--- title: "PBS KIDS premieres 'Carnival of the Animals', a half-hour animated special with no dialogue, on November 16" description: "Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil supply the music for a watercolor-styled cartoon that tells one continuous story for children ages two to eight, and it…" url: https://tv-movies.skoop.news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-for-gustavo-dudamel-s-carnival-of-the--11-06/ published: 2026-11-07T04:19:45.952398-05:00 modified: 2026-11-07T04:19:45.952398-05:00 section: "TV & Movies" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["pbskids", "LA Phil", "PBS KIDS", "Gustavo Dudamel", "PBS KIDS Arts Learning Framework", "Silver Creek Falls Entertainment", "Youth Orchestra Los Angeles", "Animals", "Education", "Music"] hashtags: ["#LAPhil", "#PBSKIDS", "#GustavoDudamel", "#Film", "#movieclips"] image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Tengis_Movie_Theater_-_Screen.jpg/1280px-Tengis_Movie_Theater_-_Screen.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail --- # PBS KIDS premieres 'Carnival of the Animals', a half-hour animated special with no dialogue, on November 16 > Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil supply the music for a watercolor-styled cartoon that tells one continuous story for children ages two to eight, and it streams free on pbskids.org. Published 2026-11-07 · TV & Movies, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - The only words in PBS KIDS' new animated special are a short introduction narrated by a 15-year-old, Martín Dudamel, the conductor's son. [[1]](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) - The film is set in a colorful town of animals, including chickens, penguins, swans, donkeys, turtles and elephants. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) - Each of the suite's 14 sections focuses on a different animal or environment. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) ## A cartoon with no dialogue The only words in PBS KIDS' new animated special are a short introduction narrated by a 15-year-old, Martín Dudamel, the conductor's son. [[1]](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) After that, the film has no dialogue, and the music itself guides young viewers through stylized landscapes, shapes and patterns. [[1]](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) The special is aimed at children ages two to eight, so it speaks to the parents and caregivers who watch with them. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) Carnival of the Animals is a half-hour 2D animated special set to Camille Saint-Saëns' orchestral suite as performed by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) It premieres at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, November 16, 2026. [[1]](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) Sara DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager of PBS KIDS and Education, said the premiere comes just in time for the holiday season. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) ## The story on screen The film is set in a colorful town of animals, including chickens, penguins, swans, donkeys, turtles and elephants. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) Everyone in town is getting ready for a carnival parade. [[1]](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) Then Big Lion's crown is stolen, and a young hero sets off on a quest. [[1]](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) Along the way the story includes breakneck chases, dancing tortoises, a prancing elephant and hapless penguin pianists. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) Melody, rhythm and instrument serve as the voices of the characters, with physical and visual comedy taking center stage. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) The 2D animation plays over hand-painted watercolor backgrounds and tactile textures. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) ## How the music became a plot Each of the suite's 14 sections focuses on a different animal or environment. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) The special weaves those sections together into one continuous narrative, which the documents describe as happening for the first time. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) Dudamel and the LA Phil recorded the music live at the Hollywood Bowl. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) Dudamel's tenure as the LA Phil's music and artistic director ran through August 2026. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) He said sharing the project with his son Martín gave it deeper meaning for him. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) Dudamel also said music has a beautiful way of opening the imagination and helping people see the world with fresh eyes. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) ## The team behind it Silver Creek Falls Entertainment produces the special, and Passion Pictures Animation animates it, in association with the LA Phil. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) Siri Melchior directs. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) Dete Meserve and Debbie Crosscup produce, and Gustavo Dudamel executive produces. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) Silver Creek Falls has produced more than 125 half hours of animated television, including Ready Jet Go! for PBS KIDS. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) ## Companion shorts and the learning angle Five live-action companion digital shorts, one of which features Gustavo Dudamel, amplify the special's music education curriculum. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) The shorts feature musicians from the LA Phil and the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), showing the instruments behind the sounds of several of the animals. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) The special is aligned with the PBS KIDS Arts Learning Framework for Music. [[1]](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) It gives kids ages 2 to 8 a chance to experience and respond to orchestral music regardless of prior experience. [[1]](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) ## What it means for you If you have a child between two and eight, the special premieres Monday, November 16, on PBS KIDS and PBS stations nationwide. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) The start time is 8:30 a.m. [[1]](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) You can also stream it free, with no subscription required, on the PBS KIDS Video app, connected TV devices and pbskids.org. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) DeWitt said parents are looking for intentional, thoughtful content for their children, as well as specials the family can watch together. [[2]](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) Because the film has no dialogue after the short introduction, children do not need prior experience with orchestral music to follow it. [[1]](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) ## Sources 1. [New show, ‘Carnival of the Animals,’ coming to PBS Kids](https://azpbs.org/2026/11/new-show-carnival-of-the-animals-coming-to-pbs-kids/) — azpbs.org 2. [PBS KIDS Sets Premiere for Gustavo Dudamel's 'Carnival of the Animals'](https://www.awn.com/news/pbs-kids-sets-premiere-gustavo-dudamels-carnival-animals) — awn.com Image: Photo (illustrative): Fred Cherrygarden / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tengis_Movie_Theater_-_Screen.jpg) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. How we work: https://skoop.news/how-we-work/ · Corrections: https://skoop.news/corrections/