Al Roker discusses new animated weather show at Bentonville Film Festival
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TV critic Sharronda Williams speaks with Al Roker on Tuesday at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Photo: Alex Golden/Axios
Longtime weathercaster Al Roker (yes, from NBC's "Today" show) was at the Bentonville Film Festival this week promoting his new animated series designed to teach kids about weather, offering up a sneak peek to an audience on Tuesday.
Why it matters: "Weather Hunters," which premieres on PBS on Sept. 8, will explore the wonder of weather and the science behind it, Roker told Axios on Monday. Once you understand how something works, you're less afraid of it, he said.
The big picture: The Bentonville Film Festival, founded by actor Geena Davis, draws celebrities and film and TV industry professionals to NWA. The festival is in its 11th year, emphasizing the elevation of underrepresented groups in front of and behind the camera.
- "I think the programming for the Bentonville Film Fest is something that's trusted," Roker said. "People come to expect a certain quality and caliber, so I was thrilled when we were asked to do this."
Zoom in: The show is about a fictional family, Al and Dot Hunter and their three children, who are weather hunters. The family moves into Al Hunter's grandfather's house after his grandfather passes away.
- The fictional grandfather was a weatherman after coming home from World War II and serving as a meteorologist for the real-life Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American pilots in the war.
- "There was a cadre of meteorologists who forecast for the Tuskegee Airmen because they couldn't get enough white meteorologists to forecast for them, so they had a number of Black forecasters," Roker said.
What they're saying: "I play Al Hunter, a TV weatherman," Roker said. "He happens to be bald and African American and better-looking than me, but he wears glasses."
- The show will explore everyday phenomena like dew and fog plus atypical weather like pink snow.
How it happened: Roker wanted to combine his fascination with weather and love of animation to create a show that educates and entertains kids as well as their parents and caregivers, he told Axios.
- He had the idea nearly 20 years ago, when his children were the same ages as the fictional children in the series.
Zoom out: During a conversation with TV critic Sharronda Williams at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Roker called PBS the most trusted source of children's programming and said it's important for educational public programming to remain part of the country's media landscape.