Category: Television

Cartoon Network has commissioned a brand new original series, SQUIRREL BOY. The 13 half-hour animated series, from creator/exec producer Everett Peck, has started production at its Burbank-based Cartoon Network Studios and is slated to premiere in summer 2006.

Monster Distributes has been busy closing sales following a successful MIPCOM, including two sales to Animania HD, a high-definition channel solely dedicated to animation, which has taken both PICME (104x5), from Irish production company Jammedia, and JUNGLE BEAT (13x5), from Zimbabwean production company Sunrise Media for U.S. high-definition broadcast.

The undercover exploits of Nickelodeons THE XS, an animated family of world-class super-spies who live incognito in suburbia, unfold in nail-biting and funny fashion on the original new Nicktoon series, premiered with a triple lineup of episodes on Nov. 25, 2005, at 8:00, 8:30 and 9:00 pm. These oddball operatives thwart dangerous evildoers without upsetting the neighbors, in this cloak-and-dagger comedy from Annie Award-winner Carlos Ramos (OH YEAH! CARTOONS). The series airs regularly on Fridays at 8:30 pm.

IDT Ent. will celebrate the holidays with its first CG-animated special, THE HAPPY ELF, featuring narration and all new original holiday songs written by Grammy and Emmy winner Harry Connick Jr., which airs Dec. 2, 2005, 8-9:00 pm on NBC. THE HAPPY ELF tells the story of Eubie the Elf, one of Santa's helpers whose enthusiastic, rose-colored view of the holiday season is tested when he sets out to save Christmas for an entire town of naughty children in a sad little place called Bluesville.

Instead of David Beckham, the first 3D football animation produced in Singapore has the likes of characters with nicknames like Gangsta and Gorilla, reports YAHOO! NEWS SINGAPORE. But the creators of the series at Intense Animation Studios are confident it will score globally.

Produced by a Singapore company, the content will be distributed worldwide on broadband and even television.

The 12-minute pilot will be ready by early 2006 and is part funded by the Media Development Authority to be distributed by broadband and broadcast television.

The extensive overhaul of the TV-Loonland sales team produced a host of contracts with broadcasters and Home Entertainment vendors in Europe, Latin America and Australia the international producer/distributor of childrens and family entertainment reports. Projects with the greatest interest from buyers are new production HEIDI and the new in-house production, RUDI & TRUDI.

PERFECT HAIR FOREVER, a comedic anime series with Adult Swim sensibilities, will premiere on Nov. 20, 2005, at 12:45 am and, beginning Nov. 27, the series will air at 12:30 am Cartoon Network.

An all-news original series, created at Williams St., Adult Swims production facilities,

WGBH and Discovery Kids are serving up some feathery fun for Thanksgiving with all-new episodes of the animated preschool science series, PEEP AND THE BIG WIDE WORLD. Join Peep, the newly-hatched chicken, Chirp, the smart and sassy robin, and Quack, the endearingly egotistical duck, as they flap their way through five new, wide-ranging, hair-raising, always comical (mis)adventures, debuting Nov. 14�18, 2005, at 9:00 am and 11:30 am on the Discovery Kids Channel and then on Nov. 21-25 at 8:00 on TLC, as part of the READY SET LEARN! preschool block.

Amberwood Ent. has licensed exclusive rights to produce two of Mini Studios pre-school properties -- ROB THE ROBOT and DEBRA THE ZEBRA.

Spotted at MIP-TV 2005, Ottawa-based Amberwood immediately followed up with Melbourne-based Mini Studios (www.ministudios.com.au) to secure both series for production. Jonathan Wiseman, director of sales & marketing at Amberwood said, "The innovative concepts and fresh look of Mini Studio's properties will most certainly catch the eyes of many broadcasters worldwide. We are excited to have partnered with this talented company."