City Island is an American children's 3-minute short education comedy animated television series created by Aaron Augenblick. The series features two young inanimate friends (voiced by Kimia Behpoornia and Kimiko Glenn) in the fictional city of City Island learning about how the city works, with a focus on civics. The three-minute episodes play between long-form series on PBS Kids. City Island debuted in December 2022.
Contents
Synopsis
City Island is an educational series of animated shorts that follow a talking light bulb named Watt and his best friend, a kite named Windy. The series educates children on civics-related topics including economics, geography, finance, and transportation.
Cast
Main cast
Kimia Behpoornia as Watt
Kimiko Glenn as Windy/Sally/Piper
James Adomian as Detritus
Rachel Pegram as Lidia
Branson Reese as Frank Lloyd Light
James III as Mark
Guest stars
Amy Schumer as Terra, the planet where City Island is located
Julio Torres as Ringer
Ellen Cleghorne as Mayor Sitwell
Michael-Leon Wooley as Carry
Debi Mazar as Laney
Rachel Bloom as Venus Flytrap
Rosie Perez as Rosey Rivet
Ali Stroker as Lacey/Ms. Rita/Ms. Leslie
Vanessa Bayer as Ms. Webster
Episodes
Season 1 (2022–23)
EP1: President Watt
EP2: Point of View
EP3: Circus Beach
EP4: Sportsmanship
EP5: Retirement Home
EP6: Architect
EP7: The World
EP8: Town Hall
EP9: Snow Day
EP10: Art Museum
EP11: Airport
EP12: Skytown
EP13: History
EP14: Post Office
EP15: Stuck
EP16: Library
EP17: Flag Day
EP18: Skating Rules
EP19: Pets
EP20: Celebration
Season 2 (2024)
EP1: The News
EP2: Skyline
EP3: Theater Street
EP4: Dancing Rules
EP5: Family Tree
EP6: Future
EP7: Venus Flytrap
EP8: Advertising
EP9: Hospital
EP10: Maker Hill
EP11: Movies
EP12: Garbage
EP13: Shopping
EP14: Clouds
EP15: Internet
EP16: Maps
EP17: Investigate
EP18: Flashback
EP19: Swap Day
EP20: Holidays
Production
City Island was created by Aaron Augenblick, known for Ugly Americans and Wonder Showzen. Augenblick stated that he created the series in part as an homage to Sesame Street, "because I’ve always liked the idea that, in any episode, kids can … meet all these different people in a location that’s friendly, inviting, and seems like it would be really fun to hang out in." The purpose of the series is to educate children about civics. Augenblick worked with academic Elizabeth Hinde to decide what concepts to cover. Season 2 expanded content to include media literacy with collaboration from National Association for Media Literacy Education.
The theme music was composed by TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe. The style is based on the work of art director Gemma Correll.
Each episode is approximately 3 minutes long and plays as interstitial content between long-form series.
Release
The series debuted in December 2022. Season 2 debuted on July 5, 2024. City Island airs on PBS Kids and on the official website in the United States.
City Island Sings!, a spin-off series of music videos with original songs inspired by artists such as The Beatles, Dua Lipa, and David Bowie, premiered on May 29, 2024.
Accolades
2024
Winner, Webby Awards, Kids & Family Video
Winner, Webby Awards, People's Voice, Kids & Family Video