Disney Channel Loses Opportunity at New Mr. Bean Episodes

New episodes of the ‘Mr. Bean’ animated series are now airing on Boomerang and Cartoon Network instead of long-time home Disney Channel. (Photo credit: Endemol)

‘Mr. Bean’ has some new episodes coming.

That’s right, new episodes of the animated series are now making their way to Filipino viewers, just in time for the franchise’s 25th anniversary. However, the said episodes are not airing on Disney Channel as they usually do.

Instead, it was Boomerang and Cartoon Network who made the new episodes available. The former began airing ‘Mr. Bean’ in June, with the latter following suit.

For many years, the cable television rights to ‘Mr. Bean’ in the Philippines belonged to Disney Channel. The station aired not only the animated series, but also the live-action series, as well as the movies ‘Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie’ and ‘Mr. Bean’s Holiday’.

But with Disney Channel unable to secure the rights to new episodes of the animated series, their long-time grip on the franchise appears to be slipping away. That said, losing out on new episodes of ‘Mr. Bean’ proved to be another big blow for the said channel, much like what happened when Cartoon Network beat them out for new episodes of ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches’.

Disney Channel’s loss is now Boomerang and Cartoon Network’s gain. It’s another opportunity lost for the said channel, whose programming remains diluted in comparison to its rivals.

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Mr. Bean on GMA

Mr. Bean’s two films will air on GMA tomorrow, with ‘Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie’ on Kapuso Movie Festival, and ‘Mr. Bean’s Holiday’ on GMA Blockbusters.

Mr. Bean is coming to GMA Network after all. The popular character created by Rowan Atkinson will be seen tomorrow on GMA’s two movie blocks.

The 1997 film ‘Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie‘ will feature Mr. Bean’s misadventures in Los Angeles. The film’s plot centers on Bean unveiling a painting of Whistler’s Mother inside the fictional Grierson Art Gallery, but not after ruining the original painting and replacing it with a poster copy coated in varnish and albumen to mimic the original. Directed by Mel Smith and co-starring Burt Reynolds and Peter MacNicol, Bean will air Sunday morning on ‘Kapuso Movie Festival‘.

The 2007 sequel ‘Mr. Bean’s Holiday’ will feature Mr. Bean’s misadventures in France. The plot looks at Bean’s circuitous trip from Paris to the Cannes Film Festival, and armed with a video camera, he documented his trip that he would later use as a replacement for the plot-less fictional film ‘Playback Time’. Directed by Steve Bendelack and co-starring Emma de Caunes, Max Baldry and Willem Dafoe, ‘Mr. Bean’s Holiday’ will air Sunday afternoon on ‘GMA Blockbusters’.

In my previous article I wrote about my wishes for the ‘Mr. Bean’ series (live-action and animated) to move to GMA Network. With all due respect to ABS-CBN, I think they have done a very poor job in airing the series, with most airings featuring two or three skits from different episodes. And after this news on MTRCB calling ABS-CBN’s attention about an episode where Bean exposed his buttocks, I think that it is more logical for GMA to acquire the series, as long as they air the Disney Channel edit and remove their repetitively old anime.

In the meantime, enjoy Mr. Bean’s one day only appearance on the Kapuso network. As for the series? Who knows, perhaps the possibility of the series airing on GMA will come in the near future.