Mike Young Productions dives into intl co-production DIVE! OLLY! DIVE!, a 3D CGI 52x11 series targeted at kids 4-7. Indigenous versions of the show will be created for individual markets.
DIVE! OLLY! DIVE!, created by two U.K.-based Liverpudlians, Ian and Andrew Ross, the show will be a co-production of Mike Young Productions UK Ltd., Yoram Gross Australia, KIKA of Germany, Telegael of Ireland, Taffy Ent. and Moonscoop of France.
Innamation Films revealed the new companys development slate of animated content for television and direct-to-video distribution, leading off with a full length, original animated property, THE CHRISTMAS RESCUE, about a trio of woodland friends that band together to save Christmas by finding Santa when he is swept off course during a storm. Other properties in development include a re-telling of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD and GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS.
Eden FX has been signed to produce original CG vfx for two major new fall 2005 TV series, NBCs SURFACE (which debuted Sept. 19, 2005) and ABCs INVASION (which debuts Sept. 21). The two new series join Edens contributions to COMMANDER IN CHIEF, and its on-going contributions to the hit TV series LOST, ALIAS and NAVY: NCIS.
The new JETIX half-hour 3D animated series GET ED debuted Sept. 19, 2005, at 7:30 pm on Toon Disney and will bow on ABC Family Sept. 24 at 9:00 am. The supped up series from Red Rover is a computer-generated thrill ride with its a genetically engineered teen, Ed, in a futuristic city, running with a team of street-smart couriers, discovering his destiny while saving humanity. The show is broadcast Mondays and Fridays at 7:30 pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00 pm on Toon Disney during the action/adventure programming block JETIX.
BRB Internacional has launched its newest 3D toon-shaded animation project KHUDAYANA. The series was created in BRBs own Barcelona studios and will be presented for the first time at Cartoon Forum, which takes place on the Sept. 21-24, 2005, in Denmark. The series has already aroused the interest of major television networks around the world, with Jetix Spain supporting its launch.
Lucasfilm is seeking screenwriters for its STAR WARS TV series, reports IGN FILMFORCE. The live-action show will take place during the rise of the Empire between the REVENGE OF THE SITH and A NEW HOPE films.
Keeping tight security on the story, writers will work out of the Skywalker Ranch. Lucas and STAR WARS feature producer Rick McCallum will produce the series. Filming is set to begin in Australia in 2007.
New York City-based BKN New Media Inc. has outsourced animation production of two 26-episode 3D series, KONG THE NEXT GENERATION and another yet to be titled series to UTV Toonz in a $10 million deal.
UTV Toonz has also obtrained distribution, licensing & merchandising rights to some of BKNs animated series, including LEGEND OF THE DRAGON, ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES, STARLA & THE JEWEL RIDERS, SKIPPER & SKEETO and ALI BABA FORTY THIEVES.
Some of these will be featured on UTVs Kids channel, Hungama TV.
U.K.-based audio post and music composition company Tamborine provided the audio post work on LEGEND OF THE DRAGON, now airing on the BBC1 Saturday morning slot. BKNs high-action, 26x30 animation series just completed a run on CBBC, before transferring to BBC1.
Robin Lyons new company, Calon, recently formed from the original Cardiff-based Siriol team, is bringing its new creation, SAFEHOUSE HOTEL, to Cartoon Forum this week in Denmark.
FOX and Burger King Corp. are serving fans of FOXs animated shows an opportunity they are sure to want to sink their teeth into a chance to attend a table read of their favorite FOX toon in Los Angeles in the HAVE IT YOUR WAY contest. Viewers can vote for their favorite show by logging onto www.fox.com/yourway, where they may cast their ballots for KING OF THE HILL, THE SIMPSONS, FAMILY GUY or AMERICAN DAD. Clips of each show are accessible from the site.
Lupus Films and Picture Production Co. (PPC) has started development on PINKY & PERKY, a new CGI series. The plot of the series will center on two Laurel & Hardy-liked brothers who are the hottest trotters in town. They have to overcome their differences once they are given their own live childrens TV show full of mad games, wild cartoons, gunge tanks and top celebrity guests.
Indie kids media company Planet Nemo has announced details of its first production. The company has teamed up with Canada-based Subsequence Ent. to co-produce a new preschool series called BALI, which will be pitched at Cartoon Forum Kolding, Sept. 21-24, 2005.
Kids' WB! new 2005-2006 broadcast season will be highlighted by the world premieres of three new series and four returning hits. Kids WB! kicks off its new schedule Sept. 17 (8:00 am-12 pm ET /7:00-11:00 am PT). On Monday, Sept. 19 (3-5:00 pm ET/PT), the new seasons Monday-Friday weekday lineup will debut, introducing the high-octane vehicles-turned-robots world of TRANSFORMERS: CYBERTRON, along with more exciting adventures of returning shows, five days a week.
