Nelvana Home Entertainment and Criterion Pictures have set a five-year agreement for the non-theatrical distribution of titles from Nelvanas library of animated programming.
Criterion Pictures picks up distribution rights to ANATOLE (episodes 1 to 26), BABAR (episodes 1 to 78), THE BERENSTAIN BEARS (episodes 1 to 40), CORDUROY (episodes 1 to 13), FRANKLIN (episodes 1 to 78), LITTLE BEAR (episodes 1 to 52) and ELLIOT MOOSE (episodes 1 to 13), with other titles under consideration.
Available in both English and French, the shows will be offered to all major non-theatrical channels, including schools/school boards, daycare centers, libraries and museums.
This deal is consistent with Nelvana Home Ent.s long-term plan to operate in all distribution channels, working with the experts in those areas, said Peter Maule, vp of home entertainment and retail distribution, Nelvana. Nelvana endeavors to strike a balance between educational curriculum and entertaining programming, which has made our library long sought-after in educational markets. We have finally entered this burgeoning market with a partner that continues to set the benchmark for content distribution and emerging technologies.
Criterion Pictures, and Visual Education Centre, an associated company, is the principal provider of audiovisual learning resources to Canadian schools, representing many of the most respected producers from around the world, said John Fisher, president/ceo, Criterion Pictures. We are proud to have this opportunity to make Nelvana's outstanding children's programs available to schools and libraries throughout the country. We are confident that this collection will make an invaluable contribution to the educational community because of their sensitivity to Canadian cultural and learning themes, and their world-class production values."
Nelvana Ltd. is one of the worlds leading international producers and distributors of childrens programming and products. Nelvana is owned by Corus Ent., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus (www.corusentertainment.com) is a market leader in both specialty TV and radio. The company's other interests include music, television broadcasting and advertising services.
