A New Feature Documentary Will Be Based On ‘Reading Rainbow’

The cherished 1980s children’s television series Reading Rainbow is the subject of a new feature documentary titled Butterfly in the Sky. 

Deadline reports that the film will spotlight LeVar Burton, who hosted the show for 23 years and believed that television could encourage a steadfast love for reading. In its 26 year run, Reading Rainbow’s influence on children has been invaluable. The iconic series garnered over 250 awards, including the distinguished Peabody Award and 26 Emmys.

Butterfly in the Sky will be produced by XTR Studios and directed by duo Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb (Jasper Mall). 

In sharing his sentiments about the show’s impact on his childhood self, Whitcomb said, “Reading Rainbow was my window into the big city and into diverse cultures. Reading Rainbow was arguably the first time I encountered “documentary-style” television as a young person, planting a seed that would inspire me for the rest of my life and lead me to where I am in my career to this day.”

Likewise, Thomason relayed his personal experience: “As a Mexican-American growing up in Houston, I was always surrounded by diversity. More than any show on television, Reading Rainbow reflected the cultures that surrounded me. When the book fair came to my school, I went straight for the Reading Rainbow titles. I didn’t know it at the time, but the show’s mission statement was manifesting itself in me. I devour books to this day, and I know Reading Rainbow had a hand in that.”