Canadian CGI animation house Mainframe Entertainment and ANGELA ANACONDA creator Honest Entertainment, announced at MIP-TV that they have joined forces to create the new collage animation series FAMILY VALUES. Created and written by Tom Brady (THE SIMPSONS, THE CRITIC) and Joanna Ferrone (co-creator of FIDO DIDO and ANGELA ANACONDA) the series will be produced using collage illustration made from cut paper with photographs used to portray each character's face.

German distributor EM.TV has sold Jim Henson's live-action puppet series, THE HOOBS (250 x 24-minutes), to the German public broadcaster ZDF and the children's channel KI.KA. The show is scheduled to air on ARD/ZDF-owned KI.KA in October 2002, with broadcast on ZDF in Spring 2003. THE HOOBS currently airs on Channel 4 and Nick Jr. in the UK, and the franchise reaches over 40 territories worldwide with a combination of broadcast license and consumer product deals. EM.TV holds comprehensive European rights to the series.

New York-based DMA Animation has again teamed with producers WGBH-TV (Boston, MA) and Sirius Thinking, Ltd. (New York, NY), to create ten new animated shorts for the PBS series BETWEEN THE LIONS. Eight of the two- to three-minute animations will be featured in the third season of half-hour episodes, scheduled to roll out nationally in September 2002, while the remaining two are planned for the 2003 season. BETWEEN THE LIONS is geared toward children four to seven years old and blends animation with puppets and live-action.

Once again, a cast-off from The WB has found a home on Cartoon Network. First CN picked up BABY BLUES and now they've nabbed MISSION HILL, a series about the quirky inhabitants of the titular fictional neighborhood. The show will debut on Sunday, May 5, 2002 at 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT) during Adult Swim, Cartoon Network's block of animation aimed at adults 18-34. MISSION HILL originally aired on The WB in the U.S. during the 1999-2000 TV season. Cartoon Network has acquired all 13 episodes, seven of which have never been aired in the United States.

Canadian-based entertainment company Cinar Corporation has reached an agreement with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) to produce 16 new episodes of the preschool series, CAILLOU. The new episodes, to air on PBS beginning January 2003, join the existing 40 episodes currently airing Monday through Friday on PBS KIDS. Based on the series of best-selling children's books, CAILLOU is created using a combination of animation, puppets and live-action, and chronicles the adventures of a little boy as he encounters the ups and downs of four-year-old life.

This week at MIP-TV, Gullane Entertainment announced that it has begun production on 78 new five-minute episodes of THOMAS & FRIENDS, augmenting the property's current library of 130 episodes. Produced at Shepperton Studios in England, the new episodes will begin airing in September 2002 on Nick Jr. in the UK. In the U.S., these episodes will be released direct-to-video by Anchor Bay Entertainment. The first U.S. release will be available September 24, 2002 on VHS and DVD.

Fox Kids Europe (FKE) is at MIP-TV this week and has already acquired 26 half-hour episodes of the new animated series ROBOROACH and 52 episodes of the animated series HAMTARO. ROBOROACH, starring a cockroach superhero named Rube who can morph into almost anything, and Reg, Rube's street-smart big brother, is a co-production between RTV Family Entertainment AG and Canadian producer-distributor Portfolio Entertainment.

At MIP-TV 2002, TV-Loonland has struck a first time deal with Italian state broadcaster RAI for several shows. RAI’s free TV channels RAI 2 and RAI 3 will air CRAMP TWINS (26 x 30 minutes) in 2002 while LITTLE GHOSTS (39 x 7 minutes), PETTSON AND FINDUS (13 x 13 minutes) and CLIFFORD (40 x 30 minutes) are expected to air in 2003. Additionally, RAI’s pay-TV channel RAISAT will broadcast CLIFFORD, LITTLE GHOSTS and CONNIE THE COW (52 x 7 minutes) in 2002.

Kids animation producer-distributor TV-Loonland will present a new slate of animation programming at MIP-TV 2002. Leading the Loonland catalogue is the launch of REBOOT - SEASON IV. Animated by Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. REBOOT was the first ever half-hour computer animated TV series produced. Originally seen on North American television in September 1994 on YTV (Canada) and on ABC Television (USA), the series remains one of YTV's top-rated programs and can be seen in the daily Toonami block on the Cartoon Network.

Production and distribution company France Animation is attending MIP-TV with a slate of new animated series for children of all ages. Heading the slate is new animated sitcom DR. DOG. Aimed at children aged 6 to 10 years old, this 52 x 13-minute series, co-produced with Silver Lining Productions, is based on the irreverent book by British author Babette Cole. Their documentary series INSECTOSCOPE makes its international debut at MIP-TV as well. Geared toward 6 to 12 year-olds, INSECTOSCOPE (52 x 6-minutes) is a co-production with France's MC4 and TF1 and RAI Italy.

