The 52 x 5 minute, 3-D CGI animated series is produced by Planet Nemo in association with leading UK pre-school platform, CBeebies, global pre-school channel JimJam and France Television. The series will be co-produced with Senal Columbia and Argentina’s Paka Paka and has also been pre-sold to Australia (ABC), Canada (TVA), Finland (YLE), Sweden (SVT) and Malta (PBS Malta). The show will air beginning in spring 2013.
Based on the globally successful and award-winning children’s book, The Book of Great Philosophical Opposites’ by Oscar Brenifer and Jacques Després, What’s the Big Idea? follows Hugo, whose appetite for critical thinking encourages young viewers to question the world around them. Hugo shares his thoughts and philosophises over subjects, asking thought provoking questions that we can never truly answer, such as, ‘What is the difference between thinking and dreaming?’, ‘Can it ever be good to be angry?’ and ‘Why do people feel sad?’
Planet Nemo and its partners have worked closely with Philosophy for Schools consultant, Nick Chandley and Alan Gilbey in developing the book into a 3-D animated series.
Kay Benbow, Controller, CBeebies commented: “The new pre-school philosophy show What’s the Big Idea? is a remarkable, original and beautiful piece of work. As Charlie Brown says ‘in the book of life the answers aren’t in the back’ so a show that asks our audience ‘what do you think?’ and encourages them toward critical thinking is a wonderful thing and a great addition to the CBeebies portfolio.”
Kathy Fairbairn, Jim Jam’s Head of Programming added: “What’s the Big Idea? is a fantastic addition to our programming portfolio and embodies the channel’s ethos for original, educational and entertaining shows. The series is beautifully crafted with simple, striking CGI animation combined with informative content that covers a breadth of big issues from the challenges of growing-up to dealing with complex feelings and emotions.”
Source: Planet Nemo Animation