So how exactly did someone like Bruce Kalish (who – by his
own admission – never even got the hang of Pong) wind up creating “Aaron Stone,” that new Disney XD show which is so into the
world of gaming that … Well, this Friday night, that network is actually
letting 5 avatars host a seven-episode “Aaron Stone” marathon.
(L to R) Disney XD stars Kelly Blatz as Charlie Landers and David Lambert as David
Landers. Photo by Bob D'Amico. Copyright 2009 Disney XD. All Rights Reserved
How did such a low tech guy wind up being the driving
force behind such a game-centric, web-savvy show? Kalish credits his 15
year-old son – to be specific, the boy’s gaming habits – with providing the
inspiration for “Aaron Stone.”
“I had been producing ‘Power Rangers’ for the Company
for a couple of years,” Bruce remembered. “And Disney came to me and said ‘We’re
launching this new network for boys. Do you have any ideas for shows? What
would you like to do?.’ “
Kalish then thought back to his own boyhood, how –
after he’d come home after seeing a movie – he’d then fantasize about being one
of the characters from that film. What it might be like to be Hercules
or Robin Hood. The adventures he could have.
(L to R) Bruce Kalish, Tania Gundai, David Lambert, Kelly Blatz and J.P. Manoux.
Photo by Anthony Randell. Copyright 2009 Disney XD. All Rights Reserved
“But kids today don’t really seem to do that anymore. My
own son, he and his friends just play video games all the time,” he continued. “So
I wondered what might happen if a boy like my son actually got the chance to be
a character from one of his video games. Live out that fantasy, only in real
life.”
So in early 2007, Bruce brought this idea to the executives
who were in charge of the then-still-unnamed Disney XD. And they just loved
this concept. So much so they asked Bruce to quickly put together an “Aaron
Stone” production team.
“So I hired a number of
writers for this show specifically because they were game players. So that scripts
for this show would sound authentic,” he explained. “Me? I tried to do a
little research on my own by trying to play Halo with my son and his friends.
But then 3 seconds into the game, I’d wind up getting killed.”
S.T.A.N. (J.P. Manoux) and Aaron Stone (Kelly Blatz) winding up roughing it in
this week's episode, "Not So Friendly Skies: Part 1." Photo by Peter Stranks.
Copyright 2009 Disney XD. All Rights Reserved
Mind you, the Disney XD team did
provide plenty of input while “Aaron Stone” was being put together. They came
to Kalish with suggestions on everything
from casting (Having been very pleased with J.P. Manoux’s work on “Phil of the Future” and “The Emperor’s New School,” Disney suggested that this "ER” vet
might be a good fit for the role of S.T.A.N., Aaron’s android assistant) to
costuming (It took six different tries to come up a supersuit for Stone that suited
the suits back in Burbank).
And that sort of very-hands-on executive
input might have rattled a less experienced producer. But not Bruce. He
recognized that there were advantages to Disney deciding that “Aaron Stone” had to be
the lead-off series for the rebranded Toon Disney.
“’Aaron Stone’ has the sort of
production values that you almost never see in children’s TV. And Disney
has really put all of its promotional might behind this show,” Kalish said. “I’m not
normally the type of guy who gets excited about stuff like that. But when I
went down to Times Square and saw that huge billboard there for ‘Aaron Stone,’
I have to admit that I got really excited. I actually took videos of the thing and
then mailed them off to the cast.”
"Aaron Stone" 's mix of action and humor clearly appeals to Disney XD's target
audience. Photo by Dillon Casey. Copyright 2009 Disney XD. All Rights Reserved
So far,"Aaron
Stone" seems to be doing just what Disney officials had hoped it would do.
It’s stomping the competition over on NickToons and the N on Monday nights.
More to the point, “Aaron Stone” is actually pulling in the audience that
Disney XD was specifically created to deliver. Which is boys 6-14.
Which you’d think would make Bruce happy (And don’t get
me wrong. “Aaron Stone” ‘s creator & executive producer is
reportedly extremely pleased with the ratings that this show has received to
date). But what’s more important to Kalish is “… I got to make the show that I wanted to make. It’s got all the action and
the humor that I wanted. I’m extremely pleased with the way ‘Aaron Stone’
turned out.”
And with 21 episodes already in the
can, Bruce is anxious to get started on Season 2. “We laid a lot of
ground work in Season 1. There are all sorts of story ideas, things that we left
dangling in Season 1 that I’m looking forward to paying off in Season 2.”
Photo by Peter Stranks.
Copyright 2009 Disney XD. All Rights Reserved
And speaking of paying off, what did
Kalish do to reward his son for providing the inspiration for “Aaron Stone” ?
“Well,” Bruce laughed,”I did raise his
allowance.”
“Aaron Stone” airs tonight at 7 p.m.
on Disney XD. If you’d like to check out that “Disney XD For Real:
Aaron Stone Edition” marathon event … Well, that will be held this Friday
night, March 27th. With the first of seven back-to-back episodes
airing at 7 p.m.
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