Disney Junior's THE LION KING: RETURN OF THE ROAR Scores in Key Kid Demo

Disney Channel's premiere of Disney Junior's "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar" (7:00 p.m., EST/PST) resonated with viewers, ranking as the #1 primetime cable TV telecast of 2015 among Kids 2-5 (1.4 million/9.3 rating) - and #2 overall year-to-date in the target demographic - and became the #1 animated telecast across kid cable-TV networks among Total Viewers (5.4 million), Adults 18-49 (1.8 million/1.4 rating) and Kids 2-11 (2.6 million/6.7 rating). It was also the #1 rated cable TV telecast in Girls 2-5 (893,000/11.8 rating) in 1 year - since a "Sofia the First" primetime special (11/23/14).

A family-viewing event, Adults 18-49 represented one-third of the audience and 50% were Kids 2-11.

Heading into the final weeks of 2015, Disney Channel is set to deliver the Top 6 telecasts across kid TV networks of the year based on Live + 3 ratings in Total Viewers, with 4 exceeding 5 million on linear TV alone: "Descendants" (10.5 million - 7/31/15), "Teen Beach 2" (7.5 million - 6/26/15), "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar" (5.4 million - 11/22/15), "Bunk'd" (5.2 million - 7/31/15), "Invisible Sister" (4.9 million - 10/9/15) and "Bad Hair Day" (4.5 million - 2/13/15).

• In Live + 3 ratings, "The Lion Guard" grew by robust double-digits over its already solid Live + Same Day delivery across all demographics, including by +32% in Total Viewers (5.4 million vs. 4.1 million), by +51% in Kids 2-5 (1.4 million vs. 930,000), by +37% in Kids 2-11 (2.6 million vs. 1.9 million) and by +38% in Adults 18-49 (1.8 million vs. 1.3 million).

• In its unprecedented simultaneous post-linear launch on WATCH Disney Channel and WATCH Disney Junior, "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar" generated nearly 1 million video starts in its first 7 days (843,200).

"The Lion Guard" television series will premiere in early 2016. Both the movie and series will roll out globally through 2017 on Disney Channels and Disney Junior channels. Set in the African savanna, "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar" introduces Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala, who is destined to become leader of the Lion Guard, a team of animals comprised of the Pride Lands' fiercest, bravest, fastest, strongest and keenest of sight. As Kion looks to assemble the members of the new Lion Guard, he does not call upon a group of lions to serve with him as tradition dictates, but instead chooses some of his friends whom he believes best exemplify these heroic qualities - Bunga, a fearless honey badger; Fuli, a confident cheetah; Beshte, a friendly and good-spirited hippo; and Ono, an intellectual egret.

Many of the beloved characters from "The Lion King" appeared in the movie, including Mufasa and Pumbaa, voiced by James Earl Jones and Ernie Sabella, who reprise their original roles. Rob Lowe ("The Grinder") and Gabrielle Union ("Being Mary Jane") star as Simba and Nala, respectively; Max Charles ("The Strain") as Kion; Joshua Rush ("The Adventures of Puss in Boots") as Bunga; Atticus Shaffer ("The Middle") as Ono; Diamond White ("Sofia the First") as Fuli; and Dusan Brown ("Blaze and the Monster Machines") as Beshte.

Additional cast members include: Eden Riegel ("All My Children") as Kiara, Sarah Hyland ("Modern Family") as Tiifu, Madison Pettis ("Jake and the Never Land Pirates") as Zuri, Khary Payton ("Teen Titans") as Rafiki, Jeff Bennett as Zazu ("Jake and the Never Land Pirates"), Jonny Rees ("Star Wars Rebels") as Mzingo, Andrew Kishino ("Star Wars: The Clone Wars") as Janja, Vargus Mason ("Sofia the First") as Cheezi, and Kevin Schon ("The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa") as Chungu and Timon.

Both the movie and series were developed by Ford Riley ("Special Agent Oso"), who also serves as executive producer. Howy Parkins ("Jake and the Never Land Pirates") is director. Christopher Willis ("Mickey Mouse") is the composer and Beau Black ("Miles from Tomorrowland") is singer/songwriter. "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar" is a production of Disney Television Animation.

WATCH Disney Junior makes full-length episodes of popular Disney Junior shows, games and show-themed activities available to fans on their desktop, mobile and connected TV devices. Viewers who verify with a participating pay TV service can also watch a live stream of the linear channel feed and access exclusive content.

Disney Junior reflects the emotional connection generations of consumers have to Disney storytelling and Disney characters, both classic and contemporary. It invites mom and dad to join their child in the Disney experience of magical, musical and heartfelt stories and characters, while incorporating specific learning and development themes designed for kids age 2-7. Disney Junior's series blend Disney's unparalleled storytelling and characters kids love deeply with learning, including early math, language skills, healthy eating and lifestyles, and social skills. In the U.S., Disney Junior is a daily programming block on Disney Channel and a 24-hour channel reaching over 73 million U.S. homes. In total, there are 34 Disney Junior channels in 25 languages around the world.

Source: NTI, U.S. L+3 ratings, 11/22/15. WATCH: Omniture. 2015 to date: 12/28/14-11/22/15.