Entity FX has begun production for SMALLVILLE after finishing last season with an exclamation point. The season premier, Arrival, which has more than130 high def vfx shots in the episode, airs Sept. 29 at 8:00 pm on WB. This will be the fourth season for which Entity FX produces all the visual effects, all in high def, for the hit series.
YTV is underway with its new fall programming which started with a special sneak preview to kids over Labor Day of its new series CATSCRATCH; D.I.C.E.; AVATAR; HI HI PUFFY AMI YUMI; UNFABULOUS; SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH and THE FRESH PRINCE OF BELL AIR, and new episodes of THE ADVENTURES OF JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS; MY LIFE AS A TEENAGE ROBOT; DANNY PHANTOM; ALL GROWN UP; SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS; BEING IAN; 15/LOVE and MARTIN MYSTERY.
The lineup features:CATSCRATCH on Fridays at 4:30 pm and Sundays at 10:30 am
Nickelodeon will premiere the one-hour movie, DANNY PHANTOM: THE ULTIMATE ENEMY, from creator Butch Hartman (THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS) on Sept. 16, 2005 from 8-9:00 pm. The series hero, Danny Fenton (voiced by David Kaufman) finds being back at school while simultaneously fighting ghosts is too much for him. When he decides to cheat on a test, Danny suffers the consequences and must face his ultimate enemy or risk turning to the dark side forever.
HBO has greenlit a second season of its new series ROME, reports the trades. The new 12 hourlong episodes will air in 2007.
The first episode, Aug. 28, harvested 8.9 million total viewers over the course of 11 plays on HBO and HBO2 spread across the entire week. The Sunday primetime broadcast scored a 9.1 household rating the best number for a new-season debut episode since the fourth-season premiere of SIX FEET UNDER in 2004.
For its second season, NEXTOONS: THE NICKTOONS FILM FESTIVAL has announced that Arthur de Pins, with his film, LA RÉVOLUTION DES CRABES, is the $10,000 Grand Prize winner.
Bruce Campbells telemovie, MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN, debuted on the Sci-Fi Channel, Sept. 10, 2005, at 9:00 pm and will be rebroadcast Sept. 15 at 9:00 pm as part of SCI FI's original movie franchise.
Self-proclaimed B-movie star Bruce Campbell of EVIL DEAD, ARMY OF DARKNESS and BUBBA HO-TEP fame co-wrote MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN with David Goodman, and also directed and starred in it as well. The film chronicles the adventures of an uptown banker who is brought back to life by a mad scientist with humorously bizarre results (www.scifi.com/screamingbrain).
NARUTO, made its U.S. and English-languae debut on Sept. 10, 2005, at 9:00 pm during Toonami, Cartoon Networks high-rated action block. The series, which first aired in Japan in 2002, has already acquired a huge fan base in the U.S. through DVD sales and bootleg tapes.
NARUTO is an adaptation of the popular manga series, NARUTO, created by Masahi Kishimoto. Cartoon Network will air 52 episodes of the anime series during Toonami, Cartoon Networks Saturday primetime action block.
Disney Channel's September is highlighted by two new series joining the Jetix action/adventure lineup GET ED and KONG: THE ANIMATED SERIES presented mornings on ABC Family and evenings on Toon Disney.
Also in September, Toon Disney's popular Jetix block expands by 20 hours weekdays (7:00 pm 2:00 a. ET/PT) and weekends (4:00 pm 2:00 am ET/PT), delivering programming for kids 6-11, especially boys 6-11.
Comedy Central has acquired DREW CAREY�S GREEN SCREEN SHOW, which will premiere Sept. 26, 2005, at 9:00 pm. The live-action/animated improv comedy first aired on The WB last fall.
Comedy Central and SOUTH PARK creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have renewed their contract in a deal that will keep the creative duo at the cable channel through the end of 2008.
Viewers may look forward to three more years of SOUTH PARK episodes with 14 new episodes each year. Parker and Stone will continue under the new agreement to write, direct, voice and edit every episode, as they have since the creation of the show.
ROME, the new HBO/BBC co-production, which recently debuted on HBO, boasts the mystique of Rome in 52 BC via a main title sequence created by award-winning Los Angeles visual effects and design company A52. The :90 main titles, created entirely in-house at A52, will introduce each episode.
This venture, our third with A52, proves what a powerful creative force they are, said Carolyn Strauss, president of HBO Ent.
SCI FI Channel continues to test the boundaries of imagination with WHAT IF, a speculative future project that poses intriguing scenarios of alternate realities. The program, from NBC Universal Television Studio in association with New Line Television, asks... What if a moment in time could change the world forever?
