Cosgrove Hall Films is set to unveil a new production at MIPCOM Jr. MY NEIGHBOUR IS AN EVIL GENIUS is a new 52x10 minute series aimed at kids 7-11. Produced in Toon Boom Harmony, MY NEIGHBOUR IS AN EVIL GENIUS is comic tale of espionage, surveillance and high-octane action that just happens to take place over a garden fence in a sleepy suburban town.
VGI Ent. has been appointed the exclusive international television distributor for the 26x30 HD motion-capture action-adventure series ADVENTURES ON ORSUM ISLAND. VGI will launch the series, produced by Pineapple Squared and aimed at children aged 7-12, at MIPCOM Jr. The first episode is due for delivery in October 2007.
Foothill Ent. signed an agreement with Bob's Space Racers to develop multi-platform television programming based on WHAC-A-MOLE, the $1.5 billion amusement park brand.
The deal signifies a "first" for Bob's Space Racers, whose goal is to extend WHAC-A-MOLE beyond the traditional gaming component into entertainment, bringing the "mole" to life through the television medium, and thereby engage a whole new consumer demographic. WHAC-A-MOLE made its debut in 1976 in the amusement and carnival world and is the #1 arcade game across the globe.
Starz Media has announced its slate of programs for MIPCOM.
* WOW! WOW! WUBBZY!_ Flash-animated pre-school series (26x22 or 52x11). Wubbzy, who just wants to have fun, and his best pals Widget (she just wants to build) and Walden (he just wants to think) face the challenges of each day with the best resource they've got -- friendship! The second season has been renewed on Nick Jr. in the U.S., launching in 2009._
French broadcaster Canal+ has acquired all broadcast rights -- including pay TV, cable TV, Internet and mobile -- to distributor BRB Internacional's devilish animation series THE IMP. Canal+ will also act as the licensing agent in France.
Produced by Red Kite, Screen 21, and TVC, THE IMP (65x90) is a comedy produced in black-and-white HD3D targeted at young adults. Winner of the MIPCOM Jr. Licensing Challenge, THE IMP has been specifically designed to easily adapt to new multimedia formats, as well as to more traditional products such as toys, textile, stationery, etc.
This week in AWN's Forums, a wannabe animation writer needs some advice. There's a thread collecting members' favorite children's book artists. RATATOUILLE is still a hot topic on the forums. A member needs some Flash vectoring help. Another member wonders if it is possible to teach themselves 2D. A senior member has started a thread to talk about the forthcoming animated SPACEBALLS TV series. Moderator Larry L wants to know if members would be interested in workshops conducted in the forums.
Rich Ross, President of Disney Channel Worldwide, will present a keynote address on the second day of MIPCOM Junior, which will be held on the Oct. 6-7, 207, at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.
Rich Ross, who has been with The Walt Disney Co. for 11 years, manages the company's successful and burgeoning global kids' TV business, a total of 67 channel feeds around the world. He is a key member of the team behind the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL franchise. Ross will share the reasons behind the channel's phenomenal success during his keynote speech at MIPCOM.
9 Story Ent. has announced that production has been completed on the first 26 episodes of its new animated comedy series FUTZ! The Teletoon Original Production is scheduled to premiere as part of the network's new fall programming lineup in September.
Targeting nine- to14-year-olds, the wacky comedy is a retro nonverbal cartoon based on the misadventures of its title character, who is ready for anything, prepared for nothing and always able to severely mess things up in just 180 seconds -- the length of each episode.
4Kids Ent. Inc. has appointed Jennifer Askin to the position of Manager, International Broadcast and Digital Sales, in which capacity she will oversee the marketing of worldwide new-media platforms for 4Kids Ent.'s extensive program catalogue. In addition, she will be responsible for securing traditional media sales for television in the Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Poland, the Ukraine, Belarus, all countries in Central Asia, South Africa and Africa.
French animation company Xilam has allied with the U.K.'s Cake Distribution to handle English-speaking territories, reports C21 MEDIA. The alliance with Cake, which is headed by Xilam's former exec VP of business development, Ed Galton, will have the London-based distributor handling sales to all English-speaking markets, including the U.K., Ireland, the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Montreal-based Pop6 is producing an animated feature version of Jeff Amano's comic book series GENE-FUSION, reports ICv2.com. The comic was the first title published by Amano's Beckett Ent. The initial issue was launched at MIPCOM 2002. Later, Ivan Brandon penned and Neil Vokes drew a four-issue run. Pop6 hopes to have the film ready for 2008.
GENE-FUSION: TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS follows a group of highly trained athletes called Fusers, who compete with genetically altered animals that were created by fusing the DNA of three separate creatures together.
