Celebrate Earth Month With The CYBERCHASE Movie On PBS KIDS

NEW YORK, March 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As children across the country celebrate Earth Month this April, a popular PBS KIDS math series is celebrating its 100^th episode with an eco-themed adventure: "The CYBERCHASE Movie." Guest star Rico Rodriguez (Manny from Modern Family) joins Christopher Lloyd and Gilbert Gottfried when the first-ever movie from CYBERCHASE, the Emmy Award®-winning series produced by THIRTEEN, airs this April on PBS stations across the country (check local listings). The adventure will also be available online at pbskids.org/video and on the go with the free PBS KIDS Video App following the premiere.

The future of Cyberspace is at stake in the one-hour special, "The CYBERCHASE Movie." Hacker and his bumbling henchbots Buzz and Delete are drilling inside the nature preserve Ecotopia when they carelessly set off a slime geyser, destroying many animals' habitats and causing overcrowding. Matt, Jackie, Inez and Digit are called in to rescue the animals and restore harmony to Ecotopia. They team up with Ollie (voiced by Rodriguez), a Junior Ranger, and quickly learn that harmony on Ecotopia isn't their only problem. Can the kids restore Ecotopia, rescue their friends and prevent Cyberspace from being lost to Hacker forever?

"I had so much fun playing Ollie on CYBERCHASE and joining this great cast for their first movie," said Rodriguez. "I was really excited to work on the same show as Christopher Lloyd and Gilbert Gottfried, and math was one of my favorite subjects in school, so this was the ideal project. And it was so cool seeing myself animated as Ollie!"

"This is an exciting year for us at THIRTEEN, as we celebrate CYBERCHASE's 13^th year on air and the 100^th episode this April," says Sandra Sheppard, Executive Producer of CYBERCHASE and Director of Children's & Educational Media at THIRTEEN. "The movie's environmental focus builds on the CYBERCHASE mission to inspire kids with a love of math. By modeling problem-solving and making practical connections between math and science, we give kids tools to explore their world."

To extend these connections, CYBERCHASE has also created a series of real-world games exploring the environmental topics of keystone species, waste reduction and solar power, available for families to print and play at home at pbskids.org/cyberchase.

"The CYBERCHASE mantra has always been 'math is everywhere,'" says Executive Producer Ellen Doherty. "With the real-world games, we're excited for kids and families to bring math to the playground, backyard or living room."

Classrooms, afterschool programs and museums will also be celebrating Earth Day this April, and CYBERCHASE has made math- and environment-themed lesson plans, activities and video clips available for free download through PBS LearningMedia, PBS' digital media service for K-12 classrooms.

"The CYBERCHASE Movie" will premiere Tuesday, April 15 at 4:30 p.m. on THIRTEEN in New York. Parents can check listings for their local PBS station for broadcast times in their area and can also stream episodes for free anytime using the PBS KIDS Video Player, the PBS KIDS Video App or the CYBERCHASE website.

Cyberchase is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC in association with WNET and Title Entertainment. Executive producers are Sandra Sheppard, THIRTEEN's Director of Children's & Educational Media, and Ellen Doherty. Funding for Cyberchase is provided by The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, The JPB Foundation and Ernst & Young LLP. Additional funding is provided by the Volckhausen Family.

About WNET
As New York's flagship public media provider and the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJTV News with Mike Schneider and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore iPad App where users can stream PBS content for free.

About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online, mobile and community-based programs.  Kidscreen- and Webby-award winning pbskids.org provides engaging interactive content, including the PBS KIDS video player, now offering free streaming video accessible on computer- and mobile-device-based browsers.  For more information on specific PBS KIDS content supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140327/DC92583

SOURCE WNET