Disney Junior’s “The Rocketeer,” inspired by Dave Stevens’ beloved superhero comic books and Walt Disney Pictures feature film, is a new comedic, animated adventure series featuring a young girl named Kit Secord, who takes to the skies to protect her community after becoming the surprise recipient of a rocket-pack that gives her the ability to fly.
Inspired by Dave Stevens’ beloved superhero comic books and Walt Disney Pictures feature film, the series stars Kitana Turnbull (“A Series of Unfortunate Events”) as Kit, and Billy Campbell and Kathy Najimy as her parents, Dave and Sareena Secord. Campbell is best-known for starring as Cliff Secord in “The Rocketeer” film.
The live-action reboot may have been canceled (I’m optimistic and hope it was just sent back to development), but a new generation will get an introduction to The Rocketeer. And that’s a good thing ™.
Set in the idyllic small town of Hughesville, each episode of “The Rocketeer” is comprised of two 11-minute stories that follow Kit as she embarks on a high-flying adventure to help save her community and its residents from trouble — usually brought on by the many comedic villains who will be featured throughout the series. As with most superheroes, Kit has a team to help her pull off her heroic adventures and keep her identity hidden from the masses. Her best friend, Tesh, serves as Ground Control when Kit takes to the skies and is also the inventor of the hi-tech gadgets and upgrades for her rocket-pack; and her grandfather, Ambrose Secord, works at the Hughesville Airport and serves as her mechanic. Also along for the ride is Kit’s loyal bulldog, Butch.
In the premiere episode, Kit receives a surprise package on her birthday containing The Rocketeer’s helmet, which Grandpa Ambrose immediately recognizes as belonging to the famed superhero. With that, he unveils the rocket-pack which he was told to hang on to until the next Rocketeer was chosen. As Kit learns the ropes of becoming a flying superhero, Grandpa Ambrose and Tesh help with her training.
The guest star cast reads like a whose who of Hollywood from the last 4 decades. Upcoming guest stars include Tony and NAACP Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad (Pixar’s upcoming “Soul”) as May Songbird, a famed stunt pilot who Kit helps overcome a fear of flying after a fall from grace; Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody Award winner Marlo Thomas (“That Girl”) as Kit’s grandmother, Sitti, who comes to visit for the town’s annual food festival; Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Annie Potts (Pixar’s “Toy Story”) as Dave’s younger sister and aviation test pilot, Scarlett; Rahul Kohli (“iZombie”) as Tesh’s dad and Hughesville Trailblazers troop leader, Mr. Cheena; and D’Arcy Carden (“The Good Place”) as Ava, a self-flying airplane.
In addition to Turnbull, Campbell and Najimy, the series stars legendary voice actor Frank Welker (“Scooby-Doo”) as Grandpa Ambrose and Butch the bulldog; Callan Farris (Disney Channel’s “Gabby Duran & the Unsittables”) as Kit’s best friend, Tesh; and Navia Robinson (Disney Channel’s “Raven’s Home”) as Kit’s flight school classmate, Valerie Valkyrie. Voicing the recurring comedic villains in the series are Maria Bamford (“Arrested Development”) and Kari Wahlgren (“DC Superhero Girls”) as sister team, Laura and Harley; Maurice LaMarche (“Futurama”) as Sylvester Slapdash; Charlie Adler (“The Transformers” franchise) and Parvesh Cheena (Disney Junior’s upcoming “Mira, Royal Detective”) as The Great Orsino and Deany, respectively; and celebrity chef Ted Allen (“Chopped”) as Cast-Iron Chef.
Disney Junior’s “The Rocketeer” premieres November 8 with 2 back-to-back episodes on Disney Channel (11:00 a.m. EDT), Disney Junior (5:00 p.m. EDT) and in DisneyNOW.