Accelerating its worldwide sales activities under the leadership of Ken DuBow, PorchLight Ent.'s President of Worldwide Distribution, it was announced today that Jeffrey Engelen had been promoted to Vice President, Worldwide Sales. Reporting to DuBow, Engelen's sales responsibilities have expanded to include key territories throughout Europe, Russia, Africa and the Middle East, where he will concentrate on broadcast sales of PorchLight's expansive library of programming.
A virtual space of information about the MIPCOM Mobile & Internet TV Awards has been set up inside the 3D virtual world of Second Life. This virtual platform brings together creators and new talent in emerging areas of entertainment, such as Internet and machinima.
Nickelodeon and BRB Internacional have struck a deal to air animated TV series, ANGUS & CHERYL, across several European and Latin American territories this fall. This first-ever broadcasting deal between Nickelodeon and BRB gives the network cable and satellite TV rights to the series for Belgium, France, Holland, Italy, Latin America, Luxembourg, Portugal, Scandinavia, Spain and Switzerland. Additionally, Nickelodeon in Holland will also screen the show in an open-broadcast format.
Aardman Animations has found an American home for its internationally successful children's property SHAUN THE SHEEP. The animated series, which just last week won the Cristal Award as Best TV Production at the Annecy Animated Film Festival, will premiere on Disney Channel on Sunday, July 8, 2007, in primetime. Since its successful launch as the most viewed show at Mipcom 2006, the property has sold to primary broadcasters in 145 territories including Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, India, France, Benelux, Japan and Latin America.
Jetix Europe's latest co-production is animated action/comedy series, COMBO NINOS. Done in close collaboration with the French production house SIP Animation and TF1, COMBO NINOS is designed to appeal to kids 6-10 and will debut on Jetix Europeâs channels in Aug. 2008.
The fifth most watched series at MIPCOM Junior 2006, SKUNK FU!, is bent on conquest of key European territories with sales by Cake Distribution to France 5, NRK and RAISAT. Outside Europe, recent sales have included a pan regional deal with Cartoon Network Asia.
York International's new emphasis on new media licensing positioned it uniquely to partner with the wide range of emerging Internet and satellite based entities registered for MIPTV. CEO Tanya York explained, "Our library is great for home video, but as the new technologies take over, we are now in a perfect position to assist our clients with Internet and new media based content needs."
MIPTV 2007 in Cannes April 16-20 seems to be off to a bright airy start, partly in thanks to the warm weather and the ever-increasing exhibition space for participants. If you are a MIP regular and think you pretty much know where to find everyone, look again. Many animation exhibitors have moved out of the crowded, yet easy access of the bottom floor of the Palis and are spread out to huge new exhibition halls and tents on the roof of the Riviera or across from the structure along the croisette.
Xilam's canine comedy RINTINDUMB (75 x 1 minute 30 seconds), featuring Lucky Luke's sidekick, the dumbest dog in the west, has been picked up by a raft of broadcasters at MIPTV. The animated series, which debuted in September on France 3, has been licensed to Mediaset (Italy), Dutch kids TV channel Z@pp, TV5 (France) and TeleQuebec Canada.
The latest Acrobat edition of Animation World Magazine is now online. Download it today while it's still available for free. This issue tackles the topics of feature films and shorts. Start your engines, folks, it's that time of year again -- Rick DeMott takes a lap around the Oscar buzz arena to uncover who's ahead and who hasn't even left the starting line. Philippe Moins surveys the European animated feature scene and discovers a vast array of subjects and styles. Karen Raugust looks at how the animated feature film business is no longer closed to independent animation houses in the U.S.
DIC Ent. has finalized new international broadcast and home entertainment distribution deals for the new series HORSELAND.
Since its launch three months ago at MIPCOM 06, Aardman Animations' SHAUN THE SHEEP has racked up television sales in 60 countries and tied up licensing deals in several key territories worldwide.
Following its success as the most viewed show at MIPCOM Jr., the series has been sold by Aardman Int'l to multiple broadcasters across the globe, including France, Japan, Asia and Latin America.
NGTI (National Geographic Television International) announced a raft of new deals for its family special -- TOOT & PUDDLE: I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (1x45).
Based on the bestselling Holly Hobbie book of the same name, TOOT & PUDDLE: I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS has been licensed to leading broadcasters, including ARD and Ki.Ka in Germany, Nickelodeon in the UK and Australia, YLE Finland, TV2 Norway, DR1 Denmark and ATV Hong Kong.
Jillianne K. Reinseth joins Studio B Prods. as director of development. She will head up Studio Bs new in-house content creation division, called the B-HIVE, and develop projects from external pitches as well.
Reinseth was a development producer with broadcaster Jetix Europe; senior manager, creative affairs at Walt Disney TV Animation; and also was manager, original series for ABC Cable Networks Group (Disney Channel).
