Disney XD in the United States premieres a new series today: Atomic Puppet. In the series, the superhero Captain Atomic is transformed into a powerless puppet who is only effective when placed on the hands of his biggest fan, 12-year-old Joey Felt.
Despite airing on Disney XD, it’s not a Disney show. The quirky concept was developed and produced as an international co-production between Technicolor, Canada’s Mercury Filmworks, and France’s Gaumont Animation. The series is also being aired on international Disney XD channels, including France, U.K., and Spain, while Teletoon will air the series later this year in Canada.

Atomic Puppet took a long road to series. The idea was conceived by TV animation writer Mark Drop (Recess, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, The 7D) and writer/creator Jerry Leibowitz (The Mouse and the Monster). In Canada, the series was developed by John Derevlany (Lego’s Legends of Chima) and Brad Birch (Johnny Test), and overseen by Mercury Filmworks’ director of development Travis Williams (Total Drama), as well as Technicolor’s Creative Development team. Development in France was led by Heath Kenny, creative director for Gaumont Animation.