Train frontman Pat Monahan will voice the lead character Driver Dan in Sprout TV's new show, Driver Dan's Story Train, which premieres in the U.S. on Monday, November 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET.Presenting an eclectic group of animated preschool characters who love to share stories with the audience at home, each episode is a pop-up book come to life that invites preschoolers at home to be a part of each story time adventure.
Real children are integrated into the story by replaying actions such as jumping like a frog or emotions like being happy or sad. The footage is then composited into the storybook artwork itself so the children are seen to actually play amongst the story they have just been told.
Driver Dan drives the Story Train into exciting adventures while each story comes alive through imagination and interactivity. Driver Dan is a reassuring adult character who loves having fun with his friends, driving the Story Train and reading the stories. He is always available to help with anything; he leads the discussions with the characters and the children at home and answers their many questions. Throughout each episode, Driver Dan engages the audience in guessing games, problem solving and observation play.
"I'm very excited to be driving a different kind of Train as the voice of Driver Dan," said Monahan. "In my house, my daughter wakes up with Sprout every morning and now when she goes to bed with Sprout, she can do it with me as Driver Dan
it will be a lot of fun."
"Pat, a dad himself, was thrilled with this opportunity to do something completely different for an entirely new audience," said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president, programming at Sprout. "He was delighted to come onboard with Sprout and work with us on Driver Dan's Story Train; it is the perfect vehicle for children and families to engage and share story time together as they wind down for the night."
