Bring Back the '70s: ABC Promo for 'Abbott Elementary' Taps Into Nostalgia for 'Schoolhouse Rock'

'Conjunction Junction' and '3 Is a Magic Number' provided the inspo

In what has to be one of the best TV promos in recent memory, the cast members of the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary, which kicks off its sixth season on Oct. 7, appear in animated form in Abbott House Rock! The dynamic, well-crafted cartoon clip pays tribute to the iconic 1970s Saturday morning educational cartoon series Schoolhouse Rock!

Play

Here, Aaron Goldman, EVP, creative marketing, Disney Entertainment Television discusses why it made sense to tap into our collective nostalgia for ABC’s Schoolhouse Rock! to generate enthusiasm for what’s to come on this season of Abbott Elementary and chats about going into the recording studio with the cast, including series creator Quinta Brunson and fellow stars Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lisa Anna Walter, who perform the songs and dialogue for the promo.

I love the Schoolhouse Rock! inspo. Can you tell us about the thinking behind the promo and why you decided to go the animation route?

This idea has been a long time coming. We first pitched the concept back in Season 2, but the timing never quite felt right until now. Six seasons, 37 Emmy nominations and countless TikTok compilations later, the show is firmly embedded in the cultural zeitgeist, with characters audiences have come to love. We also had a lot of fun when we first dabbled in animation back in Season 4 with our specialty diorama billboard and accompanying creative. We knew it was something we’d want to revisit.

The Schoolhouse Rock! vibe feels just as lively and fun as it did back in the 1970s when the interstitials began appearing on ABC. Why do you think it has held up so well and appeals to multi-generational audiences?

Nostalgia is having a moment. The appetite for anything vintage feels like it’s at an all-time high. Schoolhouse Rock! has held up because it’s a real teaching tool. And like Abbott, it never talks down to kids.

Can you talk about the songs? It sounds like you were inspired by ‘Conjunction Junction’ and ‘Three Is a Magic Number.’

Those two songs were a huge inspiration for us. Writer/producer Jasmine Curry found the perfect match in “Conjunction Junction” and “Underfunded, Underfunded” and built the concept out from there. We also kept finding connections to the number seven: seven cast members, an October 7th season premiere and a milestone 100th episode that lands as the seventh episode of the season.

How did Quinta Brunson and the cast react when they found out about the creative approach to this promo?

As creator and executive producer of Abbott Elementary, Quinta is a true collaborator and partner on all of our marketing campaigns, and we were thrilled that she and the cast were game for this concept.

And what was it like going into the studio with them to record? Judging by the BTS video, it seems like they had a lot of fun doing something different.

Recording with the cast was such a special experience. We captured their vocals at our marketing shoot, so it wasn’t a typical studio setup–they were in character wardrobe, hair and makeup, with a full crew on set. We’d only planned for Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lisa Ann Walter to sing. But the rest of the cast ended up jumping in too, which is how we were able to build out the harmony.

Who did the animation for this promo, and what was the process like compared to producing a live-action promo?

In some ways, the process mirrored live action. It started with a great script from writer/producer Jasmine Curry, who joined VP of creative Steven Mosely, creative director Cristina Ramos and writer/producer Laura Gevorkyan to storyboard as a group under the leadership of creative SVP Melissa King. We partnered with BIEN, a minority-owned animation and design studio, for the animation and Pickle Music Studios for the music. Since Schoolhouse Rock! is Disney IP, we also brought that team in early to clear the concept and get their support.

One of the biggest differences between live action and animation was how much longer we could keep iterating on the creative. With live action, you often get one shot to capture everything you need—what you shoot is what you get. With animation, we were able to add new elements later in the process that weren’t in our original storyboard or V.O. capture, like the silly moment of Janine getting electrocuted when twisting in the lightbulb.

Where can this promo be seen? Social media? Broadcast? And who are you trying to reach?

The full length :90 version was posted to talent, ABC and Abbott Elementary! social media handles, where it’s reached over 5.5 million views across platforms. We also created four versions that have been running in broadcast ahead of the sixth season—two :30 version, a :15 and :05.

When did you release it, and what kind of reaction have you gotten so far?

We released the long form promo on social Sept. 3 and spots are now running on-air. We have been so humbled by the positive reaction to the creative by the cast, producers, consumers and even our own colleagues. Fans have asked for this to become a series, and we’re currently exploring creating special Abbott House Rock merch. Abbott Elementary has one of the kindest, warmest and supportive fanbases who have really embraced and celebrated the piece. Many noticed some of our “easter eggs” such as Janine’s feet being big and VO from recurring guest star Jerry Minor, who plays Mr. Morton on the show.

Tell me about the partnership with Crayola—what does it entail?

Abbott Elementary and Crayola are partnering from Sept. 23–Jan. 31 to celebrate creativity in classrooms and at home, tying into the show’s own theme of teachers finding inventive ways to engage students. The campaign builds toward two key beats between the season premiere and the 100th episode with a Sheryl Lee Ralph–fronted integration for Crayola Creativity Week, an early career educators hub with a short content series pairing show moments with real teacher advice, a weekly “Countdown to the 100th Episode” coloring series in the Abbott House Rock art style and a DonorsChoose charitable push which supports teachers launching in January with cobranded Crayola crayon boxes at Kroger stores nationwide.

How did it feel to work on this wonderfully nostalgic promo?

The best feeling to describe working on this promo is pure joy. When the team has free rein to do something different, the results speak for themselves. The entire process flowed very smoothly with minimal notes.

Did you learn anything from the process?

In a world of AI-produced animation, writing and music, we were reminded that humans can make really great stuff.