Classic Media has announced the worldwide TV and home entertainment distribution rights acquisition of Nan & Lili, the first ever Arabic animated pre-school series.
Press release by Classic Media
London, UK (April 12, 2010) – Classic Media, today announces that it has acquired Worldwide TV and Home Entertainment distribution rights (Exc. Middle East) for brand new pre-school series Nan & Lili® (200x3). Created by multi-award-winning director and executive producer Firdaus Kharas of Chocolate Moose Media for Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (JCC), Nan & Lili is the first ever Arabic animated pre-school series.
The show, which is being unveiled to buyers at MIPTV, is created for a global audience of pre-school boys and girls (2-4yrs). Innovative and interactive, the series is designed to engage young viewers in a playful way whilst educating and empowering them through a world of exploration and discovery. 200x3 minute episodes are currently available in three languages: Arabic, English and French, with a further 100 episodes in development for delivery later this year.
Presented in novel 3D animation, Nan & Lili are two cute and funny characters who like all young children, enjoy exploring the world around them and playing with their friends. Though they sometimes misbehave, they are always there to help each other get out of trouble! Along with their friends Badi and Hella, the characters are often joined by a range of animals including camels, sheep, goats and elephants as they play and learn together.
Chloé van den Berg, EVP, International - Classic Media, commented: “We’re delighted to be launching Nan & Lili at MIPTV and are very excited to be working with JCC on its first animated pre-school series. Nan & Lili is a fantastic show with a unique animation style and a fresh approach to pre-school learning – offering entertainment whilst encouraging the valuable building blocks of problem-solving skills and emotional intelligence.”
Commenting on this announcement, Malika Alouane, Director of Channels’ Programming at Al Jazeera Children’s Channel and Baraem TV, said: “Nan & Lili is a multi-award winning series that has gained international recognition and appreciation for providing pre-schoolers with unique and fresh educational content. The positive feedback that the Channel has received from mothers and preschool teachers from across the Arab world is a clear testimony that the series’ innovative methods of delivering educational values have succeeded, and we are thrilled to share it with the rest of the world. We are confident that Classic Media, our distribution partner for Nan & Lili, will secure international positioning of this property, especially with broadcasters who are keen on delivering quality programming to their young audiences.”
Firdaus Kharas, creator of the series, said: ”I am very pleased that two world-leading companies, Al Jazeera Children’s Channel and Classic Media, are joining together to educate and entertain the children of the world through this stunning series. For the first time an animated series made for the Middle East will travel the world – a historic achievement that reflects the quality of the programming broadcast on Baraem TV. “
During its first broadcast year, Nan & Lili has won several International awards, including; The CINE Golden Eagle Award, a People’s Telly Award voted for by the general public on-line, two Accolade Awards, and the Chicago International Film Festival’s INTERCOM Certificate of Merit Award in the Educational Children Audience Category.
About Classic Media
Classic Media, one of the world’s largest independent entertainment companies, is a leader in reinventing the classics of yesterday and creating the classics of tomorrow. The Company owns and manages a globally-recognized portfolio of well-known family and pop-culture entertainment brands, including Casper the Friendly Ghost®, Where’s Waldo?®, The Lone Ranger®, Lassie®, Postman Pat®, and new global brands Tinga Tinga Tales® and Guess with Jess®. Big Idea, a member of the Classic Media family, is the leading faith-based studio and producer of children’s programming, including the best-selling animated series, VeggieTales®. More than 3,600 hours of Classic Media programming is distributed in more than 170 territories worldwide and showcased in multiple formats, including TV, film, home video, consumer products, publishing, digital, and music.
About JCC
Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (JCC) is a Pan-Arab edutainment channel. With the mission to encourage the love of learning and discovery, JCC is dedicated to creating and providing quality programs that enlighten the child’s mind.
This goal is realized through research analysis and the production of relevant content that resonates with the needs of this target audience’s daily life as well as their culture.
Consequently, JCC produces its own debate shows allowing Arab tweens to express their opinion and communicate their thoughts, televised thematic magazines covering different educational subjects such as science, technology and sports; as well as game shows that provide audience with general knowledge information and lots of fun. The Channel also produces its own titles of animation and cartoons TV series, and contributes in co-productions along with other public mission children’s channels around the world. As for the remaining 40% of its gird, JCC distinctively selects its programs from the international market.
Al Jazeera Children’s Channel is free to view on Arabsat, Nilesat, Hotbird and Eurobird and is distributed by a very large number of operators across Europe.
In addition to providing supplementary sources of learning, discovery, and creativity, JCC offers a range of multimedia and digital content through its interactive website (jcctv.net). The bilingual website offers more than 200 hours of educational and entertaining broadcast material, let alone the latest multimedia tools that enable the members to upload their own content of images and videos and share them with children around the world.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
