A new Nickelodeon documentary will take '90s kids on a nostalgic journey as it explores the network's past and the mark it left on children's programming.
Gravitas Ventures released a trailer for the documentary, The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story, which chronicles the rise of the children's network, Nickelodeon. Featuring iconic Nickelodeon actors and television shows, the trailer is definitely a slime-filled, blast from the past.
The trailer kicks off with shots from classic Nickelodeon television shows, including Are You Afraid of the Dark, Rugrats, Rocko's Modern Life, Double Dare, Clarissa Explains It All and All That. Throughout the rest of the trailer, former network executives and Nickelodeon actors such as Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Larisa Oleynik and Tom Kenny talk about their experiences with the network. They describe Nickelodeon as a "kid-owned environment," "the anti-Disney" and the "anti-Saturday morning." According to them, Nickelodeon was not what adults thought kids wanted to see. Instead, the network focused less on acting and more on real childhood experiences.
The documentary is expected to showcase a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Nickelodeon and feature stories about the impact of the network on children around the world. The following synopsis was also released with the trailer:
"For millions of children and adults, the Nickelodeon Network is synonymous with growing up. In just a few years, the channel grew from a small local channel to an international phenomenon that helped shape a generation. Led by trailblazing visionary Geraldine Laybourne and her commitment to putting kids first, a group of unconventional heroes turned an underdog channel into an $8 billion dollar juggernaut as the golden standard for children's programming. The Orange Years chronicles the rise of Nickelodeon, with the actors, writers, and creators from all the golden age Nickelodeon shows that shaped your lives. It’s wild. It’s crazy. It changed the world."
The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story was directed by Scott Barber and Adam Sweeney and will feature iconic Nickelodeon child actors such as Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Drake Bell, Melissa John Hart, Christine Taylor and Tom Kenny. It will premiere on-demand on Nov. 17, 2020.