The first two episodes of the BRB Internacional and Telecinco (Spain) co-production GLADIATOR ACADEMY (26 x 30 minutes) will be available at MIP-TV 2002. The show is targeted to 6 to 10 year-olds and follows the adventures of a family of young gladiators living on a Mediterranean island during the Roman Empire. Another BRB animated series making its debut at MIP-TV is THE INVISIBLE MAN (26 x 30 minutes), which is currently in pre-production. This series combines 2D and 3D animation and is geared to 8 to 12 year-olds.

Independent animation house Alphanim has partnered with Canadian production company Nelvana on THE DELTA STATE (26 x 30-minutes). The show, which focuses on four 20-something East Berliners with supernatural powers, was originally announced in 2001 as a co-production with Cinar, but fell through when Cinar Europe closed its doors in February 2002. With Nelvana now on board, the series is scheduled to deliver in fall 2003. Alphanim has also committed to CREEP SCHOOL (26 x 26-minutes) a co-production with Sweden's Happy Life and France 3. The series is also scheduled for 2003.

DECODE Entertainment is launching two brand new preschool series at MIP-TV 2002. SAVE ‘UMS is a 26 x 30-minute 3D animation produced by DECODE and executive produced by creator and writer Dan Clark of the Dan Clark Company (BRATS OF THE LOST NEBULA). The series is a fun and educational project with an emphasis on problem solving. The SAVE ‘UMS characters are preschool action heroes who encourage children to learn about technology. Each episode inspires children to develop their own skills and initiative and to adapt to the technology in their world.

UK-based media company Elephant Productions is bringing new children's series ANIMAL SCHOOL to MIP-TV 2002. Aimed at children aged 10 to 15 years-old ANIMAL SCHOOL is a series of 30 x 45-second interstitials each featuring different animals receiving their lessons for life. Jointly commissioned by CBBC Acquisitions and Education, the interstitials will air on CBBC'S new channel and also the Website. Produced by Elephant Productions, ANIMAL SCHOOL is animated in Flash by Fictitious Egg's Andy Wyatt.

Egmont Imagination will bring their new stop-motion animated series LITTLE PEOPLE to MIP-TV 2002. Specifically developed for a preschool audience, the series follows five little people as they explore and discover the world around them. The versatile 65 x 5-minute or 13 x half-hour series will premiere on SRTL in Germany this fall.

France Animation will be attending MIP-TV 2002 with their brand new animated series COSY CORNER. Produced by French production company Storimages, in association with France 5 and Teletoon France, COSY CORNER is a 52 x 6-minute traditionally animated series that teaches preschoolers about forming relationships with friends and family. Although the show is in the early stages of development, Universal Visual has already picked up the home video rights for France. France Animation holds the worldwide distribution rights.

European animation studio Varga has teamed up with Australian production company Screentime to co-produce an animated version of the reality series POPSTARS. POPSTARS: BAND ON THE RUN (52 x 11 minutes), is due to start production mid-2002. Aimed at 8 to 13 year-olds, the series follows the adventures of a teenage band on tour. Varga will be at MIP-TV 2002 to secure co-production partners and pre-sales. International distribution will be handled by the UK's Target, who will also be promoting LILLY at MIP-TV, a tween-oriented series currently in development.

pasi (philippine animation studio, inc.) and Canadian producer Nelvana have joined forces to produce 14 new episodes of the animated series, SEVEN LITTLE MONSTERS for the PBS Saturday morning kids block. Based on the book from children’s author Maurice Sendak, the series is all about life in a large family of brothers and sisters, who just happen to be monsters. SEVEN LITTLE MONSTERS is the third co-production between pasi and Nelvana to be covered under the recently ratified government sanctioned co-production treaty between the Philippines and Canada.

Discovery Kids and NBC revealed their programming line-up for the three-hour block that will debut this fall on NBC Saturday mornings beginning Saturday, October 5, 2002, and airing weekly from 10:00 am-1:00 pm ET/8:00 am-11:00 am PT. In addition to new live-action shows and kid-oriented reality series, Discovery Kids and NBC will air the documentary series WALKING WITH DINOSAURS and its sequel, WALKING WITH PREHISTORIC BEASTS.

Egmont Imagination's new animated series JUNGO is currently in production at Egmont's sister company A. Film, and will debut this April at MIP-TV 2002. Egmont has recently completed of a raft of pre-sales for JUNGO, including Germany's Super RTL, TV2 in Denmark and Norway and TV4 in Sweden. The 13 x 26-minute series finds jungle creature Jungo and city fox Rita on a quest to find a place where they can live in peace. JUNGO is an Egmont co-production with Denmark's TV2 and Ocean Group in Canada. It is based on the main character in two A.