Mondo Media Brings Paul Frank's Characters To Life
Mondo Media has launched its newest Mondo Mini Show, JULIUS & FRIENDS. The show can be viewed exclusively on Sony's just-launched broadband creativity platform, Screenblast (www.screenblast.com). Based on Paul Frank's popular fashion characters and starring the voice of Jason Schwartzman (RUSHMORE) as Julius, the monkey with the wide smile, JULIUS & FRIENDS is an animated series created by artist/designer Paul Frank and content creator Obie Scott Wade of Zeros & Ones, a Los Angeles-based new media company. Frank, founder of Paul Frank Industries, serves as creative director on the show and provided the voice for Worry Bear, one of the show's characters. A new episode of JULIUS & FRIENDS will be introduced every two weeks, chronicling the characters' escapades in Planned Pines, USA, the first planned community for cartoon characters. Each story features Julius the monkey and Clancy, the world's only miniature giraffe, as they maneuver through a series of unexpected adventures relying on their charm and creativity. In addition to viewing the regularly featured episodes, visitors to the site will find other ways to interact with the show's characters. Mix Monkey, a browser-based animated set of turntables and sound effects, allow fans to spin and scratch with the show's characters and giving viewers an opportunity to play DJ, inserting sampled dialogue and sounds from the current episode. Additionally, the Meet the Cast feature provides interactive character descriptions presented in the JULIUS & FRIENDS style. "Everyone has been waiting to see how the Internet can truly be successful in terms of entertainment," said Jan Mallis, executive producer for third party content and acquisitions at Mondo Media. "The Screenblast service allows users an entirely new interaction with content -- its creative approach encourages audiences to participate and be active viewers."