9 Story Media Group is thrilled to share that one of its newest 2D animated series Let’s Go, Bananas! has won a 2025 Youth Media Alliance (YMA) Award of Excellence in the category Best Program, Animation (Preschool, Ages 3-5), for the episode Sleepover Party Pooper/Great Growl-Mom.
The Youth Media Alliance (YMA) unveiled the winners of the 2025 Awards of Excellence at a heartfelt and uproarious gala held in Toronto at the famous Glenn Gould Studios on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. The event was hosted by Angela Son and Taran Kim from The Gangnam Project, and scripted by Daniel Fernandes. The YMA celebrates the best in Canadian media production for children and youth. 18 awards and 1 tribute were awarded during the evening.
Accepting the Award of Excellence on behalf of the Let’s Go, Bananas! team was Brown Bag’s VP of Production (Canada) Coral Schoug, Director of Production Eric Gomes, and Series Director, Matt Mitchell. The show’s recognition in the Best Program, Animation category highlights the creativity and heart at its core, resonating with young audiences and families across Canada and beyond. The category featured a strong lineup of nominees, including Caillou (IoM Media Ventures Inc.), Luna, Chip & Inkie: Adventure Rangers Go (Knowledge Network, Epic Story Media, TFO, Canada Media Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund), and Dino Ranch (Boat Rocker and Industrial Brothers), showcasing the exceptional quality of preschool programming being produced across Canada.
Accepting the Award of Excellence on behalf of the Let’s Go, Bananas! team (from left to right): Matt Mitchell, Series Director, Eric Gomes, Director of Production (Brown Bag Films), and Coral Schoug, VP of Production, Canada (Brown Bag Films)
Let’s Go, Bananas! was developed and produced by 9 Story Media Group and animated by Oscar-nominated studio Brown Bag Films, out of its Toronto location. The series is a feel-good celebration of the realities of family life; messy, joyful, chaotic, wonderful, and of course, totally BANANAS!
Let’s Go, Bananas! was created by award-winning writer and producer Tim Bain, creator of action-comedy series Kangaroo Beach and writer on hit children’s series including Bluey, PJ Masks, Thomas the Tank Engine and Aardman’s Epic Adventures of Morph. The show is inspired by Tim’s own family and features a community of three sweet and silly animal families, the Bananas (gorillas), Crockers (crocodiles) and Tiger-Zelles (tigers and gazelles). Let’s Go, Bananas! is also written by Tim and directed by Brown Bag Films’ own Matt Mitchell (Let’s Go Luna, Rosie’s Rules).
A huge shout out also goes out to Ellora Lopez on her WOWMAZING nomination for Outstanding Youth Performer for voicing Rosie in Rosie’s Rules — such a proud moment! And a big round of applause to Ava Louise Murchison, who took home the award for her role on the series Jane (Sinking Ship Entertainment).
Finally, congratulations to the entire ‘Let’s Go, Bananas!‘ team on their incredible work bringing this wild and wonderful series to screen and to all this year’s talented YMA Awards of Excellence honourees.
Watch Let’s Go, Bananas! airing on CBC Kids in Canada, Cartoonito, Cartoon Network’s destination for preschool in the US, and on Sky Kids in the UK.
See a full list of this year’s YMA Awards of Excellence winners on the YMA website here.