Netflix, DreamWorks to make original kids series

The Associated Press, Tuesday, February 12, 2013, 7:21am (PST)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Netflix is buffing up its credentials as a popular way for parents to keep their kids entertained.

The subscription video provider said Tuesday that it will team up with DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. to create its first original cartoon series for kids.

The series will be based on DreamWorks' upcoming movie, "Turbo," which is about a snail who gets the power of super speed after getting in a freak accident.

The film, starring Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena and others, opens in theaters July 19. The series will be called "Turbo: F.A.S.T. (Fast Action Stunt Team)" and will debut exclusively in December on Netflix.

Netflix has been adding original programming to its roster of movies, and debuted the original series "House of Cards" on Feb. 1.

It has also increased its focus on children's programming in a move seen as taking a different tack than traditional premium pay TV channels such as HBO, Starz and Showtime, whose original shows are tailored more to adults.

In December Netflix announced it will offer Disney movies, starting with films released in 2016. It declined to make a similar deal for the rights to Sony movies starting in 2016, which was kept by Starz in a deal announced Monday.