“Reading Rainbow” to be celebrated in new documentary

Reading Rainbow, one of the most influential television programs of our time hosted by the legendary LeVar Burton will be featured in a new documentary.

After making its debut in 1983, Reading Rainbow went on to achieve a 26-year run, became the most-watched PBS program in the classroom and win over 250 awards including 26 Emmys, the George Foster Peabody Award, among other honors.

Now the program will be celebrated in a new documentary called Butterfly in the Sky from studio XTR.

The Legacy of Reading Rainbow

Titled Butterfly in the Sky, the Reading Rainbow documentary will be directed by Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film will feature archival footage and interviews with Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton along with the major broadcasters, educators, and filmmakers involved in the show that encouraged a love of books and reading among children.

The documentary film will chronicle the journey of the educational children’s television program and aims to “honor the show’s legacy and teach younger generations about this milestone in television history in our current era of distance learning.”

“Reading Rainbow was my window into the big city and into diverse cultures,” said Whitcomb.

“With segments like those in ‘Hill of Fire,’ ‘Liang and the Magic Paintbrush,’ and countless other episodes, 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.”

Documentary

The announcement of the documentary film comes after Burton’s recent guest host gig on Jeopardy! in July. During his week of hosting, the game show had announced that it would match the total winnings of all its contestants and donate the funds to the nonprofit Burton has been an advocate for called Reading Is Fundamental, which supports children’s literacy.

Photo Courtesy of Screenrant