former Mi Tele cartoon shows were moved to Toonturama including The New World of the Gnomes, Mr. Bogus and Anatole will be offer date premiered on March 23, 2002, until December 29, 2002.
On February 25, 2002, Telefutura acquired the rights to Zodiac Entertainment, was the new block featured several first-run dubbed versions of original series from production by Zodiac and Calico, during the addition of the cartoon series and featured archived content from the programming library such as Mr. Bogus and Widget the World Watcher. Both cartoon programs originally ran on the network until 2003. On October 6, 2002, Telefutura was completely removed from the Madrid-based BRB Internacional's two cartoon series such as "The New World of the Gnomes" and "Super Models", ahead of the expiry of Telefutura's program supply deal with BRB Internacional for the passed ten-months, due to sale was brokered by Miami's Venevision International. Venevision International inked a two-year deal to rep BRB's catalog in North America and Latin America outside Mexico. The network was changed the schedule and replaced by two Nelvana cartoon series briefly which premiered as rerun in the following week. However, Telefutura was carrying over the BRB Internacional-produced shows to the block offer next year.
In January 2003, Telefutura acquired the rights and plans to contract with North Hollywood-based Film Roman, and added its first time in nearly two-years of the former Univision children's cartoon program as part of the block, "¡De Cabeza!" three cartoon shows. Univision subsequently moved forward to produce a Saturday and Sunday morning cartoon block, Toonturama, for Univision's sister-network, Telefutura, which would premiere a two years afterward. Featuring based on Felix the Cat characters from the popular television animated series, The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat. The second line-up cartoon starring Bruce Willis, a character voice from the series, Bruno the Kid, as well as based on the popular video game franchise series by Midway Games as Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm. The three cartoon series aired briefly on January 4, 2003, when it was added as educational children's series, Plaza Sésamo within Toonturama Junior block premiered in May 3 of the year.
On August 2, 2003, Telefutura under the contract with HIT Entertainment in UK, Junior and EM.TV & Merchandising AG in Germany, premiered as a one-hour block for many of which came from the block as the preschool television series, Bob the Builder, Fairy Tale Police Department and Mummy Nanny. Later on September 6, the block introduced animated cartoon program with entered into an agreement with Toadbag Productions, including the new popular children's animated series, Toad Patrol, replacing Bruno the Kid and the Japanese-anime series, Red Baron. The series was an exception to the dubbing as it needed to use an English dub to fix translation issues. Toad Patrol was originally aired and it was almost exclusively carried for the animated series as it ran from September 6, 2003, to March 11, 2012.
As of January 8, 2005, Telefutura removed from the Canada-based Nelvana shows, due to the network changing the schedule listing update to being dropped from the lineup block. However, the rival network, Telemundo's children's block, "Telemundo Kids" added Jacob Two-Two has previously aired with its Spanish dub premiered on January 9, 2005, before Telemundo was under contract with Nelvana. "Jacob Two-Two" was the only carried over to the block's direct successor and transition to Telemundo's Qubo block debut on September 9, 2006, included a three-hour Saturday and Sunday morning block on the network in 90-minute blocks.
In September 2005, Telefutura added the four cartoon shows for each Saturday morning schedule was pulling and it was acquired the rights to Australian-based children's media production, Australian Children's Television Foundation line-up such as Li'l Elvis and the Truckstoppers and the one CINAR series, Flight Squad. In Sunday morning, including the popular Universal Cartoon Studios cartoon series, Problem Child, was based on the 1990 film by Universal Pictures and "Zipi y Zape". In 2007, Telefutura reached a deal with National Geographic, as of remain added with the brand nature television series, Really Wild Animals. It was the network changed the name, and renamed as "Toonturama Presenta: La Vida Animal", were the last "Toonturama" cartoon series to be added to the block on November 4, 2007.
The block aired for the final time and ended its run on September 30, 2012, without any announcement of its closure, and it was quietly replaced by the children's live-action documentary and nature series, while the network was carried of the preschool children's Spanish-language adaptation, Plaza Sésamo until 2016, when it was following week on October 7, 2012. As a result, Telefutura discontinued airing animated programming, making it the network not to air cartoon series within its children's program lineup. On September 9, 2018, in an agreement with Animaccord Animation Studio in Russia, the network launched the popular Russian cartoon Masha and the Bear, airing it every Sunday morning.