If you have a little one at home, chances are you’ve read them the classic Go, Dog. Go! book by P.D. Eastman. It was originally published in 1961 and is now being adapted into a kids’ animated series on Netflix.
The DreamWorks Animation production follows 6-year-old Tag Barker on her adventures in the city of Pawston. Tag is high-energy and a skilled mechanic. She loves anything that moves and has ingenuity and creativity that’s infectious. The sky’s the limit for Tag and her best friend Scooch Pooch.
Adapting for Television
Executive Producer Adam Peltzman, whose credits include Blue’s Clues, The Electric Company, and The Backyardigans, tells Parentology that broadening out the world of the show has been one of the most fun parts of working on this project. He says that while it’s hard to choose a favorite character, it was the most fun bringing Tag to life.
(Photo: Netflix/Dreamworks)
“She has the curiosity, energy, and drive, but she was also into vehicles and into fixing them and making them go,” says Peltzman. Indeed, there’s an image of the dogs sleeping in the same huge bed at night. All of them are asleep except for the one who has her eyes open, ready for action; that character would be Tag, of course.
Peltzman says he likes the idea of having a character who has more go than anyone else in the town. That became who her character was. Tag also connects viewers to the other characters in the show.
Watching as a Family
While the show is made for kids, Peltzman says he would love for Go, Dog. Go! to be something families could experience together.
“We try to create stories that will certainly hit that kid audience but hopefully have some universality to them and characters and jokes and music that parents will like,” Peltzman says. He adds that the show is also about community and, in these times, he hopes that theme will have a draw for parents and kids.
(Photo: Netflix/Dreamworks)
“It’s a show about a well-functioning, harmonious — if not sometimes flawed — community of dogs that have to work together to achieve their goals,” says Peltzman.
About the Show
The cast includes the talented voices of Michela Luci as “Tag Barker,” Callum Shoniker as “Scooch Pooch,” and Katie Griffin as “Ma Barker”.
Go, Dog. Go! premieres on Netflix on January 26, 2021 with nine 22-minute episodes. Watch the trailer below.
Visit the Go Dog Go website on Netflix. Learn about other family-friendly DreamWorks shows and Netflix series on Parentology.