GROUNDHOG DAY AND PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL COME TO ANIMAL PLANET ON FEBRUARY 2
A GROUNDHOG DAY STORY Premieres at 10PM on Feb. 2
January 23, 2017
GROUNDHOG DAY AND PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL COME TO ANIMAL PLANET ON FEBRUARY 2; GROUNDHOG DAY AND PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL COMES TO ANIMAL PLANET ON FEBRUARY 2; GROUNDHOG DAY AND PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL COMES TO ANIMAL PLANET ON FEBRUARY 2
A GROUNDHOG DAY STORY Premieres at 10PM on Feb. 2
Groundhog Day has been celebrated for 130 years as groundhog Punxsutawney Phil each year predicts the end of winter. The date of Phil’s prognostication has been celebrated since 1886 and this month A GROUNDHOG DAY STORY will take Animal Planet viewers on a journey to reveal the history and legend of Phil and those who protect him throughout the year. A GROUNDHOG DAY STORY premieres on Groundhog Day, Thursday, Feb. 2 at 10PM. And at 11PM, again at 12AM, at 1AM, at 2AM…it’s Groundhog Day!
The legend surrounding Phil - if he sees his shadow and returns to his hole he has forecasted six more weeks of winter, if he does not see his shadow then his prediction is an early spring - has become an American tradition. A GROUNDHOG DAY STORY provides a first ever comprehensive look at the history and legend of Groundhog Day, its impact on the town of Punxsutawney, PA, and a look into the spirited group of volunteers responsible for all of it: The Inner Circle, who protect Phil throughout the year and plan the annual celebration in Punxsutawney. The special also shares illuminating details about Phil himself, such as where he lives, what he eats, how he travels, what aggravates him and wife who is his companion.
“As Groundhog Day is the only national holiday dedicated to an animal, we at Animal Planet are proud to give Punxsutawney Phil and the Inner Circle a television home,” said Patrice Andrews, General Manager of Animal Planet.
A GROUNDHOG DAY STORY also shares the storied history and steady growth in the popularity of Groundhog Day - from the first official event, documented in local newspapers, to the arrival of television broadcasts, and ultimately the 1993 film, Groundhog Day, where actor Bill Murray played a weatherman trapped in a personal time warp repeating the same day again and again, cementing Groundhog Day as a cultural phenomenon.
A GROUNDHOG DAY STORY is produced for Animal Planet by Original Content Group where Vaibhav Bhatt and Charlie Foley serve as executive producers and by Discovery Studios where Jeff Kuntz is executive producer. For Animal Planet, Sarah Russell is producer.
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About Animal Planet
Animal Planet, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the network of hit franchise series RIVER MONSTERS, PIT BULLS & PAROLEES and TREEHOUSE MASTERS and the home of provocative and award-winning specials and documentary films presented under the banner ANIMAL PLANET PRESENTS. Animal Planet’s programming also includes quarterly tent pole TV events PUPPY BOWL, the largest non-sports TV on Super Bowl Sunday, and MONSTER WEEK. Animal Planet is the premiere TV, digital and social community for animal lovers and pet owners, providing immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment across all Animal Planet assets including: Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US, that is complimented with a deep Video On Demand offering; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; Animal Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access to the animal kingdom; Animal Planet social including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) satisfies curiosity and engages superfans with a portfolio of premium nonfiction, sports and kids programming brands. Reaching 3 billion cumulative viewers across pay-TV and free-to-air platforms in more than 220 countries and territories, Discovery’s portfolio includes the global brands Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports content across Europe. Discovery reaches audiences across screens through digital-first programming from Discovery VR, Seeker and SourceFed Studios, as well as over-the-top and TV Everywhere offerings including Eurosport Player, Dplay, Discovery K!ds Play and Discovery GO. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.