Santa’s elves are making a pit stop at ABC on their way from the North Pole.
Walt Disney Animation, in its first special for its sibling TV network, is prepping Prep and Landing, due late this year. Based on characters created by Chris Williams (Bolt) and produced by Pixar whiz John Lasseter, Prep looks at the high-tech North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center, where coordinator Magee (Scrubs’ Sarah Chalke) pairs disgruntled elf Wayne (Dave Foley) with eager young recruit Lanny (Derek Richardson) to prepare the world’s homes for Santa’s arrival.

ABC hopes to repeat the success it had with 2007’s DreamWorks special Shrek the Halls, which drew more than 20 million viewers. Like that special, Prep “works on two levels,” says ABC’s Vicki Dummer. For kids: “High-tech tools they use,” such as the gingerbread-man-shaped Naughty Detector. For parents: “A lot of inside jokes that are nods to classic Christmas specials.”

From USA Today