In Fred Savage's classic television series "The Wonder Years," the warm, introspective adult voice of Kevin Arnold (Daniel Stern) so wonderfully illustrated, so to speak, the coming-of-age ups and downs of his younger self (Savage) amid the turbulence of the 1960s.

But one thing you didn't see on camera was a young actor who was soaking up the behind-the-scenes trade at every turn -- making those tales of wonder he helped tell all those years ago become a reality as a seasoned television director-turned filmmaker nearly 20 years later. The result is the new film "Daddy Day Camp," the sequel to the 2003 comedy smash "Daddy Day Care," which marks Savage's big-screen directorial debut.

"From a very young age, I was so interested in how a camera worked and why a director placed it in one angle rather than another," Savage said in a recent @ The Movies interview. "I just loved to see how a scene was staged and how the coverage was planned -- and being on 'The Wonder Years,' you were around it all day, every day. It gives you a pretty broad landscape to explore and ask questions and learn hands-on."

"Daddy Day Camp" stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and Paul Rae as Charlie Hinton and Phil Ryerson, respectively, who've turned from running a day care to tackling a camp for kids in the great outdoors. The problem is, the men don't have a clue about what they are doing, enrollment is down, the facility is the pits and the campers are out of control. And only Charlie turning to his estranged military father (Richard Gant) can bail the men out.

Of course, the biggest difference between the first "Daddy" film and the sequel is that the marquee has changed from highlighting Eddie Murphy to Gooding. And while Savage set out to capture the spirit of the original film, he said he and Gooding's mutual goal was to ultimately make the new film their own.

"This film has the same characters and has the same sort of set up as the first film, but we have Cuba and Paul Rae instead of Eddie and Jeff Garlin," Savage explained. "Sure, you have to tip your hat to stay true to the relationships that were established in the first one, but with a new look and feel with the setting with the sequel, it certainly liberated us and gave it us the freedom to do things our way."

Because of his stint on "The Wonder Years," Savage seems like a natural choice to direct "Daddy Day Care," not only because of he carries with him the sensibilities he had as a young actor, but because he's been directing young actors most of his adult career. Among the shows he's directed include the Disney Channel favorites "That's So Raven," "Phil of the Future," "Hanna Montana" and "Evens Stevens" -- which then starred an upcoming actor named Shia LeBeouf.

"Given my background, there's a real warm spot for young actors. I have a real affinity for them. It's important for me that there's a positive atmosphere on the set, and that'd having a good time and are comfortable," Savage enthused. "Not only does that give them an arena and an opportunity to do their best work, but more importantly for me, I want them to be able to look back at the experience in a positive way and feel good about their time doing it. Any experience for a kid is a formative experience."

There's no question that Savage's formative experiences acting in "The Wonder Years" on television and "The Princess Bride" in film influenced him an extremely positive way. In addition to directing, it's allowed him to enjoy a successful career as adult actor with shows like "Working" and big-screen blasts like "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (as the memorable "Mole").

And while is seems like 31-year-old Savage's success in his life after "The Wonder Years" is a fluke, the veteran performer said that there are more success stories of child actors who thrived after early bursts of fame than you'd think.

"I think child actors have an unearned reputation. For the most part, I think everybody does pretty well," Savage said. "Unfortunately, there a few high-profile cases of kids getting into trouble after a career as a young actor."