Animation World Magazine, Issue 2.6, September 1997


Television

Canada's TeleToon's night time line-up includes Sushi TV, a Japanese
anime variety show from Lacey Entertainment. © Lacey Entertainment.

Teletoon To Hit The Airwaves. Canada's first 24 hour animation channel will soon begin broadcasting, in French-speaking territories starting September 8, and in English Canada on October 17. After a three-month, free trial period for all cable subscribers, Teletoon will be offered as part of a multi-channel package through Specialty TV (Cable TV). TeleToon's daily schedule includes four programming blocks: TotToon for pre-schoolers, Kid Toon for children, FamilyToon for all ages and AdultToon for mature audiences. Much of the programming for the channel is provided by TeleToon's shareholders: Nelvana, Cinar Films, YTV Canada and The Family Channel. The channel's fall line-up contains roughly 40 percent Canadian produced shows. The network aims for that quotient to reach 60 percent by 2003 by "injecting some $76 million (Canadian) over seven years into Canadian programs of which $42 million will be directed into new productions." Family and adult programming also includes classic cartoons from the Warner Bros. library, which includes Hanna-Barbera. "This is not just another channel or network," anticipates John Riley, president of Teletoon, "TeleToon is a world unto its own, a planet hosting the zany, the unconventional, the wild and the extraordinary as part of everyday life." Some of the animated series scheduled to air on TeleToon include Home to Rent (aka Space Goofs)from Gaumont, Captain Star from Alliance, Ned's Newt from Nelvana, Pond Life from Candy Guard/Eva Entertainment, The Simpsons from Fox, Duckman from Klasky Csupo and Sushi TV, a collective program of Japanese anime (not to be confused with MTV's "Cartoon Sushi").

Cats & Dogs Reign On Nick. Nicktoons is working on another animated series featuring talking animals. But instead of two angry beavers, this animal has two heads and one body. CatDog is a character and series which presents a silly physical comedy in that the main character is half dog, half cat. The premise is that dogs and cats are opposites, which makes for plenty of conflict. Created by Peter Hannan, a cartoonist and children's book illustrator, the series is slated for fall 1998, and will be produced in Nicktoons' new animation studio, now being constructed in Burbank.

Kenny, Stan, Lyle and Cartman in South Park. © Comedy Central.Kenny, Stan, Lyle and Cartman in South Park. © Comedy Central.

Hercules To Be Animated Series. Surprise, surprise. Walt Disney Television Animation is in production on a television series based on the Hercules animated feature film. Planned for fall 1998, Hercules: The Wonder Boy Years will present the story of Hercules in his teenage years. Actors Tate Donovan (Hercules), James Woods (Hades), Bobcat Goldthwait (Pain) and Matt Frewer (Panic) are cast for the same respective voices, with a handful of new actors and characters being added specifically for the series. Introducing new characters are British comic Eric Idle as "Parentheses," exercise guru Richard Simmons as "Phys Oedipus," and Sandra Bernhard as "Cassandra." The series is being directed by Phil Weinstein, Eddie Hotchins and Bob Kline at Walt Disney Television Animation.

South Park Premieres On Comedy Central. On August 13, Comedy Central unveiled its' outrageous new prime time animated series, South Park, giving U.S. audiences a taste of the foul-mouthed humor and endearingly low budget, cut-out animation of creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Their privately-commissioned short, The Spirit of Christmas, captured the attention of the animation industry when it circulated as a joke holiday greeting card last year. Brian Graden, who commissioned the original short, is executive producer of the series. South Park will air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central.




Animation World News is compiled daily for publication in the AWN Daily Flash, the weekly Animation Flash email newsletter, and monthly issues of Animation World Magazine.

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