Malaysian/European Co-Production Launches <em>Pumpkin Reports</em>

Singapore – Malaysia’s Young Jump Animation [1] announced its first co-production venture for a children’s animated series, entitled Pumpkin Reports, to be jointly produced with Barcelona-based production, licensing and distribution company Motion Pictures [2] and Italian audio house Sample [3].

The show will be produced with a total investment of 5 million Euros. The first season will consist of 52 episodes of 11 minutes duration each. Motion Pictures will oversee concept development and pre-production, with Young Jump handling animation production and Sample providing audio and video post-production. Motion Pictures is also the show’s worldwide distributor.

The series is based on an original idea developed by Motion Pictures, and is targeted at children aged 6-10. “Pumpkin Reports” has already attracted much attention in the international market, with several notable networks attached to the project. Pre-production is slated to begin in March 2013. The series will be ready for broadcast end 2014.

TS Leow, Managing Director of Young Jump Animation shared his thoughts on the property, “We loved Pumpkin Reports from the moment it was shown to us, and we’re proud to be co-producing the show with such established partners. We’d also like to thank the Multimedia Development Corporation for their support and guidance in helping us to get this deal done.”

Oscar Albert, Producer at Motion Pictures was similarly enthusiastic. “We are very pleased to co-produce this series with a company like Young Jump. Pumpkin Reports is a property with many possibilities and this joint collaboration with one of the best Asian animation companies will strengthen the potential of the series in such an important territory as Asia. It is the right time for this alliance, and the whole team at Motion Pictures, and our partners TVE, TV Catalunya and Sample are very excited about this project.”

Sample's Managing Director Giuseppe Franchi added "We are very excited and proud to be a co-producer on a quality project like Pumpkin Reports. For many years Sample has been a key provider of audio and post-production services for Italian productions. The Italian sound is ready to invade the world... streaking on alien pumpkin starships!"

Kamil Othman, Vice-President of MDeC stated “MDeC is very supportive of the collaboration between Young Jump Malaysia and Motion Pictures Distribution of Spain. Pumpkin Reports represents several months of discussions that have finally come to fruition and we are very pleased that two great companies have come together on what I believe is the start of what will be many more collaborations in the future.”

Witnessed by Datuk Md Afendi Datuk Hamdan, Chairman of FINAS, Raja Rozaimie Dalnish Shah, Acting Director General of FINAS and Kamil Othman, Vice President of MDeC, this auspicious deal was announced at ATF, Singapore during the Creative Malaysia Networking Luncheon held on 6 December 2012.

Pumpkin Reports is set in peaceful, idyllic Cucurtown, where the ideal levels of sun, rain and fertile soil have made it the Pumpkin Capital of the World. The hero of the show is Max Green, an 11-year old pint-sized dynamo. Smart, athletic and popular, Max is ruler of his universe.

But Max’s easy life takes a turn for the worse when one night he witnesses a flaming orange ball hurtling through the skies to crash land ... right in front of his home! Shortly after, a strange girl and her baby brother appear at Max’s door claiming to be the orphans his parents ordered online.

Of course things are never what they appear to be, and Max soon discovers that his new siblings are the vanguard of an alien invasion force come to scout out Earth and pave the way for its invasion!

Source: Young Jump Animation