PorchLight Home Ent. has acquired the U.S. DVD distribution rights to ANIMALIA and will release it on DVD and Blu-ray this September. This marks PorchLight's entry into Blu-ray.
Produced by Animalia Productions, in association with PorchLight Ent., ANIMALIA is based on the internationally acclaimed, illustrated children's book by Graeme Base -- an alphabet book with 26 illustrations of animals, one for each letter of the alphabet (A is for alligator, Z is for zebra). ANIMALIA is currently airing on both Animania HD and PBS in the U.S., BBC in the UK and CBC in Canada.
Adventurous, fast-paced and funny, ANIMALIA also carries positive social messages; highlights key character traits like cooperation, persistence and creativity; and promotes literacy. Taking its inspiration from America's national literacy standards, as enunciated by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association, each episode depicts one or more key communication skills such as language use, writing, speaking, listening, critical thinking and online searching and research.
In ANIMALIA, join 11-year-olds Zoe and Alex on thrilling adventures, as they are swept from their local library into ANIMALIA, a unique world of talking animals. All is not right in the once peaceful kingdom as their arrival coincides with unusual events undermining the very heart of ANIMALIA -- the Core.
Zoe and Alex, together with their new friends, use their wits and imagination to help solve the mysteries and bring harmony back to the land.
The series is an international production headquartered in Australia. Animalia Productions is a joint venture between executive producers Ewan Burnett, a BAFTA Award recipient; award-winning author Graeme Base; and Murray Pope (HAPPY FEET, BABE: PIG IN THE CITY).
PorchLight Ent.'s multiple Emmy Award-winning CEO, Bruce Johnson, also shares executive producer credit, along with 15-time Emmy Award-winning story editor and lead writer Tom Ruegger (TINY TOON ADVENTURES, ANIMANIACS, PINKY AND THE BRAIN). The series is directed by David Scott (HAPPY FEET, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy).
The first title in the series scheduled for release on DVD is ANIMALIA: WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM, which includes the episodes "Hello, We Must be Going," "Goodbye, We Must be Staying," "Forget-Me-Not" and "The Mist of Time." Preorder is August 20 and street date is September 23. Available in DVD (SRP: $16.98) and Blu-ray (SRP: $29.98).
