Saturday Night Showcase> Liberty’s Kids

Yesterday was Independence Day. If I waited until next year it would be right on Saturday Night Showcase, but who knows what I’ll be doing next year?

Liberty’s Kids is a 2002 PBS series made by DIC Entertainment. It was rare that a major animation company (there are so few of those left as all the only big name studios of the pass still around are Disney and Warner Brothers, and Disney is barely an animation studio these days) produced something for PBS. Usually it’s the smaller studios, which isn’t a slam. Some of those are quite good but DIC was one of the biggest TV animation studios of the time. Their library is now owned by Cookie Jar Entertainment…or I guess Wildbrain now? I can’t even track of all these acquisitions anymore.

The show focuses on three kids working for Benjamin Franklin’s printing company as the Revolutionary War takes place. The focus character is Sarah, a British girl who slowly begins to agree with the colonies’ desire for freedom. Her proper ways clash with would-be journalist James, who is protective of his friends. The last member is the obligatory “happy go lucky” member, Henri, a young French boy. The show lasted one season and featured a few celebrity voices. For example, newsman Walter Cronkite voices Benjamin Franklin.

In this two-episode pilot, the war begins just as Sarah comes to the colonies to meet up with her father. What is the biggest war: colony versus King George or Sarah versus James? Find out and enjoy.

Theme song missing from the OFFICIAL post of the two-part pilot edited into one episode. Why do we hate intros nowadays?

The two-part pilot as one episode

live performance of the full theme song, “Through My Own Eyes” by Aaron Carter and Kayla Hinkle